This advice is worth every cent you paid for it.
Boy, ya had to do it didn't ya? ;>)
Excuse me. I gotta get some popcorn and beer.
/jasper
Might help if you told us what you plan to do with it
Best advice? Go to the gun shop and ask to see the owner's manuals for each you are looking. There have been various brands over the years that did NOT recommend using magnum loads on a regular basis.
I have over 12K full house rounds through my Redhawk.
Ahem.
4" is the minimum length to get proper performance out the .357 cartridge, I think. You'll want that. 6" is excellent, and the sighting radius and balance is even better than 4", for use in the field. It doesn't carry or conceal as easily, but believe me, it can be done, and then you'll have a real "using" handgun with you. 6" doesn't clear leather on the draw as quickly, but as the handgunners in the old West knew, if you want to reliably hit something the first time (they found this important, for some reason), longer barrels are the wise choice. Doc Holiday was famous for expending a lot of lead with his little "silver" revolver, and not hitting his target, even at bar room distances, but his 7 1/2" .45 Colt spoke with finality the first time, at the O.K. Corral. Lawman Commodore Perry Owens carried and USED a 10". These men weren't stupid, they chose to use what worked. Fast draw was not as important as scoring a solid hit with the least amount of shooting. Bill Hickock used his 8" barreled .36 Navy revolvers all his adult life. He carried a knife for closer situations.
Now, one should find his own way. There are good reasons for carrying smaller handguns, but I think your choice comes down to learning good shooting skills, and having a rewarding experience in the field. If you want to carry for defense, I'd say 4" is great, the standard "duty" length. For general shooting effectiveness, 6" is wonderful. A friend has a single action 6" Ruger which the owner of a famous hunting lodge in Alaska traded to him. She had collected her moose or caribou every year with it, with no problem at all. Remember, it was a 6", not a 4".
Although I am a major fan of the .44 Magnum, I think you will be better served by a .357 to begin with, especially a 6", if you won't feel cheated by not having something shorter, for concealed carry. One thing I am sure of, you will not go wrong with a premium .357 4 or 6, and probably never sell it, unless to replace it with another one. Before the .44 Magnum, people did everything with the .357. Especially with 6" or 8" barrels. There is hunting ammunition available too. It's great. I advise a Model 686. It has a long cylinder for hunting bullets, and is perhaps a bit more durable than a K frame. It is also available with a 7 shot cylinder. Pretty handy, although standard speed loaders do not work with it. No free lunch, as they say.
My advice would be to buy both of them.
They made 'em in .44 Mag too!
Save money, get the Taurus.
Save your hand, get the .357
Get the one that feels right.
Save your hand, get the .357
Nice advice!
I prefer stainless Ruger SP-101 .357 with short barrel.
It has to be packable or you might as well get a rifle/shotgun.
By all means, do not buy a 44 mag. Ammo is very expensive and much too powerful to learn on.
Buy a 357 Ruger (doesn't have the ugugaly lock). You can learn to shoot with (very inexpensive) 38 special ammo.
Then use 357 ammo for self-defense.
If you have one, go to a range/gunstore. They usually have firearms for rent. Rent the ones you are interested in and try 'em out with some ammo types you might use.
Personally, If its a carry gun, I'd recomend a .357 Taurus snubbie. Its small, light, easy and cheap to feed (you can use .38 or .357 in it), and the number of loads available are litterally staggering. Get a couple of speed loaders to boot. And practice. Lots. The gun isn't dangerous - the shooter is.
If you're getting a "bedside" or home gun, get a pump-action 12 gauge. The PRC makes a nice Winchester 97 repro that is great for the job, or you can find something more expensive (and not made by slaves in an enemy nation...).
Smith and Wesson four inch .357 mag. I used to love the 686 but I don't know if they still make it. Don't forget to pay the money for stainless steel since you're in Florida.
If you're a diving instuctor, what's the deal of dive masters and guides stirring up the sharks? If I'm on a dive, I wish they would leave the darn things alone. Tired of almost being lunch for those guys.
I'd probably go with the 44 mag with a 6 inch barrel and use 44 Special for home defense rounds, at least at night just so you won't get temporarily blinded by the muzzle flash. I can't say what the flash is like in a 357 with a four or six inch barrel, but I had one with a two inch barrel and it was pretty bright. I gave it to my brother for Christmas since his old .38 was getting rusty from coast trips and neglect and the .357 was in stainless.
My first choice for HD would be ye olde shotgun, but a pistol is quicker to get a hold of. I keep the former close and the latter closer.
The Smith and Wesson 686 with a four inch barrel is still made. It's a great gun. You can shoot .38 Special ammunition in it, or .357 Magnum. The .38's are inexpensive. The recoil in that gun is very light. The .357's aren't much more expensive, and the recoil is manageable.
.44 Magnum ammunition is also expensive. .44 Special ammunition is a good defensive round, but you won't need any because you will not have anything worth stealing after you spend thirty dollars a box on .44 Special ammo.
The 686 is expensive. You can save money if you buy the Ruger GP - 100. The four inch barrel is best for defensive purposes in either case. It is easier to wield than the six inch. Many women have trouble with the weight and balance of the six inch guns.
A lot of self defense shootings happen at close range, and it is easy to grab the six inch barrel and control the gun - point it away from yourself so it can't be used as a weapon. It is also possible to twist it out of the hand of the shooter, a move that will likely break the the shooter's trigger finger.
You didn't mention if women or children might use it, but it's something to think about if you have family.
The shop might also show you an automatic. These are great, if you take the time to learn them properly. They can be very difficult for women and children to shoot. Their advantages are that they hold more ammunition, and you can get night sights on them. Most defensive shootings happen in low light. Think about it - bad guys don't like to be seen.
I'm in DelRay Beach. I've been selling guns for over nine years now, so email me through the board if you want more information. I can show you a few tricks to evaluate used handguns - what we do at the store - and you can get some great deals at the shows if you are careful.
Can't go wrong with a Ruger GP100 357 magnum with a 4" barrel(or a similar S&W.) If I could keep only one of my handguns, my GP100 is what I'd keep(the others I own are a .22 Taurus revolver, .45ACP Taurus revolver, and a 9mm S&W semiauto.)
In the .357, I would suggest finding a used Smith model 28 or 27. These trace their lineage back to the first .357 made in 1935 and are outstandingly reliable and accurate guns. There are many nice examples available and the quality of many are higher that current new versions IMO. My 1954 Highway Patrolman (pre-28) is my favorite packing 357 for woodsbumming.
In the .44, similar advice, except get a more recent gun such as a 629 or Mountain gun. I'd be more prone to use Keith loaded (Hot) .44 Specials than full house mags for home defense.
PS: My experience with Taurus has been dismal.