Which .357 for comp and recreation?

[pittmanj22]

So I'm looking to get into revo comps (ZSA (big locally), ICORE and Steel; to a lesser extent IDPA) and want a full-size .357 to compliment my M-60 PS (which is a great BUG comp gun).

I am heavily leaning toward a 627 Pro Series because of the moonclips and I can shoot in ZSA with the 1911 crowd and still put up a decent showing. But would any of the more experienced shooters recommend anything else? I'm mainly concerned about keeping it at a 4" barrel, in .357, and under $800.

I have entertained the thought of a standard 686 then chamfering and do some trigger work or the 686 SSR Pro Series. Only issue is if I shoot steel then there is less room for error.

With the 627 there is also an issue that I'm relegated to ESR in IDPA and have to worry about 6 shot reloads and empty cylinders, which I still don't know how big of a challenge that will be.

Any thoughts from the more experienced guys out there?

[earplug]

I don't own either, but have watched others compete with them.

If you can't count to six you will have a tough time in USPSA and ICORE with a 7 or 8 shot cylinder. Both work great for Steel or ICORE.

The size of your hand has much to do in deciding which frame works better for you.

I'd move up to a 5-6 inch barrel for competition and for forget about IDPA with the big gun.

[wgj3]

Ive been mulling this over myself, and I think that the 7+ cylinders would be a real drag for anything that limits you to 6. Trying to properly index the cylinder would just add one more fantastic opportunity for error. Seems to me that 2 gums would be the way to go for your interests with the 7-8 rd gun first then add a 6 rd model if you are concerned about best kit for IDPA...

[Bubber]

I voted the standard 686 because if you wish to dabble in IDPA Moonclips maeans you must go to the Major PF. If you only want one gun the 686 with speedloaders lets you compete in ICORE against other 6 shot Speedloader guns. (Spelled Classic Division) Speedloaders can be just as competitive in USPSA as the Moonclipped guns. The only draw back is that you do not get all your brass back. And with a $800 ciling a good used 686 would fit the bill. But you will want an eightshot in the future.

[pittmanj22]

The size of your hand has much to do in deciding which frame works better for you.

I'd move up to a 5-6 inch barrel for competition and for forget about IDPA with the big gun.

I'm a small framed guy (5'8" / 150 lbs) but have larger hands for my size. The Smith grip (the other non-Hogue it comes with) on my 617 are a little too small but the Hogues work. My G4 G34 has the large backstrap and I've held a few 629s that feel fine to me.

I was also trying to stay away from 5 - 6" barrels, mainly because I like a 4" barrel (I have 3 other revolvers with 3 - 4" barrels, none longer) and the longer guns are PC which means I have to pony up $300 more. Is the extra barrel length worth it in accuracy?

The only draw back is that you do not get all your brass back.

That's actually something I had not considered. I do reload and not that losing 100+ pieces of brass in a day would break me, but as everyone knows scavenging revo brass is much harder than semi-auto brass.

[toothguy]

The zombie matchs sound like a blast.

[pittmanj22]

The zombie matchs sound like a blast.

I think I saw John Z Sr on this forum somewhere, he puts on the matches you should talk to him about getting a match started up your way. The biggest thing is the rules are SIMPLE, nothing complicated or convoluted. Just shoot and have fun.

The more I think of it the more I'm convinced the 627 is the way to go. It's hard to not want an 8x revo.

[M1911]

Pittman, you do not want to shoot IDPA with an 8 shot revolver. It is a 6-shot game. For IDPA, I would suggest a standard 4" 686 for SSR or a 4" 625 for ESR. Then get the revolver smithed -- fix the trigger pull, bob the hammer, chamfer the charge holes, and change the sights if desired.

Edited October 30, 2012 by M1911