Why are the 8 shot 357's not more common?

[karateHottie93]

These are the greatest handguns ever made and yet you see so few of them. There's the 327 series. I have the TRR8 but would like a pug. The Night Guard would be idea because it's small enough to carry and has the adjustable sight. Those things are insanely collectable now. There's the 627, all the Ruger offerings, and the Taurus. At that point, might as well carry my TRR8 though. There's also the Korth but I'm not a rich man.

Nobody else makes them and I don't get it. These things are amazing. If you make a 6 shot 44 magnum than you should at least have one 8 shot 357 built on that frame. Colt should have made an 8 shot SAA a long time and they should be making an 8 shot on the Anaconda frame right.

Kimber should too. They all should.

While on the topic, a 9-10 shot 327 magnum should be priority as well.

 

[robertrwalsh]

As you note an 8 shot .357 would have to be built on a large frame. That makes the gun relatively big and heavy. Big and heavy are not necessarily selling points. I am confident the gun companies do consumer research and would make them if they thought they could sell enough of them to make it worth their troble.

 

[hkcavalier]

Because they came around 20-30 years too late for the best market for them, law enforcement (yes I know LE has purchased some for specific purposes). By the late 1990s, most people thought of revolvers as BUGs (J frames) or for sporting/target shooting use. People then, like now, were convinced you needed a big bore in the woods, so more .357s weren't the ticket.

They're an enthusiast's gun so are very popular here on the Forums. But they're kind of the Madsen M47 of the revolver world, a culmination of many decades of materials and engineering development that hit too late to make a big impact.

 

[karateHottie93]

As you note an 8 shot .357 would have to be built on a large frame. That makes the gun relatively big and heavy. Big and heavy are not necessarily selling points. I am confident the gun companies do consumer research and would make them if they thought they could sell enough of them to make it worth their troble.

Yes but with the right materials, S&W showed it can be done in a relatively small package. The pug is obviously and n frame but lighter than a lot of guns and not much bigger than a compact semi auto.

This thing about the market not being there is what gets me though. Every 8 shot 357 I've ever seen has been gone by the next time I stop by my FFL's...which is multiple times a week. From what I've heard from all of them, they last no time in the case. Have you ever seen an 8 shot 357 that was in the case one day and still there the next time you went back?

 

[Lou_the_welder]

Ruger also makes an 8 shot 9mm and 357. Although I've never seen one up close.

I went to my lgs yesterday. To buy oil and look around. And asked my sales guy about the colt I asked him for about two months ago. He said not to hold my breath as the manufacturers aren't making revolvers a huge priority right now. He said we might have some single actions but that's it.
They're concentrating on AR's and the plastic guns. As a priority.
Asked him if they had any primers, he said no.

 

[bmcgilvray]

Only speaking for myself here.

Higher revolver capacity never has been a feature for which I yearned and I never ask for it.

I've deliberately shunned seven and eight shot .357 Magnum revolvers because I don't place any value on having two extra shots available in a revolver. I even like the big ol' N-Frame .357Magnum revolvers best of all .357 Magnum revolvers ever made, but particularly don't want seven or eight shots in them

I might have been a little more willing to sample one though if Smith & Wesson hadn't also introduced various design revisions to their revolver line that don't appeal to me.

Because of the two reasons above it's all to easy for me to give 8-shot revolvers a miss. I just don't think highly of them.

 

[UncleEd]

Snub 7- and 8-shot .357s might be
much more desirable if hi-cap mag
bans limiting capacity to 10 ever
became the law again.

Seems to me such revolvers
were introduced when
the 1990s ban existed.

Those revolvers also contributed
to the wider use of moon clips.

 

[Laketime]

I got to agree with bmcgilvray on this.If I was gifted one I would trade it.

 

[willy]

If smith and Wesson would make the model 58 in 357 with eight rounds and 5” barrel,,I would buy three of them today,,but they would have to be made on the same frame as those made in the 1970’s ,,

 

[S&WshooterFIN]

Six .357 magnum is enough

 

[Jocko-44]

Bought this 8 shot Ruger Redhawk two years ago. It was an impulse buy, glad I did it. I have not seen another one in the flesh since. Redhawks in .357 and not easy to find it seems...

 

[Dave Lively]

I would always like as many shots as possible for a given size gun. But an L-frame is as big as I want a revolver to be. When I bought a 686 earlier this year it was the 7 shot plus version. My revolvers hold 5, 7 and 10 rounds, nothing magic about 6 for me.

 

[rosewood]

S&w made the 7 shot revolver 1st, then Taurus copied them. I thought for sure Taurus made the 8 shot revolver before s&w didn't they? I have the Taurus model 607 and my brother has the 608. Bought mine some where around 1995-1996.

Rosewood

 

[JWintergreen]

I agree with the OP that the 8 shot .357 N frame is an awesome handgun.

Some folks will say the heft of these guns has held back their popularity. I disagree with this sentiment. A half lug N frame (627 Pro) generally weighs about the same as a typical full lug medium frame revolver (e.g. 686 or GP100). The N frame is more of a full sized revolver, not a large frame revolver.

It really comes down to timing, marketing, and configurations. Even today, practical configurations such as a 627 Mountain Gun, or a tapered barrel 3.5 inch 627, would make sense and could garner interest amongst revolver fans.

 

[karateHottie93]

I agree with the OP that the 8 shot .357 N frame is an awesome handgun.

Some folks will say the heft of these guns has held back their popularity. I disagree with this sentiment. A half lug N frame (627 Pro) generally weighs about the same as a typical full lug medium frame revolver (e.g. 686 or GP100). The N frame is more of a full sized revolver, not a large frame revolver.

It really comes down to timing, marketing, and configurations. Even today, practical configurations such as a 627 Mountain Gun, or a tapered barrel 3.5 inch 627, would make sense and could garner interest amongst revolver fans.

Couldn’t have said it better myself. They’re just super awesome and they’re not these insanely bulky contraptions they’re made out to be. TFB did an amazing review on the pug and it was the same size as a Glock 19 for all intensive purposes. Put a boot grip on it and it’s even smaller. It weighs less than a lot of small to medium sized revolvers people already carry. My TRR8 is super light for it’s size with the scandium frame. When the barrel came off last time I stuck the frame in waist band to get a better feel for the size of a pug and it felt real nice. Obviously it was missing the weight of that 2in barrel but I like to believe that the lack of an ultra light titanium cylinder balanced it out.

Not to mention these guns handle 357 like a dream. That’s why I’d be okay with putting boot grips on the super light pug. The N frame is just a great platform to shoot 357 out of. People have no idea what they’re missing.

 

[clang444]

I’ve got a couple of 627 and really like them, but for carry I think the best was the 7 shot 386 L frame.

It’s a shame S&W discontinued them.

 

[balin]

I have 357's that hold 5,6,7 and 8 rounds and like them all. While the 8 shooters can be made light weight. The package size still stays yhe same other then barrel length. I think the majority of people can learn to shoot auto's better and quicker as the double action pull is heavier in revolvers. But I can carry my 327 a d feel very secure.

 

[mistermills357]

The plastic fantastic’s have swept the field, and Glock has won that battle. I love .357’s, but not many others do.

 

[SWFan27]

The plastic fantastic’s have swept the field, and Glock has won that battle. I love .357’s, but not many others do.

And a Glock is not the size and weight of an S&W N Frame. A S&W L Frame 686 Plus seven shooter is the perfect compromise. Less expensive, easier to optain, well proven long history, and it is basically a slightly beefed up K Frame. All that said, it t does not make the 627 any less cool or drool worthy. I still want to get one someday.

 

[AzShooter]

I remember when Vic Mehren (sp) and Charlie Prest designed the 8 shots. Vic did it on an old Astra frame because it was big enough. Charlie chose the S&W N frame and modified the barrel so that it sat higher and allowed the 8 rounds to fit.

ICORE was the testing ground and that's where most of the guns were sold.

Most people just thing revolvers should have only 6 shots and you can tell by the numbers that they are correct.