357 Magnum vs 45 ACP

[BUFF]

Absolutely agree with you Insight NEO..it would all depend on the situation..the reason Elmer developed the .357 mag was to help Eliott Ness and the G-men deal with the plated car doors and body armour of the 20's and 30's gangster era. It handled this effectively. The .45 is hands down the best combat pistol...I bet any German in WWII would agree..

 

[BUFF]

on second thought...just get a Glock in 10mm. It is the only answer to this kind of debate

 

[zt77]

.357 magnum for versatility. it has a flatter trajectory, can use heavy for caliber bullets better (from a hunting standpoint), and has a good reputation for SD.

.45 acp has a big bullet and a good reputation for SD.
good 9mm has a good reputation for SD.

pretty much all cartridges with good loads are good for SD.

.45 acp may be the only one that does okay with ball, but the .357 is more versatile.

I agree with the person before.....it boils down to platform preference.

 

[Commander Crusty]

125 grain HP .357 is King.

As I recall, the 125 grain, full power HP is the King of stopping power. And guns that feed .357 magnums (read "revolvers") work virtually every time. Of course, the magnums are way loud and also usually have a Lot of muzzle flash.

That being said, the .45 ACP HP is very close. Most guns that feed .45 ACP are almost as reliable as revolvers, or can be Made that way by a good gunsmith. And the .45 has way less muzzle flash than any full power magnum loading and can hold twice as many shots.

So, ultimately, the .357 is King, but the .45 Rules!

 

[AZ Desertrat]

In pure ballistic terms....the .357 has the horsepower.....but in everyday gun fighting.....they both do the job just fine.

 

[goon]

I choose .357 because of the platform it's launched from.
It's the more versatile choice.
Nothing wrong with a good .45 though.

BTW - I'm one of those people who thinks that putting the bullet where it needs to go is more important than how big it is or how fast it gets there. As long as you have "enough", you don't really need anything else.
And either of the above have "enough".

 

[KJS]

Earlier this year the topic of guns came up on an investment forum that I used to frequent and I asked the .45 Auto vs .357 Mag question to an ER doc who posts there. Since he's treated gun shot wounds he would seem to be qualified to answer. He said both produce similar wounds.

His personal choice for home defense was a 12 gauge shotgun. He wasn't impressed by the stopping power of any handgun, even relating to me a story about how he got to patch up a guy who had seven bullet holes in him. The injuries were not serious enough to even require admission to the hospital. He told me that he never gets to work on people who are hit at close range by a shotgun as they go to the morgue rather than his ER.

 

[KJS]

I choose .357 because of the platform it's launched from.

S&W offers revolvers chambered in .45 ACP. Can't think of any other company that does, but at least the world's largest handgun maker has them.

 

[Frank4711]

I agree...12ga pump 00buck best for HD.........

 

[PT1911]

I am gonna have to say that the worst ringing my ears have ever experienced has come from fireing my taurus 1911 the first time (no hearing protection..)

that was much worse.. IMO.... than the first time I shot a .357 (without hearing protection)

I cannot explain it.. but it is OH SO TRUE.. as my ears reminded me for about a week.

NOW I wear hearing protection.

 

[Confederate]

The issue isn't between handguns and shotguns, but between two handgun calibers. The .357 packs an astounding punch, and it does it out to respectable distances and to fairly large-sized critters. The 125gr JHP can, and has, put down deer and, yes, Virginia, even bear and cougars. It's also been shown to remain in human bodies, which means it's able to transfer 100% of its energy. It's also been proven on the street, as has the .45.

Bottom line: the .357 has been shown to have a flatter trajectory and to put down deer-sized game. The .45 has a much more limited trajectory and is not deemed suitable for hunting deer. Whether it tends to stay in the human body I don't know, but given the above, it should be considered not quite the stopper the more powerful .357 is.

If the bullet is a 185JHP, and the load is a +P, well, this might be different; for conventional loads, however, I'll take the .357.

 

[Noveldoc]

Ruger makes a Blackhawk SA with convertible 45 Colt and 45 ACP cylinders.

Tom

 

[HydrostatiK]

I like .45 acp over 357 magnum, because of the firearms not the cartridge. Any of the major self defense pistol calibers; 38, 9mm , 357, 40 , 45 one will not blow someone in half. You have to hit the same spots with each caliber, in order for them to be effective. Caliber performance is basicly the same, but the firearms they are shot from make a big difference depending on who you are.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Seven months and the thread is still going strong!

As others have said, it really depends on your platform preference...

Me personally, I usually carry a S&W J-frame w/357's... It's small, dependable, no safety, no wondering if a round is in the chamber... just point and squeeze...

 

[harmon rabb]

if a bad guy was coming at me, i'd be happy to have either a .357 or a .45 in my hand. no real preference.

 

[Tiomoid]

Ha, I always love these. Guess I will weigh in also.

At home with no nearby neighbors I would go for the .357 just based on my personal ease of use. But I carry a .45ACP because I love the caliber and with my ammo selection I am not worried about over penitration.

 

[huntsman]

The 125gr JHP can, and has, put down deer and, yes, Virginia, even bear and cougars.

I've never hunted with my .357 but why would someone use a 125GR over a 158 or 180 ?

 

[txoilman]

Dang .... I scrolled through 7 pages and nobody has thrown in the 'what if a bear comes at me' ?...I live to read those posts...again and again and again.

 

[NMGonzo]

I have 2 1911's.

Today I am packing my .357 snub nose.

I had a lot to do and It was out of the safe already.

 

[frankiestoys]

Dang .... I scrolled through 7 pages and nobody has thrown in the 'what if a bear comes at me' ?...I live to read those posts...again and again and again.

So what if a bear comes at me?
Only kidding.
I prefer the 357 it really is the most versatile cal ,IMO.

 

[sonier]

i wouldnt want to get shot by either!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, if i was a intruder id hate to have a projectile AND A FLASHBANG going off at me. so 357MAG FOR ME!!!!!! seriously muzzleflash and and noise level is a TACTICAL ADVANTAGE!!!!!!!! so if you hear the guy break in your house get some hearing protection on before you shoot him. if i loose my hearing i doubt a badguy is gona break in the house again after seeing what happened to his buddy lol
I helped butcher a goat for a guy, he shot it with a .45 ACP at 10 yards with a FMJ, this did not penetrate the goats skull it was a VERY WELL PLACED SHOT, i have butchered plenty of sheep cattle and goats with my 357 mag and 125 grain hp, and if im wrried bout penetration i have some hardcast lead rounds as well.

357 mag WINS
and if you want tacticle advantages of autoloader BUY A KOONAN you can get a 357 mag chambered in a autoloader

 

[gsusd]

.45 is safer for home defense (especially indoors); .357 is too fast and too powerful, plus recoil is hasher and the noise is worse.

 

[goon]

.45 is safer for home defense (especially indoors); .357 is too fast and too powerful, plus recoil is hasher and the noise is worse.

Generalization... can be cured with ammunition.
You can make a .357 lighter. Can't make a .45 ACP much heavier.

 

[sonier]

good one gooon, i can load factory 38s in my 357 mag. since i reload my own ammo i can load some REALLY LIGHT .38s
factory ammunition wise 357 mag has .45 beat. you can load a .38 in 357 mag
you cant load a 45 colt in a 45 auto srry guys
im curious too what some .45 handloaders have made to make .45 faster hitting though.

 

[tactikel]

A charge of **.* grains of AA#5 pushes a 185 grain XTP to 1150 fps from a 5" barrel .45 auto. The load functions flawlessly in my XD-45 and is quite accurate too. I have 13+1 capacity and can launch a 1/3 pound of lead in under 4 seconds !