Based in Istanbul, Turkey, Sarsilmaz Silah Sanayi is a well-known firearm manufacturer with a storied history stretching back to 1880. Today, it is the official supplier of sidearms for the Turkish national police and armed forces: Its production capabilities range from .25-cal. pistols up to .50-cal. machine guns that are exported to almost 80 different countries. SAR Firearms, established in 2017 and located in Miami, Fla., is the branch of the company that imports a variety of affordably priced semi-automatic pistols for distribution here in the United States.
But tucked in among the various semi-automatics available from SAR is a selection of .357 Mag. double-action revolvers. Dubbed the SR 38 series, they have been imported off and on over the years through various distributors but were recently re-introduced by SAR Firearms. Model options include blued or stainless-steel finishes with a choice of 4" or 6" barrels. This evaluation takes a closer look at the stainless-steel 4"-barreled model.
The SR 38 is a medium-frame, double-action revolver with a six-shot cylinder and an overall profile reminiscent of the Smith & Wesson 686. The frame is forged X12Cr13 stainless steel, with the remaining components formed from various stainless-steel alloys. The barrel, cylinder and frame are a natural silver color with a matte finish, however, the company opted for a somewhat two-tone appearance, as the stainless-steel front sight, ejector rod, yoke, extractor, trigger, cylinder release and hammer are all a matte black that matches the rubber grip. This revolver’s serial number is deeply engraved on the right side of the frame below the cylinder and on the right side of the barrel.
Factory-installed sights consist of a relatively tall ramp up front that is pinned into the barrel and a fully adjustable, square-notch rear. The rear sight assembly is set into a removable black plate secured to the frame by a pair of small screws. At first glance, one would think the company is providing its customers with an optics-ready model, however, at the time of this writing, SAR Firearms is not offering an optics-mounting system to take the place of the rear sight assembly for the SR 38 series. We feel this is a wasted opportunity that the company will rectify in the future.
The 4" barrel features six-groove, right-handed rifling with an uncommon 1:15.75" twist rate. The barrel’s full underlug has a cutout that shrouds the knurled-tip ejector rod. The fluted six-shot cylinder swings out to the left side of frame in typical double-action fashion and rotates counterclockwise. The left-side cylinder release is of the S&W style; it is pressed forward to open the action. The hammer’s relatively narrow spur is checkered for improved purchase when manually cocking the revolver. A traditional rounded trigger guard houses the deeply curved, smooth-faced trigger.
Double-action-revolver aficionados can discover most of what they want to know about a given model’s qualities by simply dry-firing the gun. The SR 38’s long double-action trigger was impressively smooth with a typical pull weight of 11 lbs., 5 ozs. Cocking the hammer for single-action fire reduced the trigger’s arc of travel to just 1/8", and it exhibited a clean, if still slightly heavy, break at 5 lbs., 15 ozs., of pressure.
The SR 38 grip frame is of the S&W round-butt variety. It ships with a one-piece, soft-rubber grip. It features swirling panels of light texturing to either side, deep finger grooves along the frontstrap and a partially exposed backstrap. It is comfortable, hand-filling and allows for high placement of the shooting hand. The gun arrives in a foam-lined storage case along with a self-contained cleaning kit that includes a handle, brass rod, eyelet and two bore brushes—one polymer and one bronze.
At the range, the SAR SR 38 was evaluated using a variety of .38 Spl. and .357 Mag. loads. The revolver proved to be reliable with all ammunition tested. The controls exhibited smooth and proper operations throughout the course of testing. Unloaded, this all-stainless-steel wheelgun weighs 41 ozs. Although it may be a bit on the heavy side when compared to modern polymer-frame pistols, this added weight contributes to much more manageable levels of felt recoil. This is especially evident, and appreciated, when firing full-power .357 Mag. cartridges.
Today’s medium-frame-revolver fans have few options in what could be considered mid-priced models. American-made guns from Smith & Wesson and Ruger have suggested retail prices beginning at $1,000; imports from Brazil and the Philippines start at around $500 but often don’t show the same level of refinement in fit and finish as the more expensive models. The Turkish SR 38 offers a level of quality that can comfortably compete with basic U.S. models but has a listed price starting at only $649.