GP100 or 686 for 357 deer hunting

[rc51kid]

I am new to this so please forgive me if this is a dumb question.  I am getting a .357 barrel for my Handi rifle and want to us it deer hunting.   I figure I will eventually lode the rounds up as hot as I can but still within the safe pressure limits to get max velocity out of the rifle barrel.  I would like to have a 6” DA revolver to carry along with it.  I would like to try it out handgun hunting and also carry it as a sidearm when I have the single shot rifle.  I think I want a GP100 or a SW 686.  I know that some people say that the GP100 is stronger than the 686 with lots of full 357 loads.  So if I want to shot the same ammo out of both the rifle and pistol should I go with the GP100 or is the 686 plenty strong for a steady diet of hot hunting loads?

[Graybeard]

Actually this is likely a case where the S&W is stronger than the Ruger. The 686 was designed specifically to fix what some considered a weakness in the K-frame guns. I've fired many thousands of full house loads thru the old K-frames like the Model 19 or the Model 66 I now use without any problems. The .357 Magnum today is but a fraction of what it once was. When I first started shooting it the standard load was a 158 grain bullet at 1550 fps. Today that is down to 1250 fps and in most cases even the 125 grain factory loads aren't much faster than that.

[safetysheriff]

i read an article years ago in one of the gun rags, probably shooting times, that each of the gp-100's he'd ever shot had always given the author a single-hole group at 25 yds' with at least one of the loads tried.   in other words, they were not only extremely rugged but capable of great accuracy if given a load that the revolver liked.

i know that the gp-100's i've tried are right along the line of that kind of accuracy, and they are extremely rugged.   i believe the solid integrity built into the modular construction of those revolvers is part of the secret to their accuracy as well as their rugged reputation.

i'd take a gp-100 over ANY Smith and Wesson that i've seen thus far in .357 mag'.   

to each his own,

ss' 

[ccoker]

only comment I can make is I had briefly a GP100 6" 375, it was VERY accurate and had a nice single action trigger
I still kick myself in the butt about selling it...

[Mikey]

kid - get yourself whichever fits best in your hand.  S&W built the 357 and make their revolvers more than capable of handling any 357 magnum round.  The amm you find today on the shelves and data in the loading manuals is not what it used to be and even then the S&W was more than up to the job.  JMHO.  Mikey.

[Will_C]

My brother and I went throught the same options (GP-100 or S&W 686) last summer. We were both getting our first centerfire handgun. I bought the Smith, he bought the Ruger, and we are both satisfied. Just buy the one that speaks to you.
Will

[poncaguy]

I have a 6" SS GP100 357..............great pistol....period.

[handi243]

I have a taurus 66 6'' barrel I LOVE IT! it's not a s&w or a Ruger but i've done alot of trigger work it's my fav. smoked a doe last year haven't got one this year with it. If you use it for hunting use a heavy bullet i don't use hollow point i really like the fed. 180gr. Cast cores.   
HAPPY HUNTING!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jerry Lester]

Myself, I'm not much on DA revolvers at all. I prefer a good SA any day .

I can give you advice on your rifle/handgun combination as far as loading goes. I'll keep it short, and simple because it probably should be in the Handloading forum, but if you want the absolute best out of both guns, use Lil'Gun, and magnum primers with any bullet from 158g up. You'll be able to get the highest velocities possible, and at lower chamber pressures than with any other powders.

[ccoker]

did you end up buying?
I went last night and played with a bunch of revolvers
the 686s I checked out had substantially better trigger (single action mode) than any of the rugers (even the single actions)
I know trigger jobs can be performed of course..


I liked the grips on the Gp100 better by far though, but, those are easily changed of course

[HappyHunter]

I have had both, now I have at least five, 586 and 686 variants.  My Ruger was traded off on a 44 Super Redhawk for my son.

Can not beat the 686, buy a used one without the frame lock (Hilery Hole ).  It will increase in value more readily than the Ruger.

My 2 cents,

Fred

[RollTide]

I have owned the 586 and have fired the Ruger extensively as well.  I have also owned a Taurus 357 that was just as accurate as either the Ruger or the S&W.   The 2 guns you mention are both great guns, so just pick the one you like best or flip a coin.  I don't think there would be much difference in accuracy or durability, but like someone said, the S&W would probably hold its value better.  The 357 out of a long rifle  barrel is a fine deer round, but if I were going to hunt deer with a 6" handgun, I would go with a 44 mag instead.  I know you want a rifle/handgun combo.  My preference runs that direction also, but be aware that you will need to keep the loads hot, the range short and your tracking shoes in good shape if you are going to use a 6" 357 on deer.  It will get the job done most of the time, but it is marginal. 

[chazgin]

I agree with Rolltide on the 357 being marginal out of a 6" barrel. I'll go one further, I think it is marginal out of an 8 3/8" S&W M27. I hit one deer in the shoulder with 200 gr hard cast at 50 yds. The buck went down got up and took off. Tracked all morning and never did find the buck in the river bottom thickets.
I traded the M27 for a Dan Wesson 357 Supermag (Maximum) + some cash and have never looked back. The DW is extremely accurate and very durably built. I still would not hunt deer with the Max unless it was out of a 14" Contender.

[ratgunner]

I'd say it was a matter of poor bullet choice[for a .357]not a poor caliber choice.

[teddy12b]

I've held both the ruger and the smith.  Both feel like very fine weapons.  Personally I like the ruger just a touch more.  I doubt you could go wrong with either.

[Buster]

I recall reading a Shooting Times interview with Bill Ruger in which he advised that the GP100 was designed to address the one flaw he felt existed in the Security Six: he wanted even more metal in the web between the ejector rod and the barrel threads.   The Security Six line of revolvers has never been known as anything less than stout, so an overbuilt Security Six, the GP100, must be a strong handgun indeed. 

The Smith has a better trigger out of the box but both revolvers are well known for their accuracy.  Either one will serve you well, I'd pick whichever felt better in my hand.

I'm a Blackhawk owner myself, wouldn't turn down Smith nor GP100 though.