.44 Mag or .357 mag for SHTF.

[jmr40]

357 is fading fast.

Really? You think the .357 is on it's way to extinction?


Quote:
Lots of 357 guns out there, but folks just don't shoot them much any more.

I must be the odd ball I shoot magnums out one of mine nearly weekly.

NO, never extinction. Too many guns out there and the 357 is too good to die. But it is simply not being used nearly as much as 20 years ago. As a result stores simply don't stock or sell anywhere near the ammo they used to sell. 9mm is everywhere, 44 mag ammo is stocked in local stores in greater numbers and variety.

I've found the 357 to either be too much, or not enough. As have most other shooters. Too much muzzle blast and recoil for a gun that only gives me 50-100 fps advantage over a 9mm holding 3X the rounds. Not enough to do the same job as the 44. With mid-range loads or hot 44 specials the 44 is a better manstopper with less recoil or muzzle blast than the 357. With hotter loads it leaves the 357 in the dust. And in the case of my 629's, are in a lighter, easier to carry package than the 686's and GP-100's I used to own.

Use what you like, believe what you want, but the use of 357 revolvers is declining rapidly. While the use of almost every other handgun round is either increasing or holding steady.

 

[oldfool]

You are talking ammo sales volume, jmr40, not gun sales volume

There are a mighty lot of 357 revolvers being made, and being sold, moreso than 38sp revolvers. Same is true of 44 mag revolvers vs 44 sp revolvers

Neither is going away anytime in the foreseeable future, both for same reasons.
Too many of us like the off the shelf ammo versatility, and most of "us" don't handload
Ask Ruger, that's why they just could not stand to leave the LCR as 38 sp.. etc. etc.
(same as the SP101 before it)

I do agree with you that 357 is too often too much of one, or not enough of the other
(but that's why they make carbines, you know)
I also agree the the 44sp is THE optimal handgun round out of any revolver w/ a decent barrel length
but don't hold your breath waiting for 44 sp handgun sales to outpace "just 38 sp" volume sales in handguns

357 it ain't... 38/357 it is
and it ain't leaving town until they stop making wheelguns

PS
of the 38/357 revolvers I own, only two are stamped 38sp or 38+p
the other four are stamped "357", on purpose, even though I don't burn much 357 thru any of them
(now guess which ones have far higher round counts thru 'em)
I am far from being the odd man out on this one

"While the use of almost every other handgun round is either increasing or holding steady."
I think you maybe forgot 32 S&W/long, 32 H&R mag, and Federal 327 ??

 

[Chindo18Z]

Speaking of post-apocalyptic .357s ...

AMC's Walking Dead series:

This show's Python might spark a resurgence in .357 addiction. Or at least higher Python prices.

As a result stores simply don't stock or sell anywhere near the ammo they used to sell. 9mm is everywhere, 44 mag ammo is stocked in local stores in greater numbers and variety.

Exactly the opposite in the last three areas I've lived (SW, Rockies, Appalachia). Awash with routinely replenished .357 ammo and it sells like hotcakes. .44 selection not so much. Just a little better availability than .41. Where there are lots of whitetail deer or pigs, I see more .44 Mag. Where there is a lot of Cowboy Action Shooting...more .44 Special or .45 Colt.

During the periodic ammo shortages of the last few years, .357 / .38 vaporized off the shelves (along with 9mm, .40, .380, and .45 ACP). The bigger magnums were always available in my locales and rarely restocked.

Must be a regional thing.

9mm is hands down the most popular center fire pistol round for three reasons:

1. More good platform choices available today compared to 30 years ago

2. SD 9mm loads are so much better today due to improved bullet design

3. It's the cheapest center fire handgun caliber available for volume shooting

There are literally tens of millions of .357s revolvers out there in the American landscape and more models for sale available today than ever before. New shooters tend to gravitate to 9mm & .40, but (IMHO) the .357 is hardly in decline today.

The big decline happened back in the 80's when LEO agencies and the military went to semi-autos, thus drawing a large part of the civilian market in the same direction. Today, domestic manufacture of semi-autos outpaces production of revolvers by a factor of at least 3 to 1. Possibly greater. So, no argument that auto calibers dominate the overall market, but .357/.38 continues to dominate the revolver market share (several hundred thousand revolvers sold each year).

Admittedly, most .357 owners tend to actually carry & shoot .38 Special. But, .357 is far from dead when compared to other revolver calibers.

 

[Beat Trash]

Given the choice between a .357 and a .44 revolver for a SHTF handgun, I'd go with a 4" .357.

 

[corpsmanup!]

Sorry, I still have to defer to Mr. Keith and say .44 spl for social work with option of .44 mag for its hunting ability. I have a lever gun and six gun in .44. I keep 200 gr GDHP in sixgun and Hornady leverevolution 240 gr plastic tips in my levergun. I like that I can shoot both out of either and have options.

 

[Chindo18Z]

Sorry, I still have to defer to Mr. Keith and say .44 spl for social work with option of .44 mag for its hunting ability.

Certainly a well considered and effective combo.

 

[eazyrider]

I would go with the 44 Mag in the situation described. I love my Python but the 357 is not the game cartridge that the 44 Mag is. The 44 mag can take just about every game in North America. While the 357 probably could as well I would still take the proven performer. I am talking more about protection from game, bears, hogs etc. For self defense you could always swap out your mags for specials. Best of both worlds.

 

[JFrame]

As noted before, there are many interpretations/permutations of SHTF. Personally, a 72 hour event is, IMHO, nothing more than a temporary nuisance. I would recommend to all to read "One Second After" by William R. Forstchen, which was number 11 on the New York Times Best Seller List 2 years ago, and for which movie rights to are currently being discussed.

Thanks for that recommendation! I will have to add it to my reading list for the next time I put an order in with Amazon.

And, just to keep this thread on track, it's not so important what firearm you have, as it is to have one and have ammunition for it.

Don

That's pretty much my philosophy also.


.

 

[22-rimfire]

One Second After... thanks for reminding me. I've had it for over a year and had not gotten to read it yet. I think it will be next in line.

 

[CollinLeon]

I would go with the 44 Mag in the situation described. I love my Python but the 357 is not the game cartridge that the 44 Mag is. The 44 mag can take just about every game in North America. While the 357 probably could as well I would still take the proven performer. I am talking more about protection from game, bears, hogs etc. For self defense you could always swap out your mags for specials. Best of both worlds.

And for anything that the .44 mag cannot take, there's the .45-70...

In a lot of ways, the .357 mag makes for a pretty good survival weapon since you can reload it with really light rounds and lower velocity for small animals (and not tear up the meat too much) or reload it with full power rounds for many larger game animals (deer, etc).

The .44 mag would be better for larger deer and probably even moose and elk (not that I know anything about hunting them since I'm in Texas). I recently bought a Marlin 1895GS in .45-70, so I figure I'm set for any animal on this continent -- not that I really expect a polar bear to be a possible target here in Texas, even during the next Ice Age.

 

[JShirley]

Despite useful information by Chindo, this one's locked.