I was at the range with a friend a couple of weeks ago and he let me shoot his Kimber Raptor II. I had never shot a 1911 pistol before, but what a revelation it was! From 10 yards I proceeded to put 7 of 8 shots into a single hole that could be covered by a quarter. I have never shot like that before.

As thrilling as that was I don't want another autoloader, I want a full sized revolver. Since I already own a Ruger SP101 for CC, I would like to stay with the .357 caliber.

So - which of the S&W models should I be looking at?

welcome aboard from Houston - I use a model 686 and am pleased - find one works for you and practice does not matter what model

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Fair winds and following sea

First off welcome to the forum, as for your question. That's a tough call but I'd have to go with a 686, I've got a mid 90's 6" 686 that's a one hole gun if I do my part all the way out to 25yds, I've hit bowling pins at 100yds+ with it as well. If you want older Smiths well then that opens a wholee new world! Model 28's,27's, 19's,66's, I've never owned a poor shooting S&W revolver.

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Sie vis pacem parabellum

Another vote for 586/686.

I would go with any 586/686 as well if you want an older 4" 66s shoot excellent as well

can't go wrong with the 586/686 guns!

Old fart here, can't beat the model 27 or 28.

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NRA Life Member and Instructor

Hi:
A Model 28 w/ 6" barrel using Keith style 158 grLSWC and 7.0 gr unique

Without a doubt a 586 or 686! My 4" 586 is capable of keeping 6 shots on a 12" plate, sand bag rested at 100 yards if I'm having a good day. Them good days are becoming less frequent as the eyes are going south. Still have a good time though.

Anyone else have that problem?

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V/R
Roger / SG

Welcome to the Forum.

If you are looking at S&W, then most any of the Performance Center offerings will fill the bill. Right now that would probably be a 5" Registered Magnum or if you prefer stainless steel, the 5" 627.

Unlike it's brothers from the production floor, PC revolvers use air gauged, match grade barrels that are held to extremly tight tollerances.

All S&W revolvers are fairly accurate an will please 95% of the shooting community, however Performance Center revolvers are truly outstanding.

However there are other choices when talking about accurate 357 Magnum revolvers.

If you look at Colt, then we are talking a Python. With it's tapered bore the Pythons are some of the most accurate out of the box revovers to have ever been produced. Unfortunatly with their current Custom Shop production the prices are rather steep.

There is the Dan Wesson. With the two piece tensioned barrel design that Dan Wesson pattented over 35 years ago they are very high on the accuracy list as well.

I own three Smith .357s, a 27, a 66, and a 686. Which is more accurate? It depends. On days when I shoot the 27 I'm certain it's the most accurate gun I own. Same thing when I shoot the 66. And, exactly the same when I shoot my 686. Bottom line: they're all far more accurate than I am and on those increasingly rare occasions when I'm having a really good day at the range each of them is capable of truly phenomenal accuracy.

I would recommend a 586 or 686. I have both and they're pleasant to shoot and accurate.

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Lynnie, Professional Pest

Model 27,28. Non Smith get a 6" Colt Python.

I would have to give a big thumbs up for the 686 6" if your looking for a spooky accurate hand gun in .357 mag.
the 686 6" is the one gun that can not shoot for months at a time and load it up and hit targets with the first shot.

Sir, FWIW, the most accurate .357 I ever shot was a 6-inch 686 no-dash. It grouped better at 100 yards off bags than my Mini-14 did.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

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Wishin' don't make it so.

Welcome to the Forum!

In 1995 I bought a S&W F-Comp. If you're not familiar with it, it's a Performance Center revolver, basically a Model 66 with a 3" barrel, S&W's proprietary Power Port to reduce recoil, a Trijicon front sight, bead-blasted finish, and a tuned trigger. It's extremely accurate, so much so that I'm consistently able to hit the steel pigs at my club's silhouette range with it.

I've owned several S&W PC guns over the years, and I think they offer great value for the money. I recommend them without hesitation.

My slingshot groups better at 100 yards than my Mini-14! LOL!

with 11.7 grains of aa number seven under a 158 grain hornady xtp my 586 six inch will toss six down a slightly oblong hole at 25 yards.

My Model 19 with 6" barrel took me through six seasons of practical police competition back in the 1970's. It will consistently shoot 6" groups at 100 yards.

My Model 586 with 4" barrel has fired several "possibles" in police qualifications.

My old Model 10 with 2" barrel (fixed sights, .38 special) will shoot 3" groups at 25 yards all day long.

I've only seen a couple of S&W revolvers with accuracy problems, and that was back in the Bangor Punta days. One was a fixed sight Model 10 that shot 9" left and 8" low at 25 yards. The other was a Model 19 with adjustable sights that simply could not be adjusted to achieve a point of aim shot.

Any of the K-frame, L-frame, or N-frame .357 revolvers should provide excellent performance. The choice of model will be dictated by your intended use. I still like the older S&W's, but the production processes in use for the past decade or so actually produce a superior product in terms of consistency.

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Life of the party until 8:00PM

If your concern is strictly accuracy, my vote goes to the 8 3/8" Model 27. These are shown as the top two in this grouping of Model 27-2s. The long sighting radius and patridge sights give you pinpoint sight alignment; the long barrel gives you velocity, and the weight gives you recoil control. Both of mine in this barrel length shoot like rifles way out to 200 yards. The 8 3/8" Model 27 is without a doubt the "top gun" in any practical accuracy contest.



The top gun in the picture was used to illustrate an article on the Model 27 I wrote for the March 2008 issue of Dillon's Blue Press catalog/magazine. Here's the link to that article. Scroll down to the March, 2008 issue and click on pages 1 and 2 of that article on Classic Handguns.

Dillon Precision: Reloaders, Reloading Equipment, Bullet Reloading, Bullet Reloaders

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

I remember a 8 3/8 inch barrel 686 I had, I wish I kept it. That gun with Hornady leverevolution ammo shot dime size groups at 25 yards. My 5-inch M27-2 is close with my handloads, but right now my really accurate .357 is my OM Flat Top Blackhawk. With 158 grain Hornady XTP's and 6.3 grains of Win 231, groups at 25 yards are very tiny.

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Vaya con Dios

Thanks for the replies! It seems like I can't go wrong with any of the S&W models, so long as I have a decent sight radius. It sounds like just a matter of how much I want to spend. I would definitely go new. As someone mentioned, manufacturing processes now are probably better, plus as a noob I would probably not do as well in the used market.

I've wondered about the PC guns. I like the 627 and the TRR8 or MP version (a love/hate gun, I happen to find it interesting). The resale on the TRR8 might not be as good, but the ability to wear a light or red dot while in the house could be handy.

I was just at the PC web site looking at the 627 V-Comp. It looks like it would be a serious target gun. I shot FAL's with them and they are softer to shoot, but the with the FAL the ears paid the price (as well as shooters to either side). But how much louder is the compensator on a revolver?

OK, I got out to Scottsdale Gun Club last week and was able to try two top contenders - the 627PC and the TRR8. Both shot well with 158 gr. 38 Special and even better with 158 gr. 357 Magnum. (I used the house provided brand of ammo, MagTech IIRC.) Both guns were very comfortable, no recoil issue.

The 627 had wood grips, and I did not like them at all. They seemed too small for a comfortable grip. The gun also seemed very front-heavy. The TRR8 was much better. I was always under the impression that revolvers were more accurate than autoloaders. I had a chance to shoot the Kimber again a couple of days later. I did not have the out-of-my-mind group I did the first time I shot it (probably a once in a lifetime group), but it was still formidable. As a noob, I'm still not sure how much of this was due to pistol, ammo (had loads vs. commercial practice ammo), and shooter (who needs work!).

Is a range rental gun (used and abused?) indicative of how a new gun may shoot?

Next step is to rent a 686 and the 327 M&P R8.

27-2 and older

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WILL WORK FOR AMMO!

There are accurate .357 mags in all the major brands. My experience is with a 6" Colt Python. It is the most accurate of any that I have shot. Some say the N-frames, some the L-frames, and some say the K-frames.

Of all my S&W .357's my two best are a six inch 19-5 and a 8 3/8 inch 27-2. On any given day it's a toss up as to which one is the better shooter.

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Stay safe people!

The single most accurate .357 revolver I have ever used was a Colt Python that, with Remington 158 gr. lead round nose ammo, would shoot groups of about 1/2 inch at 25 yds. from a rest. I have owned several 586 and 686 revolvers that would produce 1 inch groups at 25 yds. I currently own a 6" M-28 that produces 12 shot groups of about 2 inches. My eye sight is no longer as sharp as was the case 20 years ago. If someone with better vision were firing it, results might be better. If I were now buying a new .357 revolver, I would not hesitate to buy a S&W 686 revolver. I am convinced that these are some of the most consistently accurate production revolvers that are available. HTH. Sincerely. brucev.

This Model 27-2 is the most accurate .357 mag I've shot (and I've shot a lot):

I just recently acquired a S&W 4" 581. It is the most accurate revolver I have ever shot. Using Winchester 130gr .38 SPL, I shot two 1" 6-shot groups at 10 yards quite easily without much effort. I then proceeded to shoot a 2" 6-shot group at 20 yards. I don't know how .357 Mag will shoot out of it but I am sure that is will be just as accurate if not more.

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"I'm just a dog chasing cars."

Next time at the range, walk around and see who has what- Gun, grips, and holsters. (you need something to carry the gun in.) See if someone has the 627, or a 27 or 28 with different grips and see how they feel. A good set of grips will make all of the difference in the world. Factory grips are a "one size fits all" solution to what to put on the gun in lieu of shipping it without any grips. Packmayr, Herrett, Hogue, just to name a few. If you see someone with a gun you like and/or with different grips, ask if you can hold it or shoot a few rounds. Most are happy to show off their "babies" (unless there is a range rule against it, and I can't immagine why). You ever see a new parent or grandparent with all of the pictures who won't stop bragging? Same thing with us gunowners. That's why we have the forum! -Ed.

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Shoot the CPU, not the monitor

+1...great shooters

Hi,

that's what I think, too. My 27-3 makes one big hole at 25 meters with 15 rounds wadcutter ammo (no handloads), when I'm relaxed. My best shooter ever (apart from my long gone 29 don't remember what dash, that did put half of 30 bullets in one hole at 25 meters with a handload).

best regards
Ulrich

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Life is too short to own a bad gun

My experience has been great with S&W Revolvers. I shot the second qualify highest score, up to that time 1976, at the Missouri Highway Patrol Academy with a 6 inch model 19. I ended up shooting out the forcing cone and when I had it rebarreled it was not as accurate. So it got traded.

I have in my possession a well used model 28 with a 6 inch barrel. I have won a couple of turkey shoots, @ 42 yard offhand with it, and I have shot some sub 3 inch groups at 100 yards, off a sandbag rest, using the same gun. This was at a 100 yard outdoor range, 15 ft high berms on three sides, no wind and a clear day. Unfortunately I don’t think I can do that on demand. But it happens often enough to make it interesting

However I think these are examples of par excellence products from S&W. I haven’t found any Smith that doesn’t give good accuracy. Although I have head stories/rumors. These are just two examples of ones that have given excellence accuracy.

I am currently working on load development for a S&W 625, 45 ACP, model of 1988, 5 inch barrel. Yesterday it produced two groups that measured CTC of .320 X .320, back to back.
This was at an outdoor range, no side berms, sandbag rest @ 15 yards, this yardage is where I start all my load development. If the loads won’t group at that range it isn’t going to group at longer ranges

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Semper FI

I absolutely love my 19 4". It was my first revolver and is my favorite, I can usually shoot decent with it too.

But I have to say that the most accurate .357 mag I have shot, would probably be my neighbor's 27-2 5". I'm still thinking I'm gonna need to get my hands on that gal. If I manage it, I won't be letting go either!

My 4" 19-4 is my most accurate revolver. In fact it is the most accurate revolver I've ever shot. Truly capable of 1" groups at 25 yards.....well...with someone else shooting it. Regards 18DAI.

I shoot bullseye with my revolvers and am very, very serious about accuracy. All my guns have been tested at 50 yards out of a machine rest and the results are startling, at least to me. My Model 17 with a full lug barrel routinely shoots less than 2" averaging around 1.5" with Eley or Federal match ammo. My Model 586 shoots 148 Wadcutter match (either Winchester or Federal) into 5" plus group. I can't get it to group any ammo better than that. My Model 27 will group Winchester 148 Match wadcutter into less than 2" but Federal 148 Wadcutter match groups at over 4" at 50. My Model 625 will group my hand loads into 2" at 50 yards, but hardball won't group worth a darn.

In my experience shooting at anything less than 25 yards doesn't tell you a lot about the gun's accuracy. However, it tells a lot about the shooter's ability.

Finally, the grips will spell the difference between the shooter being able to take advantage of the guns inherent accuracy. I use Nill target grips on all my bullseye guns (Hemphill), and Spegel for all my carry/duty guns with one exception. On my 5" Model 27 and my 4" Model 657 I use Nill Classics, their copy of the S&W cokes. They not only look good but help me control recoil and are very very comfortable.

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Keith Herrington

Yes, probably the biggest thing to improve is my own ability. The gun's accuracy is probably more than adequate for any of the ones I am interested in. It's so hard to chose I can see why so many posters here have a table full of them ;-)

I totally agree about those Nills classic cokes. I have 'em on my 686 and they are a delight. The highest complement I can pay any grips is that I don't notice them when I'm shooting and I can say that about the Nills.

So much of what we describe as "accuracy" depends on the shooter as much as or more than the gun. I'm just a so-so shot at distances outside of 15 yards. My vision simply won't correct well enough for me to see the front sight clearly and, as a result, my sight picture is always an approximation. I'm a good shot at 10 yards, mediocre at 15, lousy at 25, and that's the way it will always be. On a good day, however, any one of my .357s will give me an inch or less at 10 yards and two inches at 15. That said, the best group I ever shot was with my 3" fixed sight model 36. The other day I put five in one 1/2" hole at 10 yards. It was the group of a lifetime and I doubt that I'll ever repeat it.

An 8-3/8 686 was the most accurate 357 I've owned.

Gotta toss a vote in for the original Colt M357. I have a few of these and they are consistently the most accurate of my big bore wheel guns. I had a four inch model at the range a few weeks ago and decided to mess around on the short (100 yard) rifle range. I was pretty consistently hitting a 1 foot pattern two handed without a rest.

And I am not all that good a shot Had to be the gun

I have both a 27-2 8 3/8 (purchased new in mid the mid 1970's) and a 686 8 3/8 (new in early 90's). I am traveling now, but at the earliest oportunity I will shoot them side by side and make a very informal evaluation of which is more accurate. Each has the equal sight radius, very similar weight and the partridge front sight. Wish I had a Ransom Rest to negate my inconsistance due to older, weaker eyes, but each gun will suffer the same disadvantage. My travels will delay this event until spring of next year in all probablility, but I will get to it at some point.

I do believe the 686 will prove to be the better of the two, but not by much of a margin. Will be a fun event regardless of the out come.

I'm an old coot and a newbie here who's shot them all. I still own most of them... and all of the ones I'm listing..

If you shoot hot handloads at targets all the time buy an 8 3/8 Mod.27/627.

I you shoot hot loads frequently and want an tough and comfortable hip carry pistol buy a Mod. 586/686 6".

If you want a concealed carry pistol buy a Mod. 19/66 2 1/2".

If you want one all-around compromise buy a Mod.27 5"

Better yet, buy one of each. You wouldn't regret any of them.

I firmly believe that the M28 is the best all around .357 Magnum ever made. However, if accuracy is the goal, I would opt for a M27; the older and the longer the barrel (sight radius), the better (so, an 8.75" barreled Registered Magnum would be ideal). I also prefer the wider "target" trigger, which is usually accompanied by the wider "target" hammer, and a patridge type front sight for "precision" single action shooting.

I have not tried shooting out to 100 yards+, but I shoot my 3.5" barreled M27 with the aformentioned "target" setup noticably better than my M28s at "pistol ranges" and have no reason to expect any different at longer ranges.

At one point in the early 1980's, a buddy and I owned half each of a Ransom Rest and a good chronograph. We set out to find the best gun and ammo combination we could, from primarily an accuracy perspective. We shot the bolted-down revolvers at both 25 and 50 yards.

For ammo, we bought 148 grain hollow base wadcutter ammo from W-W, R-P and Federal and also assembled handloads using Speer, Hornaday and Remington-Peters swaged lead bullets of the same weight and design, only loaded by ourselves.

We also handloaded some 158 grain round nose and lead semiwadcutters into both Special and Magnum cases, and then as long as we were there, loaded some wadcutter bullets into Magnum cases with enough of the same powder to equal the velocities between the bigger and smaller case.

I decided to try some full power jacketed bullet ammo and handloads, too. I had several boxes of Federal 125 grain Magnums and Winchester 145 grain Silvertips. I handloaded some Sierra 158 grain jacketed soft points into both Special and Magnum cases using powder charges that duplicated the ammo factories' products.

For guns, we had 2 K frame revolvers, a Model 10 and a Model 15, that had been converted into PPC guns, with very heavy barrels and top ribs with multi-position, quick-adjust front sights. We had a couple pair of 6" Model 66's, a 6" Model 19, 2 6" M-14's, a 6 inch Ruger Security-Six, a 6 inch Highway Patrolman and 8 or more Model 27's, one a Registered Magnum, with barrels running from 5 inchs through 6 and 6-1/2 inches, one 7-1/2 incher (the Registered Mag) and 2 8-3/8 inchers. My partner had his Colt Python (6) and a Trooper (also a 6 inch).

Several of the guns were near twins. We expected to find some clear-cut trend, perhaps on make or model or even frame size to lead the accuracy testing, but we didn't.

Just about every gun bolted in and shot was top performer with one cartridge loading, or very very close to the top. No frame size dominated. No barrel length dominated.

The smallest 6 shot group was fired my my old 7-1/2 inch Registered Magnum with the handloaded Sierra 158 gr.jsp, very closely followed by the Winchester 145 gr. Silvertip

The absolutely smallest 5 shot group was fired by my 2 inch blued Cheifs Special shooting my cast 158 gr SWC or my Sierra 158 gr. JSP.

If I had to pick a single cartridge that shot the best in most of the guns, it was Federal's 125 gr jhp factory load fired from the Magnums. All of them, S&W K, L and N guns, the single Ruger and both Colts shot this very nicely.

The best wadcutter load was the factory Remington-Peters stuff, beating out the W-W and our Speer bullet handloads by an average of under 1/2 inch for 6 shots at 25 yards Oddly, the Ruger, the Colt Trooper and one 6-1/2 inch Model 27 routinely shot them into 3-4 inch groups, double the size of the better groups from other guns.

We repeated the test a month later with just .357 Mag revolvers and just Magnum ammo. We added 2-1/2 and 4 inch guns, a 7-1/2 inch Blackhawk and a 10 inch T/C Contender, mostly concerned with barrel length's affect on velocity. That is a whole nother story.

We concluded that it was impossible to predict which revolver was going to be consistently the most accurate. Couldn't do it by manufacturer, frame size or barrel length when bolted into the mechanical rest. They all had moments of excitement.

None of them were absolute dogs, though,

I wish that we would have had more L framers to shoot but they were new then and scarce.

Overall, the most generally accurate .357's (meaning they shot several loads very well) were all N frame S&W's with the exception of a 4 inch Model 19. I expected the Python to do better but it had had the original barrel broken and replaced and I believe the original barrel would have done better, from the little shooting I did before the Python's forcing cone let go.

In answer, I don't think you can predict which gun will shoot the most accurate for you. Find one that you can install grips that fit your hand and that has sights your eyes like. Spend some time leaning the trigger pull properties. Try several varieties of good ammo.

Off-hand, I would have chosen a Model 27 or 686 from the group we tested.

So you go buy the one you "take a shine to" that fits your hands and you will find that it will take tons of practice and possibly some professional training before you make that gun shoot up to it's full potential.

Buff- Very comprehensive testing. Makes my future informal 27/686 testing somewhat moot. Granted, you did not shoot any 'L' frames, but your firearm and ammo choices were well thought out. As you are clearly aware, no two guns of the same make, model or vintage will necessarily shoot the same. I believe this is even more evident in autos, but revolvers also vary from one another. Any opinion on which is the more accurate is entirely dependent on the owners prejudices, talents, and the guns compared.

I will confirm on my part, I enjoy shooting my 686 8 3/8 more than my previous favorite, my purchased new 27-2. Immediately after purchase, I removed the original ill fitting (IMO) target Goncolo Alves from the 686, replacing them with finger groove Hogues and never looked back. Additionally, to me, the 686 is heavier out front. These are the reasons why I shoot the 686 more often, enjoy it more and do better with it. Perhaps a set of Hogues on my 27 will change my view point to a degree.

Bottom line is that I highly favor muzzle heavy revolvers (and all hanguns for that matter) and the long barreled 686 is clearly that. My favorite 38 shooter is an old PPC revolver I had built back in the late 70's. It has a one inch diameter, slab sided, six inch Douglas barrel with a full length Bomar rib and it built on a 'K' framed, round butt model 19. It is extremely muzzle heavy and as a consequence, a pleasure to shoot.

In summary, I have about a dozen 'N' frames and only one "L', so my heart lies with the large frames and I will undoubtedly always favor the 'N's as the 'class' of Smith revolvers. But, this long barreled 'L' is certainly a shooter.

Stevieboy is right. I have a 28 N frame, 686 L frame and a 66 K frame. All accurate. Usually the time there not accurate is usually because of me.
I would recommend any of the above. I don't recomend the new interlock 686,66 and 627.
roaddog28

I've owned a bunch of 357 magnums over the past 34 years. The vast majority were S&W and most of them were n-frame. I have owned Ruger single and double action and one Colt Python other than the one I recently aquired.

Over the years I have owned 2 handguns that were inaccurate or totally unsuited to my off-hand style. One was a S&W pistol,a model 39 and the other was a new Python, circa 1975. I literally could not hit a 55 gallon drum at 50 yards with it. The Python went back to Colt, the dealer refunded my money and I promptly bought a new model 27.

All the numerous others were more accurate than my abilities to test them were. There have been a couple of standouts over the years. A friends 6'' Python with 148 grain target wadcutters was one. A 6'' S&W 686 was scarey accurate at 100 yards with 158 grain JHP's and a heavy dose of 110. A 6' model 19 was another and I used it to shoot in the high 290's several times with WW 38 wadcutters. All of my n-frames have been most excellant.

I have a Ransom rest now and intend to do some more meaningfull testing of 38/357 ammo in the near future. I will be comparing three different barrel lengths of model 27, my 6'' Python, a 6" model 28 and three different lengths of model 19. I suspect that I will find something very accurate in all revolvers to be tested.

I shoot almost 100% handloads. I cast all of my lead bullets and purchase a few jacketed bullets from various sources. I have found Sierra bullets to be well suited to my accuracy purposes and haven't felt the need to try other brands in several years. I do have one exception and that is the Hornady XTP. I load it for defensive purposes. I have never heard of an actual court case where reloaded ammo changed the outcome of a justified shooting. Just my 2pennies worth.