2. CHAPUIS ARMES (FRANCE)

Like Korth Combat revolvers, Manurhin revolvers are the stuff of legends, specifically the MR73. The Manurhin factory museum has an MR73 used by the GIGN (the elite police tactical unit of the French National Gendarmerie) on exhibit that has a round count of 96,000 full-power .357 Magnum. This round count is only rivaled by Korth revolvers (and properly built pre-1972 Colt Pythons).

Manurhins aren’t as expensive as Korths though, which is why among the really passionate (and rich) revolver enthusiasts, Korths might be considered the best revolvers in the world but Manurhins are considered the best practical revolvers in the world.

Designed and developed by Chapuis Armes of France, these revolvers are robustly built and guaranteed to be pinpoint accurate out to 25 meters. The specific model we recommend, the stainless MR88, is a 6-shot revolver with a frame and cylinder release that resemble those of Ruger GP100 revolvers (because they purchased the rights to use Ruger’s proprietary investment casting process).

The MR88 is available in 3-inch, 4-inch, 5.25-inch and 6-inch barrel configurations. There is no pricing data available from the manufacturer’s website but I recently emailed them and got a reply from a gentleman named Pierre Laurent. He informed me that the only US importer of these revolvers is Kebco LLC of Hanover, Pennsylvania.

I forwarded the inquiry to Kebco LLC and got a reply from another gentleman by the name of Ken Buch. He told me they will have some 6-inch MR88s available this coming summer and it costs $1,600. It will be delivered straight to my FFL and they’ll require a 50% deposit to reserve one for me.

Given the reputation of these Manurhins for strength and accuracy, I wouldn’t hesitate to shell out $1,600 if money wasn’t a concern (my wife would kill me if I did though, so sadly, no Manurhin for me).

3. DAN WESSON FIREARMS

Can it be just a coincidence that this firearms manufacturer’s name sounds very much like their competitor, Smith & Wesson? If you think it can’t be, that there might be a story behind its name, then you’re right.

Daniel B. Wesson, one of Smith & Wesson’s founders, had a great-grandson named in his honor, Daniel B. Wesson II. Daniel II worked for Smith & Wesson from 1938 onward and left when the company was purchased by a corporation many Taurus fans are familiar with: Bangor-Punta (more on this later).

Upon leaving the family-owned company, Daniel II founded a new company called Dan Wesson Arms which has a long history. To make it short, they had developed numerous revolvers well known for their extreme levels of accuracy, but at some point in the 90s they stopped production of these revolvers as they went bankrupt. After some more financial trouble, in 2005 they were purchased by CZ-USA.

CZ semi-auto pistols have gained quite a reputation over the years that in late 2014, CZ-USA decided to try their luck in the revolvers market. They started producing a new version of the model 15-2 — the best selling production revolver Dan Wesson Arms had built.

The new production was christened the Dan Wesson 715. Retailing for $1,558, the 715 is one of the more expensive revolvers on this list. It only comes in a single configuration: its frame and 6-inch barrel are cast from stainless steel, it has Hogue rubber grips and unique to its design is its proprietary forward crane latch.

All other revolvers on this list have the cylinder release mounted on the rear of the frame but the 715’s is located is on the crane, which CZ-USA claims contributes greatly to its accuracy (the same crane latch design can be found as an additional cylinder locking feature on Taurus’ heavier Raging Bull series revolvers though).

But what’s so awesome about the 715 is with a single revolver, you can have multiple different barrel lengths. Other revolvers have fixed barrels, but the 715’s barrel can be detached from the frame (after using the included barrel wrench tool to loosen its barrel shroud), allowing for a shorter or longer barrel and shroud assembly to be installed.

The 715 Pistol Pack will set you back $1,999 but aside from the pre-installed 6-inch barrel, it also comes in a hard case that has the barrel wrench tool and additional 4-inch and 8-inch barrel and shroud assemblies.

4. ARMI SPORT DE CHIAPPA (ITALY)

If you thought the EAA Windicator on this list is ugly, next to the Chiappa Rhino it’s not at all bad looking. At least that’s what a lot of people I know would say.

Designed and developed by six-decades-old Italian firearms manufacturer Armi Sport de Chiappa, the Chiappa Rhino is a unique take on revolvers, so much so that it’s the only revolver on this list that has the barrel in the 6 o’clock position.

Conventional designs typically have the revolver barrel in the 12 o’clock position, which naturally leads to muzzle flip upon firing (more so with .357 Magnum rounds) because the barrel is positioned high above the top of the shooter’s hand. More muzzle flip means slower recovery time which leads to slower follow-up shots.

The Rhino isn’t the first revolver with its barrel in the 6 o’clock position, but it was designed by the same Italian guy who designed all the others that came before it — Emilio Ghisoni. The Mateba revolver, his penultimate brainchild, was the first to really popularize this concept.

With the Rhino barrel’s positioning and its high grip greatly lowering the bore axis, recoil can be easily controlled and there will be less muzzle flip, allowing for faster follow-up shots.

Unfortunately, because of all the mechanical alterations to the design, it has this weird rhino-ish look that a lot of revolver enthusiasts don’t like (though most non-enthusiasts see it as futuristic — it even already made its way into a few Hollywood films like this one).

Also, the Rhio’s hammer doesn’t work the same as the conventional revolver’s hammer does (again because the barrel is sitting really low). And for all of its design’s ingenuity, it still won’t beat the Medusa.

But whichever way you look at it, one thing’s for certain. It has the best handling of all the revolvers ever made, bar none. If you’re a first-time .357 Magnum revolver shooter, you’ll find taming the .357 Magnum’s recoil easy with this piece.

These 6-shot, hexagonal-cylinder Rhino revolvers are available in 2-inch, 3-inch, 4-inch, 5-inch and 6-inch barrel lengths and in black anodized, nickel-plated, and “gold” finish, with prices ranging from $1,089 to $1,652 depending on the particular configuration. Considering that these guns are designed to shoot fast, I’d highly recommend the snub-nose model as a CCW.

5. KIMBER MANUFACTURING

Everyone knows Kimber. They make some of the more expensive production 1911s and while a lot of people love them, I personally know a few who hate them to their core. They’re nothing like Taurus though — in general, their products are of relatively high quality and they don’t compete in any budget segment of firearms.

In the January 2016 SHOT Show, Kimber announced that for the first time, they are stepping into the .357 Magnum revolvers market with the launch of their K6s series DAO revolvers developed solely for concealed carry.

All K6s revolvers come completely dehorned (i.e. there are no sharp edges anywhere so it doesn’t snag clothing). Most notably, these revolvers are only slightly larger than its more established small-frame concealed-carry counterparts on this list (i.e. the S&W 360 and the Ruger SP101) but it holds 6 rounds instead of just 5.

Also, these K6s revolvers were initially only available in 2-inch barrel lengths, but just this year Kimber announced that they are producing 3-inch barrel variants. Depending on the finish, the type of grips installed and the barrel length, the K6s revolvers can cost anywhere from $850 to $1,100.

6. SMITH & WESSON

I wouldn’t bother discussing Smith & Wesson’s background as a company as theirs is a household name in the world of firearms — everyone has heard about them at some point. Of the three big revolver manufacturers in the US (the other two being Ruger and Taurus — sorry, Colt, you’re not included), Smith & Wesson sells some of the more expensive mid-priced revolvers on our list.

We have three specific models to recommend from Smith & Wesson, the first of which is the Model 360 which is a  5-shot small-frame snub nose. Its unfluted cylinder is machined from stainless steel coated with PVD finish making it highly corrosion resistant.

The Model 360 uses a scandium alloy frame that makes it lightweight but strong enough to handle the most powerful .357 Magnum loads, and it has round-butt synthetic grips for comfort. If you want a lightweight CCW piece that is light enough to carry with your person all day, for $770 this is arguably the best option on this list.