Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Your pick: Best DA .357 revolver for law enforcement?

Great gun, but too heavy when you consider all they carry on their persons. I think S&W had it right with the four inch heavy barrel, square butt, version of their Model 13/65, as the ideal patrolman's sidearm. Practice should be done mainly with .38s, and they should carry +p .38 Special, with Magnum ammo carried for special circumstances, such as penetrating barriers.

Attractive, never. But it can do the job just as well, if not better. It's slightly lighter. Action jobs on Rugers are a pice of cake. They're not quite as accurate, but more than enough for anything you would ever need. And has the added benefit of never having the issue of splitting forcing cones, which would be a horrible thing to have happen in a gunfight. To the best of my knowledge, it has never happened in a gunfight with any of the K frames, but it does happen from time to time. My very first handgun was a 6" model 19 and guess what happened...Split the forcing cone about 3 months after I bought it.

And I know my luck...I'd be the first SOB to have a forcing cone split in a gunfight.

Now aside from law enforcement service, I'll take the S&W 19 ever damn day of the week. Despite that issue, it still remains one of my all time favorite handguns.

Colt armorers at LE agencies kept a good supply of ejector rods on hand. It was really funny, that when one came in bent, the night before some perp needed stitches on the top of his noggin.

I'm a big fan of S&W revolvers, but I also like the old Ruger Security/Service Six series.

They're a mid size revolver that punches above their weight.

I load my K frame .38's pretty warm, but I get downright nasty loading for my trusty old Police Service Six .357.

I've been shooting the LBT 160 WFN through it,...but I bought 2 lbs of Lil' Gun last week.

I think I'm going to order some of the gas checked 180 grain WFN's from Cast Performance.

Ruger screwed up by ceasing production of the Security/Service Six series.

I guess the GP series are good revolvers too, but I don't like their full length barrel lugs or their wonky grip frames.

Stay away from from light weight bullets and you will not have to worry about a split forcing cone

My very first handgun, when I was 19, was a stainless Ruger Speed Six. While waiting for my New York State pistol permit (without which you can't even possess a handgun in New York, let alone carry one), I had a very vivid dream about someone opening fire on me as I stepped out my front door. Then I reached for my sidearm, drew it from its holster, and for some reason swung open the cylinder to inspect that it was loaded, then closed it up again and returned fire, dispatching the bad guy. The image of the gun being a blued steel Ruger Speed Six was as clear as day.

That's when I decided what my first handgun would be. The gun store could only get hold of the stainless one, though, so that's what I got the day my permit arrived. I still have it, too, although my mom keeps it up in New York as her house gun (Yes, she has a permit).

Kevin -

I was a fan of the Ruger "six" series as well. I had a very late 4" Speed Six. I also had a used S&W "registered" .357 that had an 8-3/4, not 8-3/8, inch barrel which came with a bunch of original uber-hot factory ammo. The little Ruger bucked and barked but the only problem it created was I couldn't eject the shells, they'd fuse to the cylinder walls.

I suppose of today's options, a 4" 7 shot S&W 686 would be a good choice; I prefer the GP100 a bit but an extra round isn't a bad thing when the guns are so similar.

My personal .357 is not really a good choice of duty gun, it's too small. 3" adjustable sighted S&W M60 J frame. It's as accurate from a rest as any .357 revolver I've ever had but it's a vicious little beast with full power ammo. It'd be a great "backup" if allowed.

Tom

Yes, I would...........either of those two. And for a classless workhorse, the GP100.

4" S&W Model 686, nothing more, nothing less.

MM

Full lug or Mountain Gun?

I carried a S&W 65 with a 4 inch bull barrel. Worked well for me.

Up until about a year or so ago, I would have said the Smith 66 or maybe the 686.

That was until I owned one of the 627's that came through the performance center with an 8 shot cylinder and 5 inch barrel. Since it would be carried in a duty holster on a gun belt anyway, I cannot imagine a better .357 revolver for LE work.

I'd happily carry one today.

I'm imagining a load with a 140 grain JHP moving at CorBon speed.

Wow.

I shot every kind of evil fire breathing handload I could concoct from the one I had, and it was downright comfortable to shoot.

I'd have to agree with the late Skeeter Skelton that the best .357 law enforcement revolver was a 5-inch Model 19. Next in value I'd rate a 4-inch Model 13/65, although I really prefer blued guns. Smith's N-frame guns are a work of art, but too heavy to lug on a duty belt all day long, even if mostly sitting in a patrol car.

Full lug..........way better balance,IMO.

MM

Yeah...me too...probably. I keep trying to convince myself that the M686 Mountain Gun handles like a K-frame, but so far I'm not convinced. The 4" L-frame needs the full lug.

A 4" Security Six.

686 plus 7 shot in 4"
627 N frame 8 shot
686 or 686 plus in 3" to save some weight.

Don't forget the 619/620 L frame series .357 Smiths or the 686 mountain gun-all non full lugged.

How about half Colt,half Ruger?

the ruger security six is a great gun i've been shooting one for over 30 yrs.acquired a second one about 15 yrs ago and my sis just got her carry permit so i'm sending her the other security six.