.357 Magnum Too Much Recoil?

Status
Not open for further replies.
.357 recoil is negligible in a medium to large frame revolver (686, gp100).

.357 noise is epic. .357 flash depends on brand and powder.

Would I use it for self defense?

Are you feeling lucky :evil:?
 
Who here has fired a .357 revolver with no ear protection and can tell us that it was tolerable? I am interested if it is possible.

the 1st time it was bad but it got a lot easier everytime after ;)

I gotta ask what self defense round is there that wouldnt be mind jarring loud in a house, in the dark, after being awake for only moments? A 22lr out of a pistol with a short barrel is pretty blarring in a inclosed area.
 
Last edited:
Goodness! My home defense gun is a Ruger Alaskan...2.5" barrel 44 mag. Y'all need to buy some of them, and go shoot 18-24 rounds off before switching to a nice, mild .357 S&W Model 60.

You WON'T complain about the recoil of the .357!
 
In my young and stupid days, I spent a whole afternoon at the range shooting .357 Magums from an S&W Highway Patrolman without hearing protection. A few days later, my hearing was mostly restored but even though I seldom fired even a single round without protection afterwards, I still have tinnitus.

Cut to the chase: your ears don't care about the stress or excitement of the situation; they react to the physical sound and a hot load in an enclosed space, like a room in a house, is going to overload them. You may not notice it immediately, but the damage will have been done.

Your 6-inch 686 should be fine with Magnum ammo and the recoil shouldn't be too bad. I always preferred the N-frame Smith & Wesson reolvers but I had more than a few K-frames. I never found the .357 Magnum to be truly objectionable until they started making lightweight, small-framed revolvers in the caliber. Just because materials technology has advanced to the point that they can make a 13 oz. revolver the will handle a Magnum round doesn't mean it's a good idea. A Model 60 or an SP101 is the lightest I will go and even those are pretty snappy. And it's definitely more than I want for an inside-the-house round. A .38 Special +P or even a good .38 Special will do what I need at the ranges available in my home.
 
IMHO, this is where.44 special shines. Greater performance than a .38 special but with comparable noise.
 
If .357 recoil is too much for you then your gun is way too light or you need to get to the gym.
 
I had to use a .357 loaded with Remington 125 JHP to defend myself indoors in 1988. My hearing never recovered, but I'm 23 years older than I would have been without that .357.
 
I hated 357 when I had my 4" 686 because of recoil was too much for me to control. I now shoot a Taurus 608, which is a ported 6" N-frame size with 8 shot, and I love to shoot 357 now. The big heavy frame soaks up the recoil, and I can make multiple shoots very quickly. My advice is to get a big N frame type revolver for 357. That's what they were designed for originally. The first S&W 357 was a N frame. I shoot it so much now that I've gotta quite good at it. I'm not trying to brag; just saying if I still have my 686, I would not be shooting much and still have poor skill.
 
TRY THE 110 grain jhp

BLUED,

I have used both the 110 grain and 125 grain JHP rounds in my revolvers. I prefer the 110 grain rounds.

The recoil, flash, noise and muzzle blast are reduced. The tradeoff if that the 110 grain load is SLOWER than the 125 grain round which is a higher pressure load.

I was issued both rounds and could choose to carry either. At home, I preferred the 110 grain load. The recoil is about the same as a .38 Special +p load and the flash is much smaller.
When I qualified with the 125 grain load, the range officer could clearly see a fireball when I fired on a bright, August day in Florida! I really noticed the added recoil in my 681.

Jim
 
I just shot my new SP 101 .357 yesterday, and some .38 Spl. +P's, 3" barrel. I was amazed at how the "heavy feel" of the barrel made it manageable to shoot with .357 158 gr. and the 158 gr +P's weren't bad at all. It had a snap to it alright, but as far as being uncontrollable, not in the least. I'm glad I got this 101, now I can carry again, won't have to carry the 6" Snake anymore.
 
If .357 recoil is too much for you then your gun is way too light or you need to get to the gym.

I don't think going to the gym will make much of a difference.
 
What recoil? We don't have no stinkin recoil. Only recoil I have is 2 hours after having some 15 dozen bowels of hot sauce laced mexican chilli with grilled onions in it.































other wise,I have very hardly any recoil with my hot loads from my Ruger GP's or any other Ruger revolver in .357 and barrel lengths of 2.25,3 and 4.2 inch barrels.
 
I have a 6" 686 that I took with me as a side arm while hog hunting this past July in Texas. I was shooting the Buffalo Bore rounds through it, so it doesn't get much stouter than that. I found it to have LESS recoil that my 1911 .45 ACP with average loads. Not bad at all.

Having said that, I had to use it to dispatch a hog that my son shot and injured, and I wasn't wearing hearing protection (out in the woods....I have since bought electronic muffs), and man was that thing LOUD! I shot all 6 rounds and my ears were ringing the rest of the day....had a slight headache and just felt out of sorts for a while. It was MUCH louder than when I shot the 30-30 or 30-.06 rifles; I'm pretty sure that had a lot to do with how far away from my ears the rifles were, but man was that .357 LOUD!


Warner
 
It's the muzzle blast not the recoil which has caused me to get away from the 357 magnum for a carry piece. I prfer either a 9mm with 147 gr. PD loads or a 45 ACP.
 
The short answer, for me, is that a 6" L-frame, with just the right grips/ stocks in place, loaded with .357 Magnum premium 125-grain defensive ammo, would be a fine weapon, with quite tolerable, controllable recoil, irrelevant flash, and an exhilarating blast. Even the lighter Model 19 or 66 would still be fine. Indeed, my latest duty sixguns, as late as 1997, were a 19 and 66. (I believe in spare weapons.) I carried larger-framee sixguns before the 19 and 66, including a GP100 I used to fire a decisive defensive shot. I don't know if my incident figured into anyone's stats on stopping power, but it sure made an impression on me. (It was not a surprise; I had already read of the stats and studies, but local reputation was also important. The 125-grain .357 was already King of the Street at that time.)

Keep in mind that the flash and blast are worse on the bad guy's end! A flash-bang that punches a hole; what's not to like, from a defender's viewpoint? That being said, I may choose something else for a dedicated indoor weapon to be used in tight spaces; this is where I like .45 handguns.

Recoil is complicated; much depends on the fit of the weapon. The original, pre-Hogue
GP100 factory grip is a somewhat better equation for my hands than any K or L grip I have yet found. This is more for comfort during sustained fire; I would have no problems using an S&W K or L for the few shots involved in a defensive scenario, though my Model 19 is kept loaded with 145-grain Silvertips these days. (125s are still my load of choice in the heavier GP100, which is the size-weight equivalent of the S&W L that is the topic at hand.)

Lastly, be wary of the "truck gun" concept, if it means leaving the weapon inside the vehicle. Burglaries of vehicles are the LEADING reportable crime in my area, which is typical of all urbanized areas of the USA. The harvest of firearms taken from vehicles is huge around here during such times as the rodeo, when country folks leave their guns in their trucks at hotels. Hidden is not enough, and NO place is safe. Please, do more than just hide the guns, and keep in mind that the large screwdrivers and small bolt cutters typically carried by car burglars can make short work of cheap security measures. I am not parroting anything; I wear a big-city PD badge. I not only respond to the scenes, but see the cautionary notices on the computer screen, of weapons stolen from vehicles, or along with the vehicles, from throughout the area. Sorry for drifting from the subject, but I feel strongly about this.
 
The 357 with hot loads has a BIG muzzle flash. Try the new Hornady 125 grainers Critical Defense they are supposed to have less flash
 
bsms if you are going to use a 2" .44 magnum indoors for self defense better have handy some ear muffs and practice to put them on with one hand while you reach for the gun in question. Hearing damage is easy to get and there is no cure for it. Hearing aids help but there is no comparison to your God given hearing ability, plus the tinnitus will be a constant tormentor day and night
 
.357 Mags are no prob! I really don't know why so many say they bite too hard. I'd rather shoot full powered .357 Mag loads in my Ruger SP101 than .38+P loads in my S&W 642.
 
.38+P in a 642 doesn't even have mentionable recoil, IMO, until you get into Buffalo Bore or equivalent loads.
 
I don't have anywhere near the experience that Rexster seems to, but I agree with everything he says in his post above. Recoil is a complicated thing with many variables. Those that say .357 have little recoil are wrong. It has substantial recoil. Depending on the gun it is shot in and grips used on said gun it may be more or less comfortable. A person's strengh has nothing to do with the recoil that is present. Wheither a person finds the recoild managable, or not is an entirely different variable. I find full power .357 loads in my 4 inch 66 to be managable, but not pleasant. I can hit what I aim at with it, but don't like to shoot them very often, prefering to primarily practice with .38s. If that makes me a wussy, then give me a a teeshirt with a big W on it and I will wear it proudly!! :)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top