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I checked my LGS for used .357 magnum revolvers, today. I've been wanting a full-sized .357 with at least a 4 inch barrel. Well, they had a used Ruger Police Service Six. Nice wheelie and I have no doubt that, being a Ruger, it would prove to be built like a tank.

There was also a Taurus that seemed to me to be a somewhat larger frame gun. It was a little heavier (not a bad thing, IMO) and I liked the trigger pull better than that of the Ruger. The Taurus also had adjustable rear sights. None of my revolvers have adjustable sights and it isn't something I would always want. For a full sized .357, though, I decided I liked the idea. Best of all, the Taurus (at $299) was fifty bucks cheaper - for features I liked better - than the Ruger ($349.)

I really like the .357 Magnum cartridge and have decided that, for now, a full-sized .357 is more practical than the .44 Magnum I've kind of had a hankering for. I'll come up with (probably make) a holster and carry it, some. I'll also use it to carry when we go camping, fishing, etc. in the mountains since we can now carry in state parks and the national forest and will be able to carry in National Parks next month. I'll load it up with heavy hunting loads just in case of a bad encounter with a two or four-legged assailant, including black bear. The likelihood of a bear encounter is slight but there have been increasing black bear attacks in those areas in recent years. Since the black bears around here are small, I have no doubt that heavy .357 loads will take care of the problem if it comes to that. Well, as well as any handgun will do - if I am able to do my part under such obvious stress. Of course, as I will probably never need it for that, the .357 should be more useful for other tasks than a .44.

I will be bringing this Taurus home with me when I get it out of lay-away (cellphone pic):

I dont think youll be sorry. I have a S&W mod 66. I shoot alot of 38spl through it and then can shoot 357m to the same point of aim with just a couple turns of the elevator screw. congrats! DR

Thanks! I have the Rossi .357 snubbie that belonged to my wife's late father. Her family never officially gave it to me, though - the official story is that I am 'hanging on' to it (although they have all said they don't care if I carry and shoot it as much as I want.) I kind of have the feeling that it is pretty much going to stay with me from now on but still don't feel like it is 'mine'. I wanted to be sure to have one that is 'mine' and wanted at least a four inch barrel. I enjoy the recoil, blast and roar of full-on .357 but, as you say, being able to fire the less expensive (when you can find it) .38 Special range ammo is also a good thing. I have a couple of .38 revolvers, as well, so that is another good thing.

I am glad that I listened to the 'feeling' that told me to go on in to the LGS yesterday. I've been looking for a used .357 with a good price and got to this one before someone else did (I think it was still on the countertop and didn't have a price tag because someone had just traded it in.) This thing looks almost brand new - no powder residue anywhere or anything. In fact, when I saw it laying on the counter I couldn't tell for sure, just looking at it, if it was used or not.

Nice Gun JAB, I had a .44 back in the day, and IMO it's a hunting cartridge only, no matter the barrel length. It's so powerful as to be obnoxious and impractical to me for anything beyond a dedicated hunting gun. The recoil, even on a scoped 8.5 Ruger Redhawk was atrocious. Not to mention the cost of rounds.

I carry my 4" GP on a fairly regular basis, and while it's big and heavy yes, it's also pretty comfortable OWB for me (not that anything is really "comfortable IWB for my narrow butt).

I think you made a good choice.

Well done Jab! Looks like a fine one! Model 66? Thinkin' you've got a good deal on a nice gun. Congrats!

Anything I carry is pretty much OWB or pocket carry. I rarely pocket carry my primary unless there is no other option, even when carrying something small enough as primary to be pocket carried - it is too slow and cumbersome, for me - but when I carry a BUG it is in my weak side pocket. Therefore, whenever I can legally carry, I pretty much carry OWB except for the rare occasion when carry is legal but I need deep concealment so I am accustomed to that style of carry. My problem is just the opposite of yours, though - I am too big for IWB to work comfortably for me unless I carried SOB which doesn't seem like the best option. Luckily, my size helps me conceal OWB pretty easily - although hiding that Taurus will still be a challenge. Oh, well, at least open carry isn't illegal here as long as you have your HCP so if I can't fully conceal I won't be in legal trouble.

As far as the .44 Mag, yeah, that is more a 'want' than any practical application. If I lived where there were grizzlies or wanted to hunt elk or something, I might have a practical justification for it but the .357 Magnum will pretty much take anything in these hills - especially from a hunting standpoint (our smallish black bear and the feral hogs/wild boar being the toughest critters in this neighborhood.) For hunting, I'd probably only ever use it in a situation where a critter is really close - close enough for iron sights to work - so in all truthfulness it would just be a backup to a rifle but I did want at least a four inch barrel in case I wanted to use it for hunting. I could carry any SD sidearm I want as long as I am hunting with a rifle as I have my carry permit but to actually use it for hunting a handgun must have a minimum barrel length of four inches in TN. so I would prefer a four inch barrel just to be on the safe side. Besides, it probably takes a minimum of four inches to get all the benefit out of a .357 Magnum, anyway.

Not sure on barrel length, and been a long time since I hunted, but .357 used to be min. for hunting here, back up to a rifle not withstanding.

I have to say that the scoped .44 would hit a pop can at distance (100 yds) easily enough, but it was just a monster to me.


I have nothing small enough to pocket carry, nor as a BUG in the ankle. If I feel I need more than one, I OWB the GP and Shoulder rig the C9.

Nice setup!

In Tn. any centerfire rifle is legal for big game hunting as is any centerfire pistol with a barrel of at least four inches. No caliber requirements, etc. To partially quote the regs, military or other full metal jacketed type ammunition is prohibited.

I think you will be well served by your choice. Never had a bear to shoot at but have killed a deer w/the 357 revolver and a couple w/ the 357 in long gun and it was plenty in my circumstances, short range heavy forest and brush. Your 4" gun will be easily carried and provide reasonable power for the animals/ shooting scenarios you list. I also think you have found a great deal for yourself. You should be congratulated not only on your find but the good sense of your choice as well!

I think the .357 magnum double action revolver with adjustable sights and a 4 inch barrel is the perfect all around gun. I think you got a great gun there, JAB!

I love the look of the underlug cut as it sweeps out to the front of the barrel.. And your experiences on comparing the triggers between the Taurus and Ruger are very interesting.

And, of course, The preice is great!

I'd also like to thank Eric there for showing in one picture the entire brouchure pack I sent to my father for him to study. I sent him a brouchures from Ruger, Taurus, Charter Arms, and Hi-Point. I listed the MSRP on each for him in the .357/.38 Special category and also sent the Hi-Point as the semi-auto alternate. If he goes for a revolver, it'll be "experienced" and in the same price range as JAB's.

Hope she comes home to ya soon JAB!

Yep. In fact, I found that Taurus has an online serial number lookup and entered the serial number from this revolver into it (the guys at the LGS where I am getting it write both the model # and serial # on layaway receipts) and this is what Taurus' system had to say about it:

Your Model Is HG-M66-N4
Production Year 1987

I sort of did a double take. I can't believe that this revolver is over 20 years old! I'd have guessed that it was made just a couple of years ago based on how clean it was, the lack of scratches and obvious wear, etc. Not that it bothers me - I've heard that Taurus revolvers from the late '80s and the '90s are often built better than the newer ones, anyhow.

Now I'm seeing indications that Taurus has been making the Model 66 since at least the 1970s and that newer M66s are seven shot while the older ones were six. I am almost positive I saw six chambers in the cylinder when I opened it up to check it out but it really never crossed my mind that there might be seven until I started reading more about this Taurus model. From what little I can find the seven shot models didn't come about until the early 2000s, though, so I'm thinking that my initial impression was correct.

Thanks, everyone, for all the good comments. I don't know that I will ever use this one as a primary hunting weapon but do think it will be a good backup to a rifle and if the right shot were presented (say, a deer got real close) I just might decide to take a shot with the revolver instead of the rifle.

Also, I don't know if I will ever actively hunt black bear. If I do, I'd have something heavier as my primary (from my current, limited collection probably the Mosin Nagant if I can get the sights where I want them - or maybe the 7mm Mauser if I end up putting a scout scope setup on it and it shoots well and accurately.) Still, the revolver would make a nice backup for that or feral hog hunting, if I ever get a chance to hunt them.

Like most folks, from a defensive standpoint I'd probably be more worried about two-legged attackers than four-legged. That said, as rare as they are considering how many people travel to the mountains in this area each year, black bear attacks seem to have been on the rise this past few years. These haven't all been scared/startled bears or sows protecting cubs, either. Some of these have been instances of active predation on humans. Such incidents have ocurred both in the Smoky Mountains:

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/aug/1 ... k-smokies/

and in a part of the Cherokee National Forest that isn't far from the area of the Tellico Mountains where we do most of our camping and trout fishing:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/16/bear.attack/index.html

an excerpt from the above linked story:



The little girl in the latter story was the older sister of the toddler that was originally attacked. She was only six years old. That story was even on one of the 'animal attack' shows on cable sometime in the last few months. I'm thinking the show was on Animal Planet but it might have been Discovery or NatGeo.

A link to a follow-up story:

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/may/0 ... ep-toward/

I have nieces and nephews that might want to go camping with us, sometime. Forbid anything should happen but if it did I'd much rather the resultant headline read, "Tennessee Man Kills Attacking Black Bear." Of course, I have no doubt that there would still be people who (like in the comment section of the last link) would play armchair quarterback, insist that the bear wouldn't just randomly attack and so on.

Of course, the show I saw last week that talked about two coyotes attacking and killing a grown woman (was in her 20s) in British Columbia last year, as well as recent coyote attacks on dogs in my area, make me think that there is probably a greater risk of being attacked by a coyote - even in our own yard - than by a black bear. I figure my HRR loaded with WMR up close and personal would be enough to take me off of a song dog's menu, though.

Wow! I'd would've never guesses that gun is from the 80's! It looks like it's just a year old. (Why can't I look that good?)

The same reasons you talk about in the woods is why I got my big-bore .357. But I gotta say, if I was also carrying it concealed, I'd much rather have a D/A.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Taurus guns of 20 yrs ago weren't better than present production. The revolvers seem to have tighter lockups from that time frame/ at least of a few that I've examined. I purchased my oldest daughter a model 82, 4" 38sp. on her 21st B-day. Very tight lockup. Satin nickle, which has been out of production a few years. Your 66 will serve you very well I'm sure and will make tragic events such as those in your post very unlikely. Again congratulations on this fine gun and considerable bargain!

Hey Erc, The kid looks like he was watching the Superbowl there.