Not only that, but the recoil would prevent anyone from scoring sufficiently rapid hits in a self defense situation.Anything below 4" and velocity starts dropping and muzzle blast & flash become offensive to me for accurate shooting.
Add to that the cumulative effects, which will ultimately result in permanent injury to joints, nerves, and tendons if one shoots it enough.A 2" .357 would make Chuck Norris develop a bad flench sooner or later!
Um, no.Depends on what you want. Anything shorter than 4" and you will get more bullet speed from a 9mm pistol of the same overall length with 124/125 gr bullets. In fact a 4" 357 will only beat the best 124 gr 9mm loads by 50-75 fps. You really need 6" or more from a 357 to come close to ballistics taken from 8" test barrels.
But the 2-3" 357 do offer the option of shooting much heavier bullets not possible in 9mm. And some just want a revolver. If you are willing to put up with tremendous recoil and blast to get close to 9mm performance they are an option.
After buying a chronograph I sold all of my snubby revolvers and just bought a compact 9mm pistol. Same or better ballistics, much less recoil and a lighter, more compact gun.
That raises two questions:Buffalo Bore, which arguably produces the fastest velocities of any factory made ammunition shows these velocities:
From a 4" S&W L-frame mountain gun:
d. Item 19D/20-125gr. Jacketed Hollow Point (.357 magnum) = 1603 fps for 714 ft-lbs of muzzle energy.
From a Glock 19 w/ 4" bbl:
Item 24B/20 (+p+) 124gr. Jacketed Hollow Point (9mm) = 1296 fps for 462 ft-lbs of muzzle energy.
Even the hottest factory 124 grain +P+ 9mm can't touch the same hottest .357 magnum 125 grain load from a 4" barrel.
Very true..357 magnum also has the major advantage of being able to fire bullets up to 200 grains for deep penetration in hunting or wilderness defense scenarios.
I don't know, a 125gr at that velocity will create a really nasty wound!What advantage does that extra energy provide in a self defense situation?
1. That wasn't my point. I was simply pointing out to jmr40 that he was wrong, and explaining why. To answer your question, that full house 125 grain .357 load has a 65% energy advantage over that full house 124 grain 9mm +P+ load, both form a 4" bbl (yes I know, revolver bbls are measured differently than auto bbls but the guns are relatively similar in length). With the proper bullet, that dramatic increase in energy can literally rend more flesh. More tissue disruption, more blood loss, etc. etc.Posted by Cooldill:That raises two questions:
- What advantage does that extra energy provide in a self defense situation?
- How well can the shooter of that L-Frame revolver "touch" the vital parts of a charging assailant, when fast repeat shots may be necessary to accomplish that?
Very true.
That raises two questions:
What advantage does that extra energy provide in a self defense situation?
How well can the shooter of that L-Frame revolver "touch" the vital parts of a charging assailant, when fast repeat shots may be necessary to accomplish that?
I get 1,250 fps with a 158gr xtp from a 2.75" barreled Ruger Sec. Six the same load in my friend's S&W 686 4" gives the same velocityI get 1330 fps/550 ft lbs from a 2" .357 with a hot 140 grain Speer handload.