357 magunum 3" barrel

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wm
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357 magunum 3" barrel

Post by wm »

I am a BEEEG fan and advocate for 3" barreled revolvers for self defense and concealed carry. My personal carry revolvers alternate based on circumstance (and whim) between 3" model 36, 3" model 60 (357 mag) and 3" Charter Arms 44 special.

Better ballistics, points more naturally, longer sight radius, full ejection stroke, etc

Anyway …… found this article from a couple months ago and thought some might find it interesting.

https://gundigest.com/article/going-the ... 357-magnum

Wm
Pisgah
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Re: 357 magunum 3" barrel

Post by Pisgah »

I agree with the advantages of a 3" barrel over a shorter one. Common sense. But I really get tired of the repeated myth that "not all the powder is burned in a shorter barrel".

The fact is, all of the powder that's going to burn burns before the bullet is fully out of the case. The flash you see at the muzzle is not burning powder but glowing-hot gases that are the products of the combustion of the powder. The reason a bullet is moving faster out of a longer barrel is not because more powder is burning in the extra length of the barrel but because those hot, expanding gases get a fraction more time to accelerate the bullet -- a process which ends as soon as the bullet exits the muzzle.

So his observation about increased velocity from the longer barrel is valid -- but his reason for the phenomenon is not.
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Blaine
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Re: 357 magunum 3" barrel

Post by Blaine »

The fact is, all of the powder that's going to burn burns before the bullet is fully out of the case
Respectfully: Then why can one see remnants of unburnt power at times?
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6pt-sika
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Re: 357 magunum 3" barrel

Post by 6pt-sika »

I’ve got a S&W 19-3 with a 4” that’s okay for carry . But I’m on the look out for a 19-3 or older 2 1/2” I dunno how much weight and inch and a half of barrel will reduce but I’d still like to have one . Incidentally I’d be okay with a 3” model 19 if they made one during the recessed cylinder pinned barrel time but I don’t think they did . And yeah a pinned barrel or recessed cylinder certainly aren’t necessary but that’s what I want .
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TedH
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Re: 357 magunum 3" barrel

Post by TedH »

I recently found a new S&W Performance Center Carry Comp 3" at a Pawn Shop at a price I couldn't pass up. I am very impressed with this new Model 19. It locks up like a bank vault, and is as smooth as butter. Once I have a couple hundred rounds through it and a Simply Rugged holster for ccw, its going to be a great companion.
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Booger Bill
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Re: 357 magunum 3" barrel

Post by Booger Bill »

Here are my short barreled revolvers. I also often pack a 2" s&w model 40 hammerless. A 2* you can pocket carry but a 3" you need a holster. Still they pack better than 4" + guns.
https://i.postimg.cc/zGKpbG3t/S-W-model-40-L-2137.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/KjM1Xhyb/Oct-2012-016.jpg
https://postimg.cc/BXsWbm0p
https://i.postimg.cc/RhG1QWw9/S-W-model-36-61-J385.jpg
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Tycer
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Re: 357 magunum 3" barrel

Post by Tycer »

I’m a die hard 4” k-frame Smith guy. IMO the 4” carries exactly like the 3”. That extra inch down the leg is insignificant. The Ruger is a bit shorter in the butt but once you’re out of the pocket what’s the difference? I like my Rugers but a 4” Smith mag (or .22 k) is the shizzle for me.
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Pisgah
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Re: 357 magunum 3" barrel

Post by Pisgah »

Blaine wrote: Sun Jan 19, 2020 2:48 pm
The fact is, all of the powder that's going to burn burns before the bullet is fully out of the case
Respectfully: Then why can one see remnants of unburnt power at times?


Note that I said "all of the powder that is going to burn". You will not always get 100% ignition.
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OldWin
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Re: 357 magunum 3" barrel

Post by OldWin »

6pt-sika wrote: Sun Jan 19, 2020 2:51 pm I’ve got a S&W 19-3 with a 4” that’s okay for carry . But I’m on the look out for a 19-3 or older 2 1/2” I dunno how much weight and inch and a half of barrel will reduce but I’d still like to have one . Incidentally I’d be okay with a 3” model 19 if they made one during the recessed cylinder pinned barrel time but I don’t think they did . And yeah a pinned barrel or recessed cylinder certainly aren’t necessary but that’s what I want .
I have a 2.5" RB 19, but it's a dash 5.
I have a 4" 66-1 that I really like.
I'd love to have a 3" RB 66, but I'm just not willing to pay the prices they ask for them.
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KWK
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Re: 357 magunum 3" barrel

Post by KWK »

... 3" model 36, 3" model 60 (357 mag) and 3" Charter Arms 44 special.
You were doing great until you pointed to that 3" LCRx. I know looks aren't everything, but those 3" LCRx are truly ugly. The 3" 36: Now that's a looker, and the prices of nice ones on GunBroker suggest others think so as well.

I've shot an LCR and know the DA trigger is very nice. Probably the best thing about the LCR is it seems to have inspired S&W to improve the trigger pull on their J frames. The 442 I owned in the '90s was nothing to brag about in that regard.
wm
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Re: 357 magunum 3" barrel

Post by wm »

:lol:
KWK wrote: Mon Jan 20, 2020 4:54 pm
... 3" model 36, 3" model 60 (357 mag) and 3" Charter Arms 44 special.
You were doing great until you pointed to that 3" LCRx. I know looks aren't everything, but those 3" LCRx are truly ugly. The 3" 36: Now that's a looker, and the prices of nice ones on GunBroker suggest others think so as well.

I've shot an LCR and know the DA trigger is very nice. Probably the best thing about the LCR is it seems to have inspired S&W to improve the trigger pull on their J frames. The 442 I owned in the '90s was nothing to brag about in that regard.
:lol:

I also have an Ruger Speed Six "Postal Inspector" 357 mag with a 3" barrel! I don't carry it often but I sure like to shoot it.

I'd really like to find a Colt D Frame with a 3" barrel.

I've come close to buying a couple of rough condition S&W K frames (38 spl & 357 mag) with 4 and 6 inch barrels and shortening them to 3" as carry guns but for one reason or another have not done that yet. It's gonna happen sooner or later.

I had a Taurus 357 mag (medium frame, fixed sight, model 66 IIRC) that I traded to my BIL that was a 3" barrel. That has nearly come back to me a couple times. It was a good shooter.

The 3" barrel just works for me.

Wm

P.S. I also have 2 3"x38 special J frame barrels that could 'update' a used J frame with a 2" barrel that I might some day pick up cheap. :D
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Grizz
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Re: 357 magunum 3" barrel

Post by Grizz »

I have a 4" pinned and recessed Model 66 with the best SA trigger I've ever shot. I carried it for a while in simply rugged leather. It's a straight shooter. I shot a couple of deer with it, and one of them is an epic shot that I only ever tell because there is a living witness. But the 44s do much better for me as a meat gun. Now that 66 is at the bottom of a go bag waiting. to go.

P.S. it isn't the length of the barrel that makes much difference, it's the diameter of the cylinder which is always the hard spot when it's concealed...
Last edited by Grizz on Thu Jan 23, 2020 1:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
4t5
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Re: 357 magunum 3" barrel

Post by 4t5 »

Burning powder exiting the barrel, is a good thing, it'll cauterize the wound. :D
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JB
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Re: 357 magunum 3" barrel

Post by JB »

I have two 3" S&S 65's. 3" is a little easy to conceal than a 4" but you still get a full length ejector rod, unlike the 2 1/2" guns.
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KWK
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Re: 357 magunum 3" barrel

Post by KWK »

wm wrote: Mon Jan 20, 2020 5:29 pmThe 3" barrel just works for me.
No 3" SP-101 yet? A spring kit and some time with a polishing wheel in Dremel can make the action decent. It'll never match a good K frame, but it's not bad.
wm
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Re: 357 magunum 3" barrel

Post by wm »

KWK wrote: Wed Jan 22, 2020 11:10 pm
wm wrote: Mon Jan 20, 2020 5:29 pmThe 3" barrel just works for me.
No 3" SP-101 yet? A spring kit and some time with a polishing wheel in Dremel can make the action decent. It'll never match a good K frame, but it's not bad.
I like the SP100 series but too heavy in 38 spl. Not bad in 357 mag. That extra weight in 357 serves the shooter well. A SP 100 357 mag should be loaded with magnum, a j Frame 357 mag should be loaded in 38 spl. the difference of course is how the weight effects recoil and the speed and rapidity of follow up shots. That's just my opinion. I am a big believer in the double tap. If its worth shooting, then shoot it twice.

I have shot SP100s that had smooth trigger pulls and good breaks but never light. In a defensive revolver I think that is a great combination.

Wm
1894cfan
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Re: 357 magunum 3" barrel

Post by 1894cfan »

Don't know about anybody else, but I miss the old S-Six series! Now that one was easy to work on, both cleaning and replacement of springs and honing of the action!
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