best 8 shot 357 Mag

[SteveS]

I can't add to which brand other than S@W quality is great and their customer service is wonderful. I bought a 442 J frame and I thought the cyl was too lose. I called S@W and they sent me a shipping tag I had the 442 back in about a week and a half , repaired and a few other things were done by the repair smith. This is a low $$$ gun and I received high dollar service from S@W.

[Tzook]

My experiences with Taurus, is that their revolvers are far better than their semi autos, yet their revolvers are still barely better than "not shootable." I wouldn't touch Taurus for a gun that was serious use.

[SE Flyer]

I have both a 5" 627 and a 5" TRR8. I find the balance of the TRR8 preferable to the all steel 627. Both are gamer guns, the 627 in USPSA and the 327 in Steel Challenge. If I were shooting 357 Magnum, then the 627 would be my choice.

[johnnywitt]

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

The TRR8 has a Scandium Frame and the Light Rail is removable. The R8 has a polygonal Rifling and the rail isn't removable. The TRR8 was designed as an entry gun for a Point Man carrying a shield. The light was turned on and left on, so it doesn't matter that it is out there & not interfering with the shield. The reason was that the Point Man had to hold the gun with one hand and a semi auto would malfunction because of firing one handed and because of interference with a shield. The revolver could just poke the barrel around the shield with the light on the end and blast Bad guys with 8 full house .357 Mag Rds.

[ArmsUnlimited]

S&W 627 Performance Center, I had one for a while and it was a great shooter

[ColtSeavers]

The TRR8 has a Scandium Frame and the Light Rail is removable. The R8 has a polygonal Rifling and the rail isn't removable. The TRR8 was designed as an entry gun for a Point Man carrying a shield. The light was turned on and left on, so it doesn't matter that it is out there & not interfering with the shield. The reason was that the Point Man had to hold the gun with one hand and a semi auto would malfunction because of firing one handed and because of interference with a shield. The revolver could just poke the barrel around the shield with the light on the end and blast Bad guys with 8 full house .357 Mag Rds.

I thank you for the info, I actually already knew that though. My issue is that those of us that wish to be able to practice more light dicipline are unfortunately still left hanging out there. If you are comfortable with simply turning the light on and rockin' and rollin', this (the R8 and TRR8 rail) is a great option.

[Singlestack Wonder]

While S&W is still trying to figure out how to design and build semi-auto's, when it comes to revolvers they are the gold standard. Don't waste money on taurus.

[mack7.62]

While S&W is still trying to figure out how to design and build semi-auto's, when it comes to revolvers they are the gold standard. Don't waste money on taurus.

S&W got semi-auto's down with the Gen 3's, might have backtracked some since then.

[AutoFiend]

still lusting over the R8...

[sundance435]

S&W got semi-auto's down with the Gen 3's, might have backtracked some since then.

Agreed. I'm still surprised when someone brings this up. I have owned many 3rd gen S&W auto's. Yes, they are heavy (though the alloy frames weren't that bad), but, for me, they were as reliable as a Glock and required almost no maintenance. I regret selling my 4506-1 and CS9.