Kim posed the following assignment for the weekend:
A Reader asked me to do a GGP on fine .357 revolvers, both for carry and as a home defense / bedside gun.
With pleasure—except that I don’t know enough about every .357 revolver ever made.
Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to send me an email with your thoughts.
Subject line: [cut & paste this] The .357 I Couldn’t Do Without
Here's my response:
******************************************
Gotta be my Smith & Wesson model 360PD:
Yes, it hurts like hell with full power .357 Magnum loads. Yes, it was literally twice the price of the aluminum-framed S&W model 637 in .38 Special +P. No, I wouldn't trade this gun for anything. If anything, I'm trying to get up the motivation to buy its hammerless brother, the 340PD.
This gun is just a fantastic, fantastic gun. It's small, light, and packs the wallop of the goblin-stopping .357 Magnum. If that's too much oomph, .38 special +P+ rounds work nearly as well - the goblin sure won't know the difference, but your wrist sure will.
At 12 ounces empty, this gun is light enough to toss in a pocket for summer duty; it's great to put in an ankle holster as a back-up gun; with a good Comp-Tac or other such tuckable IWB holster it'll ride your belt all day long with no fatigue whatsoever. A couple of Bianchi speedstrips in another pocket and you've got 17 rounds of .357 Magnum goodness. If that doesn't settle the argument, you'd best be wearing running shoes...
It's a Smith & Wesson j-frame revolver, so you know that:
a) it's got over 50 years of history behind it
b) there are several BILLION holsters/grips/accessories to support it
c) it's gonna last long enough to give to your grandkids
Sure, it's not a target gun like the Python, the Model 27, or even a GP100. Yes, it is not a gun for a novice handgunner by a long shot. But it's the one I couldn't, nay wouldn't, do without.
******************************************
I also realized, upon hitting "Send", that I had only covered the "carry" portion of the question in my response.
This gun makes a fine choice for home defense as well - the short barrel means less area for a goblin to grab if he gets within arm's reach. It's also small enough to hide in pretty much any drawer or nightstand, or anywhere around the house you'd want to have a small but powerful gun for defense should the need arise.
6 comments:
Excellent choice. I went with Ruger's SP-101 which is a bit more hefty...ok, twice the weight...but I'm a Ruger fan with the snubby 101 being my third Ruger handgun. For now I use an in-the-pocket holster situated in a back pocket covered by a long shirt tail. I plan to find an IWB holster for a middle of the back carry.
I'd still prefer somthing bigger for home defence.
But that's just me. Your logic works just fine
Arrrr
Thanks CP.
When I went shopping for a CCW piece, the weight of the 360PD is what sold it, to me. The Ruger felt as solid as a tank, but unfortunately weighed about as much...
Weer'd,
Bigger in which manner? Caliber? Sure, .45 ACP is a larger diameter round, but a screamin' .357 Magnum bullet is a proven stopper.
Bigger as in greater capacity? For a purely home defense gun I agree, and would argue in favor of the S&W model 327 - the N-framed 8-shot snubbie. But I wouldn't try to carry the 327...
And, as you say, but that's just me.
:)
What a beautiful piece of prose. I've been thinking of a revolver as the next choice in my collection. The Ruger Alaskan had caught my eye, but your piece stirred past memories of the versatility and power of the .357.
Ya got me thinking.
Mike
Did I tell you I was offered a S&W Airweight .38 for $325 new?
Needless to say, I didn't have the cash in the gun fund at the time. And, the wife's anniversary present took precedent.
Mike,
I've only got two .357 Magnum revolvers at the present time, but have designs for at least 3 or 4 more... :) I've somehow managed to acquire a taste for the .357 Magnum's older brother, the .38 special...
Bruce,
That's a good price on a new Airweight, but not a "once in a lifetime" price. Four Seasons has sold them for as low as $300 (cash).
Thing is, they don't sell for much less than that used...
I'd get the 642 (hammerless) model if it were my choice to do again, FWIW...
Post a Comment