Best 357 to carry?

[dwever]

The s&w are worth too much to ccw carry. The ruger is replaceable much easier. If I use my gun here in self defense it gets taken away. Don't want to lose a Smith.

However, I'm like you, I DON"T WANT TO LOSE IT! Maybe in an altercation I'd get it back (who knows how long) or maybe I won't. So, I'm considering a CCW that is economical to buy and something I can go to the store tomorrow and replace. S&W and Ruger are both making excellent, affordable (but expendable) guns. Bottom line.... I can't replace my 649-3 at a reasonable price but there are some really good alternatives from both Ruger and S&W.

Carry the gun(s) your the best with which is usually the one(s) you train / shoot the most with.

If you have a situation where you've had to go to the unthinkable, statistically improbable, absolute last resort of discharging a fire-arm, in that fight every weapon is expendable because you will care only that you or other innocents are still standing; and you won't care if the weapon that is now evidence in a justifiable homicide (you hope) was your $1,500 Perf Ctr V Comp 627.

If you carry a revolver, it should be the first one to go to a revolver master-smith to make the action as close to perfect as possible. With shipping that is two or three hundred dollars well spent.

Oh yeah, that $1,500 weapon that is now evidence in a justifiable homicide; that amount of money won't cover a fraction of the retainer for your lawyer.

 

[Groo01]

Groo here
If you are going to CCw , I would pick a 60-15 pro 3in,
or a 3in ruger sp101.
If a belt gun, [which can be bigger and heaver]
a 3in m-65 s&w or a 3in ruger gp100.
The Ruger's are blocker/heavy and can take Many rounds.
The S&W's are lighter / smoother [more refined] and carry easier.

 

[stmry]

My choice would be a 649-3. Not too big, not too small, and plenty powerful. Single-double action, and you can shoot it in a coat pocket if need be.

 

[Warren Sear]

...Oh yeah, that $1,500 weapon that is now evidence in a justifiable homicide; that amount of money won't cover a fraction of the retainer for your lawyer.

^^^That right there.

I actually knew a guy who had a nice 45 auto made up for him. it was perfect, but he never carried it for fear he might have to forfeit it.

Time for a reality check.

 

[jtcarm]

"Everybody" does not think a .357 is the best carry revolver. I'm not sure even a majority do.

I think most people want a .357 simply to have the option of shooting magnums if they want to. I've never shot a 2" J-frame .357, but I wouldn't look forward to the experience. Close range at night it might be a good option. Just close your eyes and shoot in your opponents general direction, then run. If you don't hit him, it'll have the effect of a flash-bang grenade and he'll be too stunned to do anything.

That said, I'd opt for a an 8-shot 627, provided I could conceal it or concealment is not required.

 

[sawlog]

these are the best in my opinion.
model 60 pro and model 60

 

[GCF]

For belt carry I have found nothing better than my 586L comp 3".

Heck of a nice piece there gnystrom. Factory finish?

 

[jtcarm]

The s&w are worth too much to ccw carry. The ruger is replaceable much easier. If I use my gun here in self defense it gets taken away. Don't want to lose a Smith.

Are you serious? Or do you really value your S&Ws more than your life?

I spent over $20,000 for live-saving cardiac surgery a couple of years back. Quite a bit, too, for a high-risk OBGYN who got my type 1 diabetic wife through pregnancy to deliver a healthy son. Best money I ever spent.

Or should I have shopped foreign clinics and degree-mill doctors to save money? Are you and your family's lives more replaceable than a gun? If someone attacks you on the range while shooting a prized S&W, do you ask him to wait while you reach in your range bag to grab the more replaceable Ruger?

The odds of losing your guns to theft or house fire are exponentially higher than a justified shooting. In those events, you're also likely lose more than one.

So if your S&Ws are that irreplaceable, invest in the highest quality gun safe available, a home security system, and insure them out the wazoo. Or is that too expensive?

 

[at_liberty]

Model 60 pro series

Mine in that model as well as my 60-10 are brutal with the bought ammo I have tried or any reload that is legitimately magnum in performance. A gun big enough to handle 357 is a challenge to conceal and to carry comfortably.

The Pro leads badly, and the 60-10 has throats too tight for lead, so I use XTPs for loads to suit these guns.

I must say both guns provide exceptional off hand accuracy for me, better than my Ruger SP101, so I am pretty attached to them.

 

[Buffalobillcody]

I just bought a 686 performance center with the 2.5" barrel. And I love it. It has a great trigger and can shoot magnums all day at the range. I carry it in my bianchi Holster on a 2 1/2" belt. I have no problem concealing it and it shoots amazing. It's my avatar picture. Working on posting it here.

 

[bigfatty]

I just bought a 686 performance center with the 2.5" barrel. And I love it. It has a great trigger and can shoot magnums all day at the range. I carry it in my bianchi Holster on a 2 1/2" belt. I have no problem concealing it and it shoots amazing. It's my avatar picture. Working on posting it here.

I had to send mine back for a big time makeover as soon as I bought it last spring, but now I love it. Not hard to carry or conceal at all. I just received one of the last Lobo Gun Leather holsters last week ... a snap pancake with dual hammer guards. Fits like a glove, holds it really tight, but not too high. My only concern is that the leather is a bit thin, and when the cylinder eventually slips down, I won't be able to buy another, as Ray is retiring in a few weeks. (I don't expect a $75 holster to last forever. I'd have been happy to pay upwards of $200 for thicker leather, considering I won't be able to get one again. He does great work!)

IWB a Tucker Texas Heritage works great. You barely feel it, BUT, you have to adjust it to ride pretty high if you want to be able to reholster. If that doesn't bother you, or if you don't care about reholstering, you couldn't ask for a more comfy IWB for the 686 Plus PC.

That trigger's a dream, isn't it?

 

[Richard Simmons]

I kinda like the 8 shot UDR and the 586 L-Comp but for a hands down, all around .357 I just don't see how a fella or gal can go wrong with a good ole 4" Model 66. Everything you need and pretty much nothing you don't.

 

[at_liberty]

I kinda like the 8 shot UDR and the 586 L-Comp but for a hands down, all around .357 I just don't see how a fella or gal can go wrong with a good ole 4" Model 66. Everything you need and pretty much nothing you don't.

Except that a K-frame (66) is pushed pretty hard with seriously magnum ammo.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Except that a K-frame (66) is pushed pretty hard with seriously magnum ammo.

The thread is ....."Best .357 to carry"........the whole rational behind the 19 and later the 66........ was a better (than the N-frame) .357 for all day carry.

While if another thread.......IMHO the "best .357 to shoot" is a L-frame.

"The best .357 for hunting"........ a 6-8" 686

 

[DR505]

For me, this 27-3 4" with which I went through my first LE academy back in the 80's:

It had Pachmayrs back then for carry, but I have the original unused Targets sitting in the box with the paper and tools. Now it has Ahrends tactical finger groove in Cordia wood.

 

[TexasRaider]

Well, you said "357" but didn't specify which one .
In a wheelgun , probably a S&W 19-5 with Golden Saber 125 gr.

But I'd prefer the 'other' version, a .357 Sig in 125 gr Gold Dot load stuffed in a Sig P239 DAK. 8 rounds versus 6, small easy concealable spare mags, faster reloads....just makes better sense to me. Also, with the velocities a .357 Mag loses in a 2" to 3" bbl, I think the .357 Sig closes the gap and makes for a formidable entry in the conversation.

 

[at_liberty]

The thread is ....."Best .357 to carry"........the whole rational behind the 19 and later the 66........ was a better (than the N-frame) .357 for all day carry.

While if another thread.......IMHO the "best .357 to shoot" is a L-frame.

"The best .357 for hunting"........ a 6-8" 686

Fine, carry the 66 and related models, but you'll pay attention to what ammo you shoot in it. My 19-4 is pinned and recessed and has a flawless nickel finish. It has throats too narrow for lead bullets. I shoot moderate power and velocity FMJ in it for its own good and mine. It is a fine carry but not significantly different to carry than my 4" 686-6 (L-frame), which has the advantage of a round butt grip.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Fine, carry the 66 and related models, but you'll pay attention to what ammo you shoot in it. My 19-4 is pinned and recessed and has a flawless nickel finish. It has throats too narrow for lead bullets. I shoot moderate power and velocity FMJ in it for its own good and mine. It is a fine carry but not significantly different to carry than my 4" 686-6 (L-frame), which has the advantage of a round butt grip.

Full metal jacket.... wow..... really??.....

I agree.....if I could have only one..... or it was trekking with Rick and "The Walking Dead"......... it would be my tuned and round butt 686-"nuttin". I also have a factory 586-6 4" round butt.... great guns.

But if I have choices and I'm not expecting a shoot out......I'll stick with my 3" 66......... for an all day carry; bumming in Penn's Woods......gun.

 

[at_liberty]

Full metal jacket.... wow..... really??......

Yes, really. Were you trying to make a point with that? Do you need more information?

 

[BAM-BAM]

Yes, really. Were you trying to make a point with that? Do you need more information?

More puzzled than anything..........

Never heard the "throats too narrow for lead bullets" thing with any Smith revolver......the only "issue" I've ever heard is the "excessive use of hot .125gr .357s"

I think there are a few small J-frames that need semi-jacketed ammo...but IIRC that has to do with recoil, crimp and bullets becoming loose and binding the cylinder.

Only FMJ .357/38s.... I've seen is a .38 130 gr. load....... a very mild target load

I think there is/was a US military load 130gr FMJ .38 that is sometimes referenced in threads w/o a lot of enthusiasm.......

Can't imagine "carrying" a gun with FMJ ammo unless I had to ...... military and NJ......



just "puzzled" by you self imposing that kind of restriction on a Model 19.

Thought you might elaborate.............