Is .357 Magnum Good for Home Defense? CCW?

For those who say a 686 is uncarryable, has slow follow up shots or has too much flash - have you ever carried one, shot it rapid fire or shot one in low light? I have done all of these (as I frequently carry my 3" 686 or 4" Rhino, both in .357) and neither is a big deal to me. Follow up shots might have been hard at first but, like anything else, practice practice practice. .357mag is a potent round, but it's not like a .44mag or bigger. .38 Special, .44 Special and .45ACP are also fine choices if that's what you prefer.

As far as the external ballistics, faster, lighter bullets tend to penetrate more but also fragment more after they first hit something. So you will be more likely to pentrate a BG's heavy clothing (or body parts) but less likely to retain lethal force after hitting drywall. You can google this but 125 grain .357 Magnum will penetrate about 16 inches of ballistic gel. .38 special is closer to 11. In general .357 magnum will penetrate a BG more reliably than .38 special, 9mm para, .44 special or .45ACP. It is faster than all those rounds.

The question I have to ask now is; Why would you make a revolver in .45 ACP anyhow? I have to admit that I'm somewhat of a noob.

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Guess we all have our reasons for liking what we do. I have a Colt SAA in 45LC. A couple of years ago I sent it back the the Colt Custom Shop and had a 45 ACP cylinder fitted to it. Availability and cost of ammo was my main reason. Its nice to have options.

As far as the .357, it a great round. Been around a long time with a proven track record.

Gee..for some applications, Navy SEALs have carried the S&W 686 357 mag...they must think it has some usefulness.

The .357 Magnum is great for home defense IF you get the electronic ear muffs that amplify sound but dampen gunfire. If you get awakened in the middle of the night, put on and turn on the muffs before you pick up the revolver.

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Your adrenaline is going to block out all the noise, flash and smoke if and when (hopefully never) you need to defend yourself from aggressive, vicious home invaders whose intent is on doing you in. Don't worry about flash and noise.

There seems to be a big move towards the big bore revolvers for carry. I am on the band wagon. After getting my .44 Magnum I really feel into the big bore theory. The only .45 ACP I want is my old man's 1911 A1.
So I found myself a .44 Special steel frame 3" barrel. The only round I have shot out of it was the Hornady Critical Defense 165 grain flex-tip. It was accurate, and I think even with a 165 grain flex-tip it would have zero problem with downing a bad dude in one shot with proper placement, and if you did miss by a little. The trauma and blood loss would be quick and plenty using the .44 Special 165 grain HCD.

I will load some lead for it when I get it back from the gunsmith from being customized. I have zero issues carrying hand loads. If they are withing spec of SAAMI then there isn't really anything the prosecutor could use against you.

I'd like to shoot a 225 grain LSWC at about 900 fps. I'd be happy with that for self-defense.

I would use a .357 mag for home defence in a heart beat. You have 6 shots of almost perfect reliability with a round that has proven itself over and over again to work. The noise is loud, but I have shot .357 without hearing protection, your ears ring, but they will recover. You are talking self preservation here, not I don't want to cry after I shoot because of the noise. Load a good 125 grain round and feel confident with what you have. I've seen what this round can do while hunting, it is impressive.

Hornady doesn't always get it right. A dozen years ago, they had produced a bunch of .454 Casull ammo loaded in soft brass. It married itself to even the finest chamber imperfections, making practically a hammer and a drift necessary to remove the spent cases. They did send me new ammo - kudos to them - but still, they don't always have it 'right'.

I like to recall the FBI's requirement for the S&W .357 Registered Magnum. Hoover's G-men needed something that could punch a hole through the car doors of the day aimed at fleeing felons - thus was born the .357 Magnum. S&W's Doug Wesson immediately took one hunting - and got everything imagineable with it - including moose and bear. I don't need that in my home. I am not in the sandbox having to fend off attacks by religious zealots - or in the 'hood' defending myself from crazed coke/crack heads. I am in my environment... and I am responsible for what I pull the trigger on, be it 2 yards or a mile away.

That said, I do have a few .357 Magnum revolvers - even keep them loaded as home defenders - with the proven manstopper - the .38 Special +P 158gr LHPSWC. Why have .357 Magnums instead of .38 Specials? Ever see an eight shot .38? I also have a Governor - loaded with .45 ACP ball ammo - and .45 Colt. Sure, miss an intruder - and they will all make it through one interior and exterior wall of my mostly frame home - admittedly, with little 'oomph' left. Perhaps familiarity has bred contempt, but I feel safer with my choices. I keep speedloaders and moonclips loaded with such choices for all of my handguns, whether in the safe or by the bed. YMMV.

Stainz

A few observations:

Cops used to carry 4" L frames all day, every day. It was the standard issue weapon for my home town PD until they updated to semi-autos and they were far from alone in their choice. A good belt & holster will allow comfortable carry. That being said, if it's for CCW I personally would want a smaller & lighter gun such as the new 4" Ruger SP101 if you want the 4" barrel.

The gun itself would be a superb choice for your use as it will safely digest the full range of std & +p .38's all the way to heavy .357 loadings. In it's day the L frame was THE premier defensive gun & other than the lock which I despise, it hasn't diminished.

Chosing the correct ammo is critical, a +p .38 or low recoil/low flash .357 such as Remington's Golden Sabre round is the way to go. Even .38 wadcutters have a pretty good rep for performance in defensive use. Full house .357's while very effective would exacerbate the issue of flash & muzzle blast indoors. Just because you can use them doesn't mean they're the best choice.

A .45acp revolver with good hollow points would be an outstanding choice for HD. S&W's new Governor was something I thought was a really dumb idea, but after handeling one I was very impressed. It can be had with a Crimson Trace grip for under $700. Using moon clipped .45's it would make a very good defensive revolver and at around 30oz it's reasonably light to carry.

A bit off-topic...

I wanted a 325 Night Guard for a home defender - .45 ACPs from a 2.75" barrel, Al/Sc frame, black SS barrel & cylinder, tritium Night Sight on front and fixed rear sight. What I bought, the Governor, is 7/8" longer and 1.6 oz heavier - other than that, it is quite similar to the 325NG. Here it is sporting .500 Magnum grips and shown with my pocket protector, my 642:



It also chambers .45 Schofield and Colt as well as most 2.5" .410 shotgun shells. It takes the same moonclipped .45 ACPs as my 625JM, so that is a plus. The biggest plus - the price. It is currently MSRP $679 - $370 Less than the 325NG's MSRP $1,049.

Stainz

I have zero issues carrying hand loads. If they are withing spec of SAAMI then there isn't really anything the prosecutor could use against you.

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I don't mean to cause thread drift, nor do I mean to be argumentative. Just wanted to pose a rhetorical question here. You say that if you load within SAAMI spec, then the prosecution won't be able to use it against you. But how do you prove the particular, specific rounds you fired into the BG were loaded to normal, SAAMI pressure levels? Safe to say the prosecution won't take your word for it, nor will they accept a batch of your home brew for testing.

Again, I don't mean to be nasty, and you honestly don't have to reply. I just thought I'd put this out for you to consider, if you haven't already done so. I carry factory ammo from a known manufacturer (Remington, Federal, Cor Bon, etc) because a specific brand already has published data from the manufacturer, a party completely independent from the defendant. And if required as part of one's defense (granted, probably not likely), those particular rounds can be acquired from the local gun shop, tested, and the results can be reliably correlated to the ones you used to defend yourself. One final bonus, if you choose the right ammo, is that you'd be able to state that you used the same rounds law enforcement used back in the day when they carried revolvers (the 158 grain +P LSWCHP is an excellent example). Sorry, I bet a lawyer could explain better than I.

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Back to the OP. It's personal preference, really. I stick with .38+P for home defense simply because I can maintain rapid fire accuracy better with them than .357s. And with the many good .38 loads available to us today, .38 special works about as well as any other medium to big bore handgun round. They look weak on paper, but many of the good ones can still expand while penetrating plenty sufficiently. But if you aren't comfortable with .38, then perhaps a revolver chambered in .44 Special, .45 ACP, .45 Colt or .44 Mag (loaded up with .44 Spl) would be just the ticket.

I wouldn't feel undergunned using 38+P, but neither do I feel overgunned with the 357. The difference between around 12" of penetration and 16" just isn't enough to impress me either way. If you miss with a 38+P, it can still go thru drywall and kill someone. If you hit someone with a 357, I don't think you have a lot to worry about it continuing on to kill your neighbors.

Shooting either in a cement wall indoor firing range without hearing protection wouldn't be fun. If the situation allows you to worry about hearing loss, you probably shouldn't shoot. If someone is entering my bedroom at 3 AM, my main concern will be stopping them fast enough, not my hearing.

When I carry a J frame, I load 38+P. When I carry an L frame, I load 357. When I reach for my N frame, it is loaded with 44 specials...

Does a little piggy go "wee, wee, wee" all the way home?

.357 magnum is a favorite of mine, but I admit to keeping a 9 or a .38 by the bed along with my 20 gauge coach gun due to the flash/bang of the magnum indoors. I carry one a lot, though and have killed hogs and deer with it. It's the real deal far as the power of the round goes. I don't hunt with .45ACP, too weak.

The real beauty of a .357 lies in the versatility.

If a full .357 Magnum is more than you want for an application, then use .38+P. Owning a .357 and shooting nothing but magnums through it is just like owning a 3" 12 gauge and shooting nothing but 3"magnums through it. Not my idea of a fun time (at least not for very long.)

So far my read is (with equal shot placement): If you want your corpse to probably potentially hear OK, you use 9mm. If you want your (still living) body to probably have a potential to want to help hear you use .357 mag and eat the risk to your hearing.

Did I miss something?

I have been sleeping with a .357 revolver by my bed for over 25 years. I have no doubt it will take care of business.

A SD 357 load will have rather big recoil, flash, and a rather loud report compared to a .38+P SD load. Unless you shoot 357 lots, I don't recommend it for SD.

A 357 light weight J frame is something you would not wish to shoot .357 unless you want misery. light 38's for practice, 148-158 softpoints will do the job for SD.

For defending the homestead, I have a 4" 686 loaded with 125hp 357 handloads.* Other firearms are available also.

38's will allow quicker followup. I practice lots. With that 357 load, follow up won't be needed.

Our home has layers of electronic security. The security system going off, should discourage the home invaders. Had canine security, but he got old, and died. The security system dont pee on the rug, or hump the neighbor ladies leg.


*within SAMI spec.

You cannot argue with 357. People who rant about its short comming have no idea what they are talking about. I have taken down wild boars with it, and I have seen the effect it has on flesh. One shot creates so much trauma that hostile is buckled.

One shot creates so much trauma that hostile is buckled.

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What does this mean?

willypete said:

What does this mean?

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It means that upon examination of the hog that was shot with the 357, he was sure it would put a major hurt on a human being.

I agree.

At close range, it will down a moose. However, I wouldn't suggest using it on a bull moose during rut. One could get an antler enema. Use the right tool for the job. The .357 is a great tool to use against humans.

Para-Medic:
You need to look at YOUR situation, your house, and where the bullets go, if you miss, and, if you hit the target. Without that information, we are taking shots in the dark.

The caliber can do pretty much anything, depending upon the gun it's fired out of. There are a LOT of .357 options, in gun and loads.

Generally the round is VERY loud, will do life long hearing damage(WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY? YES FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE).

I agree muffs are good, but, at least in my situation, I'd be lucky to get to the gun before the attacker was on me, or shooting at me.

My ideal attacker would knock on the door, would tell me he's here to rob me, and, I would ask if he could wait, until I put my LEO vest on, grabbed my 1911 with .45 Super, and my Mosin Nagant 44, along with finding my
ear protectors(Heck, I can't even remember where I put em). Then if he would be so kind, he can enter.

NOT going to happen.

A 4" .357 revolver is about the most versatile pistol on the market. Good for HD, adequate for CCW, good trail gun, will go bang just about every time, easy to learn, simple to operate. You could even use it for hunting. Value priced. Can use .38 special in it too.

It means that upon examination of the hog that was shot with the 357, he was sure it would put a major hurt on a human being.

I agree.

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Having shot many hogs in my trap with a variety of common self defense calibers, I agree, too. The .357 is impressive, the most impressive amongst the calibers I carry. Only thing, no .357 is built that I will pocket carry so I carry mine in a fanny pack or on the belt OWB if I can wear a cover garment. In south Texas, it's usually the fanny pack. I won't carry a 12 ounce 340 Smith with full house .357s and I'm very recoil tolerant otherwise. Out of a 2" barrel, the .357 is pretty well neutered, anyhow. It takes a 3" or longer barrel to make it the MAGNUM that it is.