You can find excellent bargains with a little patience for PPC guns, as others stated they are falling out of favor. I purchased a Bill Davis model 13 from the 70's for $500 a few months ago, a gun that was probably over $1000 new. 50 yards dead nuts. Very cool Aristocrat sight rib with front sight pre-settings for PPC distances.
The aftermarket barrels and ribs serve the purpose of adding more weight to the gun to minimize recoil during rapid fire stages....porting is believed to reduce accuracy.
Be aware of 3 things: 1. the action on the guns is highly tuned, to the point where only winchester, and sometimes only federal primers will work. 2. sometimes a gunsmith will take a "dead" revolver and try to revive it as a PPC gun using spare parts that were lying around...so try to get an inspection period and see the sticky on revolver checkout. 3. Although the .357's are accurate, it is generally believed the 38's are more accurate...most PPC competitors will only run light target 38's through her anyway.
