[Pheonix]

I do not know much about revolvers. In a quest for a good round for my wife to CC I may have decided on 357sig. However there are not many good small attractive (feminine) platforms available. She is very open to revolvers (prefers them) because she does not want to react to a jam. Is this typical of a 25yr old woman?

What is the difference between the sig and mag?

I have fount some mag revolvers with a 1.9' barrel. Is this too short to reliably expand? How long/short of a barrel is minimum?

What are the recoils for each like compares to a 9mm?

[Peter M. Eick]

I am probably not going to help much.

First all of my 357 mags are big guns. Python is a 6" barrel and the DW 15 is a 8" barrel. This makes CC out of the question. While the 357sig is a 229sport also a big full size gun.

The difference in recoil is noticeable. The 357 mag can crank up some harsh recoil with 158 grn and 180 grn max load slugs. The 357sig with the comp does not recoil much at all, but it is quite loud.

To compare it to a 9mm. The 357sig is a bit more recoil then a 9mm+p out of P7PSP while the 357mag is a LOT more recoil.

As to CC, neither would be my choice. I carry a 9mm H&K P7-PSP and like the small thin and very reliable nature.

[braindead0]

I think that in order to get a reasonable CCW package using .357, you'll end up with a pretty hefty kick. The .357 magnum has a lot more power in factory loads than the .357 sig (ex: SIG 147gr JHP 1,200 fps, Mag 148gr 1600fps).

I think she would be better off with 9mm (as there are many more platforms available, even pretty colored Ket-tecs ;-).

A .357 snubby can be a harsh thing, she could shoot .38spl in it but then you're getting into power levels lower than 9mm (and in theory stopping power). On the other hand, practice with .38 and a little practice with .357 perhaps.

It sounds like you should take her to a range and try out some concealable .357's ;-)

Hold on a second, Canton Ohio? So am I!

You outta bring her out to the IDPA match we're having this Sunday. I'll be working the sign-in desk, you don't have to be an IDPA member to shoot the match. If we're having a side match (possible, not sure), I'm sure we could find a couple of different things she could try in the side match ;-)

You a member at Tusco by any chance? The wife and I might be down there practicing for the qualifier.

[caz223]

If you get her a 357SIG, and she finds that it recoils too much for her, (Most smaller, lighter guns have more recoil.) that's it, you can't really do much.
I like 357SIG as a caliber (It's very expensive to practice with, though.)]
If you wind up with a .357 magnum snubby, and it has too much recoil, she can drop down to .38 special +P.
If you want cheap rounds for practice, standard .38 special rounds are very cheap to shoot.
.357 mag is definately more flexible, and will prolly be the general consensus.

[MK11]

The .357 mag is much more versatile than the .357 Sig but the .357 Sig excels at what it does: offer good stopping power in a small, controllable auto. Yeah, the .357 mag whips the .357 Sig's butt when you compare an 8-inch Colt Python to a 3-inch P239, but when you compare it to a gun you're actually gonna carry, they're within 50fps of each other.

But having said that, I vote for the revolver. Both are excellent calibers, I think the deciding factor here should be the operating platform that she prefers. Load it with hot .38s or light .357s and she is good to go.

[braindead0]

they're within 50fps of each other.

Not quite true, .357 will still push 158gr bullets to 1500+ fps out of a 2" barrel (with the right powder). But pistols chambered in Sig do can have an advantage in concealability, particularly in the width department. Perhaps a compensated snubby might be suitable...

[MK11]

With handloads, I can see it (another advantage for the .357 mag). But not factory loads.

[Mike Irwin]

Heavy kick and a good .357 Mag. revolver CCW package are not exclusive.

Remington's 125-gr. Golden Saber load is not a bad recoiling round, even out of the small guns, yet shows excellent performance in ballistic gelatin.

Even out of a J-frame it's not punishing.

I carry that load in my 2.5" Model 19 and it's very accommodating to shoot.

[Handy]

I don't think anyone really addressed you last question about recoil and 9mm.

.357 Mag, in any revolver, is going to kick, alot. Unless your wife is a hearty type who doesn't mind getting kicked around and huge booms, she will likely hate shooting a .357 mag, especially out of a pistol small enough to carry. All of the novice shooters I know, including men and women, don't care to shoot full power .357 in a revolver.

Autos absorb a fair amount of recoil when they cycle. .357 Sig recoils about the same as .40, which is to say more briskly than 9mm. It also costs more than .40, and alot more than 9mm. But it will recoil considerably less than a similar load in a revolver.


Not to derail your question, but how did you decide to skip the cheap, efficient, low recoil, reliable 9mm when looking for a carry pistol for your wife? There are many good choices in 9mm, and your wife may appreciate the lower recoil. 9mm is a starting point, and one you need to rule out before moving on to bigger, pricier calibers.

[Dave T]

.357 will still push 158gr bullets to 1500+ fps out of a 2" barrel

Not with any published, safe load I have seen, heard of, or tried. I have been running factory ammo and handloads through chronograph screens for 20 years. I know of no safe load that will drive a 158g bullet at 1500 fps from a 4" barrel. Getting that velocity out of a 2" barrel is preposterous.

[gharsh]

My wife hates shooting her model 60 with .357s. She does not mind putting .38s through it though.

You said that your wife wants a revolver for the ease of use. Get a good .357 and practice with both those and .38s and see what she thinks. Or better yet, rent a couple different guns and let her try them out. There are good platforms in any of the mentioned calibers. She may find she likes one over another.

You'll notice a great difference in recoil from the revolver to the autos. I feel that .357 has much more recoil than any auto I've shot.

In my experience, I had my wife try different guns and she found she felt more comfortable with the revolver. She had a hard time racking the slide on the autos. With practice, she has become pretty good with her choice of revovler and feels confident having it around.

[braindead0]

Not with any published, safe load I have seen, heard of, or tried. I have been running factory ammo and handloads through chronograph screens for 20 years. I know of no safe load that will drive a 158g bullet at 1500 fps from a 4" barrel. Getting that velocity out of a 2" barrel is preposterous.

Alliant and Winchester have several loads that exceed 1600fps from a 5.5", and I've shot a couple of similar loads (not even at listed max) that exceed 1500fps from my 4" GP-100. I've chronographed 158gr LSWC from a 2" barrel at 1470 without exceeding max load parameters.

[Majic]

Alot of people grossly underestimate the power of a .38sp, but most of them readily load them in the snub .357mags. Get her a quality .38sp, perferably a 3" model. It will be potentialy more accurate than the .357 model loaded with .38sp. The .357mag in a small frame handgun is a real handful, quick follow up shots with one is no easy feat. Learning to shoot the small .357's with .38sp is very good training, but when she switches to the .357mag the learning curve starts all over again because the handgun transform into an entirely different beast.

[braindead0]

Not only the slow followups, but I'd imagine shooting a lot of full-house .357's into a small frame snub wouldn't be a good idea.

You can still get the 158gr LSWC-HP loads from what I hear, supposed to be very effective.

[duncan]

For a CCW gun in 357 sig, the Sig P239 or the Glock 33 or 32 are really nice.

Revolvers are nice but in 357 mag, a bit big for CCW. And the recoil is a whopper too!

Most women would not like that revolver.

She'll need to to practice clearing jams.