Revolver's

[socal-ar15]

[jdg30]

I would get a Ruger GP100 or a S&W 686. The GP100 is less money than the 686 and would work perfect for your intended use.

[new1911]

[ojisan]

Depends on what you are hunting.
Yes, a .357 Mag at minimum, use .38s for cheap target shooting.
Maybe consider a .44 Mag Ruger Blackhawk.
Stone axe reliable and reasonably priced used.

[NapaCountyShooter]

If you plan on hunting with it sometime in the future, I'd think about a Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt or Super Blackhawk in .44 Mag. If it's just a sidearm, I'd think about a 4" GP100 or S&W 686.

[Prophet]

I will have to agree S&W 686 is the way to go.

[scidx]

For hunting, ammo tends to be pretty hot. You'd be well served with a Ruger. They make some of the strongest revolvers on the market. The Blackhawk is my personal favorite, my recommendation, and my personal choice to fill such a niche. For a double-action, find out which caliber you prefer; then look to a GP100 or Redhawk variation.

[Oceanbob]

Someone has to say it..........

Glock 20

Doubletap Ammo.

[Fishslayer]

They DO seem to show up everywhere...

[TonyMang_89]

If you want a revolver get a S&W, I understand money may be an issue. Save up , be patient and you will be glad you did. I love my 586 , you can tell when you shoot it why its worth the money

[scarville]

If you can use the GP-100 then get the Ruger. The Smith is better out of the box but the $150 you save will just about pay for an action job.

[socal-ar15]

I am also getting into reloading so I'm leaning towards Ruger because of their strength but I shot a Smith a couple years back and it shot nice.

[huckberry668]

I shot SW revolvers in competitions for years. Never seen anything else but S&W on the line. I like the Ruger GP-100 too. Strength wise, a double charge is going to blow both guns up. Strength in revolvers lies in the cylinder not the frame. The only good thing about heft is recoil damping.

I carry a revolver for hunting backup for years. Trust me when I say this, heavy gets old quick. Plus, you get many more aftermarket upgrades choices for SW than you do Ruger.

I'd recommend a 686. I competed with a stock 586 for a couple of years and loved it but the stainless 686 is much easier to care for and you can fix up the finish blemishes yourself. Get the 6" version. Mine shoots 3" groups at 50 yards bone stock except for trigger job.

[bwiese]

In 357Mag trim, there's no real strength difference btwn Ruger and S&W. Either one is reliable and durable, with the edge going to S&W for finish, refinement, accuracy.

But if you're hunting with a revolver I would suggest:

• a caliber with a "4" as a leading digit (44Mag, hot 45LCs, 454Casull).
• a longer barrel (min 6", but perhaps 7.5" is better)
• graceful scope mount ability

While I love S&Ws for their refinement and quality and precision and overall durability for typical shooters, their longer barrel variant offerings are just more sparse in the marketplace. And the Ruger offerings in the 44/45LC calibers are just a tad tougher for 'monster' loads.

You may well be most satisfied with one of the big longer-barrel Ruger single-action revolvers, especially the Blackhawk "Hunter" line. (Stay away from the smaller-frame New Vaqueros - those are not really hunting guns, they're for cowboy/self-defense/utility use).

These Blackhawk "Hunters" are already set up with scallop mounts for easy, robust scope ring mounting that won't mar the gun or require expensive mount. The "Bisley" Hunter grip is particularly useful in reducing recoil issues with hot loads - I prefer a raw Bisley grip shooting hot loads to shooting padded grips

The double-action Ruger Redhawk is available in 45LC and 44Mag and bigger Super Redhawk is available 44mag and 454Casull. These are big arsed strong guns.

All these monster Rugers can stand up to hot loads. (Many people shoot hot 'Ruger loads' in 45LC in the big Blackhawks which would destroy an ordinary cowboy gun or the New Vaquero.)

[FUBAR]

Ruger Super Redhawk in 454 Casull. You'll sometimes find them used around here.