First of all, Contender is a huge enabler about guns, and he's sneaky about it too. At one point he handed me a gun and says here, shoot this. When I asked him what it was, his reply was, don't look at the gun, just shoot it.
But, shooting with him, I really loved his 357 Maxi. They are big revolvers, but balance very well, and the weight absorbs the recoil nicely. In one of the links below, there is some talk of modifying the grip frame to a Bisley grip; I think I'd like that.
So I got this one, it was for sale here in the classifieds. I bought it from forum member CMH, who, by the way, was very pleasant to deal with.
The gun looks to be shot very little if at all really. It came with a very good to new condition box and some manuals inside. I'm told the grips are Elk Stag from Patrick Grashorn. I have a few sets of his grips and they do indeed look like his work.
In poking around this forum and other forums looking for information about this caliber, I did come across some very interesting history. The development of the caliber, some talk about it starting out as a Wildcat caliber and then why Ruger decided to stop production. Some people think it might turn into the next Hawkeye revolver, in terms of rarity and collect-ability.
Here are some links to threads about the development of the 357 Maximum. David Bradshaw who posts here had a very big lead in developing this Ruger revolver. I've read all of them, and I've gotta say, it's incredible to be able to know some of you and talk with others, knowing what you've done for the shooting sports.
David Bradshaw Photos: http://rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=221187
194 Grain Bradshaw-Martin SWC-GC: http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=267666&start=45
Article in the American Handgunner about the Bradshaw Martin SWC: https://americanhandgunner.com/think-tank/the-bradshaw-martin-swc/
Article in the Los Angeles Silhouette Club by Glen Fryxell: http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell357Max.htm
Thread on the Single Actions Proboard: http://singleactions.proboards.com/thread/11986/ruger-357-maximum
There is a lot more information out there. This is some of the more interesting articles I could find.
But, shooting with him, I really loved his 357 Maxi. They are big revolvers, but balance very well, and the weight absorbs the recoil nicely. In one of the links below, there is some talk of modifying the grip frame to a Bisley grip; I think I'd like that.
So I got this one, it was for sale here in the classifieds. I bought it from forum member CMH, who, by the way, was very pleasant to deal with.
The gun looks to be shot very little if at all really. It came with a very good to new condition box and some manuals inside. I'm told the grips are Elk Stag from Patrick Grashorn. I have a few sets of his grips and they do indeed look like his work.
In poking around this forum and other forums looking for information about this caliber, I did come across some very interesting history. The development of the caliber, some talk about it starting out as a Wildcat caliber and then why Ruger decided to stop production. Some people think it might turn into the next Hawkeye revolver, in terms of rarity and collect-ability.
Here are some links to threads about the development of the 357 Maximum. David Bradshaw who posts here had a very big lead in developing this Ruger revolver. I've read all of them, and I've gotta say, it's incredible to be able to know some of you and talk with others, knowing what you've done for the shooting sports.
David Bradshaw Photos: http://rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=221187
194 Grain Bradshaw-Martin SWC-GC: http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=267666&start=45
Article in the American Handgunner about the Bradshaw Martin SWC: https://americanhandgunner.com/think-tank/the-bradshaw-martin-swc/
Article in the Los Angeles Silhouette Club by Glen Fryxell: http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell357Max.htm
Thread on the Single Actions Proboard: http://singleactions.proboards.com/thread/11986/ruger-357-maximum
There is a lot more information out there. This is some of the more interesting articles I could find.