We've read about people that qualified with .38 Special +P, but carried .357, and others that carried .38 Specials in their 686 like Edmundo Mireles. The reason is evidently because they're easier to control. While a preponderance of those carrying .357 J-frames admit to preferring .38 Special +P, there's ample evidence that the slightly larger K-frame Model 19's have also been more shootable with .38's. Even Dirty Harry, which I would like to remind people was a fictional character, made a reference to the ease of shooting .38's in a .357. So what does it take from the gun to tame the .357?
In my own experience, I found shooting .357's in steel J-frames was not uncontrollable, but there was two factors involved: first, ".357 Magnum" includes a very broad range of loads starting from anywhere just above .38 Special +P pressures and velocities. A .357 case loaded with a maximum charge of W231 or Longshot is not the same as a full load of H110. The other factor is barrel length. Loads in snub-nose guns develop hundreds of feet per second less velocity than they will in a six-inch barrel. So I could shoot a full-house load of Longshot out of a steel J-frame and think it was hot but not too bad. But I found a full case of H110 from a six-inch barrel would have a lot more energy. Of course, the gun was heavier and that helped control some of the recoil, but I wouldn't say that it was easy to shoot.
There's a few guns out there that I've not shot, but which present novel ways to tame the .357. The S&W 627 V-Comp for example. Besides the huge N-frame, it uses a full underlug on a long barrel and a compensator. The 686 "Competitor" uses underlug weights. The Ruger Redhawk with a 5.5" barrel is simply massive. Most people will choose a lighter, easier-to-carry .357, a J-frame or a Model 19, an SP101 or a Kimber, but no matter what load they chamber, they will be shooting a kinder-gentler .357, and the chances are they will shoot a light load better. So what handguns do you think do a good job of both producing and taming the hottest .357 Magnum performance?
In my own experience, I found shooting .357's in steel J-frames was not uncontrollable, but there was two factors involved: first, ".357 Magnum" includes a very broad range of loads starting from anywhere just above .38 Special +P pressures and velocities. A .357 case loaded with a maximum charge of W231 or Longshot is not the same as a full load of H110. The other factor is barrel length. Loads in snub-nose guns develop hundreds of feet per second less velocity than they will in a six-inch barrel. So I could shoot a full-house load of Longshot out of a steel J-frame and think it was hot but not too bad. But I found a full case of H110 from a six-inch barrel would have a lot more energy. Of course, the gun was heavier and that helped control some of the recoil, but I wouldn't say that it was easy to shoot.
There's a few guns out there that I've not shot, but which present novel ways to tame the .357. The S&W 627 V-Comp for example. Besides the huge N-frame, it uses a full underlug on a long barrel and a compensator. The 686 "Competitor" uses underlug weights. The Ruger Redhawk with a 5.5" barrel is simply massive. Most people will choose a lighter, easier-to-carry .357, a J-frame or a Model 19, an SP101 or a Kimber, but no matter what load they chamber, they will be shooting a kinder-gentler .357, and the chances are they will shoot a light load better. So what handguns do you think do a good job of both producing and taming the hottest .357 Magnum performance?
A bottom of the ladder load using the normal magnum powders is where I've landed.
