Hunter125
Member
Correct me if I'm wrong, but .357 Mag is not inherently more accurate than any other catridge. The platforms might be more accurate than others, but not the cartridge itself.
What are the selling points of .357?
- Thread starter The Good
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Its an accurate platform from day one.
It grew out of the 38 special of which Colt made its first officer model (for match shooting) in 1904 chambered for .38 special and the first S&W .357 had adjustable sights. .357 never dealt with outside lubed bullets, blackpowder chambers, bottleneck cases and wide variations in chamber and bore dimensions. I fully agree with all the revolver cartridges available, its the most versatile. While making one cartridge or one gun do everything can at times be too much, it does it pretty well. So it will never be a 22 plinker, but 38 wadcutters are very mild to shoot. It might not put down a wild pig like a 44 or 45 but can if it has to. Blanks, shot, tracer, flares, plastic/rubber training cartridges and other specialty ammo are available. Every gun shop or store that stocks ammo should have it in stock or at least 38 special when the craziness is over. Reloading components abound for this and 38 special. Many here started reloading empty 38 cases sweeped up from police practice ranges for free. Our grandchildren will be able to still buy US made revolvers that are new in this caliber but quality Colt, S&W, Dan Wesson, Ruger and others revolvers that are in use today will still be available to them and so will ammo.
It grew out of the 38 special of which Colt made its first officer model (for match shooting) in 1904 chambered for .38 special and the first S&W .357 had adjustable sights. .357 never dealt with outside lubed bullets, blackpowder chambers, bottleneck cases and wide variations in chamber and bore dimensions. I fully agree with all the revolver cartridges available, its the most versatile. While making one cartridge or one gun do everything can at times be too much, it does it pretty well. So it will never be a 22 plinker, but 38 wadcutters are very mild to shoot. It might not put down a wild pig like a 44 or 45 but can if it has to. Blanks, shot, tracer, flares, plastic/rubber training cartridges and other specialty ammo are available. Every gun shop or store that stocks ammo should have it in stock or at least 38 special when the craziness is over. Reloading components abound for this and 38 special. Many here started reloading empty 38 cases sweeped up from police practice ranges for free. Our grandchildren will be able to still buy US made revolvers that are new in this caliber but quality Colt, S&W, Dan Wesson, Ruger and others revolvers that are in use today will still be available to them and so will ammo.
RealGun
Member
I think the key difference with .357 magnum is fitting 6 very powerful rounds into a medium frame. The bigger calibers jump up to full sized frames to fit in as many as 6.
mdauben
Member
This is also largely dependent on the powder used in the cartridge. Some .357 loads will shoot a fireball several feet out of the muzzle of a 4 inch gun, others have practically nothing out of a 2.5 inch barrel.
In a full size revolver the .357 will easily out perform all the others ballistically in a weight to weight comparision. In shorter barrels, it starts to lose some of that advantage, though. For example, .357 will have a 4-500FPS advantage over a .38 spl +P in a service revolver, while in comparable snubbies that difference may drop to 100-200FPS. IMO using magnum loads in a full size gun is a no-brainer, while using them in a snubbie becomes a personal decision as to whether the increased recoil and muzzle blast is worth the more modest gain in velocity.
The .357 has the reputation as the number 1 "man stopper" in handguns. With newer, more effective bullets the other calibers are not far behind anymore, however. I love the .357 and use a S&W 386 as one of my primary carry pieces. Much of that is personal preference, though, and I'm not convinced that it provides that much more effectiveness than my 9mm or 45ACP do.
Home defence? Range work? Hunting? Concealed Carry? The larger frame and extra round of the 8-shot 627 are nice if concealment isn't an issue. For a carry piece, I don't think you can do better than the 7-shot 686+.
According to manufacture specs, the 686 and GP100 are within a fraction of an ounce of each other while the Security Six is almost a half pound lighter than either. IMO the Security Six is a closer match for the S&W K frame revolvers.
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Deaf Smith
Member
1. gun goes bang.
2. shoots pretty strait
3. powerful enough for most critters
4. easy to find ammo
5. can use lesser power ammo (.38 Spl. and a few others) plus lots of bullet weights.
6. uncomplicated manual of arms
7. compact enough for most carry
Other than that they are junk.
Deaf
ECVMatt
Member
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Right on DS, you cracked me up with this one. Right on the money!
gamestalker
member
The major down side to a full house magnum cartridge is going to be if, God forbid, you every have to use it.
If that should be necessary, and it's in an indoor setting, the sound alone of that cartridge discharging is going to be so terribly painful, that I have no doubt your ears may ring for the rest of your life, seriously. And this wouldn't be a whole lot better in an outdoor setting either.
The other major consideration is going to be over penetration. It's for this reason that I always load for carry, a top shelf JHP. I have picked the 158 gr. Gold Dot for my self defense carry loads. I've tested them, and even though they still produce extreme penetration, they completely mushroom, thus reducing extreme over penetration.
GS
If that should be necessary, and it's in an indoor setting, the sound alone of that cartridge discharging is going to be so terribly painful, that I have no doubt your ears may ring for the rest of your life, seriously. And this wouldn't be a whole lot better in an outdoor setting either.
The other major consideration is going to be over penetration. It's for this reason that I always load for carry, a top shelf JHP. I have picked the 158 gr. Gold Dot for my self defense carry loads. I've tested them, and even though they still produce extreme penetration, they completely mushroom, thus reducing extreme over penetration.
GS
I was once in a situation where I fired a 125 grain .357 mag HP round indoors.
It was very loud. I couldn't hear for what felt like an eternity, but was probably less than a minute.
My ears rang for a while after.
They didn't ring for more than an hour at most.
The great selling point of a .357?
It doubles as a stun grenade and a cutting torch.
It was very loud. I couldn't hear for what felt like an eternity, but was probably less than a minute.
My ears rang for a while after.
They didn't ring for more than an hour at most.
The great selling point of a .357?
It doubles as a stun grenade and a cutting torch.
Wow, really. OK,
1.Powerful enough for hunting even deer size game @ appropriate ranges.
a. Has taken bigger game when the need arose.
2.Able to shoot 38 Special; 38 +P and 357 so ammo needn't be difficult to find nor brake the bank.
3.Can be used for hunting, plinking and self defense if the need arise.
4.Will last literally forever unless you really abuse the weapon.
5.Ammo is everywhere; even in this time of scarcity.
6.Reloading is easy.
7.Best statistics for self defense on earth with 125gr SD loads.
8.Recoil is manageable: even to the recoil sensitive.
I'm sure there are many more but a arsenal without a 357 Mag is not complete in my view.
Good hunting.
1.Powerful enough for hunting even deer size game @ appropriate ranges.
a. Has taken bigger game when the need arose.
2.Able to shoot 38 Special; 38 +P and 357 so ammo needn't be difficult to find nor brake the bank.
3.Can be used for hunting, plinking and self defense if the need arise.
4.Will last literally forever unless you really abuse the weapon.
5.Ammo is everywhere; even in this time of scarcity.
6.Reloading is easy.
7.Best statistics for self defense on earth with 125gr SD loads.
8.Recoil is manageable: even to the recoil sensitive.
I'm sure there are many more but a arsenal without a 357 Mag is not complete in my view.
Good hunting.
RealGun
Member
And flashlight.
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