.357 Snubbies

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  • Cold Steel

    Active Member
    Sep 26, 2006
    801
    Bethesda, MD
    I do know the Security-Six series is much missed as it is and was an extremely fine and robust revolver. While Ruger's GP-100 is certainly a fine revolver I believe the Security-Six series was a more practical revolver for its size.

    Reaming the chambers on your Speed-Six would concern me unless Ruger could verify the revolver is heat treated for .357 pressures and not .38 Special pressures. Most gun makers heat treat their frames and cylinders for the chambering it's intended for...they won't spend the time and money to heat treat beyond what's needed. Value-wise...I can't say. That's up to a potential buyer.
    That may be in that many of them are made of forged steel. Rugers are made of investment cast steel, so they would actually have to spend more to change the heat treat to a weaker type of steel. I remember a similar question being raised about the K-frame S&W and whether it would be safe to ream out a .38 S&W to .357. The answer was No! It would not be safe. And yet some people in California did ream one out, arguing that the part numbers were the same in both guns. I would emphatically recommend against doing that in a S&W.







    Investment casting makes guns stronger, by design, than
    forged steel overall, at least by Ruger.


    I have a Python snubby that's more pleasant to shoot but it has a 1/2" longer barrel...but I admit the Lawman will shoot Magnum ammunition without fear of excessive wear compared to the Python...the original Colt V-spring action is a fine action but will suffer from continuous use of magnums due to its closely hand-fitted design. The Mark III and Mark V Colts were designed for nearly unlimited use of full-power magnums.
    The Python is a superb gun, but the pawl (hand) is so small on the original guns that they wasn't out of time quickly. Some people had them hard chromed to keep them from wearing. The cylinder star also can be hard chromed.

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    Last edited:

    Mightydog

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    On my short list...whenever I can get one! Not 357, I know.
     

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    I've got a SW 637 in 38spl. I love how light it is, I barely feel it when I carry it. I've also got a SW 60, its not too bad with 357 mag rounds. I used to prefer to carry them over my Glock 26 or 27 but haven't even taken them out of the safe since I bought my Sig 365.
     

    august1410

    Marcas Registradas
    Apr 10, 2009
    22,561
    New Bern, NC
    I’ve been carrying this at work since I got it a while back. 686+. Grips are vintage Herretts.

    38e31a1d2425dac6563e6f75786fe06d.jpg



    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

    Magnumite

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 17, 2007
    6,557
    Harford County, Maryland
    Ruger 38’s and 357’s varied only in chambering for same era Security, Speed and Sevice Sixes. They advertised the 38 chambering made the same as the magnums.

    Real world example: S&W made some 624 revolvers which were slightly long chambered. You guessed it, shorter 44 Magnum rounds could be chambered. Concerned individuals contacted S&W. S&W issued a statement to the effect the cylinders were made of the same material and heat treated the same as the magnums and were safe to fire magnum ammunition which fit. For other reasons Smith advised against it. The Special and Magnum revolver cylinders differed only in length and chambering.
     

    jet307

    Member
    May 19, 2021
    65
    Urbana, MD
    I have a 5 shot smith airweight and I carry 130 gr short barrel Speer GDHP. +p or magnums don't have enough barrel to pass through to achieve any velocity. But G26 9mm vs 5 shot smith - there aren't degrees of dead. Either one will do the trick.
     

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