.357 or .45

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Posted by mbt2001:
Anything over 120 decibles catastrophic to hearing... The point is .357 .44 .45 doesn't matter, they are all over that level.

You're wrong again.

I've fired a .45 ACP indoors without hearing protection---no catastrophe whatsoever.

I found it more bearable than having to shoot in the lane next to a .357 shooter at my private OUTDOOR range, WITH my protective muffs.

Being a supersonic round, the .357 also makes a distinct ear-splitting "crack" as it breaks the sound barrier.

The .45 ACP is a subsonic round that doesn't break the sound barrier, thus no ear-splitting crack.

So .357's are considerably worse for your hearing, any way you cut it.

So don't kid yourself. Loud = Loud. I am not debating that the .357 isn't louder, I am saying that if you think that the margin is going to save your hearing, you are mistaken.

I'm not kidding myself. YOU are kidding YOURSELF.

As the trained scientist at the Department of Energy clearly explained, there is a SUBSTANTIAL difference at only 3 decibels. At 7.3 decibels, the difference is ENORMOUS.

At my private outdoor range, I've stood better than 10 feet behind guys shooting .357 Magnums, and can still feel the shockwave emanating from the weapons. Stand the same distance behind a .45 ACP, and I feel nothing.

The highly experienced CCW trainer who I took my concealed carry course from, doesn't even allow students to use .357's on the qualification range.

Many indoor ranges also don't allow .357's. Some that do allow them, often restrict their use to the less busy hours and/or days of the week. On multiple occasions at indoor ranges, I've personally witnessed people pack up and leave once a guy with a .357 started shooting in a lane near theirs.

Get the amplified hearing muffs for indoor shooting.

Uh yeah, right. If someone's dead asleep when multiple armed invaders bust down their front door, I'm sure their hearing protection is the first thing they reach for. :rolleyes: :p
 
So far you have 4 pages of discussion. I don't know what is right for you. I have and shoot both but if I could only have one gun it would be my ...........oh thank God I don't have to chose. But I did own a .45 before I had a .357 but the .45 came after two .38's.
 
I'd go with a .357.

It'll go from mild .38 wadcutters to rounds that would down Godzilla. BTW, I wouldn't use .357 in a house. A hot .38 +P or a law enforcement semi-wadcutter will be just fine. Outdoors, or on the road, a full throttle .357 round is the way to go. If you're afraid of bear, use a 158-gr. bullet or heavier. For people, 125-gr. JHP is best.

Revolvers won't jam, they don't throw brass, and they're extremely versatile. I love the .45, but it just doesn't crank out the horsepower of a good .357.


RugerFBISS_1.gif

The old Ruger Security-Six was a great .357.

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this thread has gone from informative to ridiculously funny. I'd be interested to know how many of these self proclaimed HD experts have ever experienced shooting at a BG in a dark and enclosed room. From what I have gleaned from my LEO friends who have been in gunfights, that adrenaline and will to live make muzzle flash and loud reports irrelevant. From what they tell me, for the average Joe, after a 12 gauge pump, whatever gun they can control and shoot the best is the best SD weapon for them. So, Onofre3 pick the one that you feel the most confident with, for it is you, not all the self-proclaimed experts here, that will have to use it.
 
Defensory said:
You're wrong again.

I've fired a .45 ACP indoors without hearing protection---no catastrophe whatsoever.

I am not wrong about 120 decibles screwing your hearing up. Go review any number of sights and / or any number of experts and they would hardly disagree with the assertions I made. I am telling you that there is no difference between and atom bomb and a hydrogen bomb when you are standing on it...

But you are correct that the .357 is louder. Although that is like comparing a q-beam to a sure fire by shining it into your eyes...

mbt2001 said:
Get the amplified hearing muffs for indoor shooting.

Defensory said:
Uh yeah, right. If someone's dead asleep when multiple armed invaders bust down their front door, I'm sure their hearing protection is the first thing they reach for.

Tell that to the dude that have Kevlar vests and helmets... :neener:

I have several .45's... But I will be honest. There is something about a .357 that makes me always favor it. The first time I held one I just had this feeling of "whatever I shoot is toast". Confidence in your weapon is worth something at the end of the day.

I also prefer the 9mm to the .45.... I have several .25 acp's as BUG guns. I carry .380's from time to time and am a HUGE FAN of the .22 short the .32 rimfire... I like the 5.45x39 over the 7.62! I HATE THE GARAND! The 32-20 is a great round and I have routinely used the .223 on deer! Major Applewhite should have started in front of Chris Simms........

Did I miss anything? :p Flame away :neener:
 
Confederate
Senior Member



Join Date: 02-19-05
Posts: 1,154 I'd go with a .357.

It'll go from mild .38 wadcutters to rounds that would down Godzilla. BTW, I wouldn't use .357 in a house. A hot .38 +P or a law enforcement semi-wadcutter will be just fine. Outdoors, or on the road, a full throttle .357 round is the way to go. If you're afraid of bear, use a 158-gr. bullet or heavier. For people, 125-gr. JHP is best.

Revolvers won't jam, they don't throw brass, and they're extremely versatile. I love the .45, but it just doesn't crank out the horsepower of a good .357.
------------------------------------I Agree, I will take the 357 over the 45 acp anyday. when someone breaks into your home the noise is not a factor,
 
both are good calibers. If one would be better than the other, it would just surpass it by a few concerns. my 2 cents worth.
 
I agree with Confederate's post. I, too, load .38 special for home duty. Hey, .38 is PLENTY for self defense. I don't need no stinkin' cannon. I see the .357 as a great, versatile outdoor round that will kill or protect from about anything in the lower 48 while chambering .38 special for small game or whatever. It is my favorite outdoor round followed by .45 Colt if I want even more horsepower. .45ACP isn't my choice, nor are autos in general, for outdoor carry. Love my .45 for occasinal concealed carry, helluva defensive gun and fighting round, but it is not near the power level nor the versatility of the .38/.357 for outdoor uses and revolvers are more accurate in general. Hitting a rabbit at 25 yards requires more than just combat accurate handguns. A rabbit's head is smaller than center mass on a human.

They both have their place. I'd buy (and did) the .357 first and the .45 later. Actually, though, my favorite carry is an auto in 9x19. LOL!
 
Another big consideration is whether anyone else in the house will have access to this firearm.

My wife has rheumatoid arthritis. The cartilage in her wrists is under constant autoimmune attack. She is the irrefutable case of a woman who can't rack a slide. So I got a 4" GP100, and we keep 38+p in it.

I keep thinking of fighting video games, like Soul Calibur. I'm usually drawn at first to the small, fast characters. I know the big brute types are slower but have more staying power, and I play them once in a while to mix things up a little. But I also know that if I learn the proper moves, the little scrapper can end the fight just as quickly.

That's probably why I would go with .357. ;)
 
Revolvers "jam" about as often as automatics. Good revolvers (and good automatics) jam less, but revolvers can fail catestrophicaly, with no immediate fix.

Automatics, on the other hand, usually can be put back into action with a "tap-rack-bang" drill.
 
Posted by Vern Humphrey:
Revolvers "jam" about as often as automatics. Good revolvers (and good automatics) jam less, but revolvers can fail catestrophicaly, with no immediate fix. Automatics, on the other hand, usually can be put back into action with a "tap-rack-bang" drill.

So true, Vern!

If a semi-auto jams, it's back in action with a quick tap-rack-bang.

If a revolver jams, it'll be down for a while, and you'll likely have to take it to a gunsmith. NOT a viable option in a shooting situation where your life is on the line.
 
Here's a neat little demo for those who believe revolvers can't jam:

1. Unload your revolver with the muzzle pointing down.

2. As you do, give it a jiggle so one case tips outward and falls back into the chamber, under the ejector star.

3. Imagine someone is standing six feet away and shooting at you as you try to clear your revolver.
 
Six fer sure!

Yeah, right. :rolleyes: :barf:

Brand new Ruger SP101 repeatedly malfunctions:

"This is a brand new Ruger SP101 357 Magnum. I took it out to the range twice and it malfunctioned like this about every 50 rounds. Pull the trigger and it hangs up. If I needed this to defend myself, I'd be dead. I returned the revolver to Cabela's for a refund. Too bad, because it did shoot nicely but what good is a wheelgun that you can't depend on?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsgd5fZJCjU
 
Check out the price of ammunition.
Consider the .357 can shoot less expensive 38 spl.
Its easy to dry fire and practice with a revolver. No springs to mess with when cleaning.
You can always get a S&W revolver in 45 ACP with moon clips. Or consider a S&W 610 in 40 S&W/10 MM.
 
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