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Old December 5, 2012, 03:07 AM   #26
volkstrm
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I would say the Ruger SP101 or the Ruger GP100. I have both the SP101 with,2 1/2bbl & the GP100 with 4bbl. Love them both. I think you will also.IMO. Good luck.
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Old December 5, 2012, 03:12 AM   #27
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GP100 in 6" barrel is the best .357 out there.
That's it, I own a S&W627 V-comp 8 shot .357 but it cost me $1200 OTD

TBS, $500-600 OTD is reasonable for a GP100.
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Old December 5, 2012, 04:21 AM   #28
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357 good choice of caliber for multiple reasons

buy a S&W and/or Ruger 357
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Old December 5, 2012, 06:50 AM   #29
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You can't go wrong with a Ruger or Smith & Wesson. For hunting, you want at least a 5 inch barrel. Check your local hunting laws regarding minimum handgun barrel length requirements for deer. In Ohio there is a 5" minimum handgun barrel length requirement for deer.
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Old December 5, 2012, 09:44 AM   #30
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A good used S&W will serve you well AND increase in price. Things Ruger and Taurus won't.
Pretty much bunk right there, it takes a very poor firearm indeed to not increase in value in the long run. Just look at the prices for older Blackhawks, Security Sixes, Single Sixes etc compared to when they were purchased. I truly wish I could go back in time and buy these older Rugers for what they were bought for.

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but for hunting a Blackhawk is way better than a GP100 or 686 and less $$$.
This one will take some explaining. There is nothing a DA gun won't do in the woods that a SA can and pretty much vice-versa. Top that off that in stainless guns the GP will weigh less than the Blackhawk, maybe even blued but I haven't checked.

Recommendations for a hunting .357? Honestly there's almost too many to list. Stay away from guns with barrels less than 4", Ruger and S&W quality is always a plus. 4" has some big advantages and some negatives. It's true that you get a little more velocity and sight radius with the longer barrels but it does not turn a .357 from a weak sister into a power house. Actual performance is only a modest gain. As for accuracy I can shoot sub 2"@50 and sub 4" @100 groups with 45 year old eyes and a 4" Security Six. How much better would I be with a longer barrel? Not that much room for improvement. Let balance in your hand, carryability and legal reasons guide your barrel length choice.
Other than that you really need to handle and shoot as many guns as you can before you buy. Of coarse for most of us that's fantasy land so do what the rest of us do.......... Buy a decent gun and then another, another another, etc. It's really the only realistic way to find that perfect one. There's been a whole bunch of good recommendations to start you off.

BTW, don't be afraid of used quality guns.
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Old December 7, 2012, 02:29 PM   #31
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As for accuracy I can shoot sub 2"@50 and sub 4" @100 groups with 45 year old eyes and a 4" Security Six.
Yards or feet? Don't take this the wrong way, but I have been around competition shooters a long time and have never seen anyone shoot sub 4" groups with ANY service handgun at 100 yards.
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Old December 7, 2012, 09:38 PM   #32
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I own and love a Smith & Wesson Model 66 with a 3" barrel BUT for responsible hunting a barrel at least 5" is necessary IMHO.

http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/357mag.html
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Old December 9, 2012, 12:42 AM   #33
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I'm very partial to Ruger GP-100 4 inch. Such a strong and well built revolver!
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Old December 9, 2012, 03:57 AM   #34
TennJed
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For hunting, the ONLY answer is a ruger blackhawk
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Old December 9, 2012, 05:13 AM   #35
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I would recommend an old model Ruger .41 magnum Blackhawk with 6.5" barrel for deer and wild hogs over a .357.
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Old December 11, 2012, 06:29 PM   #36
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S&W 686-4 6" - pre lock and pre drilled for red dot or scope mount
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Old December 11, 2012, 07:00 PM   #37
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Ruger .357 Blackhawk. Ruger Stainless .357s or Ruger Blued .357s

For your use the 6 1/2" barrel would work fine. SA is all you'll ever need . Works for me!
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Old December 12, 2012, 11:57 AM   #38
L_Killkenny
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Yards or feet? Don't take this the wrong way, but I have been around competition shooters a long time and have never seen anyone shoot sub 4" groups with ANY service handgun at 100 yards.
Believe it or not that is yards. On my butt, arms clamped between my legs, ala keith style. Only done it once but then again I've only tried it once. Most of my sighting in and groups are at 50 yards where I consistently get sub 2" groups.

All this shooting is with the very first 180gr load I ever tried. Decided to use the .357 for deer one year, grabed a load outta the manual, loaded up these loads and took it to a buddies range to sight in guns. After sighting in at 25 and with it getting dark we stapled up a target at the 50 yards stand. Proceeded to punch an 1 1/4" group, hardly could see the target. Left the folks at the range scratching their heads. Gun and load definetly love each other.

Last edited by L_Killkenny; December 12, 2012 at 12:09 PM.
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Old December 12, 2012, 12:18 PM   #39
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Countryfied,
I have to recommend a 6" GP100 in stainless steel. The GP is reliable, accurate and maintenance is minimal. Additionally, you can shoot hot .357 all day without concern for a timing issues. It is true an older pre-lock 586/686 has a better trigger out of the box IMO but S&W included a caveat in their instruction manual to avoid too many +P 38 Special....believe it or not I stared in disbelief myself. Perhaps they were concerned about lead/powder/copper build-up...Clean your weapon good after use and either brand should serve you well. A .357 is plenty for a whole lotta game... do a search on Col. Wesson's hunting exploits with a cast lead 158 grain .357 in the 1930's before the advent of advanced gunpowders available today.
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