The fact that you can also shoot .38 Special from a .357 Magnum revolver makes it incredibly useful. The average shooter isn't a reloader.
Of course, with a simple barrel swap I can shoot .357 Sig and .40 S&W from my P226. That gives me a much cheaper option that is similar in recoil for target practice.
A 357 Magnum is probably as good as it gets for self defense against people. It’s not the cartridge it’s the guns that are chamber for it. That’s probably already been said but I haven’t read through the comments.
A revolver isn’t the most effective option for defense against people these days. As a carry gun for defense against large animals where a revolver still makes a lot of sense as a trail gun a revolver chambered in 44 or 45 caliber makes more sense than a revolver chambered in 357 Magnum. A 44 or 45 caliber revolver can be loaded moderately if needed and makes a nice shooting gun and still be more effective than a loud and obnoxious full throttle 357 Magnum cartridge.
Not really. The cartridge itself is what makes it effective, not so much the gun. For example, there are hundreds of thousands of guns out there that shoot both the .357 Mag and the .38 Special, and while the .38 Special is good it doesn't come close to the .357 in effectiveness.....from the same exact gun. I enjoy both the .44 and .45, but the .357 can be loaded "moderately" every bit the same as both of those cartridges. And it's very possible to have less recoil with the .357 when loaded to the same power levels as the others, too, which translates into ease of shooting for your average person.
You won't find the cartridge capacity (headstamp) making up nearly as much ground as the package.
A 38/44 is perfectly fine handling a 357 style load in 38 case.
Matter of fact, just by seating a bullet to the "magnum" case length in the parent case, as long as the GUN is capable of the length, the title on the cartridge does not matter.
A 357 Magnum is probably as good as it gets for self defense against people. It’s not the cartridge it’s the guns that are chamber for it. That’s probably already been said but I haven’t read through the comments.
A revolver isn’t the most effective option for defense against people these days. As a carry gun for defense against large animals where a revolver still makes a lot of sense as a trail gun a revolver chambered in 44 or 45 caliber makes more sense than a revolver chambered in 357 Magnum. A 44 or 45 caliber revolver can be loaded moderately if needed and makes a nice shooting gun and still be more effective than a loud and obnoxious full throttle 357 Magnum cartridge.
Not really. The cartridge itself is what makes it effective, not so much the gun. For example, there are hundreds of thousands of guns out there that shoot both the .357 Mag and the .38 Special, and while the .38 Special is good it doesn't come close to the .357 in effectiveness.....from the same exact gun. I enjoy both the .44 and .45, but the .357 can be loaded "moderately" every bit the same as both of those cartridges. And it's very possible to have less recoil with the .357 when loaded to the same power levels as the others, too, which translates into ease of shooting for your average person.
I agree that it’s a very effective cartridge. Probably thee most effective common handgun cartridge for defense against people. The guns (revolvers) that are chambered for them are the drawback if you take away the fun and nostalgia of a quality revolver and strictly want a carry gun.
Sure you can download a 357 Magnum or carry 38 Special ammo but at that point it’s basically a typically heavier all metal low capacity and slower to reload 9mm. There isn’t anything wrong with that but from a strictly utilitarian standpoint it doesn’t make a lot of sense and is more of a niche gun. IMO that’s the biggest reason for the decline in 357 Magnum’s.
The 357 Magnum’s sweet spot is as a man stopper but the guns that chamber it are no longer the typical self defense handguns. I love classics and nostalgia but for a workhorse carry gun a polymer striker fired pistol has a lot going for it.
"The Church can and should help modern society by tirelessly insisting that the work of women in the home be recognized and respected by all in its irreplaceable value." Apostolic Exhortation On The Family, Pope John Paul II
A 357 Magnum is probably as good as it gets for self defense against people. It’s not the cartridge it’s the guns that are chamber for it. That’s probably already been said but I haven’t read through the comments.
A revolver isn’t the most effective option for defense against people these days. As a carry gun for defense against large animals where a revolver still makes a lot of sense as a trail gun a revolver chambered in 44 or 45 caliber makes more sense than a revolver chambered in 357 Magnum. A 44 or 45 caliber revolver can be loaded moderately if needed and makes a nice shooting gun and still be more effective than a loud and obnoxious full throttle 357 Magnum cartridge.
Not really. The cartridge itself is what makes it effective, not so much the gun. For example, there are hundreds of thousands of guns out there that shoot both the .357 Mag and the .38 Special, and while the .38 Special is good it doesn't come close to the .357 in effectiveness.....from the same exact gun. I enjoy both the .44 and .45, but the .357 can be loaded "moderately" every bit the same as both of those cartridges. And it's very possible to have less recoil with the .357 when loaded to the same power levels as the others, too, which translates into ease of shooting for your average person.
I agree that it’s a very effective cartridge. Probably thee most effective common handgun cartridge for defense against people. The guns (revolvers) that are chambered for them are the drawback if you take away the fun and nostalgia of a quality revolver and strictly want a carry gun.
Sure you can download a 357 Magnum or carry 38 Special ammo but at that point it’s basically a typically heavier all metal low capacity and slower to reload 9mm. There isn’t anything wrong with that but from a strictly utilitarian standpoint it doesn’t make a lot of sense and is more of a niche gun. IMO that’s the biggest reason for the decline in 357 Magnum’s.
The 357 Magnum’s sweet spot is as a man stopper but the guns that chamber it are no longer the typical self defense handguns. I love classics and nostalgia but for a workhorse carry gun a polymer striker fired pistol has a lot going for it.
A lot of guys say the 9mm (9x19), is more powerful. Not even +P+ ammo. What the hell are they smoking? I don't see it going away any time soon. Sure it's not carried by cops anymore but, a lot of shooters still use it.
But not enough agencies bought them. And many t that did are reverting to 9mm
"The Church can and should help modern society by tirelessly insisting that the work of women in the home be recognized and respected by all in its irreplaceable value." Apostolic Exhortation On The Family, Pope John Paul II
My first 357's were S&W 586/686's, followed by Dan Wessons back in the late '80s. I always wanted a Python back then and ordeed one that was a real disappointment. I didnt keep it and moved on from 357's to larger bores. When Colt reintroduced the Python, I got interested again and my wife bought this one for me a couple years ago:
The 357 magnum in a 4 inch revolver is a lot like a 30-06 in a rifle. It can do just about anything if you know how to shoot. There are cartridges that can beat them for specialized tasks, but very few cover the ground that they do in their respective fields.
"The number one problem with America is, a whole lot of people need shot, and nobody is shooting them." -Master Chief Hershel Davis
Watching a Ron Spomer You Tube interview with Phil Shoemaker. Phil was recanting his 9mm story killing an 800# bear while guiding fishing clients. He shot Buffalo Bore 147 hard cast. Hit him three times behind the shoulder. Bear turned, went 10 yds and died.
Phil likes .357 and 9mm. His 9mm is a Smith 39. He says he can hit more times with that size round vs .44 Mag, .454, etc. Penetration and shot placement are key, more important than power.
He said his daughter Tia asked why didn’t he pack his .44 mag. Phil took his wife and daughter to the range. He had them shoot .44 mag and 9mm. He put up targets at 10 yds, the distance he shot the bear. He said, now see how fast you can hit those targets. Of course, they did much better and shot quicker with the 9mm.
He made his point. He likes 180’s in the .357, 147’s in the 9mm, all hard cast. The three 147’s that hit the bear all went thru his heart. One was under the skin on the far side. He went back, skinned the bear. Possum cops require skinning a bear shot under those conditions, they want the hide, skull and claws. He said there was massive bleeding, thus a relatively quick kill for a big bear.
Check out that interview. I enjoyed hearing Phil give his account.
Forgot to add, his Smith 39 is a DA only. No levers, etc, just like shooting a DA revolver. Simple and consistent.
He bragged on his clients, a husband and wife. When the bear charged, they grabbed each other and hit the ground. That was critical. It got them out of the line of fire and confused the bear. The bear was almost standing on top of them but was slinging his head, biting at the wounds as Phil was working on him.
Very interesting interview with lots of details I had not heard.
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/QN0K8qu.jpg)