Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns What revolver handles hot 357 best

Really want a smith but have heard the forcing cone can have problems with light fast bullets, are the new guns fine with this or am I better with a gp100.

The 686/586 will be fine with those loads, as will the GP100. If you really plan on firing tens of thousands of such rounds you might consider factoring in the cost of having the barrel set back and a new forcing cone cut sometime in the future. But by the time you do that you'll have spent a few thousand dollars on ammunition or reloading components anyway.

A S&W K-frame will have trouble with light, fast .357 loads but only after extensive firing. More firing, I would submit, than most recreational shooters will ever do.

If by chance you wear out a K-frame Smith through shooting, you should consider yourself lucky to have had that much range time!

How about hot heavy rounds,Buffalo Bore and the like?

Same deal: the K-frame will handle them--it's not like Ruger vs. Colt SAA in 45 Colt loads--it's just a matter of how fast you want to wear your gun out. And S&W's can be rebuilt and rebarreled if you do shoot enough to work one loose.

If I wanted to run nothing but hot .357 Magnum loads through a DA revolver, I'd hunt up a Ruger Redhawk .357. But by the time I think I need that much power, I'm already looking for my .357 Maximum or a cartridge beginning with "4."

The old model Ruger Redhawks are the strongest .357 magnums ever built. Probably the next strongest would be the Ruger GP-100. Followed by the S&W L Frame 686.
But I've shot hot loads forever in a old S&W K- Frame Model 19 without any signs of noticeable wear.
Shoot it and enjoy it. If you shoot it "loose" you can always have it rebuilt or buy a new one. Revolvers are made for shooting!

Don't over look the Security Six. They are built like tanks.

Yes they are! It's a shame that Ruger discontinued them! I've still got a 4" stainless Security Six that's NIB. It's my back-up to my back-up

Find an old S&W N frame model 28 and shoot 'til your hearts content

I've still got a 4" stainless Security Six that's NIB. It's my back-up to my back-up [/quote]

You got that right. I do too. Don't see how a revolver guy would not have at least one.

Ruger Blackhawk?

I send all of my "shooter" revolvers to Ahlman's in Morristown, MN, to be smoothed/tuned and to have the forcing cones reamed. The best ROI of $105 you're likely to find in revolver work.

www.ahlmans.com

I'd get a Ruger single action for strength, if you didn't need a double action.

As a side note, the nicest 357 revolver I have handled of late was a Pro-series by smith. For 900 plus it should be though.

The original .357 is still a pretty good place for it, in its original form, the S&W N frame.

If you can find one of the stainless 1989 model 627's, they oughta be stout.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=484049175

A Ruger GP-100 357 will stomp an N-Frame 357 for durability. The design rather than size does it. I just bought a little 3" SP-101 357 and the design, again, is spot on. No surprise. I was also reminded why I hate the 357 Mag when I shot it. I'll take a lower pressure larger bore in a larger piece any day of he week.

Dan Wesson! Built like a tank. If you manage to erode the forcing cone just screw in a new barrel!
Might not be the easiest to find.

Bought a "N" frame Mod.27, 6" in 1968 and had to have it re-timed about 1980.
It would spit jacket so bad that I had it cut my face when shot.

Still have it, and it looks nice, and shoots well, but I don't use it very often.

you left out the N Frame Smiths.

I agree with all of this.



Travis

All of them are going to have forcing cone erosion with light bullets at max loads. As stated, the Dan Wesson will allow you to change the barrel out.

A few months back, I traded into a blue, 6 inch GP100 with a half underlug barrel. The balance was delightful. I did a little loading for it, and shot it a little, but the accuracy wasn't what I hoped for on paper and it seemed to be the loudest 357 I ever shot, especially for one with a 6 inch tube.

Upon cleaning, I found the forcing cone was cooked. As in, Gator skin. Who knows how many rounds of 125's it took to do that, but the cylinder lockup was still very tight. Got caught looking on that one.

I sold it to a buddy after showing him the forcing cone. He said it didn't matter to him....

My point is, I'm pretty sure a Smith would have exhibited signs of wear in the lockup prior to having a torched forcing cone like that GP had.