Which is your favorite? Smooth accurate and classy..... Old or new
I've owned 2 S&W .357s. The first I sold years ago but it may come back to me in time if I am patient. It is/was a pre-war, pre-27, N frame, probably was a registered gun. 8-3/4ths, not 8-3/8ths, inch barrel. I got it from my grandpa, shot it a lot as a kid, and sold it to another close relative who is getting up there in years and doesn't fire more than a handful of centerfire shells in a year now. It was, IMHO, "over-tuned" by some past gunsmith / gunsmith wanna-be lightening springs for smoothness and speed. Combined with many decades of wear, it needs some internal TLC to be truly reliable. SA trigger pull is plain wicked though, don't want that loused up.
The other is a pre-lock M60 3" .357 with adjustable sights. It is a miserable beast to shoot but it is also incredibly accurate for its size and recoil. If you can hang onto it, manage the sights, and forget what a beating your hand is about to receive, it's capable of 2 inch 50 yard groups from a rest with Federal 125 grain JHP factory ammo. Because I don't like shooting it to sight it in again, I don't mess with lighter loads, I just hope not to pull the trigger.
I wish S&W would offer a half-lug 4" 686 or 586. I guess that means a 4" model 19 would be a good contender ... never owned one so that's just guess work.
Tom
