Handgun cartridge face-off: 357 Magnum vs. 10 mm Auto

357 Magnum or 10 mm Auto as your only centerfire handgun cartridge?

  • 357 Magnum, because I prefer the cartridge

  • 10 mm Auto, because I prefer the cartridge

  • 357 magnum, because I prefer revolvers in general

  • 10 mm Auto, because I prefer auto pistols in general

  • 357 Magnum, for another reason

  • 10 mm Auto, for another reason

Results are only viewable after voting.
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That's easy.

.357

Much more versatile.

Bullets from 110 to 210 grains. Guns from tiny to huge and semi-auto as well- if you can find one. A lever action .357 is great fun.

It will work in any situation, from targets to IDPA to end of the world.

Bill Wilson says he get more 10mm's returned for warranty work than any other gun he makes.
 
Performance wise they do about the same thing from guns of equal overall length. Remember, a 3" barreled revolver is about the same overall length as a 4.5" semi auto. Comparing the ballistics of 357 mag from a 3" or 4" revolver to a 10mm semi with a 4.5" to 5" barrel and it's a wash. But if you start shooting 357 mag from 6" to 8" barrels it beats 10mm, even if you fire 10mm from longer barrels.

It comes down to use. I still like 357 mag from a 6" or longer barrel for hunting. The better triggers of most revolvers, longer barrels, better sights, and added velocity make a more effective tool for hunting IMO.

But while I hunt, I don't handgun hunt. I do however often carry a handgun in the woods and I like a 10mm pistol for that. It is lighter, more compact, and holds more rounds. For what I do it is the most power I can get in a package that is easily carried. I'm not planning on taking longish range shots on big game.
 
joneb said:
Seems like the 41 magnum and the 10mm would be a closer comparison than the 357 magnum vs the 10mm?
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41 Mag is substantially more cartridge than 357 Mag or 10mm. 357 Mag and 10mm from full size handguns both produce a bit over 700 ft-lb of muzzle energy when loaded with heavy for caliber bullets loaded to near SAAMI MAP for each cartridge. 10mm Auto has a slight weight advantage due to is larger caliber and 357 Magnum has a velocity/energy advantage with mid to light for caliber bullets due to is larger case volume. Not enough difference for the target to tell the difference though in most cases. 41 Mag on the other hand reached 1000 ft-lbs rather easily with bullets heavier than 357 Mag or 10mm auto can push when loaded close to SAAMI MAP for the cartridge. 10 mm Magnum get very close to 41 Mag performance but no one is making a semi-auto in that cartridge any more, the few people using the cartridge are usually converting 10mm revolvers to it.
 
For the purposes of this poll, assume your only other handgun is a 22LR of your choice.
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Well, it’s been a few years since this was true but the first centerfire I had, back when I only had one, was a 357. The .22 actually came 2nd.

The 10mm didn’t even exist for me to consider…I’ve got them now but lived happily without them in the past.
 
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jmorris said:
Well, it’s been a few years since this was true but the first centerfire I had, back when I only had one, was a 357. The .22 actually came 2nd.
Click to expand...

Same for me, three decades ago.

I have to admit that if I was young and starting from scratch right now in 2022, I’d give 10mm some serious thought.
 
Currently the percentages definitely show .357 Magnum to be favored over 10mm.

357 Magnum = 64.6%

10 mm Auto = 35.4%

A couple of years ago I was seriously looking into buying a 10mm gun. The Glock 20 was high on that list, but then I started looking into reloading the round and I am sure had the cost of components been more reasonable I would have gotten a 10mm handgun…or a couple. ;)
I just didn’t see any advantage for me. I did have a S&W 610 flirting with me at a gun store and the day I decided to go to that store and handle it someone had purchased it. A couple of months later CoVid hit and that was it. I haven’t seen a 10mm handgun since, but, to be fair, I haven’t been looking either.
 
Pat Riot said:
Currently the percentages definitely show .357 Magnum to be favored over 10mm.

357 Magnum = 64.6%

10 mm Auto = 35.4%

A couple of years ago I was seriously looking into buying a 10mm gun. The Glock 20 was high on that list, but then I started looking into reloading the round and I am sure had the cost of components been more reasonable I would have gotten a 10mm handgun…or a couple. ;)
I just didn’t see any advantage for me. I did have a S&W 610 flirting with me at a gun store and the day I decided to go to that store and handle it someone had purchased it. A couple of months later CoVid hit and that was it. I haven’t seen a 10mm handgun since, but, to be fair, I haven’t been looking either.
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I would be will to bet the 357 Mag skews older and the 10mm skews younger given the demographic I have seen on this forum.

What settled it for me was shooting 357 Magnum without ear pro. Did that once and never again, that was by far the most painful sound I have experienced shooting, or while working in heavy industry and my ears rang the rest of that day. I can shoot my 10mm revolver without ear pro and though unpleasant and no doubt contributing to long term hearing lost I do not have the immediate ringing afterwards. So though I have both 357 Magnum and 10mm in hunting appropriate size revolvers I used the 10mm. The 357 Magnum cartridge never gets used by me any more for anything. My 627 is a gamer gun fed 38 Short Colt and my Blackhawk ride the backshelf of the gun cabinet (its had more 9mm through it than 357 Mag but a larger margin). If I am going to shoot a handgun as loud a 357 Mag I might as well break out the 44 Mag and do it right.
 
A 10mm revolver can shoot 40S&W in a similar fashion to 38 Special in a 357 Magnum. The 10mm revolver always comes factory ready for moonclips and we all know moonclips rule. :neener: If you have your 10mm Auto revolver reamed to 10mm Magnum you now have a three cartridge revolver with no hardware changes. Mix and match on a single moonclip if so inclined

Many of the 10mm Auto semi-autos can be converted to 40S&W or 357 Sig with a barrel change. Its also not unheard of to shoot 40S&W from an un modified 10mm Auto especially with Glocks but I suspect most of the 10mm M&P and XD could handle it too.
 
joneb said:
Seems like the 41 magnum and the 10mm would be a closer comparison than the 357 magnum vs the 10mm?
Click to expand...

.38 Special said:
@BigBlue 94 @joneb Honestly I'd been under the impression that the 10mm ran one or two hundred fps faster than the .357, but now see that I'm wrong. The 10mm may have a slight edge, given its greater diameter, but I'm now going to consider them roughly equal. And neither cartridge compares especially well with the .41 and .44 Magnums.
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.41 Magnum easily wins over 10mm, and of course .357 Magnum, but .357M is also a bit better than 10mm, although they are close. It comes down to sectional density of the bullets, which translate to better penetration when bullet weight and velocity are similar. Given a 155 grain 10mm (SD of .138), vs. a 158 grain .357 (SD of .177), with both at the same velocity, .357 is better. Take it to 180 grain, the .357 is still better (SD .202 vs 10mm .161). Even a 200 grain 10mm doesn't approach the SD of the .357 180 grain, and it's a slower bullet. I would suppose the 180 grain 10mm might approach equality with a 180 .357, because you can load them just a bit faster in the 10mm, offsetting the better SD of the .357.

.41 Magnum 210's have an almost identical SD (.178) to the 200 grain 10mm (.179), but the .41 can launch them at 1400 fps; the 10mm might go to 1200 fps, my load data (Hornady) shows 1150 as max. I wouldn't want to be downrange of either one, though.

I shoot all three regularly, but if I had to choose 10mm or .357, I'd probably stick with .357 as the better stopping round, but the 10mm has the advantage that it has both revolvers and semiauto's chambered for it. The rimmed case makes that a more difficult proposition for .357M. Thankfully, I have them both covered, with four .357's, and one 10mm. I have two .41 Magnums, so that's well covered too.
 
bangswitch said:
.41 Magnum easily wins over 10mm, and of course .357 Magnum, but .357M is also a bit better than 10mm, although they are close. It comes down to sectional density of the bullets, which translate to better penetration when bullet weight and velocity are similar. Given a 155 grain 10mm (SD of .138), vs. a 158 grain .357 (SD of .177), with both at the same velocity, .357 is better. Take it to 180 grain, the .357 is still better (SD .202 vs 10mm .161). Even a 200 grain 10mm doesn't approach the SD of the .357 180 grain, and it's a slower bullet. I would suppose the 180 grain 10mm might approach equality with a 180 .357, because you can load them just a bit faster in the 10mm, offsetting the better SD of the .357.

.41 Magnum 210's have an almost identical SD (.178) to the 200 grain 10mm (.179), but the .41 can launch them at 1400 fps; the 10mm might go to 1200 fps, my load data (Hornady) shows 1150 as max. I wouldn't want to be downrange of either one, though.

I shoot all three regularly, but if I had to choose 10mm or .357, I'd probably stick with .357 as the better stopping round, but the 10mm has the advantage that it has both revolvers and semiauto's chambered for it. The rimmed case makes that a more difficult proposition for .357M. Thankfully, I have them both covered, with four .357's, and one 10mm. I have two .41 Magnums, so that's well covered too.
Click to expand...

SD only means something if we are pushing hard cast or another non-expending bullet. If we are shooting soft points or hollow points then SD means next to nothing because the SD changes downward dramatically on impact. There is not enough difference between 357 Mag and 10mm Auto for the target to tell the difference assuming we are using equally quality bullets. I have never recovered a bullet from a deer shot with my 10mm I have always gotten pass through including a shot that holed a shoulder blade and spine and still exited. I am pushing 200gr XTP from my 610 at 1250 fps and I am not using the max charge I have seen for the powder I am using...
 
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