Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Have the .357 Magnum and 45 ACP Become obsolete?

Here be another, and I know several more.

It's a good one - holds plenty of lube. I went with the 4 cavity and it casts great out of a Lyman bottom pour. Weight is closer to 166-167 with WW alloy...

Me neither. In fact, I own fewer .357's now than I did when I was under 30....

Jerry, it's a mild shooting mid-range load in the Security Six. I ordered the 170's from Western Bullet Co. in Missoula, and they are from the Lyman 358429 mold.

QuickLoad predicts pressure of 21,600 lbs-psi. That puts it above 38 Spl +P level of 18.5K psi, but well below 35K psi of full house 357 pressures.

Shane

Not for me...we just like to talk about the odd stuff I guess.

That sounds like a perfect combo and makes sense - Lyman #47 shows 5.0 Unique as max for the 38 Spl with that bullet at 860 fps. My mold is also the 358429 - my thought at the time I bought it was a heavier bullet in 357 cases at 11-1200 fps.

Just finished rolling a few with Unique at 4.7, 5.0 and 5.3 in 38 Spl cases...

Could not of said it better myself.

[quote=GunGeek]Revolvers are losing ground every day, so that's why the .357 is declining as a defensive arm (and the fact it's not a great defensive choice, too much noise and muzzle flash).





If you are a Hand loader with multiple guns in this caliber, there is no other cartridge with the versatility of the .357 Mag.

Period.


Except maybe the .22 LR

I teach both civilians & security officers shooting basics. The under 30 crowd has to have a 9MM semi-auto stocked with as many rounds as made. This applies to both guys & gals. I always suggest a revolver in .38 Special for casual shooters, but few listen. At work the .40 Glock has become the standard & is a great caliber. Had an inexperienced female S/O trying to qualify who powder burned her a$$ & put a round into the range floor last week. I frequently carry a .357 SP101 when in the woods or as back up in my truck. Used a .45 in the military & recently purchased a Remington. Both the .357 & .45 will stop most 2 & 4 legged critters with the right ammo.

Did you provide 1st aid?




Travis

My thought exactly.

Crap!
The 357 and 45 acp are gonna be obsolete?
Guess I better sell mine while there is still a market-- like hell.

What kind of brass catcher?



Travis

The FBI and many departments are moving back to the 9mm for a reason over the 40. The 9mm has some very impressive balastics on par or better than the 40.

I also predict the .40 will lose popularity over the next 10 years.

It is a good round, but I think recoil and wear and tear on guns are going to cause a lot of departments and agencies to switch back to the 9's.

Then we'll get to hear "When I joined the force we carried a man's cartridge..." for another 30 years.



Travis

Ding! Ding! Ding! Another winner!

I live in a rural area and have a range at my house. Lots of friends and co-workers, both mine and my wife's, come out here to shoot so I see the above theme over and over. Typically husbands buy their wives some high capacity semi with a grip the size of a beer bottle then bring them out to learn to shoot. I've yet to see one of these instances when the poor woman left any better off than when she arrived. But the same goes for most men. They simply do not understand that they'll never be proficient with their hi cap semis when they only shoot a few times a year, but they're all convinced that a magazine with loaded with lots of ammunition will make up for their lack of skill. My wife's two best friends, whose husbands are also close friends of mine, started out the same way trying to learn to operate and shoot semis. After a couple of counseling sessions with their husbands, they finally wound up getting .38's.

Easy there guy, I think you missed a drop.

This is coming from the same guy that brown bear called out a few years ago?

Here's another--not only under 30, but under half of 30. She's 14 in this pic, shooting her SP101 .357 Magnum.


However, the OP's point is well taken by me with regard to the .357. I'd not so much say it's "obsolete" but more "out of style." Its popularity on a forum such as this is not a reflection of its popularity with the public at large. It seems Joe Public generally wants an automatic chambered in .40 S&W or 9mm.

I think the .45 ACP remains as popular today as it was 5 yrs ago, even 10 yrs ago. When Joe Public opens a box in the ammo section and runs his fingers over a 230gr .45 cartridge, his eyes go wide and he smiles (like we all used to--heck, I still do!)

Anyway, it's a fun discussion. Somebody with the time, ought to track down sales data and see how many .357's are being sold out there.

Carry On!

Take the 9 and 40 both into the field shoot some deer and hogs with both and then get back to us as to how the 9 is equal or superior to he 40. Hint it ain't and never will be.