[bogie]

Well, due to Missouri becoming enlightened, I gotta go shopping...

...and I can't make up my mind.

I'm waffling between a J-frame .357, probably one of the really lightweight ones, and a small five-shot .44 special.

Considering S&W, Taurus and Ruger (haven't really looked at too many Rugers tho...

What do y'all think?

[C.R.Sam]

Try before you buy.

Both cartridges excellant.
Platforms for each vary in shootability for specific shooter.

Sam

[Standing Wolf]

The .357 magnum is the more versatile cartridge, especially if you load your own.

[jdmb03]

I have always liked a .357 over any other caliber. I'm looking at getting a 3" GP100 myself. I like a medium frame gun for carry and home.

[Gordon]

Of course Elmer Kieth said"if you use my .44spl loads(240grain bullet at 1100fps) you don't need a .357mag" . I don't agree; I'm with Standing Wolf. But get a good medium frame or heavy frame for versatility. The old Ruger Security Six was about perfect . Although I don't own one I guess the S&W L frames are good. I have K frames, N frames and a Python.

[Stainz]

Bogie,

If you are considering the two for a CCW, you should consider the ultimate use. Firstly, the .357 Magnum was not developed for personal defense - it was developed to shoot through car doors at escaping felons. That aspect may help with some body armor, but even that is doubtful. Using .38 Specials - or, at most, +P's - makes more sense for the average user, not to mention 'over-penetration'. I subscribe to the 'bigger, heavier, and slower' school - I carry .44 Specials. Certainly, my so chambered L-frame 5-shots (S&W 296 & 696) are slightly bigger than my K-framed 'snubby', a 2" M10, but they are still quite manageable - especially that lighter 296. A great round for a .44 Special chamber (or a .44 Magnum) is the Blazer 200gr GDJHP. That Speer Gold Dot is designed to open up at slow speeds (~800 fps), and the 2.5" barrel of the 296 gets it up to that speed (840 fps in the 696's 3" tube.). Make sure you can - and will - carry whayever you decide on.

Stainz

[bogie]

I'm really leaning toward the J-frame .357 - Yeah, I know I'll be better off if I shoot something a lot of I have an N-frame, but you know something?

A Raven in your pocket beats a .500 S&W that's home in the safe every day.

Right now, I'm thinking J .357, a small .44, and then a J .38 - I'm leaning to the .357 over the .38 simply because of the supposed additional strength. I'll probably just work up a +P+ .38 110-125 grain load anyway. With the .44, I'm leaning toward the lighter hollowpoints too.

Maybe I'll get both.

[Sean Smith]

I like the idea of .44 Special better. But .38 Special ammo for practicing with your .357 Magnum is alot cheaper.

[RWK]

Bogie,

I would suggest you substitute the .45 (Long) Colt for the .44 Special in your decision options.

Mildly loaded .45 Colt rounds (such as the 200 grain Winchester Silvertip) essentially replicate the .45 ACP’s performance (approximate 900 FPS muzzle velocities). Somewhat more stoutly loaded .45 Colt rounds -- but still standard pressure -- fundamentally duplicate .45 ACP +P loads (examples include 200 grain CorBons and Georgia Arm’s Gold Dots) at 1100 FPS muzzle velocity. You can increase the .45 Colt’s pressure (although I would do this only with a modern Rugers, Freedom Arms, and TCs) to -- and beyond -- .44 magnum velocities and energies. The “Long Colt” is a VERY effective and flexible cartridge -- and IT SUBSTANTIALLY OUTPERFORMS THE .44 SPECIAL.

If you consider those two alternatives -- the .45 (Long) Colt and the .357 magnum -- I believe you will have the best revolver capabilities in the 9 and 11 millimeter classes. In sum, small and fast or big and slower.

Now, with regard to the weapons, in .357 magnum I would evaluate Smith L and N frames (581, 586, 681, 686, 27, 28 and 627), probably in thee, four and fine inch barrel lengths. I would also consider Ruger GP100s (and Security and Speed Sixes). In .45 (Long) Colt, I would include four inch barrel S&W Mountain Guns and 5.5 inch Rugers (especially the Redhawk, model KHR-455).

IMHO, any of the above alternatives would be excellent. If you are going to buy just one wheelgun, it is very hard to beat the flexibility of a top-quality four or five inch .357 magnum, because it will accommodate the full-range of .357 and .38 Special loads.

My “two cents” worth. Regards.

[Airboss]

I carry a S&W 296 .44 Special with 200 Gr Gold Dots its light 19oz./23oz loaded fits in the front pocket of jeans and works well on a Kramer belt slide and for me the recoil is easier than the sharp jump with a .357 J Frame the recoil in the 296 is more of a push
My $0.02 Worth YMMV

[Pappy John]

I carry a 696 daily with the above mentioned Gold Dots and love it. I put a lot of faith in the BIG BULLET THEORY (listed right after THE BIG BANG in the "Big Book of Theories"). With regard to the .45 L.C., all mentioned are N-frame class guns.....not true daily carry pieces for most of us. I've only seen one Long Colt revolver that I'd want to carry day-in day-out, but it was a Taurus Ti snubby and I didn't get to try it and would only have touched that trigger with serious trepidation (and probably a serious flinch). I keep thinking about it though. It had that squishy ribbed grip that could eat up a lot of recoil (but thats all theory on my part).

[RWK]

Pappy, you said: “With regard to the .45 L.C., all mentioned are N-frame class guns.....not true daily carry pieces for most of us.”

N Frames, Ruger GP-100s, S&W L Frames, and other full-size revolvers are certainly concealable and have been carried daily for generations (for example, for decades the FBI’s issued sidearm was a 3.5 inch N Frame Smith M27, or its pre-27 ancestors).

Now, I neither argue with nor disrespect your – personal and individual – decision that such revolvers are simply too big, too heavy, or too unwieldy. However, I want to point out that many others have had success with full-size revolver carriage. And, of course, there are tactical payoffs; full-size wheelguns may outperfom compacts (sight radius, follow-up shots, muzzle velocity/energy, and so forth).

Regards.

[Standing Wolf]

Firstly, the .357 Magnum was not developed for personal defense - it was developed to shoot through car doors at escaping felons.

Yeah, but that was nearly seventy years ago. Ammunition has come a long way since 1935.

[Preacherman]

Bear in mind that in a similar-size gun (e.g., in S&W, the L-frame 296, 396 or 696 in .44 Special vs. the L-frame 686 or K-frame 66), the .357 Magnum variants will hold 6 rounds (or 7 in the 686+) versus 5 rounds of .44 Special. This may or may not influence your decision.

I have and carry both. I particularly like the Cor-Bon 165gr. .44 Special JHP - a genuine 1,100+ fps out of a 3" 696. This is right up there in .357 Magnum performance levels, and the few shooting results I've researched with it have been spectacularly effective. I also carry the .357 Magnum in various S&W and Ruger revolvers, and am also very happy with its performance. The .357's have the added advantage of taking cheaper .38 Special ammo for lots of practice.

[bogie]

I think I'll get a .357. Have played with a few of the smaller revolvers, and I think I'll be more likely to carry the five-shot J-frame than I would to carry the other. Winter wouldn't be a problem, but it gets darn hot here in the summer... Yeah, I coudl carry an 8 3/8" Model 29, but I wouldn't enjoy it.

Of course, I'll probably end up getting one of the Taurus .45s eventually anyway...