Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns what's your opinion on 357mag?

Rockinbbar: During my 29 year law enforcement career I also carried a 357 Magnum (Smith & Wesson Model 66 6") for MANY years and found it lacking in NOTHING!
In fact I was saddened when my 1,100 man department opted to go universally to the Glocks in 40 S&W.
I purchased that S&W Model 66 6" (for $60.00 as per city ordinance!) and have it to this day!
And as far as I know YOU are the only law enforcement type "decrier" of the 357 Magnum for police work/self defense/fun gun that I have ever even heard of!
To each their own - they say.
Please reconsider your puzzling (irrational?) contention - you would be better off for doing so.
Long live the wonderful, powerful, versatile and accurate 357 Magnum cartridge/firearms.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Thank you to everyone who's replied. I currently have blued GP100 357 mag w/ 4" barrel.

Unfortunately here in Maryland where I currently reside, what I currently have does not make the legal requirements to deer hunt with it. Requirements are barrel length of at least 6" barrel and 700 ft-lb muzzle energy. From the google calculators I've use, I would need to step up to 44mag to meet the states requirements. At this time I don't foresee me hunting with handgun so moot point at the moment.


For now, I'll probably just keep my GP100 since I already own it and can reload for it and just save up the money for 22lr handgun. I'm leaning toward semiauto 22lr mainly because I want to run it with a suppressor and maybe put a Burris Surefire III on it.

LOL.

I'm far from the only LEO who didn't care for the .357 much.

If you'd been inside the small cabin with 2 of us shooting off 2 1/2" M66's at guys with a Mini14 and a 9mm... all in close quarters, and having hearing loss permanent like, and need of better stopping power and more shots, you might change your mind.

My ears are still ringing as I type this.

If the .357 were such a crackerjack LEO round, why are departments not using it anymore?

Not all, but much of the blast and flash problems associated with the .357 Magnum have been addressed with more modern powder formulations.

I don’t think it’s the round itself so much and I don’t disagree on the noise level either. My GP100 4” while a fun gun to shoot its report with full magnum loads is a bit much, in fact I think my 41 mags are quieter.
Now just my opinion but even in Nebraska I saw a definite trend away from revolvers to semi autos after the 86 Miami shootout. Many followed the Federal Bureau of Instigators lead. Also noticed at about that time more female officers on the beat so maybe the wonder 9’s were easier for them to shoot.

Do not worry, .380, .38Special, 9x19, .40S&W, .357,.......which you pick as civilians for normal defense situations will be just fine. It will make no difference what most choose. I guess if one is contemplating using gun when camping in wilderness something in magnum category makes sense.

Yessir. The .357 is a sharp "Crack!" and very concussive out of a short barrel.

Larger bored handguns tend to be much duller, and "Boom!" rather than the sharp crack.

I think the females not only in the military but police jobs made better use of 9mms.

I was around when the FBI was still carrying 3" S&W's in 357.

Agent Starling's gun.

Who the hell is agent Starling. Ain’t pretty no more but it’s the only 357 I have ever needed since 88.

Good enough for Buffalo Bill!

And here all this time I always remembered it as a .38.

😆😆😆

I also believe that to be true.

Found a lot of info regarding that after a boatload of research on .357 load data over the last week or so. In all honesty, in addition to load data, much of the research was done to validate my love for the guns and cartridge.

Short barrels and magnums usually don't mix well, imho. Even in my 4"barrel 357mag the 125gr rounds were loud and obnoxious. When I went up to the 158gr loads it was much better on muzzle blast and noise. It may also have to do with how they loaded them. Alliant 2400 vs H110 for example?

But yes, from my experience the 357 mag does seem higher bitch compared to the 44mag. That's my one big complaint with 357mag the muzzle blast and noise/loudness.

Lit him up before turning his lights out.

Starling had the hammer eared back on that M13 with her finger on the trigger... She didn't learn that at the FBI academy.

I know I enjoy full power loads a whole lot more in my N and L frames than my K's. Mb

I had thought .357 ballistics was a major selling point of the .357 Sig round. Dunno how many agencies still use it.

I know. I noticed exactly the same thing when I watched it before posting it. Eastwood does the same thing with his Model 29 before he enters the alleyway in search of the serial killer in Dirty Harry.

Poor guy who played Buffalo Bill, Ted Levine (?), apparently really hurt his career by doing such a good job of being a bad guy.

357's are great!




More rounds in a 9mm and new bullets work better than the old ball rounds in 9mm.