The .357 magnum 586-7 as seen below would probably have had the same success if it had been used instead of Harry's big .44 in Clint Eastwoods Dirty Harry Movie.
Photographs of the 586-7 by Chris Bushnell
However as an update to this page, Smith &
Wesson actually manufacture the 686P which is a 7 shot stainless steel, 5 inch barrel revolver, that is in supply and demand production. The image
below is of this gun, and it has to be said that the standard 686 and 586 six
shot models have become Smith & Wesson's all time best seller. It is now
understood that these seven shot revolvers are now actually enjoying the same
success.
As with the majority of revolvers
there are different barrel lengths to suit the owners needs, a longer 6,
7, 8,
or 10 inch barrel revolver fits nicely into a holster attached on the belt, a bit
shorter 3 to 6 inches and a shoulder holster is more suitable to 'pack' the revolver,
shorter even still and the revolver with its 1½ in barrel fits into
your jacket pocket or a ladies handbag...
...and that's a lot of power to pack into your handbag, hardly a
ladies gun but even so these snub-nose 357 magnum revolvers are indeed very
popular as a ladies gun. Below is a very practical but recoil intensive
snub-nose 8 shot 357 magnum revolver. The
recoil when firing a .357 Magnum with a 1½ barrel such as the Airweight
version below would be something to
behold and a strong and firm grip on the revolvers butt would be highly recommended.
Also the accuracy with such a short barrel would be measured in feet
rather than yards !
The revolver pictured below is
of a Smith & Wesson Performance Center 8 shot tactical revolver. Model 327
TRR8.
The underside end of the barrel is specially grooved to accept a bolt on
laser sight whilst the top frame is set to accept a telescopic
sight...both ideal for those longer and more pin point accurate shots.
Image courtesy of Smith & Wesson The full specification of this new Revolver is
printed below.
Revolver Reliability with .357 Magnum Power. Configuration Flexibility. Integral Accessory
"Picatinny" Style Rail for Lights or Lasers.
Removable Picatinny-Style Mount for Optics. Crisp Single Action Smooth Double Action with Wolff Mainspring and Traditional Sear.
Polished Button. Polygonal Rifling. Precision Barrel Forcing Cone.
Optimum Barrel Cylinder Gap. 2 Full Moon Clips. Chamfered Charge Holes.
Ball Detent Lock-up. Aluminum PC Gun Case Model:
TRR8 SINGLE ACTION OLD WEST: When considering a .357 magnum we must also
give the 'old west' single action variety a quick look as well. The Ruger Blackhawk single action revolver was
first built by Ruger in the 1950's. It is basically a Colt Single Action Army
"Peacemaker" but with a strengthened up frame and cylinder with thicker metal
all around
it, coiled springs, elevated and adjustable sights and a firing pin safety plate
(also know as a transfer bar), so you can fully load up six rounds instead of
leaving one chamber empty for safety reasons as was a peculiarity with these
type of guns. The
Sturm Ruger & Co example below is the limited edition SASS Vaquero.
These type of revolvers are designed to offer
the modern day shooter the experience of firing the old west style guns but with
that extra .357 magnum power behind it. Of course as earlier stated, with the power that a
357 magnum produces, these old west style guns are infinitely stronger than the
originals of the period. Ruger are probably the most popular
manufacturer of this style of revolver with the Blackhawk as seen below,
being their best sellers. Maybe an Italian made
Uberti American-Buntline .357 Magnum with an 18" barrel as seen below is worth
consideration. Offering excellent ballistics and superb accuracy over
longer ranges than is normally accepted with revolvers with average length
barrels. It would be best to use a bench rest or some bean bags to rest
the barrel on for pinpoint accuracy that the longer barrel can deliver.
The Colt Python: I could not create a web page about the
.357 Magnum without mentioning perhaps the most famous .357 Magnum of all
time...The Colt Python. The Colt Python was introduced in 1955
by The Colt Manufacturing Company, Hartford, Connecticut USA and is
considered to be the finest quality handgun ever produced.
The Colt Python was known as 'The
Rolls Royce' of handguns because of its superior finish, high quality
parts, excellent accuracy and smooth trigger pull. This along with the
over-all exquisite operation of the gun in general with adjustable
sights and a very robust design with extra metal thickness all round.
The Colt Python has perhaps the most
instantly recognizable shape of any handgun in the world, with its
full barrel under lug with heat dispersing ventilated rib also giving a
serious look and feel to the gun. The finish of the 'blueing'
which is the acid dye that makes guns blue-black in appearance was
of the highest quality on any revolver ever made. The Python also had excellent
engineering qualities not just great looks in that when the revolver was
cocked to fire, the cylinder locked up tight during the hammer strike
which increased the accuracy. Most other revolvers do not use this
level of tolerances. The cylinder gap and breech cone were also of
a very tight tolerance, keeping more of the expanding gases in to force
the bullet up the barrel increased velocity and accuracy.
In the 1960's through to the late
1980's the Colt Python was very popular with Uniformed Police Officers
and Motorcycle cops. The 6 in barrel being favored by them. The shorter
3 and 4 inch barrels were favored by under cover Police. Recent
changes in policy and the ever increasing need for better and faster
firing guns has seen the Python becoming redundant in favor of the
Semi-Automatic pistol that can fire more bullets hence offering better
protection. The magnum caliber itself is seeing a decline with Law
Enforcement agencies in general due to its excessive power in that a
magnum round can hit the intended person, go clean through him and
continue through a wall or window to injure or even kill an innocent
civilian sitting in a diner or a bar, and sadly this has been just the
case. With the advent of high capacity
magazine semi-autos like the Glock or Berreta chambered for modern,
adequately powerful
9mm rounds, they are now replacing the magnum as the handgun of
choice. Below is pictured the popular, all reliable and fast
shooting 9mm Glock 19 and the Glock normally comes with high capacity 15
or 18
round magazines.
But I would say
that, with the growth in body armor sales, we should not forget why the Magnum was invented
in the first place ! It was a man-stopper, single hit put em down dead
caliber. Overall the Colt Python was reputed to
be the worlds
best
revolver, but sadly due to expensive manufacturing costs, and falls in
sales and changes in shooting trends, Colt finally and sadly ceased production of the Python in 1999. Please
www.chrisbushnell.com
Caliber: .357MAG/.38+P. Capacity: 8 Rounds.
Barrel Length: 5" 2-Piece
Front Sight. Interchangeable
Partridge
White Dot.
Rear Sight: Adjustable V-Notch Grip: Rubber
Frame: Large Finish: Black Matte
Overall Length: 10.5" Material: Scandium Alloy
Frame/Stainless Steel Cylinder Weight Empty: 36.3
oz
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