.357 Magnum vs .45 ACP
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But as you say except this , or that and it is dependable with FACTORY ammo .
I have to make no such exceptions with my S&W 586 or my Taurus 669 , S&W 19 or even a cheap old Rossi 972 all in 357 .
You think 100% reliability is overly exaggerated ?
I certainly hope when you say 100+ rounds it is way over the 100 round count before that 9 chokes on you , I regularly shoot 300-500 rounds with my 1911's in an afternoon at the range without a single malfunction or any maintenance to the gun at the range . If I didn't the gun would be off to a Smith to have the thing fixed , and still I often keep a 357 by my bedside or in the glove box because I KNOW not THINK it will work when I need it to .
sicario103
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BigO01- Hmm.. yeah I can say it way over 100 rounds... closing on 170-190 around. The ammo that I used to use at the range are real cheap @ss reloads. They were so cheap that you can notice the difference between each of them when you shoot at metal targets...they were unevenly loaded... you can even say carelessly done. Try to shoot 100+ rounds with that with any of your guns and you'll have a malfunction- take my word for it. I eventually stopped using them after one of those rounds messed up my barrel (It expanded (bubbled) my barrel). After that, all I use are factory rounds. You see back home, everything from guns, accesories and ammo is freaking expensive.
So yeah, I consider an auto just as reliable as any wheel gun.
I said obsolete because you don't see any police agency or military use them anymore. Of all the people that I know that carry guns... and that's a hell lot of them (I'm originally from Venezuela) only 2 of them carry wheels. There were quite a few of them that used to carry revolvers but have switched to autos. And the ones that kept their wheel guns after the switch, they keep them at home and carry their autos.
Originally Posted by BigO01
I don't use any type of reloads anymore and I ONLY carry factory loads for SD.
By the way.... you say that you shoot 300-500 rounds with your 1911's without any problems, right? So, would you not agree with me that autos are just as reliable as a revolver? Well, you just agreed with me that (since autos are easier to carry, reload and conceal) revolvers are in fact obsolete.
So yeah, I consider an auto just as reliable as any wheel gun.
I said obsolete because you don't see any police agency or military use them anymore. Of all the people that I know that carry guns... and that's a hell lot of them (I'm originally from Venezuela) only 2 of them carry wheels. There were quite a few of them that used to carry revolvers but have switched to autos. And the ones that kept their wheel guns after the switch, they keep them at home and carry their autos.
Originally Posted by BigO01
I don't use any type of reloads anymore and I ONLY carry factory loads for SD.
By the way.... you say that you shoot 300-500 rounds with your 1911's without any problems, right? So, would you not agree with me that autos are just as reliable as a revolver? Well, you just agreed with me that (since autos are easier to carry, reload and conceal) revolvers are in fact obsolete.
With good ammunition 3 rounds of either caliber with good shot placement should do the trick.
They both are damn good at what they do. Buy both, and don;t get drawn into silly "one caliber vs another" worries.
If you do your job of picking the a good hollowpoint and putting them on target well, either round will carry the day.
that's my .02
They both are damn good at what they do. Buy both, and don;t get drawn into silly "one caliber vs another" worries.
If you do your job of picking the a good hollowpoint and putting them on target well, either round will carry the day.
that's my .02
.38 Special
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Ah, I see you took my post seriously. FWIW: I'm never serious with a troll.
MCgunner
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Yep, done to death. Much as I like my .357s, even a K frame is bulky in an IWB. I carry my Ruger P90 some, but never my .357s, although I often carry a .38 snub.
Just my opinion, mind you, but the 28 is HUGE for CCW. If you are carrying concealed, what's another 2" of barrel in the scheme of things? a 2" gun KILLS a hot .357 load. It will perform much better and your sight radius will let you place it better out of a 4" gun and I can't imagine it'd be that much tougher to carry or slower on the draw in such a big framed gun.
My ideal carry .357, and I don't own one, would be a SP101 with 3" tube. Comfortable IWB, accurate, and powerful.
Pardon me if someone already stated this. I didn't read all the post yet, didn't wanna get tangled up in yet another caliber war.
Just my opinion, mind you, but the 28 is HUGE for CCW. If you are carrying concealed, what's another 2" of barrel in the scheme of things? a 2" gun KILLS a hot .357 load. It will perform much better and your sight radius will let you place it better out of a 4" gun and I can't imagine it'd be that much tougher to carry or slower on the draw in such a big framed gun.
My ideal carry .357, and I don't own one, would be a SP101 with 3" tube. Comfortable IWB, accurate, and powerful.
Pardon me if someone already stated this. I didn't read all the post yet, didn't wanna get tangled up in yet another caliber war.
EddieCoyle
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Dude, where are you putting your face?
MCgunner
Member
Yep, read over it, typical responses. It's like de-ja-vu all over again, well, except for the .45 that's pelting the guy in the face. ROFLMAO! Get that ejection port opened up! Or, just buy a Ruger P90.
SWMAN
Member
Man, choosing between a .357 and .45 auto is a tough choice. Both can do the job. I've carried both and both are favorities along with the .44 magnum. When I carry a revolver, its .357, an auto, mostly .45 acp. For hunting, the .357 gets the nod, as well as using .38 specials. I guess the .357 is a bit more flexible in the loads it will shoot. I've even been told that it will shoot .38 supers safely. If I had to choose, I like the 1911 as my first choice in handgun w/.45 acp , but the .357 as a caliber.
defiant73a
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Must be your holster (or maybe your build). I have no trouble comfortably carrying large revolvers concealed (up to and including a five-inch Model 27)--a three-inch Model 65LS (a K-frame) carries like a dream.
It's very hard to make accurate generalizations about concealed carried because are there are just too many variables.
115grfmj
Member
Whatever works for you, why does one have to be better than the other.
My 686+ (.357 4") will flatten you, but I wouldn't want to be hit by any 45 either.
Brian Williams
Moderator Emeritus
GeeWhiz, carry both 
and shoot with both hands , swap hands at each reload. 
They are both good rounds and have proven track records along with the platform that is used for each. The biggest problem is not the cartridge, load out, platform or gun, the holster it rides in but it is the software holding it.
A smooth operator with a measly 380 single shot has a better chance over a slob with a glockaTaurii,SIG-hk'colterS&W semi-belt-fed-revoloader
Get one of each and shoot, get training and KNOW what you are capable of.
OBTW a wise old man once told me the best defense is to not be there...
b
<><
and shoot with both hands , swap hands at each reload. They are both good rounds and have proven track records along with the platform that is used for each. The biggest problem is not the cartridge, load out, platform or gun, the holster it rides in but it is the software holding it.
A smooth operator with a measly 380 single shot has a better chance over a slob with a glockaTaurii,SIG-hk'colterS&W semi-belt-fed-revoloader
Get one of each and shoot, get training and KNOW what you are capable of.
OBTW a wise old man once told me the best defense is to not be there...
b
<><
GungHo
Member
Um... ever consider tuning that extractor?
LightningJoe
Member
Revolvers aren't obsolete. Maybe obsolescent. Still, what's looks better on paper may not provide an advantage in a gunfight. If you're focusing on caliber or type of action, you're probably looking in the wrong place.
Panthera Tigris
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Not worth the effort for me. I'm concentrating on learning the shotgun now anyway.
Heavy Barrel
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How do you "learn" a shotgun?
boomstik45
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Again? Didn't I just see this very same "argument" on another thread?
Between the two, I'd choose the .45. For the same reasons as I posted in the .44 spl/.45 thread. It's been proven effective. Whether it's more effective or less, than the .357 magnum isn't what I'm concerned with. The fact that it's a low pressure round is my issue. If you've ever had to shoot a .357 magnum or any high pressure round in an enclosed area, you understand why I choose a low pressure one.
Eightball
Member
On a "round-only" basis, .357 has more power, more pentration, and just works better. Looking at ballistic gels further backs this up.
It doesn't have to be a "revo vs 1911" thing---you could have a Desert Eagle. Though, in my revo, I've got 7; the average 1911 can't beat that by much (but I love 1911's). for now, I'd use what I've got.
It boils down to this: .357 is a more powerful round, but .45 is just powerful. Both will do the job equally well--whatever you shoot will be just as dead.
And, just to say it: revo's are obsolete. That doesn't mean they aren't effective, fun, reliable, etc. Autos are more advanced; they are also effective and fun, and provide higher capacity and better use of space--but they can't work if you have a dud round. That is the whole argument in a nutshell.
It doesn't have to be a "revo vs 1911" thing---you could have a Desert Eagle. Though, in my revo, I've got 7; the average 1911 can't beat that by much (but I love 1911's). for now, I'd use what I've got.
It boils down to this: .357 is a more powerful round, but .45 is just powerful. Both will do the job equally well--whatever you shoot will be just as dead.
And, just to say it: revo's are obsolete. That doesn't mean they aren't effective, fun, reliable, etc. Autos are more advanced; they are also effective and fun, and provide higher capacity and better use of space--but they can't work if you have a dud round. That is the whole argument in a nutshell.
Confederate
Member
I have both autoloaders and revolvers and think either should be able to do the job. Revolvers, however, can be shot limp-wristed and with a bad or weak primer can be tried again without clearing the weapon. If only one shot can be fired, you're likely to get a better one-shot stop with a .357 125-gr. JHP. Going up to .357 158-gr. JHP, you'll be better off with a .45.
The semi-auto is a better choice when firing multiple shots (if it works flawlessly). If a BG hits the barrel just as you pull the trigger, the autoloader can malfunction. Many swear by their autoloader's reliability, but I've never been to the range without seeing someone have a jam.
My most reliable auto is a Smith & Wesson 645 and I would choose it indoors in my own home. Outdoors and camping, I'd take my Ruger Security-Six .357. The latter might overpenetrate indoors, but it's fine everywhere else. I also see many cases of self defense in newspaper and other reports each year, and I just don't find that high-capacity has made much of a difference, if any. But I do hear of occasional jams.
Police work is another thing entirely, but for personal defense, primarily outdoors and on the road, the .357 is hard to beat.
The semi-auto is a better choice when firing multiple shots (if it works flawlessly). If a BG hits the barrel just as you pull the trigger, the autoloader can malfunction. Many swear by their autoloader's reliability, but I've never been to the range without seeing someone have a jam.
My most reliable auto is a Smith & Wesson 645 and I would choose it indoors in my own home. Outdoors and camping, I'd take my Ruger Security-Six .357. The latter might overpenetrate indoors, but it's fine everywhere else. I also see many cases of self defense in newspaper and other reports each year, and I just don't find that high-capacity has made much of a difference, if any. But I do hear of occasional jams.
Police work is another thing entirely, but for personal defense, primarily outdoors and on the road, the .357 is hard to beat.
Folks, just because something "newer" comes along, doesn't make everything before it obsolete. I hear the same arguement against the 1911's from the techno crowd. This is usually the same crowd that thinks hanging all sorts of doodads, lasers, tritium sights and other "tacticool" stuff from their guns somehow make up for lack of basic marksmanship.
A revolver has it's limitations due to it's design. All handguns are a compromise in their own way. For a lot of folks, those limitations don't matter because the gun fills their particular need. I'm not a huge revolver fan myself, but I own a few because they fill a particular need.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is our self defense needs aren't much different than they have ever been. Poking a hole in a bad guy to save our life is a very basic thing. Any gun and ammo combination that can do it effectively will work. Everything else is just marketing.
Remember, the gun companies are in the business of selling you a new gun. Since guns don't just wear out and get replaced regularly like many of the other items we own, they try to sell you a new one by making you dislike the one you already have.
"It can survive being frozen in ice, dropped from airplanes, ran over by bulldozers, and a bunch of other things you don't do to your gun anyway. Can your gun do that? That's why you need to buy ours!"
Sound familiar to anyone?
Keep it basic, keep it simple, and learn to shoot it extremely well. All the ammo capacity and tacticool doodads in the world won't make up for poor marksmanship. Good marksmanship makes everything else unimportant anyway.
A revolver has it's limitations due to it's design. All handguns are a compromise in their own way. For a lot of folks, those limitations don't matter because the gun fills their particular need. I'm not a huge revolver fan myself, but I own a few because they fill a particular need.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is our self defense needs aren't much different than they have ever been. Poking a hole in a bad guy to save our life is a very basic thing. Any gun and ammo combination that can do it effectively will work. Everything else is just marketing.
Remember, the gun companies are in the business of selling you a new gun. Since guns don't just wear out and get replaced regularly like many of the other items we own, they try to sell you a new one by making you dislike the one you already have.
"It can survive being frozen in ice, dropped from airplanes, ran over by bulldozers, and a bunch of other things you don't do to your gun anyway. Can your gun do that? That's why you need to buy ours!"
Sound familiar to anyone?
Keep it basic, keep it simple, and learn to shoot it extremely well. All the ammo capacity and tacticool doodads in the world won't make up for poor marksmanship. Good marksmanship makes everything else unimportant anyway.
Panthera Tigris
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If we're ever in a EOTWAWK scenario, and parts for all of the autos become scarce when recoil springs, magazine springs, etc go bad, revolvers won't be so obsolete anymore. Yeah they have parts too, but I think wheelguns will last longer than most autos if you can't find replacement parts for them.
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