Pros & Cons of Speed Six for Carry

[SamAdams]

I have one more question guys, regarding my relative's 357 Speed Six with 2 3/4" barrel. Whats his best choice for a defensive round ? He bought some Federal (or maybe Winchester - I don't recall) 158gr LSWCHP + P awhile ago. Here's quoting Doc:

" In the proper historical perspective, the 158 gr +P LSWCHP fired out 3-4" barrel revolvers was one of the best rounds available--and it is still a viable choice, as long as you understand its characteristics. "

The Speed Six has a little less than the 3" of barrel mentioned above. Can we assume he's still o.k. with that round for his revolver ? Personally, I'm not fond of shooting 357 Mag from a relatively short barrel. But does the fact that this Speed Six is chambered for the 357, change what would be his best choice in carry ammo ? This revolver seems "to be in the middle". Not too big, and not too small. Not too light, and not too heavy. Not so much a snubby, and not service revolver length barrel either. Thanks

[scott]

That's still a good choice.

[w provence]

Yeah that's a great choice. Gun and ammo........

[Nephrology]

There's also the Speer GD 135gr +P JHP to consider, too.

[1986s4]

There are some benefits to full target wadcutter ammo in a .38 snub. I've only shot paper with mine but they're pretty much guaranteed to make a perfect .36 caliber hole in whatever they hit and shoot to point of aim.

[Chuck Whitlock]

Honestly, the answer will come down more to what ammo shoots to point-of-aim with the fixed sights, along with the recoil characteristics that he will be comfortable with. In addition to the loads already mentioned, if your relative wants to go the magnum route, the Winchester 145 gr. Silvertip was well regarded, and is still available: http://www.winchester.com/Products/h...s/X357SHP.aspx

A new entry in .357 Magnum is the Hornady Critical Duty 135 gr. offering, which is supposed to meet all the FBI protocol testing: http://www.hornadyle.com/products/ha...35-gr-flexlock

[SamAdams]

Thanks everyone for your replies here and on the ammo forum.

@ Chuck - thanks for your suggestions. I've got a variety of the 38 ammo for him to try out. He can get some of the 357 to test too. Then we can see where POA/POI is. I might even chrono the loads from his gun.

[EM_]

Nyeti and I know a certain small Irish guy who plucked several weeds from the Lord's garden with a 2 3/4 Speed Six .38 Special while a street detective in NYC. Worked very well for him...

Damn, Wayne this just about qualifies as poetry...

[valian]

I have one more question guys, regarding my relative's 357 Speed Six with 2 3/4" barrel. Whats his best choice for a defensive round ? He bought some Federal (or maybe Winchester - I don't recall) 158gr LSWCHP + P awhile ago. Here's quoting Doc:

" In the proper historical perspective, the 158 gr +P LSWCHP fired out 3-4" barrel revolvers was one of the best rounds available--and it is still a viable choice, as long as you understand its characteristics. "

The Speed Six has a little less than the 3" of barrel mentioned above. Can we assume he's still o.k. with that round for his revolver ? Personally, I'm not fond of shooting 357 Mag from a relatively short barrel. But does the fact that this Speed Six is chambered for the 357, change what would be his best choice in carry ammo ? This revolver seems "to be in the middle". Not too big, and not too small. Not too light, and not too heavy. Not so much a snubby, and not service revolver length barrel either. Thanks

The 158 lhp loads outa my 3" 357s (Ruger service 6s) do less than 800 fps. My 3" 38s do well over 800 fps. 800fps mv. Seems to be the too little for expansion through 4 LD for this load. I load the Speer gd. 135gr8 in 38special or 357 in my 3" 357s for this reason

[Willard]

One thing to consider, as SMD mentioned earlier and I experienced first hand, is parts availability. Also, Ruger does not really service these anymore. I had a Security Six that the front latch was not engaging the hole in the end of the ejector rod reliably. I contacted Ruger and they sent me an RMA. Advised they could not fix it, but their customer service was superb. Far better than anything I would have expected or ever experienced elsewhere. In the end, they sent me a new Match Champion at no charge as a replacement (the Security Six was in extremely nice shape otherwise and I would actually have preferred to have kept it). Seemed like an easy fix, but not so. From what I can tell, although the six series was lighter, sleeker, and generally rugged, it is not as heavy duty as the GP series, which Ruger still obviously still services. May never become an issue, but if it does, you may find yourself in a bit of a bind, but Ruger's CS will probably take care of you.