My 44 Special or my 357 Magnum

[357smallbore]

I have a Rossi 720 that I carry ccw. It is fixed sight version. I also have my Ruger Speed Six I carry for ccw. Love both weapons. Flawless guns.
I roll my one for both. When I carry defensive ammo. I use Blazer 200 GD for the 44 and Federal "old school" 357b 125 JHP's.
The Rossi is a better concealer and way better trigger/hammer, the Six feels better in the hand and has one extra round and built like a bunker. If you could only have one. Which would it be and why. And lets not talk about the value of the guns.

 

[Rio Laxas]

I'd have a tough time making that choice. I like .44 Special very slightly more than .357 Magnum, but I also really like the Speed Six. In the end, I think I would keep the Speed Six due to its robustness and the extra capacity. I had a Speed Six that had a trigger job by mag-na-port and it was very smooth, so the potential is there for a nice trigger.

 

[CraigC]

I'll take the big bore every time. It gets the job done without making your ears bleed.

 

[calaverasslim]

44 special. hands down. No question

 

[Zaydok Allen]

44 spl

 

[RealGun]

There are better 357s than the Speed Six. A nice 44 is much harder to come by.

 

[Panzerschwein]

I'd carry the Speed Six.

You get an extra shot, and I'm not sure what bbl length your Rossi 720 has, but keep in mind the Speer and Blazer 200 grain Gold Dots have shown lackluster or no expansion when fired from short barreled .44 specials, due to lack of velocity. They are not a very hot load. You Rossi should be able to handle something warmer like the Buffalo Bore 190 grain soft cast LWCHP, which zips on out there and should easily expand easily in a snub. If you can handle the 125 grain loads in the Speed Six, this .44 special load from Buffalo Bore should be manageable in your 720 and I'd be willing to bet that it might even have less recoil and muzzle blast.

But for me, I think I'd go with the Speed Six. Main reason is one more shot, and there is a ton of .38 special and .357 magnum ammo that will perform very well from a short revolver barrel. .44 special hollow points are exceptionally picky from short barreled snubs.

Either one though, are awesome for CCW. I've read good things about the Rossi 720 and that it's a high quality gun, and the Speed Six is almost legendary.

 

[MikeJackmin]

I'd go with the Speed Six, because you can load it with .38s and shoot it frequently. Practice is an important part of the equation.

 

[RealGun]

Hornady 180 gr Custom (XTP) in 44 S&W Special is supposed to match bullet weight to effective expansion velocity. I just bought 100 rounds from rareammo.com. I try to avoid making my own SD ammo.

The OP said he reloads, so the Speed Six gun's 38 Special capability seems academic to me. He can have just as much fun shooting his own 44 Specials.

 

[357smallbore]

The 720 wears a 3in pipe. I love this weapon. And the Speed Six is just so awesome also. That's why I rotate them in my ccw carry. My only auto in the mix is my Shied 9mm.
The Rossi has a butter smooth trigger/hammer. It just continues to amaze me at its concealability. I am a revolver guy all the way. So I am a happy gunner +
The Rossi is from 1993. And my Ruger is from 1984.

 

[Panzerschwein]

Then carry the Rossi, sounds like one awesome little snoo-snoo.

Just make sure your carry load is one that will actually work in the gun, i.e. hit to POA and will have enough expansion/penetration. I know on my 2.5" bbl Charter Bulldog, it's hard to get a good load that will work.

 

[RealGun]

One needs to use lighter bullets to increase the velocity to optimal expansion levels. Changing loads behind the same old bullets is not really the answer. Hefty 44 Magnum bullets or stout Keith loads are not what I would use in a carry gun. Mine are 180 gr XTP, maybe not the ultimate but what I could find in a boxed SD round. They may be lighter, trading mass for velocity, but would still make the same big entry hole yet with more destruction upon expansion. That's the theory, as I understand it. There can be some differences between those who insist on casting their own and the technology of commercial hollow points and other forms of expansion tips.

 

[M-Cameron]

my personal preference would be the Ruger....i am a big fan of rugers, i love their robustness and how they are sturdy and overbuilt....they are guns i never really have to worry about.

However, it sounds in your case the Rossi is a better fit for you. you mentioned it concealed better for you, this means you are more likely to carry it.

so i may like ruger more, but if its more likely to be left at home its not going to be of much use to you.

 

[righteoushoot]

I have learned to put a mean trigger job on a Speed Six. Just took mine out a couple days ago. Slick as a greased pig. Handled the hot 158's nicely with those Pachmayr's.

Then again, if the trigger sucked, or was what it was before I worked on it, I might rethink it. My only probs with the Rossi is 1 less round, but nice gun.

 

[beag_nut]

Ruger over Rossi, simply because of reliability and ruggedness.

 

[Tallball]

Can't go wrong either way. They are both awesome.

I have a 720 and love it.

All of my Rugers have been great and I love 357.

Both rounds are very effective.

I would say whichever one conceals better and/or feels better in your hand.

 

[RealGun]

Ruger over Rossi, simply because of reliability and ruggedness.

Any experience with Rossi? Older ones are super. Mine are all Interarms era.

I wonder if Ruger's blocky appearance is mistaken for superior ruggedness. Who wears out guns? Who breaks them? Was it the gun or some foolishness?

 

[ACP]

the 357

it has better terminal effectiveness for self defense

ammo is cheaper, wider variety of ammo available, more practice = better shooting on your part.

or you can just keep switching off. as long as you are working between two DA revolvers you love and are 100% reliable, why change? I carry two 642s and/or a 65. I wouldn't get rid of either.

 

[CajunBass]

Sounds to me, like you want to carry the Rossi. Go with your gut.

 

[CraigC]

I wonder if Ruger's blocky appearance is mistaken for superior ruggedness.

Marketing.

 

[farm23]

I have both Ruger 357 and S&W 3" 44mag. I carry the S&W with 44spl loads. I just like big holes and for me the S&W handles better. If I found a lighter 44spl I would buy but for now I like what I have.

 

[bannockburn]

As much as I love the Ruger Six series, for CCW I would probably opt for the Rossi in .44 Special.

 

[tomrkba]

The sixth shot is statistically significant (the study is on this board somewhere). I'd personally choose a Ruger GP100 with 3" barrel and custom grips.

I really like 357 Magnum as a defensive revolver round. It's performance is great and cylinder diameters can be smaller. This gets you a more compact package that is easier to carry. Guns with three inch barrels seem to be a great compromise for the platform.

 

[19-3Ben]

I'd go with the Speed Six, but that's just me. I actually do carry a Speed Six pretty regularly. It's one of my favorites.

That said, perhaps an updated ammo load is in order. Not to say that the old 357b is ineffective. It certainly is, and it is one of the reasons the .357mag got the reputation for being such a good man stopper. BUT the fact that it's effective does not mean that ammo development hasn't improved things in the last 30 years.
There are modern loads that are less likely to clog and act like FMJ, that expand more reliably at the lower velocities of a shorter barreled gun, that have flash-suppressed powders, etc...
My load of choice for .357mag is the Hornady Critical Defense, but there are other modern loads that are just as good.

Again, it doesn't mean the 357b is bad. It just means there's been improvement over the past few decades and hey, if my life depends on it, i want every advantage possible, regardless of how minimal it may be.

 

[WestKentucky]

I'm leaning 44, not for any reason other than it being a very solid, heavy bullet that will push deep into flesh should it ever need to do so. I would be more comfortable it would do the job year round, through thick winter coats, and on folks who may have an extra 6 or so inches of "insulation" to punch through.