Thinking about another gun.....Got to be dual purpose. "The Boy" wants to leave his old 8mm Mauser behind and try hunting with a revolver. My Ruger SBH can be a little intimidating for a 16 year old. Been looking at the S&W 686 7 shot and the 8 shot 627. I've tried both guns indoors in steel plate matches shooting 38 specials and appreciate the additional hole or two in the cylinder. Loading with 357's should handle his hunting needs. My question is how these guns might work in the field, the amount of metal, or lack of metal between chambers, scope mounting issues, accuracy at 50-75 yds. I know these revolvers will run well on those evenings when I decide to leave the 1911 at home and show up at the range with a "real-wheel-gun". But will they hunt.......

Most Smiths are drilled and tapped from the factory. You just remove the rear sight and purchase a mount for the specific model. If your 16 year old is gonna hunt and you think the SBH is two much (Im assuming its a 44) let him shoot some mild 44 specials and see what he thinks. The 357 is a great cartridge for hunting up to whitetail but at 16 I think he will outgrow that cartridge fast. The 44 special is a great hunting cartridge also and not quite as intimidating as the 44 mag. When hes ready to step up you already have the firearm and no need to spend extra for another gun. (Alhough we all do make some excuse for another one).

I would split the difference and have a look at a .41 Mag. It's a lot better for deer & such than a 357 and the recoil is a lot lighter than a .44 Mag. Sounds like you're a Ruger fan, perhaps the SBH Hunter in .41 Mag - Davidson's had some made and there are probably still some around. You even had a choice of a Bisley grip or the traditional one.

if your looking to buy a gun I agree with Gary and would look at the 41 in a smith or ruger but I would not under estimate his ability to handle the 44. My 12 year old begged me to shoot my 44 after getting bored with the 32hr and 357s' we had taken out, I was hesitant because all I had were full house 240gr loads. I was very surprised when the recoil didn't seem to affect him at all, it leaned him back a little but he did good, everybody has a different tolerance for muzzle blast and recoil but you might be surprised at how well he can handle a 44.

When I decided to buy a handgum for hunting deer, I settled in on the 41 magnum. It has more punch than the 357 and it has less recoil than the 44. There is a new model out by Taurus, (Although I think this will be the first time they are mentioned on this board) called the Tracker. The gun is Titanium, and it is available with a six inch barrel. The best part is that it comes ported from the factory to compensate for recoil. The Tracker also comes with what they call the "Ribber Grip". I held one in the store, and it is very comfortable. The grip forms to your hand. I am not sure how all you feel about the Taurus as a manufacturer, but I was on track to buy one before I was handed a 686 I could not say no to.

JMHO...

I have not shot many pistols. But the two I have had the most experience with are my Ruger SRH 44 and a S&W 357. Now my 44 is a lot heavier than the light frame 357. I can tell you the 44 is much more comfortable to shoot. The 357 is miserable!! The kick is unbelievable and the grip is too small to hold comfortable IMHO (not so humble!!) my son is about 5’9 150 lbs. on a rainy day and he didn’t seem to mind the hunting loads from the 44.

out of all my smiths my nickel M57 no dash is the most accurate.recoil isn't that bad my wife likes to shoot it and plenty of punch for whitetail.
pete

Ditto to the .41 Magnum, a most underrated deer cartridge. But, I would avoid any porting as the noise is miserable and really is unecessary in that caliber. Hearing protection is not always handy in the field, and loss doesn't come back.