357 Magnum vs 45 ACP

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Personal defense against 2 legged or 4 legged animals?

For 2 legged, I'm a .45 ACP guy.
My woods gun is a 2.5" S&W 66 loaded with Double Tap 180gr hardcast loads.
 
I took a .357 revolver and reamed every other chamber to .45 cal and also re-bored the barrel to .45 dia. for the best of both worlds. The .357 mags tumble for devastating effect and the .45 blows 'em off their feet

Sorry, but this may be the best reply to this entire thread.
 
um a 357 slug through a 45 barrel you wont get much velocity at all with that, seems like the worse idea personally, last thing i want is a low velocity tumbling round, heck id rather have a paintball gun. you need pressure to get velocity and with that barrel the pressure can go around the barrel erode the barrel and just cause a lot of issues.
 
This
OACP005-1.jpg
or this.
photos10741.jpg
I have carried and competed with both. Both work really well. 45 is easier to shoot for extended periods and comes back on target faster. These things are significant in competition. I don't think they would matter a hoot in a self defense gunfight.
 
the thing people arent realizing here when saying they cant get a second shot off accurately is that the target isnt going to be 25 yards away hes gonna be 5-15 feet away u dont have to make a pretty shot in a self defense situation i feel confident that i could place 6/6 shots from my .357 in a intruder just as easy as a .45 acp although the .45 has more ammo the question to ask urself is have u trained enough to need the extra ammo or not?
 
I love these threads!

I always liken it to this ...

At least once a day, some nubcakes comes on EVE and asks "What's the best ship?" ...
when they get the answer "Depends. there is no single best ship" I swear I can hear their heads explode over the internet.

The same applies to guns. There are so many factors involved in this mythical equation of "stopping power" or "accuracy" or "killing power" or whatever you wanna call it.
Believe it or not, one of them is your own strength. I know guys who can somewhat control an aging M-60 from the hip. I also know guys who can't. That being said, think about it. are you a big guy who can absorb the arguably stiff recoil from a .357 Magnum in a portable package and be
a) accurate and
b) fast.
Secondly, think about your choice of platforms. Are you better with a Revolver or a Semi-Auto? Now, on top of that, which of these within these criteria are you better with?!
Singlestacks? Doublestacks? Square grips and long barrels or a nice little compact snubby?

I hate to say this, but the OP, you ... are basically asking a pretty dumb question. There is no such thing as a "best" in life.
Except for crushing your enemies, seeing them driven before you and hearing the lamentations of their women, of course.
 
What are YOU more comfortable with a double action revolver or an autoloader?... that's really the only question coupled with which do you SHOOT MORE EFFECTIVELY?
 
f it's for primarly self defense and nothing else, I'd prefer the 1911 (but a good snub K frame or Ruger Security/Speed Six ain't bad.)

If it's for the field with SD as a secondary use, a good revolver in .357 is very hard to beat (but a 1911 will do if need be.)

But if you are an excellent fast shot... heck pick what you like the best and don't worry. Both the .45 and .357 is good 'uns!

Deaf
 
Both rounds will do the job with equal effectiveness. The .357 does pack a heftier punch, but the .45 is no slouch either. The .357 mag is my personal choice due to its inherent simplicity and easy to find ammo (it can use .38 and .38 special to train with). The .45 in a semi-auto is a great great gun as well, I'm just a revolver guy. I think it all depends on what you are more comfortable with shooting.
 
i would say .45 acp with +p JHP has better stopping power then any .357 mag round. if its standard .45 acp JHP vs .357 mag 125 gr JHp then i would say the .357 magnum.

.45 acp 200 gr Speer GDHP +P JHP expands to .77 of an inch while the .357 mag 125 gr JHP expands to .58 of an inch an dhas better penetration but the GDHP has better hydrostatic shock and expansion.

.45 acp Speer 200 gr +p gdhp has 518 FT/lbs of energy!
 
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"With the production of the 500 S&W Magnum underway, these puny calibers are now obsolete!" Aw, you just HAD to go and say THAT!
DSC05993.jpg
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What really bugs me about these discussions is everyone seems to think in TWO dimensions.

Think of stopping power as THREE dimensions, with the most important being the length of the penetration channel. In other words:

a 30-06 works VERY well with a light bullet because the wound channel looks like this:
Pictures from Martin Fackler:
308%20Winchester.jpg

a 125 grain .357 wound channel looks like this:
357%20Magnum.jpg

and a .45 ACP like this:
45%20ACP%20WW%20STHP.jpg

And a 12 Gauge like this:
12%20Gauge%20No%204%20Buckshot.jpg


If the shotgun is a magic wand, one might look at projectile weight as the magic in the formula.
over 540 grains of lead has a serious effect on targets, in most any form.

Perhaps if one wants shotgun like stopping power, one should start looking at handgun calibers that more then double the bullet weight of either the .45 ACP, or .357.
DSC_0060FA83Barrelshotbulletsverycl.jpg

IIRC: .500 Linebaugh max 525 grains, 1350 fps, 525 grain .510 bullet for max, a .500 JRH that did in an asian buffalo, a Hawk 325 grain thin jacketed .510 bullet for deer/BG's, .475 Linebaugh Hornady factory 400 grain XTP @ 1350 fps from my gun, 325 grain flat point going 1500 fps with low recoil, low pressure loads, in .475,
300 grain HP Hawk @ 1560 fps with low pressure loads, 45 Colt, 45 ACP/Super, and .357 mag.
.475 Linebaugh FA 83 loaded with 400 grain Hornady XTP, at 1350 fps. Heavy, expanding, and fast is best.
Makes a great pillow.

Res ipsa loquitur.
 
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c'mon folks
vs versus vs, ya gotta be kidding me
I thunk the cavemen settled this one

just carry both, one in each hand
if that still ain't e'nuff for you, maybe you need a hand grenade :rolleyes:
 
c'mon folks
vs versus vs, ya gotta be kidding me
I thunk the cavemen settled this one

just carry both, one in each hand
if that still ain't e'nuff for you, maybe you need a hand grenade :rolleyes:

Which hand grenade is better, the pineapple or the potato masher?

Az
 
This thread began in 2008.

It somehow keeps being revived by someone who does not read through the whole thing.

Anything anyone here has to say was likely said at least a year ago.

Expect this, of course. :)

tipoc
 
Just to add my 2 cents when it comes to momentum your average 230gr .45 and your average 125gr .357 are pretty close to the same giving the .45 a slight edge if I remember correctly. If you look at kinetic energy the .357 is usually far ahead of the .45. What these numbers actually mean in terms of how much damage it will cause is still up for debate. Something to keep in mind a .357 might expand but a .45 never shrinks. can't remember where I read that but there it is. Obviously either are very good choices and you're probably splitting hairs when it gets done to it. The .45 will make a bigger hole and will almost always penetrate the width of a human torso and then some the .357 with its greater velocity exhibits much more violent expansion and creates a greater temporary cavity. So like I said splitting hairs.
 
Sometimes I carry both: A Dan Wesson 4" and a 1911 of various types or a sig 220. Always feel safe with both, but also never feel undergunned with only either one!
 
Ten pages of this? Wow, that's sad. They're different rounds with different purposes generally used in completely different guns. Neither is "better" than the other except for personal preference.
 
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