.357 vs. .44 magnum

Have you shot a 44 Magnum? If you don't mind it, then get it.

I tried one and it was unpleasant. It was a Performance Center 629 with a 7 or 8" barrel. I'll pass.

I love my 357 Magnums:

Colt Python 357 4",6",8"
S&W Performance Center 586 L-Comp
S&W Performance Center 627
S&W Pro Series 627
Ruger GP100
Coonan 357 Magnum 1911
Even my Taurus Custom Shop 605 Snubby

If you have a big ammo budget or you are going to learn to reload, there is no reason to avoid the .44Mag.

I love shooting 44Mags in my Redhawk. And in case you aren't aware, the .44 S&W Special works in a 44Mag just like 38SPLs in a .357Mag. They are soft to shoot, but not cheap.

Get a .44Mag, learn to reload, but get a .357Mag as well.

The .44 is a heck of a gun, and if you can handle the recoil, it's good to go. However, it has been pointed out that the noise level is enough to cause hearing loss through hearing protection.

I shoot .357 on a regular basis. I would recommend not buying into the "less powered, cheaper range ammo" mentality, unless you are going to shoot it full time. The point of aim will be dramatically different. .357 has some reach out and touch them that the .38 simply doesn't. You will also not be used to the recoil at that point, and it could play a big deal on how you handle follow up shots. I have found that Taurus .357's in the full size have almost no recoil and very limited hand shock, with almost no muzzle climb, without having fluted barrels.

If you are just getting into revolvers, remember to practice on making those shots count. They are more dangerous, but there are fewer of them.

I also do not reload, and so that has no effect on my choices. Factory ammo works better than it gets credit for, elsewise they wouldn't be in the industry of making it.

Bottom line, get what handles best for you. Just some friendly advice.

I like .357 mag, but I love .44 mag.I find an N frame .44 to be more pleasant to shoot than a K frame .357.

When I was in my teens, that 44 was tugging at my heart strings as well. I traded by Blackhawk 357 for a Super Blackhawk and never looked back. Now I'm well off enough to own a half dozen 44's. I still have a couple 357's but the 44 is still my go to field gun. If you reload, the 44 is as versatile as any. You can load a big gun down but not a little gun up. Get the 44.

I have owned and shot both, for me the .357 is the choice, but I don't have the need for a backwoods carry gun.

If you don't get the .44 it will always nag at you that "what if....?".

You can always down trade if you find it isn't for you and if you buy a good name you shouldn't lose any money in the transaction if you do trade down.

If you have to ask, get the .357.

You can shoot .38 Special in it until you get used to shooting it.

A .38 or .357 in the brain is more deadly then a miss caused by a horrific flinch caused by the .44 V-Comp blast in the face you are afraid of after the first shot.

The biggest baddest 'Stopper' is the one you can learn to shoot accurately, control under stress, and hit with.

rc

You sound like you want a 44 so get it. It is not cheep to shoot but what is right now. And it sounds like you need a reason to reload so go for it.

I was raised on 38's and 357's. Dad was a leo and didn't care for the 44. I got an itch for one a few years back after shooting a deer with a 357 and realized a larger bore would have been " a better choice" for whitetail. I have a 629 classic and 629pd and love shooting them both. Well only a few at a time with the 629.

Edit: i would not recommend the 44 mag for SD on 2 legged animals until you have some serious revolver time under your belt. But the 44 spl is soft shooting and a excellent 2 legged stopper.

In my opinion, if you have to "get used to it", it's probably too much gun for you.

i get torn everytime this discussion comes up. most will tell you that .357 is a better cartridge to not only start with, but it will do most everything that needs doin'. i agree and this is the route that i went when i first got into revolvers.

however, i had a hankering for a .44 or .45 when i started, and shortly after getting into the .357, i was again looking down the big bore road. i ended up going with the .44mag fr reasons that aren't relevant here. my point is that if you think you may want a .44, you have two options. buy the .357 and learn to use it knowing that eventually you'll snag that .44. or skip to the chase and get that .44 now.

I should add here that I prefer to carry two guns when possible, the other being a .45LC. Reloaded, it's supposed to hit harder than a .44 mag, with less recoil.

44 factory 39.99.
44 reloads less than 11.00. And less punishing recoil unless you want it.
About the same for 357. So no real decision tie breaker there I guess.

I shoot my .357's, 2" and 6" with $1.25 cent per 20 bulk pack earplugs, not from the shooting section. Doesn't give me a lick of trouble.

Taurus has a Raging Judge model out now, .454 Casull-410 shotgun 5 shooter. Too much gun. I know when to say enough.

Delete.. wrong thread

I have multiples of each caliber. I shoot a .357 95% of the time. If I had to choose one, I would take the .357.

B!ngo said:

Excellent responses everyone. Please keep them coming. But the consistent thread seems to be 'buy what your heart tells you is right' or I'll end up doing the 'what if?' forever.
Re the ear protection thing, thanks for that insight. I hadn't thought of it. Or rather, I had but assumed that both magnums were over the top. I shoot with foam plugs and electronic muffs. The belt and suspenders of ear protection. I've done too many loud sports/hobbies in my life to risk any further degradation.
BTW, I was at my LGS hoping that they would have the .44 V-Comp (didn't have it but said they were on order) and they showed me a 454 Casull (sp?) with an 8" or so barrel. Biggest handgun I've ever seen. It was like an optical illusion because everything about it, except for the grips, were just larger than anything else I have ever seen. I've got no interest in it but it was just startlingly large.
B

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The Freedom Arms 454 Casull (you got the spelling right) is about the same size as a Ruger Blackhawk. It only holds 5 rounds, so the same-size cylinder has more metal surrounding the cartridges. Are you sure you weren't looking at a revolver chambered for the 45-70 or like-sized round?

FA guns are the finest production revolvers in the world (and priced like it). But they hold their value well. Lockup like the cylinder was welded there and chamber-to-barrel alignment as perfect as you can get.

But my FA .454 Casull looks perfectly proportional to me, just like my .357 Blackhawk.

Lost Sheep

Learn to reload and get a Redhawk in 45 Colt.

However, it has been pointed out that the noise level is enough to cause hearing loss through hearing protection.

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Really? Even doubled up? Then how can anyone who shoots it still hear clearly?

From what I read, it didn't seem to be as much ear pain as ear damaging. It's been a while, and I have no idea where the article is at present, or I's find a way to post it. It turned me off of a .44 mag, and I haven't regretted not buying one.

It really comes down to either the S&W .44 V-Comp or the equivalent in .357.

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Specifically speaking of those two I would go with the 44.. I personally dont care for the 357 color combo.

I have a 44mag Super Blackhawk that is actually a softer shooter than all my 357's... course the 10.5" barrel is the reason why.

I have a early prelock 627 V-comp it would be the last gun I sell. I don't own any .44's they have all been sold. I was just not as accurate with the .44's That being said I have never shot a V-Comp in .44 I don't think you could go wrong with either!!

Normally I vote "get what tugs the heart strings," but I'd recommend shooting a .44 Magnum first to see if you truly still want that V-Comp. I've known a couple of guys who had to have a .44 Magnum, got more horsepower than they expected, develop a flinch and then sell off the guns.

That said, I'm a huge .44 fan, though I've sold mine off and consolidated on the .357 due to financial and frame-size reasons. You will have to practice to become and stay proficient with the bigger guns, no question. And the .357 Magnum in full-power loadings isn't exactly anything to sneeze at either. My 4" .357s have quieted a range full of auto-shooters and illicited many "What is THAT?!"s. (Kids, dontcha know. Oh wait, I'm still under 30 too... )

Learning to reload either cartridge is actually very straightforward. Both are very easy to handle on the reloading press and can produce excellent results with a range of combinations. At least when you can reloading supplies.