First centerfire wheel gun help decide thread

[robertbank]

The only gun I caliber I can think of that fits both USPSA, IDPA and hunting would be the .357mag and I would recommend the GP-100 over the 686 Smith only because if yo go to hunting you want a gun that will take the heavy 357mag loads you will want to use for hunting. Shoot minor in USPSA revolver. The .38spl/.357 mag gun would fit better in IDPA over USPSA. The Rehawk and Super Redhawk are not going to be useful in either USPSA or IDPA. The gun is heavy and big. You are never going to see it in .357 mag. The gun need not be that big and heavy for the ..357Mag.

I agree with the poster who said you are trying to cover to many bases with one gun. For hunting .357 amg is really marginal. 44mag/45colt makes more sense. USPSA now allows 8 rounders I believe in their revolver division so anything with six rounds in it is going to be at a big disadvantage.

Take Care

Bob

[Artful]

for a do all revolver like you want - I'd go 357 mag for my first one.
I think I'd be looking at S&W 686P 7 shot 357 mag
that takes full moon clips in 4 or 5 inch barrel.



Next choice S&W 625 .45 ACP.

44, 454, 460 - not near as economical to shoot, recoil more apt to develop a flinch.

[Petrol & Powder]

Another vote for the .357 mag. and probably the GP-100. Versatile cartridge with the option of 38 Special, very strong gun and durable. The 44 mag/special route is another option but for all around use the 38/.357 is hard to beat. The 44 requires more lead, more powder and the guns are obviously bigger/heavier.
The Ruger GP-100 is an excellent gun and the S&W 686 is a close runner up in that same class. Now, if you're in bear country forget what I just said and go straight to the 44 magnum.
I don't care for barrels over 4" for anything that has to carried but I'm often in the minority with that opinion.

[robertbank]

What he said. For Black bears a 357mag would be faster to get into action with a 4.2" barrel and plenty enough loaded with 125gr soft points. Works on humans so why not bears. The seven and eight shot revolvers are/were designed for playing the revolver games. If you are into that go for it. If not the Ruger GP-100 is very hard to beat.

Take Care

Bob

[beroen]

I am leaning towards the gp100 6" in stainless
I wish it was a little more classic looking but oh well it looks sweet with a scope

I think the S&W is out of my price range

[Petrol & Powder]

The GP-100 is a fine gun and far better than some folks will admit. The GP is very strong and they can be very accurate guns. I agree that your spread of potential applications (hunting to USPSA competition) may be a bit broad.
Opinions vary but for me, a 6" barrel is unwieldy. The 6" barrel gives you a bit more sight radius and a little bit more velocity. Those two extra inches of barrel come with the cost of more weight and a significantly larger overall gun. If you're going to put a scope on it, the sight radius becomes a non-issue. For me a 6" barrel is a dedicated hunting or range gun. A 4" barreled revolver is no less inherently accurate than a 6" barrel.
A 4" barrel is a good compromise between size/weight/sight radius and is much easier to carry/draw.
I see a lot more used 6" barreled revolvers that get traded in than used 4" barreled revolvers for sale.

The trigger on the GP-100 isn't as bad as some would have you believe and it can be greatly improved with just a little work. While you may not be able to improve the Ruger trigger to rival an old S&W you can certainly improve it to the point that it will rival a current out of the box S&W.

[beroen]

When I say I would like to use it for uspsa I mean just that I won't be going out there expecting to win I just go to shoot my different pistols and get better faster with them.

[Petrol & Powder]

If hunting is your primary goal then a 6" is approprirate.

[Artful]

I wish it was a little more classic looking
I think the S&W is out of my price range

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/p...+686+Plus+.357

$456

[69daytona]

Check out the Dan Wesson's in either 44mag or 357, since your here you must reload so you can get whatever you want out of either and you can always get different length barrels and shrouds if you want longer or shorter .
might want to checkout their Supermags as they will shoot 38,357 and 357 maximum and the445 will shoot 44 special,Mag and supermag, then you can go from mild to wild with a very accurate revolver that is strong enough to handle the stoutest stuff made.

[beroen]

Ended up with the gp100 6" blued the trigger feels like **** in DA hopefully it will wear in a bit.. My uncle has a sp101 that he had the trigger done on Damn it feels smooth. I am hoping they can do the same to mine.

[Whiterabbit]

I don't wear in triggers, I stone them the day after the first range trip if they feel like that. You can do that at home.

[Petrol & Powder]

The GP-100 is a fine tool and will outlast you by a considerable margin.
As for the trigger, it can be easily improved. Before you start taking stones to important surfaces, I'd recommend obtaining some knowledge first.
This is a decent place to start: https://gunner777.wordpress.com/2008...-of-knowledge/

I've spent a lot of time with Ruger DA revolvers and the quickest way to improve the trigger is a set of replacement springs (hammer & trigger return). Some careful polishing of the appropriate parts and some shims will often show benefits as well. For springs and shims these are good people to deal with: http://michigancenteroutdoors.com/

If you drop the spring weights too much you'll get misfires and slow trigger reset. You can go 12# on the hammer spring and 10 # on the trigger spring and still have 100% reliability. That one modification may be enough for you to be happy with the trigger. Smoothing the edges of the hammer strut is an easy and effective modification that you can do while replacing the main spring.

A word of caution, do not pull the trigger when the trigger group is out of the frame unless you enjoy looking for tiny parts in the carpet. If you're mechanically inclined the GP-100 is easy to work on.

Good Luck and enjoy your new wheel gun; you got a good one !!

[Petrol & Powder]

Pictures !!

[Jtarm]

Yes, doesn't count without pics.

It won't be your only wheelgun

Soon you'll want a more serious hunting revolver (bigger caliber..)

An IDPA SSR.

> 6 capacity and/or moon clips for USPSA and IDPA ESR.

An IDPA BUG revolver.

Several others just cuz they're fun.

[smkummer]

Yep, 4, 5 or 6" .357 (or even 38 special) revolver. If I had to only have one centerfire revolver, that would be it. I still have 38 special brass from the 90's that was swept up at a police range. I'll die with that brass. .357, you may have to pay the market rate for brass. I still fire about 95% 38 special from my .357 chambered guns. In fact a Plus P 38 is my favorite. At one time, 38 special was the most common sold reloading dies for handgun, but I am probably dating myself by saying that. I am shooting a cast bullet 38 special for about .06 each and the primer is costing me over 1/2 that cost.

[Rustyleee]

454s aren't really much fun. I'd listen to these guys - a 357 is really useful and 38 spl is way more fun to shoot on a regular basis.

-Nobade

+1 it's a good place to start. If you're not experienced to begin with a handgun anything bigger will take a long time to master.

[Mauser48]

Ended up with the gp100 6" blued the trigger feels like **** in DA hopefully it will wear in a bit.. My uncle has a sp101 that he had the trigger done on Damn it feels smooth. I am hoping they can do the same to mine.

I have that same one in stainless. My trigger is pretty good in sa and da. Its not gritty or anything in da just a little heavy. I want a 5.5 inch stainless super blackhawk now!

[beroen]

Don't mind the pajamas lol

[9.3X62AL]

get a.357 gp100 with 6 inch barrel. that will cover your needs. the nay sayers to the .357 have never used the original loads. there is a big difference between the loads of today and the first loads.

Very true. I have a Bisley Blackhawk x 7.5", and I can run loads that meet or slightly beat the 1930s Doug Wesson ballistics, in the 1500 FPS toll-free dialing area. Of course, be mindful that at about the same time SAAMI eviscerated the 357 Magnum the group did likewise to the 41 and 44 Magnum--lowering all of their pressure standards from the 43K PSI range down to 36K PSI. A 1935-vintage 357 Magnum loading might tweak out one of the current S&W J-frames chambered in 357. Loaded properly, a 4" or 6" 357 Magnum field gun can make venison very capably if its driver can steer it correctly--and resist taking marginal shots.