What Revolver?

[Whitefang81]

I need some help, i'm looking for a revolver, somthing in 357 mag, somthing acurate, fun to shoot, and something that could be used for competition. and easily carried
does such an animal exist

[cd45]

I would say a good S&W 4 inch. They come in large medium and small frame. They also come in different finishes. I used to have a model 586, it shot good. Now I have a High Standard 4 inch, it was made by Dan Wesson in the mid 70's, I hit a dragonfly with it at about 20 feet while shooting .38 specials, it shoots betters than I can.

[Tony Mig]

I need some help, i'm looking for a revolver, somthing in 357 mag, somthing acurate, fun to shoot, and something that could be used for competition. and easily carried

That's a tough call.....for target and compition shooting, a revolver with a 6" barrel is usually more prefferable, but a 6" barrel can get kinda heavy on the hip for all day carry, and if this is concealed carry, you'll have to strap it in a shoulder holster, and wear a coat or jacket to hide it.
For carry as personal protection, many choose between a snub nose model with a 2 to 2.5 inch barrel, up to a 4". Most LEO standard service revolvers were 4" models.

S&W and Ruger both offer .357 magnum revolvers with a 5" barrel, but since these are somewhat of an oddity, not many gun shops carry them in stock, and they have to be special ordered.

Your best bet would be to start with a 4" model, as it will provide fairly good accuracy target shooting, and not be too combersome to carry.

As for brand, I'd go with either S&W or Ruger. I'm contemplating the purchase of a Ruger GP-161 myself...that's a medium frame, .357 Magnum revolver with a 6" barrel, and an adjustable rear target sight. The Rugers have a heavier trigger pull than the S&W's, but they are built like a tank, and have a good reputation for long service life, and few failures.
As with the purchase of any gun, look it over carefully, make sure everything works smoothly, and that the fit & finish is good. Hold it, dry fire it, make sure it's not too big for your hands. Many times you'll know if it's right for you, becasue it'll just feel right in your hands when you hold it at arms length in a firing possition.

Good luck finding that special revolver....

[Whitefang81]

Well i know the S & W 686 6" is a smidge big but comfy to shoot, Special ordering wont e a problem, i work for a Army navy store where we believ in the saying, if we dont got we can get it, we can order just bout anything under the sun when it comes to guns

[Marlin]

My 2¢ would opt for the S&W 686, too.

[Tony Mig]

If I had the money, I'd probably choose the S&W 686, I've held several, and had the privilage of firing a few shots from one with a 6" barrel, and I gotta tell you, them's some fine firearms....

I'm leaning towards the Ruger because the price is better than a hundred bucks less...(prices here range between the Ruger going for $429.95, and the S&W going for $575.95)....and the fact that even though the trigger pull on the 686 is nicer, the Ruger just feels more solid to me.
Being that you work for a dealer, you probably can get anything you want at wholesale, so that should make the S&W 686 a lot more affordable for you than it would be for me....so I say go for it....!

[sig_230]

Most shooting sports limit the length of a revolver barrel to 4". Anything longer would simply make it too tough for any of the bottom feeders to compete. keep that in mind when looking.

I find the S&W M-19 probably the best balanced of the ones out there, followed by the M-28 N frames and finally the 586 L frame. The Dan Wessons are also unbelievable accurate but they also take more work. You need to make sure that the barrel is fitted properly and it will have to be retensioned to keep the DW shooting at its best. But when the barrel is properly tuned, held in tension by the frame and the threads at the muzzel, it is a tack driver.

[Tony Mig]

I had a Dan Wesson back when they were the new kid on the block, and I didn't like them. Timing problems, too delicate, and I couldn't get past that cylinder latch in front of the cylinder......

Whitefang81, I see you're located not too far from me......I'm down the shore, just inland of Ocean City, and I shoot at the Atlantic County Range Facility in Egg Harbor Township.