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 Pros & Cons of 3" vs. 4" Revolver Barrel 
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hkcavalier wrote:
The 3" gun is much more desirable to collectors. If you don't care either way, sell that one, it'll bring better money. Too bad you don't have the original wood combat grips!

ditto on what hk said...


Tue Apr 26, 2022 5:25 pm
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If you aren't going to carry and aren't going to hunt with it... What will you need it for?

You say they are LNIB so I can't believe you've shot them much.

So, if you kept one and sold the other would you shoot it? If so base your decision on which one has better balance in your hand and accuracy.

If you won't be shooting the the one you keep then which one looks better to you. Which one has higher resale value today versus in the future if you plan to sell the remaining one.

Or which one makes the biggest fireball and boom at the range, keep that one.

But I also vote for keep both.

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Wed Apr 27, 2022 2:46 pm
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stompah wrote:
If you aren't going to carry and aren't going to hunt with it... What will you need it for?

You say they are LNIB so I can't believe you've shot them much.

So, if you kept one and sold the other would you shoot it? If so base your decision on which one has better balance in your hand and accuracy.

If you won't be shooting the the one you keep then which one looks better to you. Which one has higher resale value today versus in the future if you plan to sell the remaining one.

Or which one makes the biggest fireball and boom at the range, keep that one.

But I also vote for keep both.


Good questions. These two revolvers came to me from my father-in-law who was a discerning collector. Now approaching 90 years old, he's ready to let go of much of his collection. I volunteered to help him sell some of the pieces with the understanding that I could buy the ones I wanted for a deep discount. I don't have a nice revolver and one of these looks a likely candidate. I once had a J-frame Chief's Special (.38 spl) and did not like it. Too light and the barrel too short and way too snappy. These revolvers are much more substantial and I'm thinking much easier to manage recoil. I really like the simplicity of the DA wheel gun and want to have one. That's as deep as it goes. I like the look of the 3" better so I'm thinking that's the keeper.


Wed Apr 27, 2022 6:43 pm
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Well yes, they are more substantial revolvers . . . but they also shoot a bigger cartridge. :bigsmile:

I've never shot a .44 Special so I'll need to let someone else give you a recoil comparison between these and the .38 J-frame.

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Wed Apr 27, 2022 6:45 pm
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I've shot a lot of .38 and .357 out of a Ruger LCR. If the .38 was too snappy to you I'd believe the .44s might be too.

Do you reload? If you do a lead bullet and some Trailboss will make you smile. In either barrel length.

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Sat Apr 30, 2022 10:24 pm
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If recoil is a concern, I'd go with the 4". 3" barrels are often preferred for concealed carry.

Do you already have .44 Special in your collection? If not and you're going to be in the market for acquiring .44 Special ammo, I'd either keep both, or let them both go and find something else I really wanted.

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Sun May 01, 2022 7:20 am
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Only problem I can forsee is that a S&W N Frame is a pretty big gun, 3" or 4" barrel doesn't make much difference. I have found that a generation of shooters raised on hair trigger .22s and polymer guns often struggles to adapt to a 40+ oz revolver with a #10+ trigger.

As for ammo, there are some wimpy .44Spl cowboy loads and such (many .44Spl revolvers are 80+ years old) that will barely move the muzzle on a 624. And sure, there are Buffalo Bore and other loadings that scrape the bottom edge of .44 Magnum territory --- 255gr at 1000fps will get your attention a bit. There's also a modern Hornady load using a 165gr flex-tip and modest velocities, pretty much designed for the Charter Arms and other smaller .44s, trust me it's very easy to shoot out of a 624.

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Sun May 01, 2022 7:52 am
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Gman wrote:
If recoil is a concern, I'd go with the 4". 3" barrels are often preferred for concealed carry.

Do you already have .44 Special in your collection? If not and you're going to be in the market for acquiring .44 Special ammo, I'd either keep both, or let them both go and find something else I really wanted.


The J-frame 38 special I once had seemed so light in comparison to these 624's. The proof is in the pudding. I will make time to take both these revolvers to the range before making any decision. Keeping an open mind about both even though I like the look of the 3" model, while the 4" model may be a better shooter for me.


Sun May 01, 2022 7:53 am
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Hi there,

Congratulations on your opportunity to own a fine sixgun! I would send you down the path of reading an article from one of the best gun writers of his day, Skeeter Skelton:

http://www.darkcanyon.net/The%20Long%20 ... arrels.htm

If it were me, I would consider who will get it after me as part of the equation. I am a fairly active hunter, my son will probably be as well. Even if I wasn’t a hunter, I would pick the revolver that would serve the most purposes. A 4” barreled 44 is more than enough gun to achieve 99% of the tasks asked of it in the lower 48 states and is legal to hunt with while the other would only be a target or self defense revolver in WA state. The father of sixguns Elmer Kieth often carried a 4” model 29 and was capable of great accuracy with it at long distances.

I would highly suggest the 4” barrel and I would also consider eventually getting into reloading for it. 44 special is a rather difficult caliber to find in stores but the components are rather easy online (when we aren’t in total chaos mode as we are now..) you don’t even need fancy tools to get started, a complete set of Lee classic loader tools costs around $30:

https://www.opticsplanet.com/lee-90260- ... agnum.html

Enjoy the new sixgun, whichever you choose!

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Thu May 05, 2022 6:55 pm
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Prefer longer barrels for big bore hand cannons
I’d choose my Raging Bull or 444 over both of yours, all day
And probably get 3-6 for the same price as either your beautiful pieces, very nice btw
But I usually carry my DE hunting, it also happens to be under my pillow as I type this

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Thu May 05, 2022 11:23 pm
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Stinkyrat wrote:
Hi there,

Congratulations on your opportunity to own a fine sixgun! I would send you down the path of reading an article from one of the best gun writers of his day, Skeeter Skelton:

http://www.darkcanyon.net/The%20Long%20 ... arrels.htm

If it were me, I would consider who will get it after me as part of the equation. I am a fairly active hunter, my son will probably be as well. Even if I wasn’t a hunter, I would pick the revolver that would serve the most purposes. A 4” barreled 44 is more than enough gun to achieve 99% of the tasks asked of it in the lower 48 states and is legal to hunt with while the other would only be a target or self defense revolver in WA state. The father of sixguns Elmer Kieth often carried a 4” model 29 and was capable of great accuracy with it at long distances.

I would highly suggest the 4” barrel and I would also consider eventually getting into reloading for it. 44 special is a rather difficult caliber to find in stores but the components are rather easy online (when we aren’t in total chaos mode as we are now..) you don’t even need fancy tools to get started, a complete set of Lee classic loader tools costs around $30:

https://www.opticsplanet.com/lee-90260- ... agnum.html

Enjoy the new sixgun, whichever you choose!


Thanks for this ^. Great info.


Fri May 20, 2022 4:52 am
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