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.357 Magnum Revolver Christmas Gift for son

Sir Diealotz

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Sep 5, 2013
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247
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Central Ky
.357 Magnum Revolver Christmas Gift for son

So my son has asked for a revolver instead of a new game console (PS4) and he wants a blued .357 Magnum Revolver. He sent me a link to a Rossi revolver at buds but I don’t know much about them and they are out of stock.

I’m leaning towards a Taurus Model 65 or 66 in 4” instead of the Rossi.

What say you?

FYI: He will be 17 in a few months so it will still be his however I can’t actually “Give it to him” until he turns 18. Therefore it will stay in my safe when we aren’t out target shooting.
 

WalkingWolf

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.357 Magnum Revolver Christmas Gift for son

So my son has asked for a revolver instead of a new game console (PS4) and he wants a blued .357 Magnum Revolver. He sent me a link to a Rossi revolver at buds but I don’t know much about them and they are out of stock.

I’m leaning towards a Taurus Model 65 or 66 in 4” instead of the Rossi.

What say you?

FYI: He will be 17 in a few months so it will still be his however I can’t actually “Give it to him” until he turns 18. Therefore it will stay in my safe when we aren’t out target shooting.

I believe the Rossi has a better rep than the Taurus. There is also Charter Arms.

Is he wanting a compact, or a medium sized frame?
 

EMNofSeattle

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I suppose it depends why he wants it....

the taurus is an excellent revolver for the value, it's basically a copy of S&W. Taurus bought a S&W plant and started building their revolvers under license....

stay away from older S&W "K frame" revolvers though, those tend to have problems shooting regular load magnum ammo.

WalkingWolf said:
I believe the Rossi has a better rep than the Taurus. There is also Charter Arms.

Is he wanting a compact, or a medium sized frame?

no there is not charter arms, that's about as poor a revolver as I've ever seen. they don't even take the time to align the cylinder properly, damn thing shaves lead when you shoot it.... go hold one at the store, you'll feel just how many corners they cut in making it, stick with a taurus, or a used S&W. S&W's quality control in 1925 beats the current standards of Charter....
 
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BLKH2O

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Sep 4, 2013
Messages
42
Location
Cow Town, Tn.
.357 Magnum Revolver Christmas Gift for son

So my son has asked for a revolver instead of a new game console (PS4) and he wants a blued .357 Magnum Revolver. He sent me a link to a Rossi revolver at buds but I don’t know much about them and they are out of stock.

I’m leaning towards a Taurus Model 65 or 66 in 4” instead of the Rossi.

What say you?

FYI: He will be 17 in a few months so it will still be his however I can’t actually “Give it to him” until he turns 18. Therefore it will stay in my safe when we aren’t out target shooting.

My first handgun purchase back in the early 60's was a .357. Have always been partial to the early model Smith & Wessons (but even back then they were pricey). Ruger makes excellent revolvers chambered in .357. In my opinion, for your son starting out, I would have to go with your choice of a Taurus in model 66 w/ 4". Remember to wear ear protection as the .357 is quite sharp when the hammer falls. Good luck in your search and you should get many responses regarding this.
 

Sir Diealotz

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Messages
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Location
Central Ky
We always wear ear protection while targe practicing out behind my shop. He's a smart kid and has selected the .357 magnum because we can shoot .38s as well (Less expensive).

I presonally don't own a wheel gun so this may backfire on me and force me to get one as well :lol:
 

Firearms Iinstuctor

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Jul 12, 2011
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northern wis
S@W L frame 586 blue 686 stainless Ruger GP100 are my two top choices of the 357 mags made today.

I only would buy a Taurus only if I couldn't buy one of the other two.

Of used ones Colts, S@W, Rugers all have made some very nice guns The k frame smiths are nice but well not take a steady diet of 357 mags some where between 3 to 5000 before needing work some more some less depending. They well shoot 38spl for 10s of thousands of rounds.

The Ruger security six line are tough and nice size and well go tens of thousands of rounds ,The
Colts have become very expensive but are good solid guns.
 

WalkingWolf

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I suppose it depends why he wants it....

the taurus is an excellent revolver for the value, it's basically a copy of S&W. Taurus bought a S&W plant and started building their revolvers under license....

stay away from older S&W "K frame" revolvers though, those tend to have problems shooting regular load magnum ammo.



no there is not charter arms, that's about as poor a revolver as I've ever seen. they don't even take the time to align the cylinder properly, damn thing shaves lead when you shoot it.... go hold one at the store, you'll feel just how many corners they cut in making it, stick with a taurus, or a used S&W. S&W's quality control in 1925 beats the current standards of Charter....

Poop Smiths quality control in 25 beats their own current standard. The CA since they have been taken over by different owners are getting very good reviews. I would not own one years ago, unless it is one of the originals, but I will probably buy a new one at some time. Taurus on the other hand has been getting nasty reviews as of recent, just look at the reviews on Bud's. Several guns had to be sent back for repair, BRAND NEW.

I owned a old Taurus at one time, bought it for less then a 100 bucks new. Out of the box it shaved lead, loose timing, wide BC gap, but it worked. It was a smith copy of a 4 screw K frame. The new ones are not even firing out of the box.

Reviewed By: Thomas S on 05/24/2011 Rating: 1 of 5 Stars! [1 of 5 Stars!]
Bought this gun a little over a week ago. I have no ideal how it shoots since I had to send it in for repair right off the bat. With the cylinder open you could cock the hammer (not supposed to be able to do that). The cylinder hand sticks out way past where it should, and the cylinder has huge amounts of slop/play in it. I've owned Taurus's in the past with no problems but after reading other people's reviews this will be the last. I'm giving it one star simply because this was a brand new gun. One other thing, in no way is this Bud's fault, every transaction I've had with him has been smooth without a hint of problem.


Reviewed By: calon m on 03/30/2012 Rating: 4 of 5 Stars! [4 of 5 Stars!]
Functions well and give it an A for the money. Mechanics are ROUGH and need finishing which I will do. Cylinder release also hangs and sticks so it will need to be pulled and finished as well. Hey Taurus..a grinding wheel wouldn't kill ya


Reviewed By: Thomas S on 07/22/2011 Rating: 4 of 5 Stars! [4 of 5 Stars!]
Follow up review. After six weeks I got the gun back from Taurus and it works flawlessly. It just bugs me the gun had to repaired new from from the factory. My father got one these Taurus's a couple weeks back with no problems at all. Not sure if I'll but a Taurus again. Once again Bud's service was outstanding.


Now these are just a few guns out of many good reviews, BUT it is more than I would want to deal with when other guns have better reviews. Bud's is not the only site where there are Taurus complaints. And Taurus does repair the guns, but then the owner has nothing to show for the money until it is fixed and returned.

I will have to look at Rossi reviews to see where they are, but the reviews for the CA has been great. I would take a CA over a Taurus any day, but for the OP CA does not have a 6 shot 357.

IMO Ruger blackhawks are the best buy out there, but they are single action. I have a Pietta 44 mag that I am very pleased with, and it has become my EDC. Extremely accurate. EAA(Sig) also has a single action that is friendly priced in SA, which also has a good reputation. The only thing I do not like about the BH is the countersunk cylinders.

J&G has a used Ruger Security Six blued, but it is a six inch barrel. For a DA, if the OP can afford it, should go with the Ruger SP100.
 

davidmcbeth

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http://www.bobsga.com/newguns/hand/revolver/photos/Ruger%20Vaquero%20357%20Mag%20$649.00.jpg

Ruger single action ... good gun ... did'nt post a hyperlink ... bummer
 
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WalkingWolf

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http://www.bobsga.com/newguns/hand/revolver/photos/Ruger%20Vaquero%20357%20Mag%20$649.00.jpg

Ruger single action ... good gun ... did'nt post a hyperlink ... bummer

That's a nice looking gun, but betting the price tag is over a grand. I don't particularly like the Ruger action, though they can be tuned to be very good. My Pietta out of the box was perfect. I also looked at several new S&W models, horrible heavy gritty DA trigger, and stiff SA with lots of creep. And wider than acceptable for a new gun BC gap. I don't understand what happened to Smith, but they suck new.
 
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davidmcbeth

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That's a nice looking gun, but betting the price tag is over a grand. I don't particularly like the Ruger action, though they can be tuned to be very good. My Pietta out of the box was perfect. I also looked at several new S&W models, horrible heavy gritty DA trigger, and stiff SA with lots of creep. And wider than acceptable for a new gun BC gap. I don't understand what happened to Smith, but they suck new.

The Ruger action is somewhat hard ... Pietta looks nice too ..

http://frontierfirearms.ca/media/ca...7136e95/p/i/pietta-1873sainox-marron-zoom.jpg

hope the hyperlinky stuff worked
 

Sir Diealotz

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Someone else suggested a Ruger GP100. A little more $$$ but I'll look into it. I would rather spend a little more money and get better quality so please keep the suggestions coming.

Thanks for the feedback guys...
 

EMNofSeattle

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WalkingWolf

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Someone else suggested a Ruger GP100. A little more $$$ but I'll look into it. I would rather spend a little more money and get better quality so please keep the suggestions coming.

Thanks for the feedback guys...

If you get a Ruger change the springs with Wolffe Spring set. It will make a world of difference.
 

tomrkba

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Dec 4, 2011
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Location
Virginia
No Taurus, Rossi or Charter Arms. The best buy is Ruger. The Ruger GP100 is great, as are the Blackhawks.

22 LR is good to learn with...and cheap. You could get him a Single Six for around $400. However, if you reload, you can make some light 357 Magnum or 38 Special loads.
 

bunnspecial

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Oct 12, 2012
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Kentucky
It pays to hit the used shops.

I love S&W N-frame 357 magnums, although they are large, heavy and not as easy to carry as their medium frame counterparts. They are superb range guns, however, and are very pleasant to shoot due to their weight. The N frame is very overbuilt for 357, which translates into durability. The two models to look for here are the 27 and the 28. Both are essentially the same gun, although the 28 is finished in matte blue and the 27 in high polish blue(the 27 also has a checkered top strap).

I've bought both a 27-2 and a 28-2 in the past year. I paid $500 for the 28-2, and $550 for the 27-2, although admittedly both with in relatively unpopular barrel lengths.

K frame 357s are a really, really nice package(especially in 4") and I tend to think that a lot of the problems are overblown with them. 125gr 357s are known to cause problems in the forcing cone, but this is their main weakness. I've looked at a whole lot of used model 19s and 13s, and encounter very few that have been "shot loose" or show other problems.
 

Firearms Iinstuctor

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K frame 357s are a really, really nice package(especially in 4") and I tend to think that a lot of the problems are overblown with them. 125gr 357s are known to cause problems in the forcing cone, but this is their main weakness. I've looked at a whole lot of used model 19s and 13s, and encounter very few that have been "shot loose" or show other problems.

True unless they are used in police service most guns do not get shot a lot I have several K frames solid guns I just don't run lots of mag ammo through them. For every 357 I shoot I shoot 500 38spl.

The K frames had a great rep until the police stopped using 38spl for Qual and practice when they went to using full 357 duty loads they started having problems. Nothing wrong with K frames they are very nice to carry just don't plan on thousands of rounds of full house 357. Use 357 for defense/ hunting and just enough practice to be used to them and K frames well last several lifetimes.

If one plans to shoot a steady diet of mags then the larger guns are the way to go.
 

Sir Diealotz

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Central Ky
We went shopping Saturday and handled many different revolvers and he still wants the Rossi 971. They had a Ruger GP100 for $100 more and I tried to talk him into the GP100 but he still wants the Rossi. I even offered him one of my new Berettas and he still wants the Rossi.

So after work today I'm going to stop by and pick up the Rossi 971. I know...... but that's what HE wants and not what I want.

Thanks for the advice guys.

FYI: Used Ruger GP100 for $400 and the Rossi is like new for $300 (Only been fired 7 times and it shows, looks brand new)
 
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