Well, the 357 is gone...

[Murphy]

I'm a .357 addict. All the way from J frames to N frames. Skeeter seemed to believe the S&W 5" Model 27 the best 'all around' .357 made. Of course I have mine and enjoy it. I also have K frames and my L frame. I carried an L frame (early model 686 no dash) as a duty gun and put 10K through it in less than a year practicing.

When it comes to S&W .357's, one would be hard pressed to beat the 4" L frame. I'd miss my other .357's but if I had to part with them and keep just one? Which, is something I hope to never have to do. I would most likely wind up keeping the 686. The cylinder length is great as it allows you to seat a #358429 in the crimp groove (as you have discovered). The added muzzle weight is just enough to help keep me on target for quick follow up shots if needed.

Good luck in your search!

Murphy

[Art in Colorado]

The answer is always the same. A 4 inch 686-3 or 686-4.

[Butler Ford]

The only mention of the one closest to meeting your criteria was in your original post! S&W 66, slim, trim, lighter weight, relatively easily concealed, handles full bore ammo without the punishment of the small frames. I do in fact have Rugers & S&Ws from your list. The 66 is pretty much the cream of the crop for your stated uses.

BF

[9.3X62AL]

If your load levels are going to be primarily in the 38 Special +P ballpark, a K-frame S&W 357 Magnum (Models 13, 19, 65, 66) will be fine for your uses. For full-on Magnum shooting, the S&W 686, Ruger GP-100 or Security/Speed-Six, and (sleeper alert) Colt Mk III/V Troopers will last forever. The Ruger SP-101 5-shot will hold up to full-on 357s just fine, but can be a handful for me with the OEM stocks. Since concealment figures in to the game, the SP-101 x 3-1/16" might be just what the doctor ordered for you. Lots of choices, new and used.

[wbrco]

The Ruger SP-101 5-shot will hold up to full-on 357s just fine, but can be a handful for me with the OEM stocks. Since concealment figures in to the game, the SP-101 x 3-1/16" might be just what the doctor ordered for you. Lots of choices, new and used.

^^^ The pachmayr Double Diamonds help a lot, but full mag will still be a handful. That said, that's my personal cc firearm.

But be prepared, the groove sight is not target grade...



Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk

[Bubba w/a 45/70]

Lots of choices, and not too many wrong ones.....my suggestion is to shoot samples from your choice list and shoot those as much as you can. Then pick the best fitting/feeling/shooting/(and lastly) accurate revolver you find. I say accurate lastly as this is usually easily rectified with a change in load choice.

And if, by chance, the one you choose doesn't quite fit the bill.....no worries; there are other choices out there to be had.

[ghh3rd]

My S&W 686 Plus 3" arrives at my FFL tomorrow . I didn't have any preconceived notions of what revolver I wanted ... I just started comparing different brands/models and decided on it. I feel like a kid on Christmas eve!

[Low Budget Shooter]

Gun - don't rule out old blued/wood Taurus 66. I like my 3" very much. They are quite inexpensive compared to your other options.
Powder - I started using Red Dot when it was the only thing available. Now I like its performance (similar to Bullseye) plus it is very easy to identify visually and somewhat fluffy/hard to double charge without knowing it.

[Groo]

Groo here
If you can see your way clear to a new gun.
The S&W M-66 2 3/4 in 357.
Not too big ,not too heavy, not too long.
A true K frame but with the problems removed.
Ps I am a sucker for a 3in, now +- 1/4in as I got an M-69 2 3/4in 44.

[smkummer]

9.3X62AL beat me to the punch, if you find a deal on a Colt MKIII trooper, its in the same size category as the L frames or GP100 and you can seat Lyman's 358429 in the crimp groove with the Colt, its worth a look. MKV troopers are the same action as the King Corbra but rarer and the market now appears to know this so they are almost impossible to find for a reasonable amount these days. As stated before, the K frame for what your doing and the amount of shooting (38 vs .357) your doing would be my choice.

[Walkingwolf]

I have two Smiths with the IL, I don't use it but, they have never caused a issue. In fact of all the complaining I have never seen a legitimate issue posted with the IL. I would not let the IL stop me from buying a new Smith, both mine are exceptional. I personally would rather not have the full lug though, I have a GP100 6 inch with the full lug, and don't like it anywhere near as much as my 4 inch GP100 police trade in with the half lug. The balance of the half lug is perfect. That is why I went with the Smith 625 PC, instead of the 625 JM. Personally if I bought a new Smith for carry it would probably be the 66, perfect carry gun, IMO.

As it stands now my carry has been a police trade in model 64, for the loads I carry it is perfect. Before I got her my carry was mostly the GP100 with the half lug.

[Leadmelter]

357 mag will live forever.
Leadmelter
MI

[robg]

I had an early 686 with 6 inch barrel my wife had the 4 inch with pachmayr presentation grips on mine I've long fingers my wife had finger groove type great guns great trigger pulls especially double action

[54bore]

I have no experience with the particular S&W mentioned, I do know the GP-100 fairly well, it is currently the only handgun i own, I've owned a few GP-100s over the years. I went with a Talo Exclusive this last one in hopes that QC would be better, and it was. I will say the GP-100 is a rock solid durable revolver, but with all of the Quality Control issues with Ruger, I think i would look more toward the S&W these days.

[DakotaElkSlayer]

Have you thought about the Ruger SP101? With a set of Hogue grips, it feels great in the hand. As for the 686 vs GP100, both are great guns. Traditionally, many people forked over the extra coin for the 686 since it had a better trigger out of the box. Today, it is a different story... Some of those GP's have an outstanding trigger out of the box. I would go Ruger and keep trying out the triggers until you find a great one.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

[jmort]

How about the new SP101 Match Champion with the full lug 4" barrel
That might be the ticket

[DakotaElkSlayer]

http://www.ruger.com/products/sp101M...on/models.html

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

[Plate plinker]

686 is a good piece. I myself would like a 929.

[PerpetualStudent]

I was faced with a similar choice (686 vs gp100). I chose the gp100 based mainly on the trigger (personal preference, plenty of people prefer S&W's, I just thought it was a bit 2 stagey). Then at a gun show for the same price point I ran across a Dan Wesson with a 6 in barrel that pointed as naturally for me as the 4 in barrels in 686 and gp100. And that one wound up filling the niche.

I don't have any other barrels but if you're looking for barrel versatility the Dan Wesson's are worth a look.