Going Magnum - .44 or .357??

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hawk45

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Looking to get back into revolvers. I want something that is versitile but I can't decide weather to go .357 or .44. I know they can shoot either .38 special and .44 special respectivly. I reload most of my own ammo so cost is not a big factor. Will just use for range and maybe carry in the woods. I live in Ohio so no big game to worry about.. but may take out of state if go packing elsewhere.

I've always been a big .45 cal auto fan and mostly what I carry. I know the 357 is a great cartridge but for some reason I would love to have the .44, just in case (wink). But I'm not close minded to suggestions.

I'm leaning towards ruger revolvers b/c of their durability.. I can always have the triggers worked.

Thanks,
Hawk
 
Use?

(id est; target shooting, hunting, home defense, carry piece, other, combination of any of the above...)
 
Are you looking to buy new? There are numerous fine S&W revolvers in either caliber that will be excellent. Personally, I would choose the .44 if I could - right now I can't justify adding the big caliber to my collection, although one day I definitely would. And when that time comes, I'll probably be getting an S&W Model 29 or 629. I kind of like the idea of a snubby .44 - so who knows. That's just me, though, as I've already got a bunch of .38s and .357s.
 
To me, for pure enjoyment of shooting, there's little that beats one of my beloved .357s. When I'm going for a relaxing day at the range, invariably it will be one of my S&W .357s in tow. When I want to make a big BOOM and turn heads, the .44 is available, but I really enjoy the .357 more.

Now if hunting is your game, I would say the .44 is the way to go for most hunters.
 
I wouldn't be happy without one of each. :D If you plan on shooting a lot of Magnum rounds I'd suggest a Ruger. A Blackhawk makes a wonderful woods/range gun and a great cheap .44 Magnum at the same time.
 
For whatever reason, the .44Mag is easier for me to shoot than the .357. The .357 seems sharper or snappier (is that a word?) on the recoil. The .44 seems to be more manageable even with full power loads.
Maybe that's just me. And I agree - one of each is the way to go.

Bruce
 
I own more than one .357 Magnum revolver and enjoy the heck out of shooting them. Both are good rounds so it's really up to what you might use it for other than range use.

BTW, welcome to the forum...
 
If you like your .45 ACPs, consider a revolver so-chambered... like my 625JM below. You can buy 100 moonclips for $30 delivered - and it will load-fire-reload faster than a bottom-feeder. You can load what you want, if they don't get mixed with the bottom-feeder's rounds, as there is no action to work. Load 255gr LSWCs or Speer #4484 250gr Gold Dots, .45 Colt bullets, without worrying whether they will 'feed' properly. I load my .45 Colt-ish loads in .45 Auto Rim cases, leaving the moonclipped .45 ACPs for ball ammo.

IMG_0594.jpg

Of course, nothing beats a 29/629 for .44 Russian/Special/Magnum launching, if that is your want. The larger/lower pressure .45 rounds don't kick quite so much. My 629s both sport the .500 Magnum Hogue grips for recoil control. I've had Rugers - RH & SRH - and they are all gone now... make my choice S&W, please!

Stainz
 
+1 Listen to Stainz.

Moonclips are slick. I'm looking for a 610 to accompany my 629 and 500.
 
For whatever reason, the .44Mag is easier for me to shoot than the .357. The .357 seems sharper or snappier (is that a word?) on the recoil. The .44 seems to be more manageable even with full power loads.
Maybe that's just me. And I agree - one of each is the way to go.
Click to expand...

I find this as well, the .357 just seems that much harsher to me overall unless I you're talking the really hot .44 loads.
 
So the .357 is snappier? That is why I shoot .45 over .40. I don't like the snap of the .40 for follow-ups, but the soft push of the.45 is very easy for fast follow-ups. Maybe should go the same way and go with the .44
 
If a man don't have a 44, he needs a 44. The fact that I think the 44 Special is the absolute best all around centerfire handgun cartridge has something to do with the recommendation.
 
Don't stop at one

Hawk45,
I just picked up a model 65 .357 to coincide with my introduction to reloading. The .357 is a very fun round to reload, components are inexpensive, plentiful, and there is a wide variety of bullets available. I really like my .357 and am planning on picking up a shorter .357 or .38. However, I want a .44 lever gun very badly.

My advice: don't pick the caliber to buy, pick the caliber to buy FIRST.
 
I never shot a .44 Mag or special... and I have not found it at the range for rent...

How does it relate to other rounds?
Click to expand...
That depends entirely upon the load you shoot and the gun you shoot it out of.

A .44 Special out of any reasonable sized handgun is going to be very controllable and pleasant to shoot. It's very similar to a .45acp. Recoil in guns the size of a Charter Arms Bulldog can be stout. CCI and Federal self-defense loads out of my 4" S&W Model 29-2 are very pleasant to shoot and very accurate at 50'.

.44 Magnums come in a variety of loadings, not counting handloads. Some of them are controllable and pleasant to shoot. Others are painful. And that depends in part upon the gun and the grips you use. Winchester white box 240gr. magnums from Walmart (the cheapest quality .44 Magnum I'm aware of) are simply brutal out of my 4" Model 29-2, even with Pachmayr rubber grips. It was even worse with "target" grips that S&W used to use, and I refused to shoot magnums in the gun with magna grips installed. Recoil with my 6" 29-2 was significantly less, but still attention getting. There are other .44 magnum loads which are more pleasant to shoot. I've never shot that load in a Dan Wesson, but I imagine it'd be a noticeably less violent, especially with a vented barrel.

In terms of versatility, you'll get a lot more of that with the .357. You can shoot everything from 148gr. .38 Special wadcutters to heavily loaded 158gr. .357s. It's always going to be cheaper to shoot than the .44, whether you reload or not.

I own both, and in different sizes and types of guns. They do different things, but equally well in their own way. I doubt I'd try to deer hunt with a .357, but hunted with my 6" 29-2 last year. Didn't try to make a 100 yard shot in heavy cover with it, since it was my first handgun hunting experience.
 
So the .357 is snappier? That is why I shoot .45 over .40. I don't like the snap of the .40 for follow-ups, but the soft push of the.45 is very easy for fast follow-ups. Maybe should go the same way and go with the .44
Click to expand...

They both can be pretty snappy, and .44M definately comes back at you harder, but .44s don't have the kind of whipcrack intensity that .357s do IMO. I can count on getting a gun headache after an extended session shooting .357 whereas I've never had that problem with .44s.

I have to say it though that I find the .41 Mag to be that much nicer to shoot than either.
 
You can get nice, used 357s cheaper and easier than 44s.
Click to expand...

not around here....most used gun shops here have plenty of .44s that have been there for a while. .357s other than Taurus don't last long. Might have to do with the fact that we don't have many grizzlies around here and most that use a handgun for hunting deer either carry a .357 as their secondary weapon for up close personal shots and the occasional coup de gras or they carry one of the really big bores for their primary weapon.

Sounds like to me that you may have already decided on the .44. It is a good round and there are plenty of nice guns made for it. Long time ago, before I started to reload, the cost and the discomfort of shooting my Ruger .44 made me trade it for a SXS grouse gun. Don't know if it was the loads I was shooting or just the way it fit my hand, but it was not a fun gun for me to shoot. Years later when I got the itch to get back into shooting revolver, I went with a .357 Smith, and have never regretted it. Much more pleasant to shoot all afternoon and much cheaper. That said, now that I reload, I am looking to add a .44 that fits my hand better to my collection.

Get the caliber you want......it's you that has to shoot it. If you get the itch for something different, remember they make more everyday.
 
I have had just about every brand of 44 Mag revolver over the years and the only one that I shoot or have now is a Taurus Raging Bull-8 3/8" barrel that is ported from the factory. To me it is the best shooting 44 mag,it fits my grip well and I can shoot mild or hot loads all day long.
Something you might also consider is a 454 Casull,you can shoot 45LC as well as 454 rounds with it so if you're just target shooting use 45LC little to none recoil and if you want to step it up a notch fire off some 454 rounds-lots of recoil.
 
A Dan Wesson model 14 .357 mag, or S&W model 64 .357 mag, or a Ruger model GP141 .357 mag, all with a 4" barrel. You can carry them concealed with a high-riding holster at 3 o'clock (under your right arm pit). How fun will a .44 mag be when your wrist is worn out and the gun is too fat to carry concealed?
 
Ruger .454 Casull/.45Long Colt...

You can buy a Ruger SuperRedHawk revolver or a snub AK revolver in .454 Casull and use both the .454 loads and the smaller .45 Long Colt.

www.ruger.com
:D
 
Quote
"If you get the itch for something different, remember they make more everyday."

I hear ya. My loan officer tells me that everyday. :D

I have a buddy that has a .44 and think can rent a few of the standard .357s at the range. I'll give them a try this weekend maybe and try to decide. You guys have been great. Thanks for all the feedback. This is a great forum.

John
 
I was in the same boat as you, I don't shoot revolvers a whole lot but I wanted a .44 Mag for the hell of it. I tried finding a non-Hillary hole 29 NIB locally without luck. Some people at work turned me on to Rugers. I researched them in .44 and .357 and found they are some of the most durable revolvers available. I was looking at a Super Redhawk, and was about to get one when I saw a blued GP100 on the shelf below it. Super hot, it looked like something a lot easier to carry in black bear country and ammo's a lot cheaper than .44 so I bought it instead. I took it to the range upstairs and put some PMC mag loads through it and didn't think I felt more recoil than from a .40 autoloader. .38 special rounds felt like powderpuff 9 mm loads. It even impressed some thuggish characters who were at the range a few lanes over who thought it was a .500. The Hogue wraparounds that are now standard take up a lot of the perceived recoil.
 
Well I firmly believe that everybody should own at least one of everything so I guess it boils down to which you want to own FIRST.:D
 
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