.357 Magnum-Where have you been all my life?

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seattledave

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This morning I took my recently-purchased GP100 to the range and fired off my very first rounds of .357 magnum ever. Now THAT'S shooting! I've been shooting handguns for about 10 years now, but always 9mm, .380 or the occaisional .45. I was always a bit intimidated by the idea of the .357 magnum , assuming I couldn't handle the recoil or that it would be unpleasant to shoot. Boy was I wrong! I have never had so much fun in my life!

The much-anticipated, hand-severing recoil was non-existant and in it's place was a soul-satisfying muzzle blast and concussion like I have never felt before. Am I crazy to like this stuff? The rounds I was firing were Remington UMC 125 grain JSP, which probably isn't that hot a round (it was all they had at wally world) but it was enough to get my heart going. My only problem now is that I need a reloading press, because I am gonna want to shoot the Ruger all the time now :) Also, 44 magnum is starting to seem less insane.
 
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haha. the same thing happened to me about a year and a half ago when I bought my gp. I had shot .357 in rented guns from the range, and when I handled the gp at the gun shop I knew it had to be mine. Now Im reloading alot (two presses, three sets of dies,just bought my first 4 lb container of powder because I was running out of the 1lb container of my favorite load,case tumbler, lee perfect powder measure,on and on and on...) Just know that this revolver will make you go broke! You won't regret it!
 
It's a real keeper. There's such incredible versatility, especially if you handload. You can shoot everything from .38 Special wadcutters to 200 grain hardcast magnums. Plus you have some of the greatest double action revolvers at your disposal. Colt Pythons, Ruger Sixes, S&W M27's, M19's, the Dan Wesson beauties, and many more.

One of my favorite range loads is 180 grain cast bullets over trailboss. Very pleasant recoil and excellent accuracy.
 
My favorite load is 125 gr XTP's over 22 grains of H110. Nice bang and bounce, but really not uncomfortable to shoot. Bothers the adjoining shooters more than me, but then the casings from the guy on the left bother me too, so we're even.
 
welcome to the 357 club !

No, the 357 is not all that wicked, they just get a bad rep from people who shoot them out of airweight snubbies, that's all; even a "weak sister" round like the 380 will bite your hand if fired out of too little weight. You picked the right gun for the right job with a GP.

besides that, all the pieces of a proper gun ought stay together when the gun is fired, donchaknow... and it really does yield the shooter better control and a very different feel than those autoloaders do

enjoy
 
Try some nice mild .38 special loads in it. It's like a .22 that makes bigger holes, and just as accurate.
I love .357/.38 too.
 
When you reload, you'll find that you can have as much fun downloading .357 Magnums, too. I 'plink' with 125gr JHP bullets, Montana Gold preferred, over 4.5gr Titegroup in .357 Magnum cases - yields 920+ fps from a 4" barrel. Back it down to 4.2 gr for .38 Special cases - and ~905-910 fps from a 4" barrel. Both loads are with standard primers (Federal here.). Not earsplitting loud, flashy, or dirty, either. Yeah, my .44 Magnums are pretty mundane, too. Reloading isn't really cheaper - you just get to shoot more - and shoot what you want or like, too.

Stainz
 
Hey Guys, it's "Seattle"Dave...we get him thinkin' forty four, and he won't have anyone to drink his coffee with!
Dave y'all go on ahead and gitcher 44...we'll keep it quiet for ya.
robert
 
The very first handgun I bought was a Ruger SP101 in .357. I was immediately addicted to the power and versatility, and the heavy duty "hunk of metal" feel that a revolver has. The very next gun I bought was a S&W 460 magnum with a 5" bbl. If you enjoy the power and versatility of the .357, try a 460. I jumped right past the .44 mag. Having the ability to shoot .45 Colt, 454 Casull, and 460 magnums in one revolver is fantastic. It allows you to vary the muzzle energy from about 300 ft.lbs, all the way up to about 2800 ft.lbs, with factory loads. I can't wait to get into handloading and start fiddling around with these loads.

Keep in mind the X frame revolvers are large. Like I said, mine only has a 5" bb, and the gun still weighs just shy of 4lbs. I enjoy shooting the full power loads, but I certainly wouldn't shoot 100 rounds of them in one sitting. Recoil doesn't bother me, but that would be a little much on the hand, and the wallet as well. They are expensive, and even the .45 Colt ammo is no longer cheap to buy, but man, is it a fun gun to shoot. .45 Colt feels like you are shooting .38 special cowboy loads out of a GP100. If you want to shoot a missle at an elk, you can do that with it too.

Welcome to the wide world of .357 lovers! I'm sure you are going to love the wide world of magnums.
 
Yep,the GP100 is a very well-manner 357. My 11-year-old granddaughter shot 3 cylinders of near-full charged Win 296 w/125gr with no complaints. Recently I found the first box of 180gr bullets in my local gun shop and thought they'd be a bit too much recoil,but they shot really sweet,as do all bullet weights Ive tried. And I decided on the GP100 just as you did...picked one up(used) at a gun shop and a few days later took delivery of a brand new 6" SS. Even with very bad shoulders it rarely causes me any discomfort.
 
.357s are great. You got a nice heavy .357. It really helps. My Colt Trooper, which is not as heavy as a GP, but still not a lightweight, kicks less with full house .357s than my S&W 342 Airlite Ti does with standard .38 Specials.
 
For my tastes, a full sized .357 Magnum is the best all-around belt pistol there is. Simple to use, vastly reliable, controllable, versatile... I could go on.
 
My 19-3 (bought new) is still my favorite "walk in the woods" gun. I've retired it from all-up 357 loads but it's fun and accurate with wadcutter handloads or +P LSWC's.
 
40 + years ago I shot my first handgun a M-19 4" with .357 Magnum loads, if I remember correctly these were 158Gr. SWC's. I've never looked back and with one exception I do not own or have any desire to own a revolver of any other caliber.

IMHO the .357 Magnum platform is the perfect revolver. You can shoot everything from light 38 special target loads right up to 180Gr. hardcast hunting rounds, and you don't have to handload to have all of the different choices of ammo.
 
seattledave said:
My only problem now is that I need a reloading press, because I am gonna want to shoot the Ruger all the time now Also, 44 magnum is starting to seem less insane.
Click to expand...

Do it, you will not regret it. Get the Lyman manual first. It is a great thing to read before buying equipment.

I went through a few phases. Single stage: great, but kind of slow. Turret: faster, but not as rewarding and still kind of slow. I never went progressive, because of the lack of space needed to set it up. Instead, I went to a single stage Lee Hand Press. Now I load while half-watching TV, and I don't mind that it takes a while. I'm hand crafting each round, and I can do quality checks along the way. A basic Lee Hand Press kit is right around $100. I use the Lee Dippers for powder, and a Lee Hand Prime for priming.

The Lee manual is not bad, but their load data is junky. I get the feeling they just copied it from several different sources.

Back to revolvers. What I like better than shooting the mangums is shooting "bunny fart loads" in the magnum cases. If you load up a 38 Special level load in a 357 Magnum case, it is accurate, easy to shoot, cheap to make, etc. It feels about like a 22 Magnum, especially in a big gun like the GP-100.

Reloading has made my scoped 44 Mag Redhawk into my favorite handgun at the range. I can shoot as well with it and handloads at 25 yards as I can with my 1911 with factory ammo at 7 yds.

I do keep a box of full-house magnums on-hand, which I shoot a cylinder of every time I go out. Just for the big boom and big smile. After one cylinder, I've had enough.
 
Longtime reader, first post.
I bought my first 357 about 3 years ago and have not regretted it. I bought a Tracker as a hunting piece, and have thoroughly enjoyed it. This past fall I had a chance to shoot a GP 100. The comparative difference I noticed was the Taurus felt like a working man's tool, whereas the GP 100 felt like a professional grade handgun. Night and day. I doubt you will ever regret that choice.
I'm fairly recoil tolerant, and find the 357 to be very pleasant to shoot, but I recommend earplugs under your ear muffs.
Give this recipe a try: 180 g Hornady XTP over 13.25g of W296. That GP could probably stand 13.5 grains. I use that one specifically for white tails. A lot of fun, that load.

Congratulations on your purchase.
 
The .357 Mag is my #1 cartiridge. No chasing brass (more on that in a moment) and the versatility of low-end .38 Spl to hot .357. Back to the chasing brass.......get a lever gun in .357 Mag to go with your Ruger (mine is a Marlin 1894C) and the "fun time" really begins.
 
my first gun was a 357 gp100, since then it is a rare occasion if you see me buy anything in a caliber other than 357
 
Hi,
Like others I love the 357 magnum round. I have seven 357 magnum revolvers all S&W and Ruger. I have three S&W K frame magnums, one S&W L frame, Ruger GP100, Ruger Police Service Six and finally a Ruger New model Blackhawk that is a 357/9mm convertible. So I can shoot either milder or full house magnums. Its a blast!

Regards,
Howard
 
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