357 mag or 44 Special use

[357smallbore]

Wanting to hear from the fellows gunners.

I have two revolvers I love to shoot and carry. Very proficient with both. Have had them a long time. One will be my EDC in an IWB holster

1. Ruger Speed Six 6 shot with 2 3/4 bbl and weighing 31oz empty.
The cartridges will be 125gr sjhp


2. Rossi 720 fixed sight 5 shot with 3 bbl and weighing 28 oz empty.
The cartridges will be 200gr HP

I will have a speed strip for each as a reload.

What do you think, what would you carry

 

[adcoch1]

The rossi for two reasons.
Less blast.
Bigger holes.
Other than that they both work fine with the right holster.

 

[gwpercle]

The way I see it ... self defense
Man is rather thin skinned
Bigger is better
5 - shots of 44 Special beat 6 shots of 357 magnum ... Seven Ways to Sunday ...

But ... Go with the gun and ammo you shot most accurately and with a rather fast follow up .
You must have confidence in your gun , your load and your ability to make that first shot count .
First shot is the most important ... And ... Only Hits Count in a gunfight .

Choose your gun and load Wisely !
My choice is a 5 shot 45 acp revolver Taurus 455 - 2" barrel .
45 was the largest bore I could get at that time !
Gary

 

[KnightHawk]

I would simply say are you looking for penetration or expansion/stopping.
I own a Rossi 720 3”, great pistol. I have the Ruger but in a 4”.
With standard factory ammunition the 357 penetrates much better. Handloading changes that.
Like GW above bigger is better. I have two Smiths revolvers in 45ACP. They are N frames so you are stepping up to a belt holstered pistol. But loaded with 255 grain traveling at about 900 fps speaks with authority

 

[LUCKYDAWG13]

I'd probably take the Ruger Bob the hammer and load it with WC

 

[Dunross]

I have an SP101 snubby 357 which I carry sometimes, but only with 38 pressure loads. Magnum loads out of a 2" barrel I find unpleasant to shoot and to me there isn't all that much performance difference between 38 and 357 in snubby barrels with a good bullet design. I favor the Federal standard pressure 125gr HST loads when I carry it.

My EDC carry now is a CA Bulldog 44 special with 200gr Winchester Silvertips. If I can get the time this winter I'm going to work up a 200gr full wadcutter at about 800-825fps which is all a wadcutter needs to do its job. In the interim I'm going to try the 44 special Buffalo Bore 200gr wadcutters. I'm concerned they may be a little much for fast followup shots though. We'll see.

I find the Bulldog very easy to carry and conceal.

 

[Riomouse911]

The Ruger is a tad smaller size-wise if I recall correctly, and holds 6 vs 5 which could make a difference in a ccw life or death incident. (Lets all hope it never happens!) Both calibers are certainly going to put a hurting on a crook with good placement.

So to me, if both are reliable and shoot accurately, with a good holster the Ruger would get the nod.

The only hesitation for either one I might have is I don’t think the Rossi 720-series models are still in production, and the Ruger is so long out that they don’t repair them anymore. So there is the possibility of a breakage during practice, which may take some time to find someone to repair it. That would be a bummer.

Good luck!

Stay safe.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Carried a S&W 66 snub for many years and never felt I needed more. However, wasn't in the back woods with that. 44 could make more sense there. Very personal choice.

If you want to keep a speed loader in place I like these to attach to the loader and keep it in place at the top of your pocket;

Neomag RASC Revolver Ammo Strip Holder .44/.45 Black

The Neomag RASC Revolver Ammunition Strip Holder is the first solution to address pocket carrying revolver ammunition with a pocket clip. This is the...

www.midwayusa.com

They make a large for the 44/45's and a smaller one for the 32/38's.

 

[Riomouse911]

I have an SP101 snubby 357 which I carry sometimes, but only with 38 pressure loads. Magnum loads out of a 2" barrel I find unpleasant to shoot and to me there isn't all that much performance difference between 38 and 357 in snubby barrels with a good bullet design. I favor the Federal standard pressure 125gr HST loads when I carry it.

My EDC carry now is a CA Bulldog 44 special with 200gr Winchester Silvertips. If I can get the time this winter I'm going to work up a 200gr full wadcutter at about 800-825fps which is all a wadcutter needs to do its job. In the interim I'm going to try the 44 special Buffalo Bore 200gr wadcutters. I'm concerned they may be a little much for fast followup shots though. We'll see.

I find the Bulldog very easy to carry and conceal.

Maybe try out some of these 215 gr short nosed SWC from Bayou Bullets for your Bulldog. These have been super accurate in every .44 I have shot them in. Best part is they are practically wadcutter shaped, but the short nose allows reloading into the cylinder much easier than sharp-sided WC do.

Stay safe.

 

[bangswitch]

Depends if you want to run over the guy in a souped up Mustang or with a Greyhound bus. Bus works for me.

 

[Ed]

Ruger. I have owned Rossi guns and don’t have faith in them. Hopefully they have improved. Even so I’d still go with the Ruger. Seriously, what do you need to shoot that a .357 won’t stop? And it is thinner.

 

[shoebox1.1]

Between these two? I’d carry both. Rotate them around. I wish Rossi would make a brand new 720 with lifetime warranty etc. I’d buy one tomorrow.

 

[Anchorite]

I’m liking the Rossi. I’ve been looking for one for years to no avail.
I think I’d lean to the 44 in this case and given these choices. Less noise/muzzle blast and bigger holes are never a bad thing.

 

[Dunross]

Maybe try out some of these 215 gr short nosed SWC from Bayou Bullets for your Bulldog. These have been super accurate in every .44 I have shot them in. Best part is they are practically wadcutter shaped, but the short nose allows reloading into the cylinder much easier than sharp-sided WC do.

Stay safe.

I like the looks of those. Would be good for the backup loads.

 

[Smokin Gator]

I have an SP101 snubby 357 which I carry sometimes, but only with 38 pressure loads. Magnum loads out of a 2" barrel I find unpleasant to shoot and to me there isn't all that much performance difference between 38 and 357 in snubby barrels with a good bullet design. I favor the Federal standard pressure 125gr HST loads when I carry it.

My EDC carry now is a CA Bulldog 44 special with 200gr Winchester Silvertips. If I can get the time this winter I'm going to work up a 200gr full wadcutter at about 800-825fps which is all a wadcutter needs to do its job. In the interim I'm going to try the 44 special Buffalo Bore 200gr wadcutters. I'm concerned they may be a little much for fast followup schehots though. We'll see.

I find the Bulldog very easy to carry and conceal.

Check out Matt's bullets for some great wadcutters. This is a 185 gr, they also have 250gr.

 

[Dunross]

I have all three of Matt's 44 wadcutters. Excellent bullets.

 

[PapaG]

Idiot who lives in my skin sold his 720 a few years back. His 624 is too big as is his Security Six (2 3/4”).
Has a stainless Taurus 431 now but it is fat K frame size. SP101, 3”, is his choice with 170 grain Keith’s. Don’t do full house 357s out of little guns.

 

[Dunross]

I have all three of Matt's 44 wadcutters. Excellent bullets.

To quote myself I see that Matt's now has FIVE weights of 44 wadcutters. If you can't find something you like among those you need a different caliber!

 

[shoebox1.1]

To quote myself I see that Matt's now has FIVE weights of 44 wadcutters. If you can't find something you like among those you need a different caliber!

The 200’s worked well for me..

 

[Rexster]

This scenario’s rules specify carrying the one gun, so, well, as much as my heart loves .44 Special, my head is going to tell me go forth with the six shots in the Speed Six. Armed robbers travel in twos and threes, often enough for that to matter. A second factor is that I know that my eyes like the Ruger sights, well enough, as-is. Then, finally, in my personal case, the size, shape, and position of the Speed Six hammer spur agrees with my thumbs. My index fingers are already aging-out* of DA trigger pulling; the day may come that I will need the hammer spur.

*Not a matter of strength, but, arthritis flaring up in the second knuckle of each index finger.

 

[Bazoo]

Might as well carry them both a while. Might help you make a final decision, or not.

 

[LUCKYDAWG13]

To be honest both are sorta big to carry IWB.

 

[OS/N]

Either is fine.

Carry one one day and the other the next.

Sometimes I carry a cheaper version in case it gets gone.

 

[Tallball]

Whichever one you're more comfortable with and shoot better.

For those who don't know, the Rossi 720 was only made for three years in the early 90's. It has a "cult following". I have a couple and they're very nice.

The Ruger is another fine revolver from the past. I wish I had one.

The Rossi is a little smaller, so I'd probably go for that one, but it's win/win. Those both very nice revolvers.

Here's what a 720 with adjustable sights looks like.

Rossi 720 44 special

• Tallball
• Mar 20, 2020

 

[Armored farmer]

I'll always choose a Ruger or S&W first round.