Let me begin this thread by acknowledging that there is no single "best" firearm of any kind. We can only say that we might have a favorite; a gun that can serve a number of purposes, most of them very well.

With Smith revolvers, the choice has to be very difficult, and certainly opinions will vary depending upon your point of view and what qualities you consider important.

For me, an "all purpose" Smith revolver should meet certain criteria. Powerful. Handy. Useful for self-defense. At least somewhat concealable. Relatively lightweight. Ammunition available in most places in the U.S. Easy to maintain. Resistant to the elements. Accurate. And yes, to a potential opponent in a life-or-death situation, intimidating. At the same time, I don't want excessive recoil or muzzle blast that would hinder fast and effective repeat shots. As a compromise gun, I recognize that some criteria may suffer to a degree, i.e. powerful and intimidating vs. concealable and handy.

So I'll start the ball rolling with my personal favorite. It's a Model 625-6 Mountain Gun in .45 Colt caliber, customized with a red ramp front sight, old-style cylinder release, Ahrends retro classic round-to-square conversion stocks, and an action job. Handloads push a 250-grain bullet to 1,000 feet per second.

It's not as concealable as I would like, but still usable as a concealment piece given suitable clothing. I think it's an ideal trail gun for self-defense against man or beast. In stainless, it's resistant to the elements and relatively easy to maintain. A powerful cartridge, yet without sharp recoil or report. Certainly I would not like to look down that .45 caliber hole in the muzzle. So if I were to pick just ONE all-purpose Smith & Wesson revolver from any era, this one would be it.

Maybe you agree with me. Maybe you don't. Let's sit down by the campfire and discuss it!

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

Good choice, but I think the 629 is a bit more versatile.

4" model 19.

You're describing a M-65 or maybe a 66

As Jerry Clower said, this is about the most simplest question I have seen. Easy: Military&Police/Model 10 four inch slender barrel. Relatively light, relatively powerful, proven safe and dependable, ammo available most anywhere in the US, easy to shoot, concealable, accurate--the whole ball of wax.

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Georgia On My Mind

10-5, 5". Because I can hit things with it.

Easy answer. Same gun I have been using for all around:


25-5 .45 Colt

A gun for plinking would be a .22LR caliber rifle
A gun for hunting/fighting would be a .30 caliber rifle.
A gun for close in varmints and birds would be a 12 gauge Rem. 870
It doesn't take many guns to have enough. I think the rest are all toys.
Bill@Yuma

Favorite all-purpose S&W revolver from any era...

Well let me see here...

Wearin' this'n on the ranch today,



Started life as a 38-44, now it's a .44 Special and gettin' it's fair share of holster time.

Su Amigo,
Dave

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"IN GOD WE TRUST"

The most popular has to be a 4" Model 10. I, however, like the 1 7/8" .38 Spl J frame, i.e. Model 36 and 60.

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G.P. Charlie

Every answer so far I agree with. In fact I have close matchs for all listed so far. Any mountain gun would be good. I dont have a mountain gun but do have a 44 special 4" 24-3 that is the same. I also have a 25-5 4", wish it had the tapered mountain barrel. Probley my favorite is a 66-3 in a lew horton ported and trilijon sights with 3" barrel. I also think its next to impossible to beat a 4" old model colt trooper in .357. Its the same as a python without the heavy ramp and ejector houseing.
For me it goes like this.
1. My model 66-3
2. The colt trooper, but it aint stainless.
3. The 24-3, also not stainless and a little heavier.
4. Your 625 MG if I had one!

.44 and .45 guns tend to be hard to conceal, if you're built as I am: 5' 10" and 165 pounds. And they are probably pretty rough on small edible game, a factor in a trail pistol, which I define as one suitable for backpacking and woods hiking, where small game will hopefully augment the menu. Ammunition is heavy and bulky.

Might be a mite loud in home defense, although I hope that Federal still makes their lead SWC-HP ammo in both .44 Special and .45 Colt. But that'll probably have to be ordered. It's a long time since I've seen any in stores here. Not everyone handloads.

I'm opting for my four-inch M-66-3. It can use .38's on small game, and there are several good Plus P hollowpoint loads for use indoors. I don't want to fire a .357 in a home or office! I was present twice when .45 autos were fired indoors, and my ears were a little shocked both times.

But in the open, and especially if a large animal, which can be a feral dog, needs shooting, the .357 ammo comes into its own.

I know of at least one grizzly bear terminated by a .357 round, and a .38 killed a polar bear savaging a man in a zoo. But I'd much rather have the .357 in that application. Same goes for the case of a .38 Special in the hands of a B-17 gunner who downed an ME-109 with it! (His machine gun had run dry, and I guess he felt he ought to make at least a symbolic gesture of fighting back. But I suspect that the Lord was looking after him that day!)

A K-frame is about as big as I have any hope of concealing, and the factory target stocks won't work for that. I have Pachmayr Presentations on this square butt gun, and they work reasonably well, although I normally prefer something smaller when it has to be hidden.

Ideally, I guess my all-rounder would be a M-66 with round butt and four-inch barrel. And I'd want some standard speed SWC lead ammo for practice and small game, a lead SWC-HP Plus P round for most defense, especially indoors, and Federal's Hydra-Shok 158 grain .357 for heavy duty. Might sub Remington's 165 grain hunting load in bear country, if they still make it. I have some hoarded. And Speer's Gold Dot 125 grain .38 load is good if I can't find the Remington or Federal lead HP's. (This is not the same as the specialty 135 grain for short barrels.)

I'd put some factory service style round butt rosewood grips on it, and a Tyler adaptor. And I'd feel pretty well armed, although thugs today often run in small gangs. I'm hoping that the late David W. Arnold was right when he said that mobs generally run if fired on with anything. But hardened hoodlums are often made of stronger stuff. If I was expecting such a scenario, I'd rely on my Beretta M-92FS, which would also be a pretty good all-round gun. Please don't point out that a shoulder-fired weapon is better for that; we're discussing all-round sidearms here.)

No one has made a bad choice. We just have different ideas of what's best. And we're built differently, so what will conceal varies. But I would definitely want a stainless gun.
(The Beretta mentioned has been available in an Inox version.)

The smallest gun that I'd consider for an all-rounder is the M-60-4 full-lug .38. The Ruger SP-101 with three-inch barrel is just a trifle larger, and a lot easier to fire if one has to have .357 capability. But the OP wants S&W items.

T-Star

Easy choice for me.

A model 66 with a four inch barrel. While I do not carry it any more, it is still immediately available to me when around the house and remains loaded all the time.

It is light enough to carry for lengthy periods, heavy enough to stand up to pressure, accurate enough for reasonable shots and concealable on any size adult.

I belive smith did make a .32 H&R mag didnt they? I dont know the model #, but the caliber is worth considering! I guess the new .327 mag can be made just by lengthing the chambers on a .32 H&R mag.
I have this ruger single six in the .32 H&R mag. It has next to no recoil, is accurate and flat shooting. Does have a sharp bark. I havent shot this one much, but I think I will start carrying it more on my ATV.

Model 642 is my favorite.

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Centennial Every Day

I dont know what the best build is to pack. I am retired now 10 years after haveing packed for 35 years. I am big and fat and always have been to one degree or worse. On the job I mostly wore the huge gun belt, and in later years suspenders with it! (color coded to match uniform shirts.) Besides being huge I had a flat ***. Bubble butted guys do better. I find that to pack comfortably I either need a light weight gun and holster on my pants belt, or best a wide gunbelt with the keepers and suspenders in either case. I dont want or need to pack bad enough to wear a shoulder holster. Sorry, I guess I got OT.

In the currant era of available ammo, something in .22LR, 9mm, or .40S&W.

Agreed! Load it to anything from squib loads to knuckle smashers.

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Regards, Ron
USASA 1965/69

My pick would be a four-inch M57 or M657.
The .41 Magnum is versatile, easy to load for, and fun to shoot.
All of my .41s are also very accurate.

4" K frame 357 with 19 or 66 with a round butt. Reasonably powerful, concealable, accurate, and very packable. Started police work in 1970 from that day to this I still have a 4" Magnum K frame about the place.

I retired in 03 and bought my last issued K frame Magnum a 2.5" which is a steady companion.

Objectively speaking, I think it would be tough to beat a 4" 686.

With that said, if I could only own one revolver it would be my 3" 60-4. K frames and larger are just a bit too bulky/heavy for me to comfortably hide on my person.

This...
19-3

Lately my "go to gun" is this ugly Outdoorsman that I picked up several years ago for a couple of hundred dollars. A lot of wear on the finish and some pitting on the left side of the barrel, but tight as a drum and accurate as hell.
Shipped in 1952, the year I was born. I've got several others in mint condition, one new in the box, but this one I get along with just fine.
I live in the country, so I use it to wack critters out back with my 38/44 duplication load of 11.5 gr 2400 under a 158 gr SWC HP gas check. So far i've gotten several feral cats, rabbits, crows and numerous racoons at distances of up to 100 yards.
This gun is very accurate and still has the "stock" factory trigger pull, which I prefer.

Attached Images

38-44s 017.jpg (108.5 KB, 152 views)

oh baby...but maybe the 2 like that would be the ultimate...

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Lou

I guess my 586 because of the versatility of loads than can be put thru it.

I would choose a Model 19 with a 4 inch barrel for its versatility. The K frame is my favorite and I own only .38's, but I admit that the .357 can be more useful.

S&W 4" 44 Mag. Older gun no Lock.

You can go from 44 Special loads to 300gr Magnums...

And Speer shotshells take small game and snakes great.

Sir, my 4-inch Model 25-9 (.45 Colt) has long been my "go to" revolver. It does everything I need without a lot of fuss, muss, or drama.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

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Wishin' don't make it so.

If you can handload, the 629 (In whatever flavor you like) Has to be one on the most versatile gun ever!

For around the farm and state parks, I carry a model 65 in 3" - it can be loaded down to soft shooting wadcutter or RNL loads for practice, or up to 180-200 grain hardcast for more serious endevours....the 3" barrel is easy to conceal and the heavy profile cuts down on muzzle flip. It is a good size for belt carry, as well as IWB. You can put any array of grips on it from square butt adapters to a RB boot grip. Being stainless, I can carry it down to the coast without worry about corrosive action from the water.

Now, If I decide to take a longer trip out to the wild, I would certainly pack along my 657 mountain gun. It has the same weight as a 3" N frame. It is also stainless so no worries about getting it a bit wet. The 41 mag round is quite versatile, if you handload...I have everything from 170 grainers for 'social work' to 265 grain hardcast for bigger projects...the 255's clocked at 1800 fps with lil'gun, but are a real handful with a 4" mountain gun. Added bonus - it shares ammo with my Marlin 1894, which will put meat on the table out to 150 yards easily- bunnies not withstanding (think pink mist)

I have to agree with the other posters on several points- the Model 10 is a great shooter and it is easy to carry, and there is not too much that a proper 38 round can't do (short of buffalo hunting ) ...I do think that the modern 357 can fit the bill for whatever your daily travels entail - especially if you have several platforms to choose from, based of course, on your plans for the day - 340PD or 640/649 for city travels, 19/65/66/686 for suburban use and beyond, and the N frames for the outskirts of town.


...after reading this, I find myself trying to find one that I would/could carry all day - everywhere....but I just vary my level of activity so greatly, that I MUST own more more more....sorry it's the disease S&W-itis ....but, it is still cheaper than therapy

To conceal - it has to be a pocket gun for me. I love my 296 - but, as an L-frame, it won't fit all of my front pockets. The 642, also in a Mika pocket holster, gets the nod for everyday protection. The conceal carry requirement is so divergent from my usual needs (PLINKING!).

Well, I have both a 625-6 and, my first-ever S&W, the 625-7 my wife bought me new eight years ago - both .45 Colts. Super fun - but ties me forever to mt basement ammo factory. I think to 'do everything', you have to be able to find ammo. That brings me to .38's - and my wimpy .357 Magnums - and my 4" 627 Pro. Don't ask me later - I might sub my 4" 617. Oh yeah, I may have to protect the homestead...



Now, if I have to have only one - might be able to carry my recent UDR 2 5/8" PC627 on my belt. Give me time to re-enforce my belt loops with carbon fibers, of course.

Stainz

All-purpose?? Anything I would choose, there is something better for certain purposes. That's one of the reasons I own so many (the other is that I'm a gun nut). One of the best is a stainless Series 80 Colt Gov't Model, but that's a bottomfeeder, so I would probably nominate my 3" double-Magnaported PC 629, which might be a better all-around gun anyway. If I didn't sweat so much, or could always carry OWB, it might be a tossup between my 4" 29-2 and my 4.25" roundbutted 25-2. Plenty of room for ammo choice on all of those except the slabsided one.

Bought (and sold) a M19 back around 1972 before I met Craig Spegel and learned what a proper set of stocks should be shaped like to handle .357s properly. By the time I learned that lesson the gun I had was a 4" Security Six and I stuck with that basic gun through my career. It served me well (make that very well) but the M19 IS a classier piece. I'm currently pulling around a shooter grade 19-3 and it bids fair to be a very nice all-arounder. Obviously I made a big mistake selling off that minty M19 38 years ago. Methinks they are probably the best revolver ever made, and dropping them from the line was insanity.

My choice: S&W M-28/Highway Patrolman. Wide selection of factory ammo, will hold up to heavy use with handloads, plainer finish somewhat more durable.

I sweat a lot, so it would have to be stainless for me.

I go back and forth between a 4 inch Model 66 and a Model 629 Mountain Gun. I just couldn't decide.

I read this question yesterday and had to think about it, but I couldn't decide. So I went to the safes, sat down with a glass of chocolate milk and had a talk with all my S&W revolvers. We talked it over, shared some old memories and had a few laughs, but of course every one of them thought they should be chosen. Even the lesser guns had something to say, but in the end I still can't chose.

delete due to

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Fair winds and following sea

For me, the 4 inch 7 shot L-frame in a mountain gun configuration (stainless, tapered barrell, round grip frame, etc.) is the one "do-it-all" revolver. With Ahrends boot grips, it is as easy to carry and conceal as a round butt 4 inch K-frame, with the added strength of the L-frame, and the extra round to boot!

I have carried it many an 18 hour day, IWB (Fist leather #19) in all kinds of environments, circumstances and weather. I find it to always be comfortable to carry and easily concealed.

About all I could ever ask a single revolver to be.

Of course, as always, YMMV.

Dennis.

Smith model 66-1 2.5" RB. 'Cause it's what I have, and I LOVE it.

Hides well, and fits comfortably in my hands. Accurate, powerful, resistant to rusting, and darn pretty!

Ya Just Cannot argue with that statement.
At 5'10 - 185 I do have a bit of trouble concealing my 4" 686, but - then again - TN doesn't require that it be concealed

Out of state I carry an M49 or a Commander - I CAN hide either of them when necessary.

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In dog years I'm dead.

When I started in LE in 1971, the Model 19 was the revolver
that many wanted. Paid one hundred and fifty dollars for it and a case of 158grn .38spl SWCs. Also bought two boxes of 110 grn Super Vel .357mags and a box of Winchester .357mag
AP or was it Remington. Been a long time ago.

Rule 303

I got into this smith 41 mag worth the money,it carried so well I took it hunting a few times!

My 19-5 has to be my favorite as it's the only Smith I have left. My all time favorite the S&W K-22.

K frame .357 magnum, 2 1/2-4" barrel. 19, 66, 13, 65, pick one.

Hmmm, Best All Round Handgun ,Well we all know it's going to be a .44spl. My choice would be a model 21 with the 24-3 in second place.YMMV
Chipmunk6

Too many, my favorite carry revolver is the model 442, favorite taget 38special is the model 15 Combat Masterpiece and my favorite magnum is the model 19 in blue with a 4" barrel. All of the above have served me well over the years.

All around favorite would be my 629 in three inch. It's a great all around gun and can be loaded down or 44 specials used in it. Also conceals better than you'd think with right holster and belt.

I see I posted on this years old thread long ago. I own probley whats popularly thought as the best examples of revolvers made. Several pythons, troopers, smiths in models 29-2, 27-2, 25-5, 24-3, 66-3 etc.
Yet the one that gets carried the most, (except for pocket carry), is my 4" 1953 M&P. It`s not stainless but I have never needed a stainless as I never had a blue one rust on me anyway. No target sights but it shoots better than me anyway.
Here`s why I carry it more than my far more expensive and more powerfull target sighted guns.
I think it`s first because its simply the right size. It feels next to perfect in my hand. Just the right weight without feeling heavy and bulky. It`s not super expendsive like my others, therefore I aint worried about scuffing it up or getting it dirty. I do have a as new but old 3" 36 that is even easier to pack but frankly it "feels" too light in the hand and the sights are a little too fine. The .38 special is good enough for protection for me. Raquel welch stays locked away but aunt jaminah cooks for me.

****** phone pic, but this. Versatile, compact enough, accurate, reliable. 629-2

A 3" M36-1 in a Lobo flap holster is a hard combo to beat for a "packin' pistol" around the farm. I'm bad to keep a mixed load in the cylinder. During the "snake" months I keep one snake shot load, two wadcutter reloads, and two BB heavy .38 +P loads in case of a serious upscuddle.

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Georgia On My Mind