[Jeff Higgins]

I do love my Colts but, alas they are not the most durable guns out there. Definitely not a "first" or an "only" gun in any given genre (refering to revolvers here, not autos). They are, however, extremely pleasing aesthetically and romantically. The Peacemaker and Python are wonderful, just not for "every day using".

My older brother is a huge Python fan, where I prefer the Peacemaker. He used to keep a 6" blued Python loaded with 158 grain .357 mag's in his nightstand. Then, one day we found ourselves alone at a local indoor range. I turned off the lights, told him to take off the muffs, and fire a round. It wasn't pitch dark by any means, with light coming in through the windows from the store out front, so it simulated a almost dark hall or living room quite well. One shot was enough to convince him - he was essentially deaf and blind for several minutes. He now loads it with .38 Specials for home defense use.

And yes, the "little" .357 is extremely popular with cougar hunters. These animals tend to be rather easy to put down. No big heavy bones, no thick skulls, and a decidedly "nervous" disposition, or lack of fight when hit. I don't believe in the whole idea that one can "shock" an animal with enough velocity/expansion, but these guys do seem to give up easy. Surprisingly so. Guys like the smaller framed .357's for these because, quite frankly, anything else gets to be a real burden after a whole day of chasing dogs, who are chasing a cat, up and down mountain after mountain. No one I know that has actually used one ever had a bit of trouble.