Is a .44 mag the next logical step up from a .357 mag?

[DrLaw]

.45 Long Colt

I went from .357 to .45 Long Colt. I like it. I have shot the .44, thinking that it would kick like a mule from all I had seen from the gun writers.

Nothing of the sort.

However, I like the versatility of the .45 Colt. I can load it with round balls for fun or heavy loads for hunting, and lighter loads for target. Mine is a 25-5 purchased about 1985 or so, 4" blued. I really like shooting it. It has Pachmayar grips on it and shoots like a .38 Special with the weight of the N-frame.

That being said, you won't go wrong getting a .44 magnum, either.

The Doc is out now.

 

[Baron357]

The worst part is I live in Mass where our Attorney General's offices thinks they are saving live by suing ammo dealers who sell to us mail order (including internet), so finding cool ammo especially in rounds like .41 and .45 Colt is even harder for us. Most Internet dealers don't sell to our state anymore, some do but you have to find them.

So anyways.... It looks like it will be .44 mag, which is not a bad thing, I have just heard so many good things about the .41 and .45, but I for various reasons do not reload so it probably would not make sense.

 

[koja48]

I'm a rabid .41 fan, but I reload . . . I'd have to point you toward the .44 for the plethora of reasons my esteemed Highroad family members have mentioned.

 

[Bula]

I think the great thing about the .44 mag and 45 colt, are their incredible versatility. Unfortunately to tap into that versatility, you have to reload. I went from Smith 686's and Gp100's to the big Rugers in .44 mag-SBH and redhawk and I absolutley love BOTH calibers. But that love stems from being able to pick from mild powder puff loads, medium woods bumming loads and full house hunting loads. You'll be happy with .357 mags and the 44 mag or the 45 colt. But you'll be alot happier when you start reloading!

 

[Stainz]

Majic did bring up an interesting point, which begs the question, "What do you want/expect in this caliber change?".

If it's just KE, sure, the .357M is capable of 500+ ft-lb. But, as the great African hunter, John Taylor, postulated - and proved - there is more to bullet effectiveness than merely KE. He developed a formula which depicts the 'Taylor Index', a dimensionless quantity that is the rationalized product of bullet mass (in grains), the muzzle velocity (in fps), and bullet diameter (in inches), all over seven thousand. Using another rationalized formula for KE (in ft-lb) as the product of 2.216, bullet mass (in grains), and muzzle velocity (in 1,000's of fps) times itself, one can see the utility of a large and heavy round for 'knock down' particularly in hunting. Of course, velocity/bullet design are important as well.

Use a 158gr JHP 1,200 fps .357M - KE = 504 ft-lb, TI = 9.67
Use a 255gr LSWC 900 fps .45 AR/ACP - KE = 446 ft-lb, TI = 14.82

Now, the approximated effects of HP's. If you assume that the .357M opens by 30-40% more in thin-skinned targets, a TI increase of that range would result - leaving an optimistic TI of 13.54 - still less than the .45 AR with a LSWC. Sub in a Speer 250gr Gold Dot, with it's .78-.80" opening over 800 fps in thin-skinned targets, and you minimally have a TI of 25+!

Recoil Energy is complex. Assuming the guns weigh the same, the largest component is the square of the muzzle velocity and bullet mass product. Using the 158gr 1200 fps and 255gr 900 fps values, the .45 produces 46% more recoil energy. Using the same length barrel, the .45 is in the barrel 33.3% longer time, giving the .357M a 'brisk' recoil and that .45 a 'big push'.

Of course, the 'Stainz Index' - availability of the ammo on a Sunday afternoon at a local discount house is a tie - .38 Specials for that .357M and .45 ACP ball ammo are equally popular at the el-cheapo sources - on Sunday afternoons. Sadly, the only .44's you'll likely find outside of a gunshop are serious hunting .44M's. Ignore my 'S.I.', and go to homebrew, and you have my stash of .44 Russians, Specials, and wimpy-Magnums.

I still believe the 625 is a viable consideration for an 'improvement' in ballistics re a .357M.

Stainz

 

[Nightcrawler]

I mail order lukewarm .44 Magnum ammo for practice. At least, I plan to.

HSM makes a 240 grain LSWC at around 1,150 that won't beat you up. They've also got a 240 FMJ at around a thousand. Georgia Arms has similar loads for a bit less money, but HSM is always at the local gun shows. (Their new website no longer lists muzzle velocities, though.)

Cabelas also has a 240 grain LSWC at about 1,100, listed under their "bulk ammunition" category. You can mail order this or purchase it from a Cabelas (if there's one nearby).

 

[warriorsociologist]

my "steps" (when reloaded) are .357 / .41 / .45