best 8 shot 357 Mag

[dodge37]

I am new to revolvers, but thinking it would be fun option for the range. I know there is a Taurus 608 and Smith and Wesson 627s & 327s. Would most likely be shooting 38s or mild 357s though it. Will have some hot stuff around for home defense. Just want to hear people opinion everybody is talking about S&W and ruger, but know one says anything about Taurus. May be that is a sign in and of itself. Thank you all for your time.

Josh

[bigghoss]

Avoid Taurus. They have a much higher rate of defective guns than S&W or Ruger and of the several first-hand accounts I've heard they took multiple trips back to the factory before the issue actually got fixed, if it did at all. I had a Taurus 605 (5-shot .357 snubby) after hearing what a pain Taurus' CS was I researched and fixed the gun myself. After the second time it broke I fixed it again and sold it as soon as I could and bought a Ruger SP101 that same day and never looked back.

No one ever regrets spending the extra money and buying the better quality firearm. If you really want a good 8-shot .357, spring for a S&W. It may hurt more in the wallet but you will be glad you went that route.

[ColtSeavers]

I always get a kick out of that S&W R8 8 shot 'tactical' revolver with the rail waaaaay out at the end of the barrel. Never seen one in person though, so no idea if the rail is actually usable or not, but it sure does't look like it is all that accommodating.

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/w...layErrorView_Y

[Bruce in WV]

Grant Cunningham is one of the revolver guru's. He has a great blog about revolver gunsmithing, shooting, etc. He won't touch a Taurus, and talks about issues with them. You might check his info before you buy.

[Pappabear]

I always get a kick out of that S&W R8 8 shot 'tactical' revolver with the rail waaaaay out at the end of the barrel. Never seen one in person though, so no idea if the rail is actually usable or not, but it sure does't look like it is all that accommodating.

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/w...layErrorView_Y

I bought this gun and really like it. I felt like I wanted the Intergrated rail. But it extends too far forward. I would rather have the attachable, and be able to put light closer. I also don't like a light to extend past my barrels.

Still happy with gun, but I would get other model.

PB

[ColtSeavers]

I bought this gun and really like it. I felt like I wanted the Intergrated rail. But it extends too far forward. I would rather have the attachable, and be able to put light closer. I also don't like a light to extend past my barrels.

Still happy with gun, but I would get other model.

PB

That's a shame, seems like it was a decent enough idea but with that rail wayout there... Glad you like your revolver otherwise though.

[BillBond]

Avoid Taurus. ....

It is a good thing they have a lifetime warranty because you are going to use it more than once if you shoot the gun.

[Mr blasty]

I remember when Taurus imported several lots of revolvers that never had the raw barrel cut down and finished. I knew they were crap before that but it was a level of QC fail I'd never seen before that in firearms. Same problem as the Taurus in this picture except crates full of them and the unfinished raw blank was much longer.


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[bigghoss]

It is a good thing they have a lifetime warranty because you are going to use it more than once if you shoot the gun.

Warranty only means anything if they actually fix the gun.

[teutonicpolymer]

Best ones I have seen are the pre-lock performance center 627 (I believe 627-3) 8 shots which have the screw on compensator.

Good luck finding one for a reasonable price, they are relatively rare to begin with, and people have hiked up the online prices of revolvers to ridiculous levels. If you are lucky you may find one in person for a reasonable price- I have randomly found a few for about 1k which is an excellent price for this specific revolver, especially given the condition of the ones I found and what came with them.

Another desirable one is the "Bloodwork" 627 from the Clint Eastwood movie of the same name- it is a snub nosed 627 8 shot and I believe the original was pre-lock though there have been and may still be reproductions with the internal lock.

I suggest staying the hell away from revolvers because they are stupidly expensive aka way overpriced but that is just me... as an example: just 5 years ago you could probably find a 686-4 for $500 or less... now they are several hundred more than that. For the money one of the nice pre-lock 627's goes for you could get a nice NEW Dan Wesson 1911 or whatever else you wanted for that kind of money (like 2 VP9's or maybe 3 used Glocks, the possibilities are endless).