Full Size Revolver: .357 or .44?

Full-size Revolver, what caliber?

  • .357 Magnum

    Votes: 104 69.3%
  • .44 Magnum

    Votes: 46 30.7%

  • Total voters
    150
  • Poll closed .
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GTSteve03

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Joined
Apr 21, 2005
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1,192
Location
Cumming, GA
I'm debating on my next revolver purchase and I need some suggestions. Right now I own a Ruger SP101 .357 w/ 3" barrel. I love this pistol, and I plan on making it my primary car/carry piece.

What I'm trying to decide on next is a full-size revolver for home defense. Right now I'm trying to decide between a GP-100 in .357 or the new Redhawk in .44 Mag, both with 4" barrels. I want a heavier, full frame size gun that I don't have to worry about carrying or concealing for home defense that will also be a little easier to shoot at the range thanks to the increased weight.

I've never shot a .44 before, so I'm not sure about recoil. I would be reloading and more than likely keep it stoked with something more in the .44 Special velocity range for home defense. I could always load it up with hot Magnums for when I might venture out into the woods.

Or, I could just buy a larger size of my carry piece, have the same ammo compatibility, and get slightly better performance from the longer barrel. I guess my main question is whether or not I should stick with a .357 for home defense or go for the bigger hole provided by a .44.

Please give me your comments! :confused:
 
With a Glock 21 and an SP101, I'd be thinking more of a fun gun than a HD gun. You're covered.

Are you sure you want a double action?:)
 
Get a GP 100 6" - blue or stainless. It's a blast (literally & figuratively!) to shoot. Since you know .357, use what you know. The GP100 is a rock-solid frame, the 6" barrel will give a longer sight radius and (theoretically) better accuracy, and will suit you well at the range or in the field or for HD.

My $.02...

Preacher Man
 
You know 357's. You seem to have an interest in a larger bore caliber, so I would go for the 4" Redhawk 44 if the 4" is for you. They have been getting rave reviews. With the interest, eventually, you are going to get a 44, so why not now? The negatives are you want a range gun and I would suspect you won't shoot the 44 as much as you think due to the recoil. If you go with the 44, consider the 5.5" Redhawk or a 6.5" Smith 629 for general shooting. The larger sight radius and weight will probably help you shoot better in this larger caliber. You will notice a big difference between the 357 and 44 mag in terms of recoil. But until you take the 44 plunge, you really won't experience it.
 
With a Glock 21 and an SP101, I'd be thinking more of a fun gun than a HD gun. You're covered.

Are you sure you want a double action?
As much as I like the Glock 21 and the .45ACP caliber, the auto-chuckers just don't have a soul to me. I'm probably going to sell it to fund my revolver purchase. That's one of the reasons I was looking at a bigger-bore to replace the .45.

Now, I had originally written off single actions as not being useful except for cowboy shooting or hunting, neither of which I do a whole lot. However, a stainless Blackhawk in .45 Colt really has me drooling. Argh! :eek:
 
How about a S&W 25 or 625 in 45 ACP? A Blackhawk 45 Colt / 45 ACP convertible would certainly be fun as well.
 
Since this revolver is for Home Defense then I'll vote for the .357. You really don't want to fire off a .44 Magnum in a dark inclosed room in the middle of the night. Even a .44 Special will be too much but a .38 Special won't make you blind or deaf.
 
625. I own several S&W revolvers. M29 M65 625 and J frames.
For your stated wants and needs A 625 in .45 ACP would be very fine.
Mine is a four inch.
 
Why do you people do that????

Question: Which one.... A .357 Magnum or a .44 Magnum???

Answer: Get a .45 Cal. !!!!

Really, why do you do that???
A question was asked, why can't you answer the question instead of changing the answer to something you decide he needs? For once I would like to see a thread where all the answers are in line.
 
Taking everything into consideration you'll probably be better served by the .357. I like both the Rugers. GP & SP. I'd however choose a S&W 586/686. JMHO.
 
Try shooting a box of full-house loads out of each of the revolvers you're considering.

A hot .357 is about the upper limit of what I can comfortably control in a typical carry piece. Resist the urge to be Dirty Harry, or run the risk of purchasing a gun that never gets shot because it's painful to operate.
 
ArchAngelCD, you said:
Why do you people do that????

Question: Which one.... A .357 Magnum or a .44 Magnum???

Answer: Get a .45 Cal. !!!!

Really, why do you do that???
A question was asked, why can't you answer the question instead of changing the answer to something you decide he needs? For once I would like to see a thread where all the answers are in line.

Well, you see GTSteve03 ended his post with:
Please give me your comments!
Then, ArmedBear made an open ended suggestion of:
With a Glock 21 and an SP101, I'd be thinking more of a fun gun than a HD gun. You're covered.

Are you sure you want a double action?
GTSteve03 responded by quoting Armed bear and adding:
As much as I like the Glock 21 and the .45ACP caliber, the auto-chuckers just don't have a soul to me. I'm probably going to sell it to fund my revolver purchase. That's one of the reasons I was looking at a bigger-bore to replace the .45.

Now, I had originally written off single actions as not being useful except for cowboy shooting or hunting, neither of which I do a whole lot. However, a stainless Blackhawk in .45 Colt really has me drooling. Argh!

You see I simply responded to the original poster's next comment by adding another bigbore DA revolver choice to consider; and suggesting the versatility of a factory supplied second cylinder to a gun he specifically expressed an affinity for.

ArchAngel, I often skip over some posts myself and think a thread may be veering off topic. However, please read all the posts - particularly additional ones by the OP - before accusing folks of making answers that aren't in line.
 
ugaarguy,
IMHO, when he said, "Please give me your comments" I'm almost sure he wanted comments on what he said in his post, not on every caliber in the book. Nowhere in his post did he ask if he should choose a different caliber, only which of the 2 he spoke about should be chosen.

This thread may have a loophole if you want to take that statement literally instead of how it’s written, but you know exactly what I'm talking about.
 
If you want to be totally practical then get the GP100. But I suspect since you reload you are looking for something a bit more interesting.

Definitely get the 4" Redhawk .44! I had a customized 4" RH years ago and kick myself all the time for trading it away. A mild loaded .44 magnum, like a 240 gr. at 1000 fps would be fun to shoot and about ideal for home defense. And sometime when you get the hankering you can load up full house magnums and enjoy a 3 ft muzzle blast.

You will not regret getting the Redhawk. :D
 
I'll hold the standard high for a 4" 629. Mine was days old when I got it last April - and really is a step-up for me from the neat 629 Mountain Gun I had. It weighs 5.5oz less than the 4" RH - and will outlast you with SAAMI-spec'd .44 Magnums. If you like 'pushing the envelope', perhaps the RH is a better choice. Not here, as I had a 5.5" SS .45 RH for years - it was not up to the quality level or trigger slickness of my 4" 625MG's in .45 Colt, and I finally sold it. The RH's are fine firearms, when you move from Ruger SA's to a DA, but S&W's are slicker, for sure. Since I never load near max SAAMI pec's for a round, I expect a long life of my 629's.

The 4" 629 (SKU#163603 MSRP $869) 'points' extremely well. Oddly, so does it's sibling here, the 6" (SKU #163606 MSRP $869), which still weighs 1.5 oz less than that 4" RH. Both are fitted here with the excellent Hogue .500 Magnum grips - great recoil help and fit/feel - available from S&W Accessories for $35. That 6" is a great feeling (and looking... I like partial lugs!) 'grab' - and the long sight radius makes you a better shot, too.

I made a range trip Monday - with a 5" h-l 686+ and my 4" 629. I was 'plinking' with 158gr LSWC and RN homebrews in .38 Special cases from that 686+ - really fun. Of course, the wimpy .44 Russians to midrange .44 Specials were even more fun - there is something about a 240gr LSWC trying to break 700 fps from a .44 Russian case - or the same lead nearing 800 fps from a .44 Special case. Really fun. Whacks the poop out of rebounding and stationary steel plates. At home, I have an Airweight 2.5" 5-shot hammerless .44 Special, a S&W 296, stoked with 200gr Gold Dots (805 fps) for protection, but that 4" 629 with those Gold Dots, which make 840-860 fps from it, would be nearly perfect, too - certainly a good bit easier to shoot follow-ups from. My 'hottest' loads are 300gr LSWC's making ~900 fps... I am not a 'real' .44 Magnum enthusiast, having had my big boom fun with a .454 SRH years ago.

If you decide on a .357M, consider the S&W 620 - the 4" 686+ frame/cylinder with a short lug - a la the 66 it replaced. That 7-shooter, SKU #164401 MSRP $751, points quite well - deserves some proper Ahrends wood grips... and is on my 'short list'. Of course, if you have a stash of .45 ACP's left over from that G21, consider the feature laden 4" .45 ACP/AR 625JM, SKU 160936 MSRP $909, a true big bore that is frugal and mild. You can load mild plate pingers to real .45 Colt-ish loads - even in the rimmed .45 AR cases. It's so much fun, I don't even mind that full lug!

The big thing here is to get something YOU like - and want to shoot. That SP101 can be a great CCW - but only the 4" .22 & .32 versions are really decent 'plinkers'. I'd get my next revolver for 'fun'!

Stainz
 
I don't consider myself recoil sensitive, but my 44 magnum kicks my butt.

It hurt the first few times I shot it. I am making myself get used to it, but it is right out for a home defense gun at this point.
 
If my choices for a home defense revolver were limited to the GP100 and Redhawk (both nice guns BTW) I would opt for the GP100 and load it with good .38 Special defense ammo. For packing around in potentially dangerous country I would choose the Redhawk.
 
I've got a 4" S&W Model 29-2. With reasonable .44 Special loads, it's very controllable and easily shot, even with magna grips. With Winchester 240gr. white box from Walmart, it's BRUTAL, even with Pachmayrs!

In terms of versatility, I'd look for a S&W Model 28. They're still reasonably priced when you can find them. When I was looking for a 6" Model 27-2, I saw Model 28s everywhere. The .357 Model 28 is a lot less expensive to shoot than the .44 Magnum, especially if you handload. I don't have a 28, but they're virtually the same gun as the 27s that I have. They're the Impala to the 27's Caprice Classic.
 
I don't consider myself recoil sensitive, but my 44 magnum kicks my butt.

It hurt the first few times I shot it. I am making myself get used to it, but it is right out for a home defense gun at this point.
Try the CCI and Federal .44 Special defense loads. It's what I have for my 4" Model 29-2.
 
I agree with the "soul-less" lack of fun and charisma that the Glock 21 is privvy to. It was my first gun, and I wish that my first gun was my Redhawk 5.5". There is a gun that I will never get rid of.

You've got good taste, by the way.

If you want a wheelie for indoor defense, I'd suggest the 44 platform and loading it with hollowpoint specials. The magnums will burst your eardrums, inside without hearing protection.

I own a 3" sp101 as well as a pair of redhawks... 4" stainless and 5.5" blued. I am considering getting rid of the sp101 just because it doesn't really fill a niche for me. If I carry around in town, I carry my Sig GSR 1911. 1911's are not soul-less to me... I really like them a lot. If I'm out of town carrying, it's one of the redhawks depending on if I'm hunting (5.5") or just outdoors (4").

My Sig:
P1010038.jpg
My SP101:
IMG_0928.jpg
My 4" Redhawk:
IMG_0939.jpg
My 5.5" Redhawk:
IMG_0934.jpg
 
I voted 357

For a number of reasons:

1. Everyone should own a 4’” 357 revolver
2. For HD/ SD, very few handgun rounds (controllable with fast follow up shots) can beat a hot 125 .357
3. Ammo compatibility.
4. You live in GA. Now, I may be misinformed, but there are no big bears in GA, right? What is the most dangerous predator in GA? The 2 legged kind?
5. 38/357 is cheaper to shoot than 44sp/44mag
6. If you like your ruger, you can get the bigger version and have a very familiar platform. Also, the GP100
 
4" just screams .357 to me--my 4" .357 is a dream to shoot, but if I was going to get a .44, I wouldn't get anything below a 5.5, and download it for the "not exploding your ears" reason--that way, it's more fun for reasons OTHER than HD when you can fully load that puppy, but very capable for HD.
 
Originally posted by: azredhawk44
You've got good taste, by the way.
Thanks. :cool: Your posts showing off your new 4" Redhawk is what has really gotten me lusting after one myself. I see we share similar taste in handguns, while I do respect the 1911 I don't know if I am ready to take on the tweaking necessary to get one running 100%. If I do, I will probably go for a Smith & Wesson 1911, I hear they've gotten rave reviews.

I'm really surprised by the overwhelming victory that the .357 is getting so far. It does make more sense I think to start out with a similar caliber, and no we don't have any big bears here in GA, DogBonz so I don't really have to worry about that.

And no one has to feel out of place by suggesting another caliber besides what was posted on the poll. Granted, I didn't leave a 3rd option for "None of the above" but I don't mind getting advice from people with more experience than myself.
 
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