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: A (BEST BUY)

$613

We purchased this revolver a year ago in anticipation of accumulating four revolvers for testing. A recent look at new Ruger GP100 revolvers shows their prices have inched up to about $775 average retail. But some are seven-shot revolvers, which command a premium. The six-shot 6-inch-barrel GP100 is a stainless-steel revolver with a lock up on the crane, like the Smith & Wesson revolver. The Ruger doesn’t have an action lock.

The rear sights are rugged, and the front post may be changed from its dovetail. When it comes to beefing up the revolver’s frame and improving the sights, we feel that Colt probably took a hard look at the GP100 when redesigning the new Python. The heavy underlugged barrel makes for good balance. The grips are hand filling and absorb recoil well, but were too square and angular compared to the other grips, in our team’s estimation.

The double-action trigger press is heavier than the other revolvers. While smooth enough, it isn’t as smooth as the more expensive revolvers. On the combat course, we had the impression we were not firing as quickly as with the other revolvers, but combat accuracy was good. As one of the raters stated, “Put the front sight on the target, and it simply hangs there in recoil.” Photos shows there is muzzle flip, of course, but it is modest. In bench accuracy, the GP100 was more accurate than the Python with one load.

Our Team Said: The Ruger GP100 is a credible choice and is our Best Buy.

357 Magnum and 38 Special Range Data (25 Yards)

Value Guide: 38 Special/357 Magnum Revolver Rankings