Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Looking at small .357 Mag. revolvers...

After selling my 4" 686 earlier this year, I'm left with a pile of .357 and .38 Spl ammo. Soooo.....I need a revolver. This will be for short-range defense only (7 yards or less), concealed carry (OWB) on days I don't want to carry my HK USPc. I want a 2.5" barrel and an exposed hammer, fixed sights, new or used, budget ~$1000. I like the S&W 360 PD except for the fiber optic front sight, that belongs on turkey shotguns IMO. The Colt King Cobra 2" looks nice, and it should for $999!!! I'm open to older models, too, especially the S&W's.

Before you buy a 2" or even 3" small frame/lightweight 357. I highly recommend you shoot one if you have not already. The recoil is brutal. I owned a 3" 357 360 and 8 shots per session was all I could tolerate.

If you are set on shooting 357 ammo, I would recomemd k frame size at a minimum. If you want the lightweight, then limit yourself to 38 special ammo and gun that is at least 14 ounces

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Mike , thanks for bringing that up. I intend to shoot mostly .38 Spcl, and an all-steel revolver fits my needs. I'm not interested in aluminum or Scandium S&W's!

If you go with an SP101 with aftermarket grips, shooting average .357 or +p .38 is not uncomfortable. No problem at all carrying one OWB in a Galco Combat Master.

Personally, my favorite small frame 357 for OWB is the 3" J with adjustable sights.

Pre-lock S&W Models. 66 or 19. Steel frame. Load with some .38 spl 158 gr coated cast SWC's, like the ones Mackay_Sagebrush sells right here in the forum classifieds. I've got 200 rds coming my way right now.

I’d recommend either the Kimber K6S or Ruger SP101, both are a heavier than Smiths and absorb recoil better IMO. I’ve carried a 36-9, 60-9, and the SP101. The Smiths are harsh even with .38+P.
I currently carry the K6S, the big difference being it holds 6 in about the same frame size.

Colt 3 inch King Cobra.

I like my wife's 640 a lot.



But not with.357's.

As has been said. Even medium frame, all steel, short barrel, revolvers in .357 Magnum are brutal on the hand. Small framed .357 Magnums (and especially with lightweight frames) are a no go for me. Can't imagine what the designers of them were thinking.

I do not like recoil as a rule, but find a 357 in a short revolver to be not too bad. SP101 3 “ is a nice gun. The Colt King Cobra in 3” is tempting me….. and have a line on one much less than the 999 mentioned above….

It has an adjustable rear, but otherwise the Smith model 60 Pro intrigues the hell out of me. Exposed hammer, 3" barrel w/nice profile machining to keep the weight down, tritium front sight, useable grips & 357 capable if desired. Some have said it's the greatest trail gun there is. Worth a look for your criteria & budget, $899 retail.
D&L sports offers a robust fixed rear to to replace the adjustable sight if desired.

An empty 2 1/4" SP101 weighs more than a Glock 48 w/10 rounds of 9 on board. No wonder how autos are the popular ones these days.

If I were going to shoot .357 Magnum in a smallish gun, those two would be at the top of my list. All steel, not really that small. Three inch barrel to tame a little more of the recoil.

I'd still not likely want to shoot a whole box of it through either of them, though. For that, give me a six inch Model 19 with the hand-filling target grips.

Sounds like you perfectly described the 3” M65 or M13 S&Ws, other than the .5” of extra barrel. They’re out of print but still out there on the used market.

I don’t even like to shoot full house 357s in them let alone a J frame but I’d rather the K given the choice.

A Ruger Wiley Clapp SP101 with a set of VZ hydra G10 grips would be my choice. I have the GP100 version of it and plan to be buried with it

This one checks all your boxes.

When first introduced, those were great little guns, but I've heard several reviews of recent examples that had lots of manufacturing defects. I think Ruger's quality control has deteriorated, at least with some of their lines.

I've had nothing but excellent results with Ruger GP and SP revolvers and would buy another without hesitation. Of coarse there is always the S&W Model 60 if you don't mind a frame lock or a frame that stretches with hot .357 loads.

Based on reports here and elsewhere, I'd have to inspect any Ruger revolver before buying these days. Canted front sights seem to be an issue.

Besides that, the stock SP101 grips suck.

I still like it for an OWB piece.... with Hogue grips.

Thanks for the suggestions so far, I'm interested in the Ruger SP101 Wiley Clapp.

I had a 640-1 I carried for backup for years before it was stolen. Two cylinders full was all the fun I could stand to shoot at a time. Uncle Mikes boot grips were put on it soon after I bought it but they didn’t help tame recoil any at all. With 38 Special loads it was pleasant to shoot as much as you want.