Does anyone make custom.357 maximum/super max revolvers?

[Redhorse]

I have shot handgun silhouette for decades and shot several .357 Max revolvers (not my guns) at the range. I remember reading, many years ago, that the erosion issues in revolvers were attributed to gun writers trying to push light weight bullets (125gr) over 2000fps in the guns. That is not what the cartridge was made for. They thought that would make a better story than shooting rams at 200 meters and having the power and accuracy to knock them down. I believe they stated the heavier bullets (180+ that the Max was designed for) seemed to show some slight erosion at first, but pretty much stopped in a short period of time. Dan Wesson used to ship a second barrel with their 357 Max revolvers to make the issue moot. I do not know of a case of bad erosion in Rugers or DWs that my shooting buddies had. That does not mean that never happened, though.

The 1st Max I shot (Dan Wesson) was at 50 meters at 10 steel chickens. I shot standing, offhand, and hit 8 out of 10. I thought it was a great shooting gun with the power and accuracy for the silhouette game. I wanted one bad for a while, but never did get one.

What barrel length should I consider? I’m not too thrilled about a 10” barrel but I could be persuaded to reconsider with the right research/evidence to back it up.

Their custom shop will do 5”-10” barrels at no extra cost.

 

[Whip_McCord]

What barrel length should I consider? I’m not too thrilled about a 10” barrel but I could be persuaded to reconsider with the right research/evidence to back it up.

Their custom shop will do 5”-10” barrels at no extra cost.

A few custom shops were mentioned, so I'm not sure who's you are looking at. Bowen is a great gun, although I have not handled one. I have read about them years ago. I would consider that ahead of the BFR. I did not see Dan Wesson mention the revolver in the custom shop, but I did not look that deep into it.

I shot silhouettes with a 10" Dan Wesson 44 mag. The longer barrel was needed to shoot in the Creedmore or dead frog positions. For non-silhouette shooting I would not recommend a 10" barrel. It is too long for most shooting needs. The 357 Max DW that I shot was an 8" barrel. I liked that for standing, offhand shooting, but that may be too long for what you want. I think 6" to 8" would be a nice length barrel for most target shooting. I never liked 4" S&W revolvers, they did not seem to balance as good for me as longer barrels. Also, longer barrels might be better for the longer 357 Max cartridge.

 

[Redhorse]

A few custom shops were mentioned, so I'm not sure who's you are looking at. Bowen is a great gun, although I have not handled one. I have read about them years ago. I would consider that ahead of the BFR. I did not see Dan Wesson mention the revolver in the custom shop, but I did not look that deep into it.

I shot silhouettes with a 10" Dan Wesson 44 mag. The longer barrel was needed to shoot in the Creedmore or dead frog positions. For non-silhouette shooting I would not recommend a 10" barrel. It is too long for most shooting needs. The 357 Max DW that I shot was an 8" barrel. I liked that for standing, offhand shooting, but that may be too long for what you want. I think 6" to 8" would be a nice length barrel for most target shooting. I never liked 4" S&W revolvers, they did not seem to balance as good for me as longer barrels. Also, longer barrels might be better for the longer 357 Max cartridge.

If I go through with it im going go through magnum research and get a BFR. I’m on the fence about the 6 inch or 7.5 barrel now.

 

[Whip_McCord]

If I go through with it im going go through magnum research and get a BFR. I’m on the fence about the 6 inch or 7.5 barrel now.

For me, I would go with the 7.5" barrel. You may not be able to handle a BFR in person, but you should check out other SA revolvers at your LGS and handle a few in 6" and 7.5" barrels to see how they feel. I just looked at the website for the BFR and did not know they have a shorter cylinder model. They look pretty good. I hadn't seen any for a while and I was picturing the really long cylinder. That was a nice addition to their lineup. I also see that they list 6.5" and 7.5" barrels. The 6.5" may be a good compromise.

If you can get a 357 max with the short cylinder, that would be a nice revolver. If you can find some 6" and 7.5" Ruger Blackhawks or Super Blackhawks at the LGS, handle them to see which size feels better in your hand. If they have any used ones, test fire them so you can get an even better idea.

 

[Redhorse]

For me, I would go with the 7.5" barrel. You may not be able to handle a BFR in person, but you should check out other SA revolvers at your LGS and handle a few in 6" and 7.5" barrels to see how they feel. I just looked at the website for the BFR and did not know they have a shorter cylinder model. They look pretty good. I hadn't seen any for a while and I was picturing the really long cylinder. That was a nice addition to their lineup. I also see that they list 6.5" and 7.5" barrels. The 6.5" may be a good compromise.

If you can get a 357 max with the short cylinder, that would be a nice revolver. If you can find some 6" and 7.5" Ruger Blackhawks or Super Blackhawks at the LGS, handle them to see which size feels better in your hand. If they have any used ones, test fire them so you can get an even better idea.

I’m not sure which cylinder they’ll actually use but they said to use their website then click on .300 blackout as the caliber choice but to tell them I wanted the caliber in .357 maximum in the notes section at checkout. I’m hoping it’s not a long cylinder because of the cylinder jump.