I know its whatever I feel comfortable with, curious as to whats your guys preference? 4 inch or 6 inch? Just traded for a 6 inch stainless Gp100 but I come to realize I like the 4 inch better.
I have a 4" Sec 6 and 6" GP100 so apples/oranges. That said, the 4" is easier to carry while the 6" is (for me anyway) easier to shoot accurately. For everyday carrying, that 6" GP gets heavy so just guessing a 4" (only a little lighter) will begin to drag on the belt also.
Well, I have found,, for my purposes,, which the .357 is normally looked upon as a SD type of handgun,, the 4" seems to be my personal preference. I own a 4" & 6" GP-100 in 357. I also own a smiff m19 in 4" and a GP MC 10mm in 4".
As noted,, the 6" is a bit more accurate at longer ranges,, but I tend to carry the 4" guns a lot more.
And for hunting,, I step up in calibers.
Hi...
I prefer revolvers with at least a 4" barrel. Don't own any snub nose revolvers. The vast majority of my revolvers have barrels in the 5-1/2" to 6-1/2" range and several with barrels up to 8-3/8" length.
Don't have much need for a revolver with a barrel any longer than that. The buntline style revolvers hold very limited interest for me. The same goes for 2 to 3-1/2" barreled revolvers. Just not much of a fan.
Four pure preference, I like about 4.5" on single actions, regardless of brand. For older double action Smiths 5", newer Smiths because that isn't usually available 4". Interestingly, I like 6" on Colts regardless of age. With regard to Ruger DA's I don't have a strong preference.
With all that said, my top three favorite revolvers are a 5" 1917, 6" model 27 & an 8 3/8" model 29. The last to early, no dash models. So why are these my favorites. Not a clue, they just are. Don't need any other reason.
My bedside choice is a Security Six 4" .357, it is loaded with .38 +P's. I have a blue 6" GP100 for shooting paper, and it will shoot at fifty yards it shoots better than I do. I agree with Jeep, I like a 5" barrel Smith.
My first handgun was a Colt Trooper 357 4". I was working at the cop shop when I was 19 and the guy I got it from stepped up to a 6" Python. He was about 6'4" and said the 4" looked like a toy in his hand - it was about a year old when I got it and I still have it. I also have a 7.5 Super Blackhawk but prefer the 4" for general all round use. Bedside is a 2" S&W 642 and an easy to access AR15 in 458 Socom.
I have been hounding a guy at work to sell me his 8 3/8" S&W 29-1 in a presentation box. He bought it new and has only put about 100 rounds through it.
I prefer the 4 inch, since the whole reason to have a handgun, is because a rifle or shotgun is too big. Most of my handguns are for SD, whether in urban or rural environment. Draw time is a biggy! 1 7/8 inch barreled snubs are the fastest, the times go up from there. Think about it try it out.
gramps