.357 Mag Snubnose

[HSharief]

Nawab Sahab, The .357 Snub nose Colt was the first revolver I fell in love with when I came to the States. There was an ad on the inside cover of Guns and Ammo with a "actual size" picture of this one. Man did it call out.

Rs.600 for a single round, that is steep to say the least. If you don't mind, please also tell us how much you're paying for the snubby.

Going OT here but the latest S&W catalog I got from Bass Pro has a the 500 S&W and the 460 XVR in a 2.5" barrel as part of their Survivor Kits. Ruger has the Alaskan model in 454 Casull and 480 Ruger. Imagine the recoil in those bad boys.

Check Smith and Wesson 500 here....
Check Ruger Alaskan here...




Sorry for veering off.

[Grumpy]

Oh boy - they must be evil brutes to shoot !
I hadn`t realised that the .460 and .500 S&W and .480 Ruger were no available in 2 1/2" snubbies. I haven`t fired any of those three calibres as they were developed post UK pistol ban. I have shot the .454 Casull but only in a 8 3/4" barrelled revolver and a cannon breech single shot and the recoil was pretty stiff.
I`ve never been a fan of Ruger pistols - autos or semis - even though my first .357 Mag was a S/A Blackhawk. They don`t look - or feel - `right` ( in my opinion obviously. )

[mehulkamdar]

Sharief,

Colt recently brought the Python back in 357 but only as a custom shop proposition. Simply beautiful revolvers!

Incidentally, Praveen (1911 on IFG) has a very nice S&W 686 in 357 for sale in the Chicago suburbs. I have shot the revolver and it is a superb little piece. The single action pull is better than even the pull on my 22 rifles and double action is not bad at all. My suggestion to him was not to sell it - he is a big 1911 fan with several 1911s by different manufacturers but the S&W is his only revolver, hence my suggestion.

Grumpy,

I wonder how efficient the short barrels are on some of these monsters?

Cheers!

[Grumpy]

I built several S&W 686 race guns - a cracking revolver and excellent value for money....... although I have an idea that the model has now been superceded.
The Python always was a beautiful revolver......even the later models. The early blued examples are stunning - a depth of colour that just isn`t seen nowadays and with a tinge of actual blue. The Pythons barrels/fit and timing were exemplary and the guns were extremely accurate - especially when combined with that wonderful trigger pull.
The Pythons were very expensive when they were withdrawn so goodness knows what a custom shop example is going to cost. Are they actuallty being built by Colt Mehul ? Or for them by an outside contractor ?

[HydNawab]

Shareif Saab,I am paying 6 lacs for it plus an extra 30 grand for the hollow points.I know its expensive but weapons (revolvers) like these are very rare to find in India.The moment I first laid eyes on the thing, I just fell in love with it.I didnt even want to bargain for it.I just love it and as I mentioned it earlier, it is the kind of gun I always wanted.

Cheers

Ashar

[art_collector]

Anyone who reads the post wud love to have a customer like u some one who dosent bargain....u must be every sellers dream...envy ur gun collector in Delhi.

AC

[Risala]

Hyd Nawab,
Irrrespective of Cal typically most fire arms for which ammo is not available in India,or is available with difficulty command a much lower price.
AC is correct you would be every dealers/collectors delight.
Best
Sanjay

[HydNawab]

Lets see what you guys have to say when I post the pics.You can tell me then if I paid a high price or not.And even if I did, then I would consider it a royalty paid for that gun.

Cheers

Ashar

[mundaire]

.357 mag IS NOT a PB let me repeat is NOT a PB calibre! While you are correct that a .357 can chamber and fire a .38 Special cartridge, that is not relevant legally as the PB calibre classification for .38 is .38 S&W revolver cartridge and NOT .38 Special.

Though, (due to ignorance on their part) you will be hard pressed to have any licensing authority issue you a NPB license for any .38 revolver...

Also, the service revolvers are chambered for .38 S&W and NOT .38 Special, hence the former being classified as PB and the latter being NPB. The Arms Act is quite specific as to PB calibres being those that are in use with the security forces (Military/ Police etc.).

.357 mag handguns should be entered on a regular NPB pistol/ revolver license, and this rule is applicable uniformly ACROSS INDIA. The Arms Act is not state specific, it is uniform for all states, except maybe for J&K, which IIRC has it's own special laws regarding many things... not sure on the specifics for J&K so cannot comment in detail. If the licensing authority makes a fuss about entering the .357 mag on your NPB license, I would advise you to seek the services of a lawyer and show them the error of their ways!

For several years, one of my cousin's owned a S&W large frame revolver in this chambering - and even that large sized handgun (with all it's added heft) was no pussycat to shoot! So I can only imagine the kind of blast and recoil on the snub nosed version!

IIRC ammunition was available (though not widely) but expensive. Which is why he sold that in favour of a Beretta pistol in .32 cal.

HTH

Cheers!
Abhijeet

[trigger_time]

HydNawab,

Looks like you really fell in love at first sight, so I'd say, just go ahead and enjoy yourself.

If self-defence is your primary purpose, you probably wont be noticing the recoil much if you actually shoot it off in an adrenaline-charged situation. Other than that, 50 rounds a year probably won't break your wrist.

That being said, I shot a S&W Airlite snubby in .357 magnum last weekend (~30 rounds). Today's Thursday, and the last tinges of pain are still there.

Looking forward to seeing your pics,

Shurjo