I say, "why in the hell would someone want to carry a snub revolver in .357, particularly an airweight version!?".

I was shooting both 158gr. and 125gr. factory loads out of a stainless K-frame with 2" compensated barrel and those bastards hurt! There's just no way even a minimally experienced shooter can control a J-frame snubby in a self-defense situation.

I agree,I do not like shooting Mags,I prefer my .45

Rick,
I'm assuming you're referring to the .45acp? Is it really that much more gentle than a .357?

Man, that .357 gave me a danged headache after 18 rounds.

yes 1911 in .45 acp.
I find the recoil to be more manageable,and just plain nicer to shoot.

1911 in .45 is easier for me to shoot as well. However, I think in a defensive situation most people would be fine with a .357 snubbie. You probably only need one or two rounds before you or the agressor are going to call it quits due to deafness or a sore hand. If someone is standing only a few yards in front of you shooting that without hearing protection they'll likely give up even if you don't hit them

You're right, they kick some. I have a 3" barreled S&W 60 J frame with adjustable sights. It is a mean spirited little SOB with an all around nasty disposition. A cylinder full of full power ammo in a day is about 3 rounds too many. On the other hand, the little rat is accurate. It thrives on the 125 grain federal full power .357 load typically holding pairs of shots ... from a rest of course ... within 2 inches of each other at 50 yards. It is not a fun gun to practice with but it is a real confidence builder to carry. Sometimes a portable but brutal gun that puts a very few shots exactly on target is more useful than a less portable gun that comfortably puts lots of shots in the general area. YMMV, but for me, it's the ultimate "pack it a lot and hope to [bleep] I don't have to pull the trigger" gun.

I have not handloaded for specifically mine and probably never will. Most of my .357 handloads are for heavy framed guns. The little J frame ... and my hand ... probably would not survive. My current TC, and the last blackhawk and last gp100 I owned, all liked the same thing: 17.5 grains of 296 under a 158 grain hornady XTP. I'm very careful to be sure nothing but fresh, factory Federal 125s or .38 wad cutter ammo ever get into the J frame.

If it didn't like that Federal factory stuff so well, I'd give Remington's mid-range 125 grain .357 a try .. golden saber, I think they call it. Still in production? Dunno. It's not worth shooting that gun enough to find a different load, just feed it what it wants and leave well enough alone.

Tom

I recently purchased a Kimber Eclipe Pro in 45ACP and I was surprised at the mild recoil (PMC 230gr FMJ) compared to a 357 or 44 mag shooting stiff loads. The 1911 does have significant recoil but wo/that sharp and violent kick.

Yeah just gotta love that 10mm Glock model 20!!! Recoils like a .45acp with twice the terminal damage to geletin blocks and penetration is deeper also.

I have a 2 inch SP 101 .357 mag. With hot 125 grain loads it's sure exciting to pull the trigger. With a Hogue grip it doesn't hurt, but there's sure a lot going on.

Friend bought a 2" SP101 and we went to the range, taking turns, from mild to wild. I thought wild was about as bad as I wanted in a handgun. Hell, I like my 6.5" 44M more than a 2" .357.

I have a 360-1, which is a 3" barreled scandium J frame in 357mag. It hurts pretty bad with full power loads. Sure carries nice though.

The 'hot' 125's in my SP101, torques the **** out of my wrist.
And,I hate the muzzle blast from those shortie .357 Mags!

Handed it to a friend once, to kill a downed cow. He shook his wrist, handed it back, and said, "Next time give me that .44 special!'"

I'd already told him it was going to be a handfull.

i have just started fooling around with a glock 20, also with a six inch barrel on it.
I think the above is a true statement as to recoil, i did change out the springs to a 22lb. recoil spring and i find it pretty easy to fire.
My goal now is to find somewhere some 200grain xtp's to load to the old norma load of 1200fps

I think everyone is going to experience the same thing with all these sub compacts hittting the market with all the advertising hype of ultra concealability. My 2" Smith snubby in .357 mag is loaded with 125 gr HP,and a mid range load a of about 10 grs of 2400.Using Laser Grips it is controllable and not that bad. Not fun to shoot.I practice with 4.5 gr of W231 or Universal clays and 158 gr lead bullets,but always finish off with two cylinders of the HP's

I like the .357, don't get me wrong, but it's because you can shoot from mild to wild. I really don't know if nine times out of ten you'd need wild, but practicing with mild makes it a pretty nice gun to have. Practicing with wild is pretty much like ultra-magnum rifles...someone else can do that.

I'm not particularly recoil shy when it comes to handguns. But on this I have agree.
I used to qualify on the old PPC course with a 4 inch M29 Smithand fullpower .44 Mag loads, for instance. Still have and shoot the gun. My 24 oz. Smith M60, 3 inch is all I want for a handgun. Not just heavy recoil, but fast and loud as well. Right at the edge of what I'll put up with. A lighter, alloy frame gun would easily be unacceptable.
Shot a 5 inch .460 smith a while back. As you'd expect, very heavy recoil. But not unpleasant and doable. Not much worse than my M60 .357 and probably a bit too much for me to shoot much. E

Y'all hand in your man cards right now!

The .357 J-frames kick pretty good with average loads. But if you take the time to find a grip that fits your hand, they ain't so bad. I have the 3" version and I shoot standard 125gr loads from it with little or no problem for my hand or in keeping on target. I have found a wood "boot" grip that fits my hand well without making the gun any less concealable than your average snubby. With the larger contoured grip that it came with, I even find 158gr loads okay and 180gr loads tolerable. It's all about the fit. edit: And it helps to have the cylinder latch "de-horned".

My wife's 2" SP101 was not at all comfortable for shooting standard .357 loads with the factory grips. But changing those out for some better shaped grips made all the difference in the world. She still is much happier with hot +p .38spl rounds, but I find full-power 158gr loads to be almost comfortable and fairly controllable in that configuration.

The scandium guns are another matter....

I agree with you about the grip being important and personal to the user. I felt the same as Triggernosis until I got my 3" SP101. The factory grips just work for me and absorb recoil without hurting the web between my thumb and index finger like S&Ws did. I love shooting that gun with full house loads. I also agree that the .158s are more fun than the 125s.

I am not a fan of shooting J frame .357s. I would rather shoot a full sized 45 auto or 44 magnum any day. That being said, the little J frames carry quite nicely. They really are an expert's gun though, requiring a lot of practice.

I know for certain that I am very definately not practiced up with mine. The one I use for work purposes though is a .38, not a .357 and it still requires a lot of concentration to shoot well with it.

You can have my Man card, FreeMe. I can shoot the .357, but gosh-knows...I really think it's overkill for a personal defense weapon, particularly in a situation such as a parking lot where other bystanders may be present.
Except for hunting and defense against perhaps a black bear, I think the only suitable pers. defense application it has is for maybe a Highway Patrolman that may need to shoot through a car door or windshield.

Well, I think a 357 magnum has utility value. I carried my M19 (4" bbl) today while removing treestands from my lease. I had it stoked with 158gr Hornady XTPs over a charge of 2400 for exactly 1200fps. Stout loads for sure but I could run into a bear or human problem with equal chance and to me it's the best balance of carry weight, power, controlability, and accuracy that I have available. When I bring that same gun into the house, I stoke it with factory Remington 38 spl +P 158gr LSWC-HPs. I shot this gun today with both mild lead handloads and the above mentioned JHP magnum loads and while I didn't find it all that bad, I wouldn't want to make a habit of it in a smaller gun.