Double-action revolvers are not easy to shoot fast and accurately. The double-action trigger stroke is hard to master, compared to a semi-automatic, plus magnum revolvers transfer all of the recoil into the shooter’s hand. A semi-auto absorbs some recoil as the mechanism cycles. What good revolver shooting comes down to is grip, trigger control, and sight picture. And, obviously, a revolver set up to do your bidding.

We wanted to take a look at full-size revolvers with 4-inch barrels and adjustable sights. What makes these models suitable for target work are adjustable sights and larger grips. Revolvers like these should be able to pull both target duty and defense duty as needed. Three such revolvers are the new Colt King Cobra Target and the new Kimber K6s Target, as well as a more affordable choice, a used but like-new Ruger Security-Six. This trio of stainless wheelguns with 4-inch pipes and larger grips are just the thing for when you want more accuracy and velocity out of the 357 Magnum. They are also pussycats when you fire 38 Special loads.

All three of these wheelguns have matte stainless-steel finishes, adjustable rear sights, ramp front sights, and wood grips. These also have exposed hammers so the user can fire them in double-action mode or single-action mode. We tested in both modes and found we had a preference for the Kimber in double-action mode over the other guns.

The first technique in fast shooting revolver is grip. Your grip should be firm and high on the backstrap while still allowing you to stroke the trigger in double-action mode and ensure the hammer spur does not pinch the web of your shooting hand. Now you know why Jerry Miculek removes the hammer spurs on his revolvers. In fast double-action speed shooting, there is no need for a hammer spur. A high grip allows for better recoil control. Because revolvers have a lot of distance from grip to the center axis of the bore, there is more pronounced muzzle flip. A high grip closer to the bore axis helps reduce this flip. We found we could get a high grip on all of the revolvers, some better than others. With the Kimber, the high grip was the most comfortable. With a high grip on the Ruger and Colt, the recoil from 357 Magnum ammo made shooting uncomfortable, but tolerable. With 38 Special ammo, there is less recoil, and we were able to comfortably hot rod all three revolvers with a high grip. The second factor in going fast is trigger control, which means using the distal or first joint of your trigger finger. This gives you more leverage to stroke the long, heavy double-action trigger. We dry-fired these revolvers in double-action trigger mode to acclimate ourselves to the trigger pulls. The Kimber and Colt by far had the lighter and smoother double-action trigger pulls. The Ruger was a bit harder to stroke smoothly. The double-action trigger pull weight on the Colt and Kimber was 8.5 and 9.9 pounds, respectively. The Ruger had a 10.3-pound double-action pull weight.

The third thing to consider is sight picture. Keep your eye on the front sight; the target should be a bit fuzzy in the background. While you recover from recoil, start your double-action trigger pull. With better revolvers, you will know the stroke length required to fire the revolver. As you are pulling back the trigger, recovering from recoil and controlling the front on target, complete the trigger stroke to fire the gun.

Our pre-range check on revolvers — new or used — is to examine cylinder-to-frame gap with a feeler gauge and use our range rod match kit ($130; Brownells.com) to check barrel and chamber alignment. All three guns were in spec. The space from the forcing cone to the front of the cylinder should be from 0.004 to 0.010 inches. The Colt had the tightest at 0.004 inches, and the Ruger and Kimber both measured 0.005 inches. This is tight, and indicated there would be little splash.

For accuracy testing, we fired in single-action mode with targets set at 15 yards. We used both 38 Special and 357 Magnum ammo. Ammo brands were Armscor 38 Special loaded with 158-grain full-metal-jacket bullets, SIG V-Crown 357 Magnum loaded with 125-grain jacketed hollow points, and Federal Hydra-Shok Low Recoil 357 Magnums, loaded with 130-grain JHPs. While the Federal was marked low recoil, we did not notice a substantial difference in felt recoil. We also noticed the casings for this round stuck in the chambers, requiring use of the ejector to shuck the empty cases. With the Armscor and SIG ammos, empties fell free from the chambers.

For speed shooting, we moved the targets to 10 yards and used Thompson Target B27Q-RED Silhouette Qualification targets ($15; ThompsonTarget.com). These targets are full-torso life-size Police B27 and FBI Q center mass human silhouette designs. We started with guns at low ready and fired six rounds as fast as we could while keeping them in the center-of-mass zone. The weight of these revolvers helped to mitigate recoil. The Ruger was the hefty gun in the bunch, weighing 36.1 ounces unloaded. The Colt weighed 32.4 ounces, and the Kimber was the lightest at 31.8 ounces. The Ruger held its weight in its heavy frame and cylinder. You can feel the weight of Ruger just above the tip of your trigger finger. The Kimber had a similar balance point, just above the tip of the trigger finger, and it sports a full-lug barrel. The weight of the Colt was farther back in the grip of the hand.

In our opinion, all of these 357s would be good for self defense. The Kimber or Colt would be our choice for a competition revolver. The Ruger is built like a tank and offers good accuracy. The Colt has better sights and makes a good option for defense and target work — it was the most accurate revolver of the group — but it still has that retro revolver feel to it. The Kimber is a newer design that does a good job of evolving the revolver category. In more detail, here’s our spin on what these wheelguns bring to the table for the discriminating shooter:

Gun Tests Grade: B-

$880-$950

The Security-Six debuted in 1972 and was Ruger’s first DA/SA revolver. It spawned a number of models, including the Service-Six and Speed-Six. About 1.5 million Security-Six models were built and used by various LE agencies. The U.S. Border Patrol issued this Ruger back in the day, so to speak. It was discontinued in 1988, being replaced with the GP100 revolver. The Security-Six was designed at a time when Colt and S&W were filling LE contracts with their revolver models. Unique to the Security-Six is its ability to be field  stripped, something you can’t do with a Colt or Kimber.

Our sample does have that dated look from the revolver’s heydays as an LE sidearm. Adjustable rear sight, serrated ramped front sight, and small stocks combined with a heavy-weight trigger pull that measured 10.3 pounds. If we owned this revolver we’d  invest in a Wolff Shooters Pad ($10; GunSprings.com) and reduce the pull weight. The Ruger is a chunky revolver, and that is due the frame being made of invested cast alloy. The Colt and Kimber use a forged frame. The tapered barrel does not have a full lug like the Kimber and Colt, yet it still weighs 36.1 ounces sans ammo. The ejector rod is enclosed, and a pin fits into the knurled end of the ejector rod to lock up the front of the cylinder. The Ruger shows its portliness in the cylinder, too, which has a width of 1.5 inches; the Colt and Kimber cylinders are 1.3 inches. The Security-Six uses a full-length ejector rod, which we appreciated. The Ruger exhibited the most amount of cylinder wiggle on any the guns tested; in single-action mode the cylinder was much tighter. as were the other revolvers. To open the cylinder, press in on the serrated cylinder latch. It opened and locked positively.

The trigger is wide and serrated, which helps keep your finger adhered to it during recoil. The hammer spur is checkered and offers plenty of grip to cock the hammer in SA mode. The sights are black, and the rear is fully adjustable. The front ramp sight is pinned in place so you could swap it out. We found that XS Sights offers options (~$110; XSSights.com) if you wanted to modernize the sight picture. The top of the barrel is ribbed for aesthetics, as was done by all revolvers makers back then. The ribbing has nothing to do with removing glare. It just makes the revolver look pretty. Part of the reason Ruger frames look blocky is because the frame is not blended into the barrel, and that is evident with this Ruger.

The stocks were walnut with a checkered diamond section for the palm. A silver Ruger medallion was inset at the top. The wood-to-metal fit was good. In hand, the Security-Six grip feels small. When we fired for accuracy and gripped the stock lower, we found recoil was manageable. When we gripped higher up on the grip for speed shooting, our fingers were jammed in behind the trigger guard, and we were rapped there during recoil when firing the magnum loads and had to re-adjust our grip after each shot. In 38 Special, we could shoot the Security-Six much faster and accurately, even with the heavy trigger. We felt stacking with the trigger, and that is what we expected from the Ruger. If we didn’t concentrate on trigger and grip control, however, right-handed shooters easily pushed hits to the left.

If we were serious about buying this revolver, we’d get a set of rubber or wood Hogue grips ($79-$104/wood, $35/rubber; HogueInc.com) that fill in the space behind the trigger guard and allow for a higher grip on the Ruger.

Going hot, we found the Ruger had good accuracy. The average across all ammo types measured 2.6 inches. Our best group was with Federal Hydra-Shok 130-grain JHPs with a 2.15-inch group. Doing our best Miculek imitation, we were rocking with 38 Special ammo. We were on target and fast, though Jerry has no need to worry about losing his speed-shooting crown to us. Moving to 357 Mag ammo, recoil required us to re-adjust our grip after each shot. Hence the need for a different grip. Empties were easily ejected with no issues, except for the Federal round. It stuck in the chambers, requiring the ejector to be used.

Our Team Said: The Ruger Security-Six is a workhorse and looks like one. It offers good accuracy, and if you can live with the sights and grip, it is a good option. Specimens are still available that have had little use, others look like they were dragged from a truck bumper. We paid $590 for our sample, and that is a steal for this revolver in this condition.

38 Special/357 Magnum Range Data

Value Guide: 38 Special/357 Magnum Revolver Rankings