I was looking to add a magnum caliber wheelgun to my collection and have narrowed it down to these three.

This gun MIGHT be used as a carry piece when I go deer or hog hunting, but mostly it will just be a range gun.  I suppose it could be a home defense gun, but if I had access to all my guns a magnum revolver probably wouldn’t make the top 5.

I like how the .357 magnum can also fire .38 special.  I remember firing my grandfather’s .44 magnum when I was pretty young and finding it downright painful to shoot.  Also the .44 magnum is about $100 more than the other two.  What do you guys think I should get?

Out of the three, I'd get the 4" 686.

But honestly, I'd go for a 3" or 4" Ruger GP100.

I have two each S&W 686 .snubby and a 5and something inch pistols. I also have a Ruger SP101 Snubby, 5 shot. All in .357 mag.... Honestly if I had to carry one day in and day out for protection it would be the ruger..... Nothing  out right wrong with the S&W... Fine pistols. But the ruger handles better and is compact. . If I planned on being in a shoot out I would get a High cap 9mm .......  . The ruger I got is a bobbed hammer melted sights SP101 . It's the cat's meow....... WarDawg

Check out a 681 it's a 686 with fixed sights, better for carry. They don't make it anymore but they can be found on the used market for a reasonable price..

4" 686 will get it done.

A bit large for concealed carry (A 3" Ruger GP100 would be better for that in that size range) but for range, home, hunting (Open Carry) it will do very well.

A .357 will kill anything on the continent you are likely to run into short of a large bear.

I was in this situation once, ended up with a Ruger GP-100 .357mag 4"

686, 4"

The 686+ with the 4" barrel

Also this WON’T be a CCW.  If I ever did carry it would be while I was hunting and it would be using an OWB or thigh holster.

If you handload, I say get the 629. Load up some mild rounds for practice. When it comes to hunting the 44 mag will out perform the 357 mag.

For Hog Hunting get the .44Mag.

I am biased, though, as this is what my dad carried when I was young and what I now carry when hunting. It is a beast and a blast (no pun intended) to shoot.

Ever since he dropped a hog out of a rolling pickup when I was younger, I will accept no substitute.

686 4". It's the best I think for what you want it for.

They are all good choices.

Back in the early 1990's I had a Smith Classic Hunter .44 magnum and it was a lot of fun to shoot. Powerful and accurate. And large.

I traded it for something else (can't remember what now) and  could still kick myself for that.

from what you wrote I think you would be better off with a 357 mag. As far as barrel length goes handle both and see which one you like better.

Here you go its calling your name: 629 in the EE

Looked for my first revolver almost a couple years ago and asked around the forum.  Many members also recommended the S&W 686 Plus 4".  I got one and never looked back.  Last year, I lusted for one more revolver and ended up with the 2.5" model.  Personally, I feel S&W makes beautiful, accurate, and reliable revolvers despite what people says about the ILS.

Me likes the 6" GP100 with full shroud.

I have all three you list and find the 629 to be the most fun to shoot. After the first round I get a goofy grin on my face, or so I told. I also think it would be a good carry piece for hog hunting.

If you find the .44 is too much gun for you then I suggest the longer barrel 686. I think you'll find the longer sight radius helpfull for target shooting at the range.

I see someone has jumped on the Ruger wagon, so let's toss in another option if you're interested..

I have owned several revolvers over a 28 year period including a S&W 686, Rugers, BH .357, GP100, SP101, and a slew of others, I can honestly say I was never disappointed in them, but they never really turned me on either so to speak.. I would never "diss" any of them as they gave me nothing but trouble free reliability and accuracy far better than I could shoot, but comparing them against a few COONAN .357 Mag Semi-Autos I owned, a revolver just couldn't compare, in as we are speaking of the .357 mag variety.. Until now..

But then I saw, felt and held a TAURUS 608 .357 magnum 8 shot revolver. While it was love at first sight, I had my reservations remembering early Taurus horror stories of poor QC control, etc.. But after doing a lot of research, I found Taurus had come a long way in updating designs, features, and most of all quality, and especially in this exotic, heavy duty, stylish, 8 shot stainless steel revolver.

I am not no expert at all on revolvers, but it is built in there large frame .44 mag design, so it's built tank solid, seemingly as a good ruger, it has excellent single and double action trigger and lockwork like a customed tuned S&W, with excellent lines, and and accuracy to rival and in some cases out shoot a box stock 686.

Now combine this with an intergral true compensated barrel, that's right, it's more than just porting. The rifled barrel stops about 1" before the end of the external barrel, and there is a true chamber with 8 ports. That is a truly compensated barrel. (BTW, I am a compensator crazed maniac anyway) On top of that this thing holds 8 rounds of potent .357 magnums. So while this may not be an ideal ccw gun, it is a nice cross between hunting, target, IPSC, home defense, and just about anything else you may want to use it for. It also weighs in at over 3 lbs empty.

My personal 608, see the pics below, surprised me with all 8 cylinders locking up tighter than any S&W or Ruger I had ever owned in the past, and a .002" cylinder gap, again I had never owned on a stock out of the box pistol. All this for approx $200 less than an S&W without any features!

This gun is built like a tank, accuarate beyond my expectations, literally no percievable recoil, and I have to honestly say, I would strongly consider this Taurus 608 in .357 Magnum. Again I'm not saying this is better than a S&W 686, but for the money, there's nothing like it!