I have a Ruger LCR .38 and a S&W .357 both snub nose. I shoot them both well but I favor the .357 to carry. Any thoughts?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27wDLjY5JSs

357

My two .357's, a mod 66 and a mod 60



The .38sp Ruger LCR and a companion .22. They carry nicely in a pocket holster

38 special in 38 special pistol...not 38 special shot out of a 357 mag.

To me the .357's just not worth it; I carry the .38+P.

The .357 has about a 200fps advantage, but it comes at a pretty stiff cost. Massively increased muzzle flash, twice as much recoil, and twice the noise.

Yet when the bullets hit, the terminal performance isn't a huge difference; certainly not enough to justify the flash, noise and recoil.

I chose the S&W M&P 340 (357), but if I did things over again, I just might go with a 3" LCRx in 38. It's still ultra light and I'd replace the grip with the grip of an LCR. It would cut the ballistic difference between 38 and 357 in half with the longer barrel and with a better sight radius with, in reality, negligible difference in carry ability.

I've got a Ruger LCR in 357mag,that carries, 38+P's and a Ruger SP101 3" which carries 357 mags. I think in the colder climates where many people dress wearing heavier clothing the 357 mag, gives you an edge. Especially dealing with the gang bangers that wear heavy Carhardt clothing.

While my CC is a Model 19 in .357, I agree with GunGeek regarding the use of .38 +P ammo instead of .357 Magnum. I make my own FBI loads for it.

Don

Yeah, I wouldn't bother with a snubby .357 Magnum. Flash, blast, and recoil not worth the extra velocity from a snub nose. For humans, a good +P .38 Special is perfectly adequate for self defense.

PS I have them, and have carried them, but only ever carried .38 Special in them. I'd have been just as well served if they were actually only chambered for .38 Special.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27wDLjY5JSs

The 357 is more than 200 fps faster.
A snub nosed 38 special with 147 grain JHP in Federal or Winchester +P+ does not stack up to a 357 mag in my experience.
A snub in 38 special is a backup last resort weapon in my opinion.

I personally think when the .357 was developed, that was for a long barreled gun. Kind of lost in a snubbie. One atvantage tho if you ar loading up to the top in a .38special, it's nice to have it enclosed in a magnum.
As to the velocity thing, it's kind of like 30.06 vs. 300win mag, and trying to educate a former son in law on his flinch with the 300winmag. Downloaded to 30.06 he didn't have a problem. and at a 100yards i don't think the deer knew the difference in 200fps.
same thing holds true at short ranges between a 38special and the magnum.

I've carried .357 snubbies, but with .38 Special ammo. I don't shoot them well with full house .357 loads. I did like the ability to shoot "tweener" rounds in .38 Special, such as the Buffalo Bore 158 gain +P LSWCHP .38 Special, which was equivalent to slow .357 ammo in the same weight bullet.

What is with the clickbait?

The lead +P semi wadcutters that I tried in the sub nosed 38 special expanded well, but penetration wasn't enough in my opinion.

There are plenty of factory loaded 357's that are watered down to the point that I do not consider them magnums.

Just information from testing

tag

in a small revolver, I don't much care for a .357 Mag. Vastly prefer a good .38 Special.

Last time I chrono's a 125gr .38sp vs. a 125gr .357 it was 945 for the .38 Special and 1140fps for the .357mag. Both out of a 2" barre.

That's high for the 38 special in my experience. I've never got into the 900 fps range with mine and I have 3 snub nose 38 specials for +P 125's. I've also shot 147 Federal and Winchester +P+ and got about the same for them as the 125 +Ps.
357's are in the 1200 fps range depending on gun and ammo, some factory loaded 357's are weak in my opinion.

mp 340 in pocket carry. 125 grainers to about 1050-1100. Five shots rapid fire in center mass a lot faster than most people would have you believe.

I personally would not consider any bullet heavier than 129 gr. in a 38 special...with the exception of the "short barrel" 135? gr load by speer using gold dots.

The 147 grain JHP is just the wrong place to start IMHO

You definitely haven't shot the load I listed, judging by your reply.
You would shout it yet it expands well and out penetrates all the 125 grain loads that I tested out of snub nosed revolvers.

Your logic doesn't connect the dots.

I've never chronographed a 125 grain +P fact with that much velocity. I've used 3 different revolvers to chrono, S&W M-36, S&W M-60 and a Charter Arms and none of them were any where near 1,000 fps.

Not a snub nose but close. The 3" S&W Model 60 .357 magnum with adjustable sights. The extra inch has never cause a problem in concealment for me. The extra inch has several advantages.

The ammo. Remington 125gr. Golden saber .357 Magnum is what I use. It is not a full power .357 load. It uses a nickel plated case. The Bullet is sealed as well as the primer. The Golden saber bullet uses groove diameter and bore diameter dimensions. Easier on the relative fragile forcing cones on the small frame revolvers. Uses flash suppressed powder. Very accurate and the Golden Saber has proven itself in defense use.

The 3" is a great choice! In fact in my opinion the best choice. 👍🏻

I often carry my three inch model 60, .38 Special. It is factory DAO. Load is a Speer 140 grain JHP over Blue Dot powder. Leather is by Sam Andrews.

Neither to the original question.

I would go with 9mm as offered by Ruger and run +p loads. Cheaper to practice with also.

Mp340 is a 357 that is why I load them in that range.

My bad I was thinking 38 special for some reason. 357 is better terminally.

Any of the ones cussed and discussed are better than a sharp stick, or nothing at all.

Pretty absolute statement. Bullet construction has everything to do with it.

Best I ever got with a 2" barrel was 950fps.

I've never gotten more than about 850. His velocity is for 357.

More to the point is that you have a lot of good options with the .357 platform.

I carry a few snake loads while haying or shed hunting in the lower rocky foothills.

Mild .38 special loads for plinking, practice and slaying charging ground squirrels. This gets the lions share of my shooting, by far.

I carry some hoarded 180gr Black Talon .357 rounds while bow hunting, as back up. As a practical manner, I shoot very little full house .357 ammo. Just enough to keep proficient and I find I like the heavier bullets when I do....

If a black bear decides to join me in my tree stand, I know exactly what I want loaded in that gun, and it won't have a .38 special head stamp.

I once kept a 158 xtp in a whitetail. I think that those 180 grainers would be just the ticket when a bear is involved.

I need my ears fer bird watching.

I never have touched off a .357 (or .38 for that matter) indoors, but I hear that .357 rounds out of a snub are deafening (literally). Any good .38 plusP will do.

I do agree with the logic of a .357 revolver offering extra versatility.

Another 3" .357 Model 60 owner here; full-house 158 or 180 grain .357 hollowpoints in the woods, .38 plusP's around the house.

Birdwatcher

I'm a .357 guy ... and I reload. I load 158 grain SWCs almost exclusively, driving them with Trail Boss (mouse-fart plinking loads), Unique (mid- to +P .38 power), and 2400 (mild to full-house magnum loads). You can do it all with .357 cases.

Kevin, have you tried medium velocity 357 loads like Remington's Golden Sabre round? I carry it in my Colt Carry Magnum. It is equivalent to a full power 9mm Luger load. I get about 1100 fps for a 125gr bullet from the 2" barrel.

I just bought the 360 pd which weighs just over 11 ounces. Full power 357's are almost unbearable in it but I tried some of those Rem golden saber 125's and they are manageable. I'd been wanting a lightweight snubbie for a while when this one went on sale. Even if I end up running 38's in it I like knowing it'll handle 357's in a pinch especially since I shoot other 357's.

I did load a few 158 copper coated swc's over 6g of tire group in a 357 case and they didn't seem too bad at all. Chrony wouldn't read because it was getting dark but I'll try it again later. I'm guessing they will run about 900.

Bb

I had two 360's myself 10+ years ago. One in 3", the other the short barrel one. You're right, the .357's were brutal in it. Heck, the 38's aren't a picnic either!

I've been marginally wanting to get a snubby again since I haven't owned any in awhile. I know, it doesn't make sense to carry a 5 shot revolver when you can carry a small .380 that's flatter, lighter, and smaller and not too far behind a .38 ballistically, or a subcompact 9 that's slimmer, and maybe lighter, about the same weight with more firepower. But all these enablers on here, whose opinions and experiences I respect, keep coming on here posting pictures of their J frame Smiths that they've been carrying for decades, and it stirred up some intangible feeling deep inside me about revolvers again.

So anyway, I got checking out prices, then bid on and "won" the right to buy a 340 sc off of Gunbroker at a good price last weekend, so now I'm back in the revolver game again. And at 11 ounces, it might fit a niche somewhere, not sure what, but I'm working on figuring one out. Oh, and pertinent to the title of the thread, I'm most likely going to be running some 38's in it... but it's nice having the option of .357 too.

I carry a S&W Model 60, .357 mag, 2" barrel, with Speer 135 gr Gold Dot HP, Short Barrel loads.I has a Crimson Trace laser on it

My wife carries a Lady Smith , 38 Sp,Crimson Trace and 135 gr Speer Gold Dot HP, Short Barrel loads, +P's

The.357 recoil isn't too bad, the 38,+p's are a little stouter

The Speers are designed for short barrel revolvers and do cut down on the muzzle flash.

At times,I carry an Interarms Starfire, 13 round, 9 mm with Federal 140 gr Hydro shocks.

His side by side tests (in snub) show the .357 mag has ~1/2-again as much velocity as the .38+p.

My snub is a .357 S&W 640 and EDC a Benchmade McHenry & Williams (net photos).

I also have a M60, 3 inch. I generally carry it with .38 Spl, +P loadings.

Hmm, so if you're getting 900fps from a 2.5 inch Model 19/66 with the 158gr SWCHP .38 Spl +P FBI load, you can get 1350fps with a .357 Mag 158gr SWC load? I would be willing to lay good money on that not happening.

Don

Sounds like you didn't bother to view the video.

Nope, just reading the text and taking it for it's word.

Don

Carry a 357 revolver and just put .38's in it. Problem solved.

Well, that's why you drew a ridiculous conclusion.

Ah, I got it now. You can't believe a word you read on this site.

Don