Looking for a Compact Carry .357 Magnum

[indiandave]

I have the model 60 with the 3" barrel. great carry gun and a good shooter at the range. Mine gets loaded with Buffalo Bore .38 cal. 158 gr LSWCHP's.

I like the Idea of a 7 shot carry gun. It would be a little bulky though.

 

[treg]

I can see a lot of uses for that S&W 60-15. The adjustable sights are a huge plus IMHO. Would work well for winter carry and a lot of other uses.
Hmmm - might have to look into one of those.

 

[drrpg01]

I think the Ruger sp101 2.25" is better suited to your needs, but since you don't like it, not gonna waste my time. Out of the options you gave, my vote would be model 60. Agreed, though, if you could find a snub model 19, definitely better IMO than a model 60.

 

[dawgfvr]

3 inch GP 100 does the trick...

 

[liviussteven]

i think the best all around would be a 629.. 3"
that gives you the 44 mag if you can handle it or the 44 special... which is more powerful than the 45 acp..
other thatn that ... the s&w 649 (jack ruby gun) in the 357/38 is the cc gun of choice for me... a super weapon for concel carry

 

[jglsprings]

With winter right around the corner and heavy coats and hoodies coming along with it, I am looking for a new stainless .357 Magnum I can carry concealed OWB. I have narrowed it down to the following models:

and

I had a SP101 but ended up trading it in on a S&W Model 66. I don't regret the decision as I never carried/shot the Ruger and my girlfriend, who I bought the gun for originally, couldn't pull the trigger. This one will be for me and I think I'm leaning towards the 3" 686 with the 7-round cylinder.

The original post was for a compact carry; but, you did say you would carry in OWB. I love my 686 but no matter what the barrel length it is a BIG gun for carry. It just wears on me when I take it hiking.

Let us see a picture when you get whatever you decide on. This has been a great thread - very polite, lots of good information.

 

[Big Bill]

The J frame doesn't handle full load .357 mags as well as the L frames. So, get the longest barrel L frame that you can comfortably carry. BTW, I think shooting a .357 mag from a short barrel is a waste of money, because the performance is reduced.

 

[mrghostwalker]

It doesn't matter- buy a Ruger or buy a Smith &Wesson. They are both fine guns.

 

[drrpg01]

There's nothing wrong with shooting 357 out of a short barrel. Of course, the performance is reduced. Any bullet's performance is reduced out of a shorter barrel. A snub 357 is still going to greatly outperform a snub 38 and it's also going to hang right in there or exceed performance with smaller platforms of other calibers. If you can kick up 1000 to 1200 fps out of a 2.25" barrel with a 125 gr bullet or larger, that's pretty darn good.

 

[BikerRN]

I'm a big fan of the .357 Magnum loaded with 125 Grain JHP's for bipedal aggressor carry.

With that said, the smallest and lightest gun I will carry in that caliber is the SP101. It's my BUG to the 3" GP100 carried inside the waistband. I don't do outside the waistband carry, except on my duty belt most days.

My duty gun is an autoloader, but if I could I'd carry a revolver with a 4" tube. I like 3" barrels and don't find the GP100 hard to hide if I use good gear and pay attention to proper clothing selection. Yesterday I carried my GP100 and SP101 concealed, and nobody the wiser. Trust me, they looked. BTW: I wore Cargo Shorts yesterday and an un-tucked Hawaiian Shirt, with flip flops on my feet.

The belt and holster play a huge part in helping to hide the gun, probably a more important part than most people realize. The 3" K-Frame, if you can find them, would be a good choice too.

Biker

 

[cole k]

I carry a S&W Model 60-15 or a Model 637-2. How I will admit that full house Mag loads in the Model 60 or +P loads in the Model 637 are a hand full, you do not want me shooting at you with either.

 

[orionengnr]

I have owned, carried and shot the S&W 340 and 360. Won't do that again
I had a 586 for a while, and it shot superbly and carried pretty well. These days, my "winter carry" choices are 4" .41 Mag or .45 LC N-frames. Yeah, it's a bit heavier than the K or L frames, but I have more faith in a caliber that starts with a 4....

or the 44 special... which is more powerful than the 45 acp.

What did Barack Obama say about Kanye West?
For the record, that was the first time I agreed with anything he has said...

 

[crebralfix]

S&W N-Frame all the way! Get a solid belt and holster with forward cant and you're good to go. I like the 625 and the S&W 8 shooters that take moonclips. Why have only six 357 magnum rounds when you can have eight?

 

[Doyle]

I just won a Gunbroker auction for a Security Six snubnose. That may replace my current carry gun even though I bought it primarily as a woods gun.

 

[madmag]

I just won a Gunbroker auction for a Security Six snubnose.

I consider my Speed Six 2-3/4" about as good as it gets for compact carry for .357 mag. But as time goes by they are harder and harder to find.

No, mine is not for sale.

 

[RJM]

I have two SP101s, one in .327 federal magnum and one in .357 magnum, I also have a 4" GP100 and have owned a model 60 LS, several 686+ in different barrel lengths and have to say I like the .327 federal magnum sp101 best for carry.

The model 60 was a good carry gun and it being made of stainless made it relatively fun to shoot at the range even with .357 magnums, I really liked it but traded it in a good deal to a friend. The sp101 is a great substitute, the 3" barrel length helps with sighting over the shorter 2" barrel the model 60 had and I really do like shooting the .327 federal magnum. For me, the cartridge combined with the weight and the feel of the solid sp101 really make a great carry piece. I don't feel that way with the .357 magnum for some reason, even though it is exactly the same in dimension.

Out of the three choices you have, I would personally go with the model 60 with the three inch barrel. The gun is compact enough to carry well and it is put together well, just make sure you check cylinder gap clearance. It seems like smith is sending some of these out with ridiculously large cylinder gaps, but some are just right. The 3" barrel will help you sight quicker over the shorter barrels and the gun feels balanced with it. I actually like the grip of the model 60s, but if you don't there are aftermarket replacements. Good luck.

 

[amd6547]

I'll stick with this 3" SP101 I got recently. Here is a pic of my first outing, using American Eagle 158gn SP 357's at 25yds:

 

[dirtygrunt95]

How about 386 night guard. It's an L frame and light weight. I shoot 158 grain 357 in it without any problem.

 

[gak]

+1 to a round butt 3" K. Mine is a Pre-lock 65 Lady Smith. Best DA revolver I ever owned. Unique combo of fixed-sight 3" with full shroud/lug and lo-glare satin stainless. I prefer the 65's hang-up free fixed sight profile for SD/carry (and most SD/HD situations are immediate/close quarters/ adrenalined minute-of-torso anyway, so...) For adjustable fans, its approximate equivalent would be a 66 Combat Magnum, regular stainless. Both of these have become rare-ish and pricey now--if you find one that's not, grab it! Failing that, a "regular" (shroudless, etc) 3" would be just dandy.

 

[lomaxanderson]

686 2.5"

is my vote ...I have one as well. When weather permits it gets carried but takes a good belt and holster to be comfy...Owb is so much more comfy than Iwb to me of course...
But those night guard guns do look good