Why test revolvers? They will never be as popular as they once were, but total sales are far higher than when revolvers were in their heyday in the 1970s. Reliability and accuracy are hallmarks of the revolver, and there is no more proven cartridge for personal defense than the 357 Magnum. The revolvers tested are versatile, durable, accurate, and powerful. We pitted a new Colt Python against similar long-barrel competitors, the Smith & Wesson 686 Plus and Ruger GP100. Also, to see how far the wheelgun’s development has gone in the last couple of decades, we threw in a classic Colt revolver, the Peacekeeper.

Long-barrel revolvers are useful for hunting small to medium game, for competition, target shooting, protection against wild animals, and home defense. In a day when new technology is rendered obsolete quickly, revolvers rely on proven technology that has changed little in dozens of years. As far as chambering, the 357 Magnum is a versatile cartridge, and, of course, 38 Special ammunition may also be used in these wheelguns for pleasant practice and smaller game. If you handload, the 357 cartridge is economical. Fast-stepping 110- to 140-grain defense loads are well suited to stopping an attack, while 160- to 180-grain loads are useful for hunting. There is no difficulty in operating the revolver with light loads or heavy loads because the revolver is manually operated, although it may be run quickly, if needed. Revolvers are so reliable that the standard malfunction drill for them (in case of a bad round) is to simply pull the trigger again to get access to a fresh cartridge. Ammunition is presently difficult to come by in some calibers, but 38 Special and 357 loads have not been hit as hard. However, high-quality pistols are in short supply, but revolvers seem less affected. Some of the wheelguns tested, the Python in particular, may represent a kind of financial irresponsibility because they are quite pricey, but then its performance is excellent.

Because we are interested in accuracy in the combat sense as well as bench accuracy, we chose ammunition carefully. Ammunition has a tremendous influence on accuracy. SAAMI-regulated ammunition ensures compatibility, performance, and accuracy. For combat shooting, we chose the Black Hills Ammunition 158-grain lead load, a cowboy-action load at an average of 805 fps. It is loaded in the Magnum case but operates at 38 Special pressure. We also used the Federal Train and Protect 125-grain JHP at 1470 to 1520 fps and the 1280-fps Hornady 158-grain XTP. We also used a single 38 Special load, the Black Hills Ammunition 148-grain wadcutter. This 38 Special load averaged 750 fps in velocity.

Prior to testing, we checked the barrel cylinder gap of each revolver. The Python was tightest at 0.006 inch, and the Smith & Wesson was almost undetectably larger. The Ruger was 0.007 inch, and the older Colt measured 0.008 inch. We have tested revolvers with a barrel-cylinder gap as large as 0.016 inch, and usually, velocity is linear to the barrel-cylinder gap. A 125-grain load may lose 180 fps as a result of a larger gap, a 158-grain load may lose 160 fps. As it turned out, the revolvers were fairly uniform in velocity.

We liked all of the revolvers, but there was one obvious Best Buy, which we will get to presently.

Gun Tests Grade: D

$1037

In several particulars, this handgun is an anomaly among the revolvers tested. First, it is a seven-shooter. Next, the cylinder is cut for moon clips, but we did not use them. This would make for excellent reloading speed if this is important, but the moon clips may not be as rigid as a speedloader, depending on the practice the user puts into speedloading. Next, this revolver features a 5-inch barrel. The heavy flat-sided barrel is well done and well finished.

Elsewhere, the revolver is also stainless steel. This revolver features a post front and fully adjustable rear sight. The front sight may also be changed out. In the retail shop was another 686 Plus with a terribly cheap-looking orange-plastic front sight, which we passed on. The grips are an excellent choice. These Hogue Monogrips were rated the best for gripping and recoil control of the four revolvers tested. This revolver features the new-style Smith & Wesson cylinder release and the action lock, which some love and some hate. The double-action trigger is very smooth, and the single-action trigger broke cleanly at 4.6 pounds.

We fired the 686 plus on the combat range with the Black Hills 357 Magnum 158-grain cowboy round and a cylinderful of the Federal 125-grain JHPs. Control was excellent with the lower-power load. The front sight simply hung on the target. The Magnum loads exhibited heavier recoil but were not uncomfortable. The 686 Plus did as well on the combat course as any of the other revolvers. Maintain sight alignment with the front post and rear notch at equal height and pull straight to the rear and you get a hit.

The Smith & Wesson was on its way to Best Buy status, save for a recurring problem. The revolver failed to ignite a primer one to two times with each cylinder of ammunition. We used several types of ammunition with the same result. We removed the grips and checked the springs. We would have tightened the mainspring, but it was fully tightened out of the box, and nothing made a difference.

In benchrest accuracy, the 686 Plus was an accurate revolver, with the Black Hills Ammunition 148-grain 38 Special cutting a nice 1.76-inch five-shot average group. Group sizes were only slightly behind the Python. We liked the sights, and we liked the grips the best of the test. The L-frame revolver is better balanced and smoother than the Ruger or the Colt MK V revolver.

Our Team Said: After cleaning, inspecting, and tightening the revolver, we still experienced malfunctions, including, oddly enough, a couple in single-action fire during the accuracy stage. The 686 Plus is accurate and handles well. It has good features, including an extra shot and the ability to use moon clips. But our sample wasn’t reliable, with a constant nagging misfire rate. This isn’t acceptable, so we’d have to pass on this one.

357 Magnum and 38 Special Range Data (25 Yards)

Value Guide: 38 Special/357 Magnum Revolver Rankings