357 Mag Revolvers for Self Defense

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Any of these would be fine for HD, but 38+P would be better for indoors (IMO) if need be so the 4" or longer would get better velocity. The SP 101 DAO 2.25" carries easily and Federal HST micro 38+P should perform well in that capacity. I'm still experimenting with the recently acquired Speed Six 2.75" for CC. IMG_0885 (4).JPG
 
686+ three inch for me. I don't shoot max loads but will typically run 100 rounds through in an hour at the range. I don't even notice the recoil and every now and then get a fireball. It is what I carry when out on the Harley. Aker shoulder holster with two Five Star speed loaders. Too big and heavy for pocket carry so that job goes to a Springfield XDS 9 mm. To me the 357 is the Swiss Army knife of handgun cartridges. Sure there are others that can do better in a particular role, but the 357 will do a lot of things pretty well.
 
WisBorn said:
I love my 357 mags, but pocket carry a s&w 442 38 special most of the time.
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Agree, a pocket rocket in .357 is NOT pleasant to shoot at all; hell, I am not a fan of shooting those in my 4" Smith..............
 
My first "real" handgun was a 357 revolver. I own a bunch of them and have a lot of confidence in them. A big advantage of them, IMHO, is that you can shoot anything from powder puff 38 special range loads to fire-breathing 357 monster magnums. A medium-framed 4" 357 revolver is still my preferred HD handgun.
 
My first handgun was (is) a .357, a Taurus Model 66, purchased the day after I turned 21. Took it out and tried to teach myself to shoot with it.

I was back in the sporting goods store two or three weeks later buying another handgun, in .22 caliber.

Overall, I do like the caliber, but not for home defense. I keep that gun, and the only other one I have in the caliber, my dad's Ruger Police Service Six, loaded with 125-grain .38 Special SJHP ammunition, though both guns are currently in the safe.

The only time I really entertain the idea of carrying one, especially loaded with Magnum ammunition, is during my annual trips to bear country in WNC, since I do like to hike there. However, I have yet to so carry.
 
gotboostvr said:
The bigger cartridges can still provide fulfilling recoil with much less thunder and lighting. I.e. a 250gr SWC 44/45 going 950fps vs a 158gr SWC 357 screaming around 1400fps.
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I agree on the lower sound pressure, but not that recoil is "fulfilling".

Too many people have suffered irreversible nerve and joint damage from the cumulative effects of shooting big-bore revolvers.

Tune them down a lot.

Would that I had known what running on pavement would do to my knees before it was too late.
 
I started my LEO career with the 357 Magnum. Back then I thought it was controllable, but I was shooting them through a S&W M28 and I was a lot younger. Move forward 20 years and I've retired and running my own firearms training business.

Trying to stay up on defensive pistol craft I came across the 5X5 drill, a test of you ability with your carry weapon. Draw from concealment and put five rounds in a five inch circle, at five yards and in five seconds. I had to struggle to manage it with my light weight Commander in 45 ACP but I could not get a clean run with the 3" M-66 I happened to own back then. When I had students who carried 357 Magnums try it the result was the same unless they were shooting a 4" duty size gun, and then they had to work at it.

Now I'm sure there are many keyboard commandos who think they can do it, and I'm willing to believe there is the occasional individual who can manage it with a 3" K-frame or Ruger Six. If they're out there I'd like to meet them and shake their hand. They are true masters of the revolver. For the vast majority of us, and I include myself, the full tilt Magnum is too much of a good thing in a light weight, short barreled revolver.

YMMV,
Dave
 
The only time I had to use a handgun for defense, it did not have to be fired. The sight of a 6" .357 Trooper MKIII drawn from a shoulder holster convinced a former schoolmate that bringing a knife to a gunfight was a bad idea. I had 100% confidence in it's ability to TCOB were firing necessary.
 
My first.357 Mag was a 686+ but sold it years ago. Back then I shot hundreds or rounds out of it but the last series were aluminum cased Blazer ammo and one case failed asp day scored the cylinder pretty good. Ended up selling after that. Not the guns fault, just the crappy ammo.

I gained interest in the cartridge later on after fondling a Taurus 617 a couple of years ago and finally picked one up about 6 months ago. It’s primary purpose now is a truck gun when I’m out and about in the wilderness.

I have to agree with mcb on his feelings with the .357 Mag. I lost interest in it for a while because of that exact reason he stated but figured I’d give it another try.
 
357 mag is a sweetheart of a cartridge. My most fired gun is a 6" gp100. The majority of my reloading is in 357 mag ,it's cheap and easy to feed. I can't say it's a cartridge I prefer for defense from 2 legged snakes (although I know it's very effective ) , I prefer something with a bit more diameter and a lot less blast. With that said , if I'm roaming around outdoors anywhere south of wisconsin and east of the Mississippi I feel good with the gp100 for a general use revolver and recently got a ruger 77/357 to pair with it.
Been thinking about an sp101 for daily use, just haven't pulled the proverbial trigger....yet. The recoil isn't the issue, my main concern is the muzzle blast in close quarters.
 
My first handgun was a 4" S&W Model 13 P & R. I hated those grips and a set of Pachmeyrs. I sold it after a few years to finance purchasing a P38. Within the past few years I've picked up some vintage Astra & Llama revolvers in .357 Mag & .44 Mag. Those were P & R until the day manufacturing ceased.

I like a 6" .357 Mag as a nightstand item.
 
I like 357 guns. The cartridge I don't care much about one way or the other. Nothing wrong with it, I shoot it from time to time, but I don't shoot anything but paper targets and they don't take a lot of killing, so 38's generally will do me pretty well. Having said that, of the three, 357's I've got, I have made a point of shooting 357 ammo in them, just because.

Model 19-9, from 2018 I guess it was. Smith and Wesson got this one right. Man it's a good shooter.

20180628_165025_zpstwbanri2.jpg

And, yes. It has the lock. I always like to show that for all the people who say "Nobody ever shows the side with the lock."

20180628_1650450_zpsoxal33hg.jpg

2020 Colt Python. I got this one a few months ago, and in spite of what I said earlier, this one I have fired about 800 rounds of 357 ammo through. Nothing stupid hot, but hot enough to let me know they weren't 38's. This might be the best 357 I've ever owned/fired. It has quickly become my favorite revolver, and that's coming from a Smith and Wesson guy. The more I shoot it, the more I like it.

Python_zpsorqhjkhq.jpg

And last but not lest, I do have a "classic." A Model 28-2, from 1966, which was my first year in high school. It looks to have hardly been fired. Again, I have fired a couple hundred 357's though this one, and I could hardly tell it. The big gun just soaks up the recoil.

Model28-2AC_zps8nbzk1id.jpg

I've also got a 27-9 on layaway, but I don't know when I'll get it out. The gun store is still open, but they're only allowing 10 customers in at a time, and I'm too old to stand in line. I suppose I'll get it sooner or later.
 
I have 2 gripes with them. I was issued a CS- 1 which is nothing but a 686 with overly tight specs back in 1989 with US Customs. Good gun overall but damned heavy when you lug it 8-16 hrs a day. Also the not great 6 shot capacity when you are usually working alone. It had one other notable thing , a flame like a cannon going off if you are shooting in the dark. Daytime fine but at night such as our night qualifications showed that first shot just wrecks your night vision. I never was so bothered by anything later, glock 23/ 40 , SW 59 9 MM Glock 19 9 MM or HK P 2000 9MM. Nothing threw a flame like that 158 Gn hollow point coming out of a 6” barrel and you couldn’t see after wards.
 
I love the .357 and have 3 revolvers in that caliber but I only use them for target shooting, with the one exception of a Colt Agent in 38 special.
To much muzzle blast and way to loud for self defense, my preference for those tasks is the .45 ACP for everything except woods carry and then I go with a .45Colt, but that's just me. Still hearing things 50 years later.;)
 
This discussion adds to my struggles in what to carry in my king cobra. On one hand a fbi load type round works in both my guns but if you got a 357- USE it! lol. I’m thinking Remington 158gr sjhp
Too many choices! That’s a good thing
 
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