Which do you have? 357 Mag, 44 Mag, or both.

Which do you have? 357 Mag, 44 Mag, or both.

  • 357 Magnum

    Votes: 69 31.4%
  • 44 Magnum

    Votes: 13 5.9%
  • Both

    Votes: 124 56.4%
  • Neither

    Votes: 8 3.6%
  • Some other flavor

    Votes: 6 2.7%

  • Total voters
    220
Status
Not open for further replies.
I've had both but currently have neither, but I really like both cartridges and they are, to me, two of the most versatile cartridges you could own. The .44 will win for power, however the 357 Mag is no slouch and could be used for hunting most critters. Overall the 357 will be cheaper to reload for and shoot...but again, both are superb so if you can have both, do it.
 
Old Model Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 magnum 7.5"

Rossi Model 712 357 magnum 6"
Taurus Old Model 66 357 magnum 6"
Taurus Model 689 357 magnum 4"
New Model Ruger Blackhawk 357 magnum 6.5"

I have more examples of "specials" (38 and 44) than magnums. And four 32 magnums.

The SBH is my favorite firearm. It seems kind of pointless to buy another 44 magnum; I already know I won't enjoy it as much.

I don't hunt anymore. For me the specials and the 4" 357 are for SD. The 44 magnum and longer 357's are just for funsies.

I shoot my semiautomatics just as much, but I always seem to enjoy my revolvers more.
 
Have a Colt Model 357 and a Security Six. I like the idea of a big bore revolver, but if I decided on one it would be a Redhawk 45 ACP/45 Colt rather than a 44 - unless I got a really good deal on one, that is...:rofl:
 
That would invite the question - what part of your linking/practice benefits from the extra power and expenditure? My cheapest .357 plated bullets are less than 6 cents per, and that is a significant savings if we are going to phrase the remarks in the context of plinking/practice components.
The part where I believe it's a superior field cartridge. If you use the .44 as a field cartridge, a purpose for which it excels, what purpose would it serve to practice with a .357?

There's no disputing the fact that .357 bullets are cheaper than .44's. However, if the cartridge does not fit your intended purpose, how relevant is that point? The question here is not which is the most economical to shoot, it's a question of versatility. As I said before, it all hinges on intended purpose. If your purpose is saving money, then the choice is clear. If you purpose is big game, it should also be clear.
 
There's no disputing the fact that .357 bullets are cheaper than .44's. However, if the cartridge does not fit your intended purpose, how relevant is that point? The question here is not which is the most economical to shoot, it's a question of versatility. As I said before, it all hinges on intended purpose. If your purpose is saving money, then the choice is clear. If you purpose is big game, it should also be clear.
This thread is actually the 'which do you own', not he most versatile. .357 definitely serves my purposes better; I'm glad you know what serves yours. But my point did not involve field superiority at all just the relative economics and whether reloading removes that differential.
 
Horses for courses... I own both...

While I do own snubnosed 44mags and full sized 357mags, I generally conform to the following: 44mag is a field cartridge, and 357mag is a defensive cartridge. My 357's are mostly J-frames, and the GP100/K/L really don't tickle me; I only own them because I own a LOT of things... Comparatively, most of my 44mags are long barreled revolvers meant for field use. I do have a collection of original Vaquero 44mags in various lengths, and I do have a handful of 44mag snubbies - again, because I own a lot of things, but largely, I prefer 6"-7.5" barrels on my 44mags for field use, and the L-frame 69 just doesn't turn my crank.

Big for big use, little for little use... The two aren't comparable, they're contrasted...
 
Both of the subjects of this thread are represented here...... Two 357 Mags. and a lone 44 Mag.. I agree with Varminterror in that my 44 Mag.; a 7.5" Redhawk is for field use, AKA hunting. The two 357 Mags are primarily a defensive thing and it's nice to have the flexibility to be able to use some +P+ 38 Spl. handloads in a 357 because I'm sure they'd also work well at normal self defense distances. The S&W 686 would be my choice for self defense although I'm also very fond of the 357 Blackhawk, ( It's a twin of Armored Farmer's; even has the same Pachmayr grips... see post # 56). I sometimes carry the Blackhawk stoked with full house 357's using a 180 gr. hard cast bullet in an area with black bears so that would also qualify as self defense carry. Only thing missing in my life now is a 45 Colt but that would be off topic for this thread. IMG_0174.JPG IMG_1590.JPG IMG_1631.JPG ( left to right - Redhawk..........Blackhawk...........686 )
 
I have both. Actually my first handgun was a .44 mag Anaconda I inherited from my grandpa. While I quickly appreciated it's accuracy, it also taught me a lot of bad habits that stayed with me until I bought a Buckmark and re-taught myself how to shoot a handgun.

17 years later and the Anaconda is still my only .44 mag, but I've picked up a few .357's over the years and have my eyes on several more. I find the recoil on the .44 mag to be too brutal for practical use to bother expanding in that caliber, but I don't mind the recoil from .357 mags, even in small frame snubbies.
 
Colt Magnum Carry (see icon) .357 Magnum

Dan Wesson 15-2, 4 inch .357 Magnum

Ruger Vaquero, glossy stainless, 44 Magnum
 
I have two .357's (one SA and one DA). I have one .44 magnum in single action. Single actions are Ruger Blackhawk and Super Blackhawk. The double action is a Taurus 66. I reload for both.
 
I said early on what power level do you want to be versatile at, after five pages of posts I stand by that.

And cost, as noted by a few, is a factor, some would rather be versatile at a lower level cost wise. It simply costs more to shoot bigger bullets. I get that, and it's why I shoot more 9MM than .45 ACP and more .357 than .44 Spl or Mag, despite loving the .44 Spl and .45 ACP and liking the .44 Mag. Shooting less .44 Mag is also a recoil issue with me. 50 rounds isn't nearly as fun as 18. :)
 
I'm the odd man out here. I frankly just sold the 357 and replaced it with a more sensible 327 federal to me. I always said the 357 was not big enough for a serious big game gun, and more than nesacary for small game, even with 38 specials, which were what it would perform best for the smaller game with. I think the lighter boolits in the 32 will make it a better small game gun and what I intend on using it for, as well as cheaper just plain plinking.

then on the 44 side, I sold it years ago and have used the 45 Colt for any serious large game hogs and whitetails since. Not that the 44 can't but I think the 45 is a better big game cartridge with 340 grain and comparable weight boolits, on hogs and heavy bone animals. I also think the only advantage the 454 has over it, after owning several, is to do the same thing the old Colt does just capable of doing it at longer distance. Since I choose to hunt with handguns to get closer to my game,, the 454 has been abandon mostly for the 45 Colt.

If I hunted big bear or African plains game I have a 480 but rely have no need for it as I don't hunt those bigger dangerous game animals.
 
I have a Taurus Model 627 Tracker in .357 Mag. Don't have any .44's yet, maybe someday when the funds are available and the boss lady agree's. FIL has a .44 Mag not sure the make or model, I've shot it and like it, but it's a western 6 shooter type and I think I'd rather have a modern in matte SS.
 
I have a 7.5" Redhawk in .44. To me, a .357 didn't really have a place, since 9mm is cheaper and easier to handle as a range and CCW gun, and if I'm gonna do something with a big ol' magnum wheelgun I might as well make the next step up. I do have a .38 J-frame for carry, though.

It's funny, my Redhawk is heavy enough it isn't a chore to shoot. With .44 specials it's like a .38, and standard magnum loads aren't much worse. My girlfriend fired it a few times an hour after she learned to shoot a .22 pistol and the recoil didn't bother her. Only real problem is the cost of ammo since I don't have a reloading setup.
 
:what:

Now that's a bad day!

Now.... let me tell you about my foolish gun trades/sales that I regret. Well, there was the 4" no dash 686, ...... *Sigh* Shoulda woulda, coulda. :)

OK, that actually makes me feel better! I haven't had a handgun since as accurate as that customized Redhawk, and did not appreciate it fully at the time. My rule since then is only sell generic guns, unless it is one I just don't enjoy shooting any more.

Don't dwell on it...don't dwell on it...don't dwell on it...Aaaaaaaack!...Don't dwell on it...
 
I don't own a 44 magnum handgun. I have owned them in the past and after getting a Model 57 (41 mag) I didn't much have a use for the 44's. I have a number of Model 57's. Eventually I bumped up in the power scale to a 480 Ruger for whitetail hunting versus using the 41 mag. At the time, I was intrigued with the new cartridge and got a SRH in 480. I like the 480 but prefer to shoot it in a BFR.

I believe my second revolver that I purchased years ago was a Colt Python (357 mag). Never really shot the thing very well, so eventually I sold it. I was mostly shooting 22's then (as I do now) and I suspect I really never learned how to deal with the recoil. That changed later. I own a Ruger GP-100, S&W Model 19, and Colt Trooper Mark III in 357 mag currently. The Colt is my favored shooter and the Model 19 stays at home pretty much unfired. The 3" Ruger is my "house gun".
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top