Ruger revolver quandary

[newton]

So my very first revolver, and handgun to buy, was a Ruger NM 45colt/45acp convertible. I bought the 4 5/8 one just because it was what they had there.

I have been wanting to get a 6" 357 of some sort. I've been browsing the different brands and styles, when I saw what I had seen back when I bought my ruger. A 357/38/9mm convertible. Nice I tell myself.

See, I have two boys. All my guns will be passed down, so I think this would be a cool thing. To have two guns that look exactly alike yet shoot different ammo, covering a broad range. I figure they could borrow each other's guns from time to time. I don't care, I'll be dead. Lol

anyways, my quandary is I've wanted a 6" but my 45 is a 4 5/8". Should I get the 4 5/8" 357 convertible, or would the 6.5" one be better off having a little longer barrel. I'm torn. One side says they would look good together, laying on the shooting bench, looking almost exactly alike. Then the other side says it might be nice to have one with a longer barrel for the ease of picking up the right caliber. But, again, the 4 5/8" just has that 'cool' look to it with the ejector being the same length and all.

what would you guys do? I wish I wouldn't look online for guns. Just tears me up inside. Darn Internet!!!

[DougGuy]

I would get a 5 1/2" or maybe even a 7 1/2" .357 instead of another convertible. You can shoot .38 Special in it, and getting one of these to shoot 9mm accurately is a PITA that requires larger boolits for the 9mm, cylinder throat reaming, or just live with shooting .355" or .356" boolits into a .357" barrel which it won't do all that well. Longer barrel = longer sight radius, more velocity = a much more accurate gun overall.

[dragon813gt]

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa39/dragon813gt/Firearms/5F20C6D6-2264-4210-8F9B-5264E9534465.jpg (http://s198.photobucket.com/user/dragon813gt/media/Firearms/5F20C6D6-2264-4210-8F9B-5264E9534465.jpg.html)

Yeah, they both shoot the same cartridge. But I think you get my point :)

[contender1]

Well, Ruger only makes the 357 in 4-5/8" & 6-1/2", so any other barrel length is out. I'd opt for the 6-1/2'. Why? You take the gun, you use it & build some family history. Your boys will decide which one they prefer. If they both want the same gun, buy another one later on!

[DLCTEX]

I recently added a 357/38/9mm Ruger to my collection and am extremely happy with it. I have not been able to really test it yet, but at 15 yds my 9mm cast boolit loads have been the most accurate in offhand shooting. I opted for the 6 1/2 inch barrel, just my preference. My boolits are sized .357 and were fine in this and my other 9's.

[freebullet]

Glad to see dragon got you straightened out proper.

[FLHTC]

The 6 1/2 has a longer sight radius but the extra length is what I don't prefer. In and out of the holster with that longer barrel will make you want that 4 5/8 pretty bad. Even if I want precision shooting out of my Ruger single actions, Weaver and B Square make a fine bolt on scope mount that doesn't leave marks or change the gun in any way. All that said, make mine a 4 5/8 but you need to decide what is good for you.

[Sasquatch-1]

I have a New Model convertible in .357. It was made during the Bi-Centennial and has the 4 5/8 inch barrel. It shoots very nicely with .38 and .357 rounds. With 9mm at 15 yards half the bullets will keyhole the target. So if you are looking at this for shooting cheap 9mm you may want to give it considerable thought.

[huntrick64]

Get a Ruger Bisley in 357. Then later on, one of the boys will know you loved him more than the other. Ha! Just kidding, but they are nice. A cooler thing would be (if you could afford it) to buy two matching guns with consecutive serial numbers so brothers could eventually have a "matched pair". However; out of all of the guns that have been handed down to me, I have never wished they were anything other than they what they already were.

[FLHTC]

I have a New Model convertible in .357. It was made during the Bi-Centennial and has the 4 5/8 inch barrel. It shoots very nicely with .38 and .357 rounds. With 9mm at 15 yards half the bullets will keyhole the target. So if you are looking at this for shooting cheap 9mm you may want to give it considerable thought.

Couldn't agree more. A .358 bore doesn't like .356 bullets

[9.3X62AL]

However; out of all of the guns that have been handed down to me, I have never wished they were anything other than they what they already were.

Well stated.

As far as single-action ka-boy wheelguns go, I have both 4.75" and 7.5" barrels in the fleet, and have had 5.5"s and 6.5"s as well. I also house an equal number of 4" and 6" or 6.5" double-action rollers. I have no real preference for short or long barrels, but choose a length and caliber combo that suits the purpose of its travels with me. The shorter tubes sure as h--- pack and carry a lot easier, but the extra sight radius and barrel length can be an advantage in the hunting fields. For my money the most useful handgun ever birthed was and is the medium-framed 4-inch barreled 6 or 7 shot double-action revolver in 357 Magnum caliber. The 4-5/8" BH in 357 is a close 2nd place.

[newton]

Thanks for the thoughts guys. If I get it, it will be the 4 5/8". Its not anything more than for the fact that it would be a matching pair of guns that way. Sounds silly, but in that style of gun the 4 5/8" just looks better to me. Now, on the DA Smiths and Rugers, the 6" looks better to me.

I think in the end I am going to hold off though. It kind of was so I can shoot some 9mm, but I have plenty of 38 and 357 brass as well, so to get the gun would just be to say I have two guns that can shoot 5 different rounds. So in reality, it would be more of a novelty item and should be put toward the back of my list. When I do get the gun, I will ream the 9mm cylinder to match the barrel. Thanks for the heads up on that, I had forgotten that they were a tad smaller.

[bedbugbilly]

As far as barrel length goes . . . I have a Ruger New Vaquero 357 with a % 1/2" barrel and a Uberti Bisley 357 with a 4 3/4" barrel. Other than the sight radius, I really do not notice any difference as far as shooting. I also have two S & W revolvers - one with a 4" barrel and one with a 5" barrel - still see no difference other than sight radius. They shoot the same.

I think it really depends on what you want as far as shooting. Once you get to shooting either barrel length and get used to it, it becomes "old hat". It's about learning the revolver and how it shoots . . . and how you shoot it.

I don't have kids but if you are going to leave these to yours . . . trust me . . . whatever they are, you kids will cherish them (hopefully) because it was yours . . not because of what it is. Everytime they use them, they'll bring back memories of you and the time you all spent together. And I speak from experience on that . . . .

[paul h]

Good choice on another 4 5/8"

I've had bh's, bisleys and sbh's in 4 5/8", 5 1/2", 6" and 7 1/2". While I'm sure it sounds wierd, I find the 6" and 6 1/2" an oddball length in both balance and appearance. I find the 5 1/2" to have the best balance, the 4 5/8" looks great and packs great, and if you want a long tube go 7 1/2"

[robertbank]

Well this isn't going to help a lot but I would go with a Ruger GP- 100 with the 4,2" barrel. The guns are excellent shooters. They are reasonably priced, balance well and are more accurate than most can hold I am sure. I love mine. It gets way more use than my Flatop Ruger in 45Colt/45acp or any on my Ubertis 45Colts including one on .357mag. The .357 Mag in a 5.5" gun. What I notice about it is it is nose heavy. Much more so than the well balanced 4 58 Ruger or the 4.75" Ubertis.

The 357/38spl combo in the GP-100 makes it a very versatile gun. Relatively inexpensive to shoot for plinking but capable using .357mag rounds.

Take Care

Bob

[Nicholas]

I like the GP 100 6in in gloss stainless. It just looks and shoots great. I tend to like longer bbls for more weight out front and also for the looks. Packing them does not seem to be such a big deal to me. I do like the blued convertible 45 BH with the middle length bbl and faux ivory grips.

Of course, the correct answer to the post is when you see one you can afford and like, reasonably priced, buy it, cause you might not ever see a deal like it again.

[fecmech]

I bought the 4 5/8" .45 convertible because I always wanted a "real cowboy" gun. When I grew up the cowboys in all the westerns used the 4 5/8" guns, how's that for a reason?. That said I do like the way it balances better than the 6" models and am very happy with it.