6 inch or 4 inch

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GhosT

Blackhawk
Joined
Aug 22, 2007
Messages
556
Location
North East Ohio
My .357 history.

1981 bought a Blackhawk with a 6.5'' barrel, wish I still owned it !
Replaced it with a stainless 6'' Security Six, wish I still owned it !

Replaced with a 4'' plated S&W model 586....not a fan.
Good quality gun,just not a good fit for me.

Late 80's found THE GUN everybody wants.
Gun store going out of business, bought a new stainless,6'' Colt Python for 525 dollars!
SWEET,RIGHT?

Dang thing rusted easily and pitted,and had to send it back to Colt twice cause (my fault) it couldn't handle my hand loads.

Traded it in and got lucky...for a stainless 6'' GP100 , full under-lug barrel , that's as accurate
as the Python! And it refuses to rust.
Never gonna sell/trade this gun. ;)

As the GP100 is a tad hard to conceal, bought a SP101, 2.25'' barrel.

Had it Magnaported,replaced the front site with one with a bright orange insert,and replaced
the grips with Crimson Trace laser grips.

Between the GP & the SP, think I got the barrel length question covered.

Own other handguns,but if was limited to one...it would be a .357 magnum.
 

Steveyb1960

Single-Sixer
Joined
Oct 8, 2016
Messages
141
Location
Nevada
GhosT said:
My .357 history.

1981 bought a Blackhawk with a 6.5'' barrel, wish I still owned it !
Replaced it with a stainless 6'' Security Six, wish I still owned it !

Replaced with a 4'' plated S&W model 586....not a fan.
Good quality gun,just not a good fit for me.

Late 80's found THE GUN everybody wants.
Gun store going out of business, bought a new stainless,6'' Colt Python for 525 dollars!
SWEET,RIGHT?

Dang thing rusted easily and pitted,and had to send it back to Colt twice cause (my fault) it couldn't handle my hand loads.

Traded it in and got lucky...for a stainless 6'' GP100 , full under-lug barrel , that's as accurate
as the Python! And it refuses to rust.
Never gonna sell/trade this gun. ;)

As the GP100 is a tad hard to conceal, bought a SP101, 2.25'' barrel.

Had it Magnaported,replaced the front site with one with a bright orange insert,and replaced
the grips with Crimson Trace laser grips.

Between the GP & the SP, think I got the barrel length question covered.

Own other handguns,but if was limited to one...it would be a .357 magnum.
Thank you Sir
 

Rodfac

Blackhawk
Joined
Mar 11, 2009
Messages
691
Location
Kentucky
Bbl. length would depend on your intended use. I prefer 4" bbl's for their convenience when riding in any modern conveyance. (4x4, Jeep, tractor et. al.) In that length, the OWB holstered gun does not push up into my ribs. For me, that length of a bit more, also balances better than any of the longer tubes. I live and do chore work on our farm and I'm on and off a variety of vehicles every day...the shorter barrels are less of an inconvenience for me.

The 6" and greater length bbl's, stick down too far when worn on the belt. They work out ok in a shoulder rig or "tanker" cross chest outfit, but are too long on the belt unless you're on horseback.

A good compromise if you prefer a longer bbl. is a 5". I have a Smith M27 in that length, as well as a cpl. Rugers at 5-1/2" and it's just possible to carry them in an OWB holster without the gun poking up into my short ribs.

If it's a range gun only, then any bbl. length is possible, the longer ones offering a greater inter-sight distance with some increased accuracy. In my use, however, I find no real accuracy difference between Ruger's 4-5/8" and 5-1/2" bbls out to 50 yds. I do see some improvement when shooting a 6-1/2" bbl. however, but not much.

Best Regards, YMMv, Rod
 
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