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

Isn’t the 357mag the #1 man stopper?

I've owned a few 357s not don't own one at the moment. It's sort of the handgun equivalent of the 30/06. It does everything decently but is kinda boring.

Can't believe I'm going to agree with Slavdood. Partially, sort of, anyway. (That's as good as it gets)

Yeah, I see no remaining reason to fool around with .357 in a medium frame six shooter when you can have 10mm/.40 in the same size revolver.

But wait....



Proves again Slavdood, you not only don't have a clue, but don't even know the difference. We ain't talkin' about the SP101 here.

When I was young and first married one of my first centerfire handguns was a Ruger in .357. I was attracted to it as a caliber due to it's all around capabilities and when I was more price conscious then..... it was the choice.

As time moved on and my bank account grew I became more interested in getting specific caliber handguns, rifles, and shotguns for specific hunting applications. The Ruger .357 was replaced with a Ruger Super Blackhawk in 44mag for the upper end of the handgun calibers for my needs and I started to get into different rifle calibers for hunting different types of game and conditions. I eventually ended up with a safe full of firearms with each one (and some duplicates) tailored to specific purposes and situations.

I find now that I only have one double action revolver....a Smith 60 with a fabulous trigger job and bobbed hammer on it that will never be sold. The other handguns are all autos and now there are no .357 in the safe. I just found out that other pistol calibers were better suited for me and now I could buy many autos with different calibers instead of watching the pennies.

I think today I could become a fan of some of the great .357 revolvers but being admiring the pistols more than the caliber.

Everyone has their likes/dislikes and buys accordingly with no fleas on their choices from me.

With the 10mm/40 you need to use moon clips in a revolver or go without using the ejector. . Also, finding ammo might be tougher compared to 357/38

I see more 10mm and 40 than I do 38 special lately

I recently got a Ruger GP100 Match Champion 4.20" which I just received the other day I've owned many .357 Magnums in the past, heck even
carried them on duty. I love the way this one carries and I can't complain about it's lighter weight, than I had. Lots of us here in NW Montana carry them over the heavier larger
caliber revolvers... many carry less caliber because of the hype of supposed better constructed 9mm bullets... okay enough, carry what you want and be happy.

You must use moon clips only for the .40, and they need to be heavier clips than Ruger provides to be reliable. But that's kind of irrelevant, as a practical matter. I haven't seen any 357 or 38 factory ammo for over a year, but 40 has been available from time to time - and currently, quite plentiful. But that's irrelevant too, because I load my own. And yeah, I'm seeing far more .40 components on the shelf than .38/.357.

I just bought 3 boxes of Aguilla .38 special on my way home from work last night.

With the good bullets we have now days a good six gun man is a very dangerous opponent. If you're in law enforcement go with the semi auto. A lot of misses will never equal a good hit.

Dick

Mostly I like it for the versatility and lower cost compared to larger rounds. Plus, as I get older I'm becoming more and more of a recoil wimp so the recoil of even full power 158 grain loads in a full size revolver isn't abusive - we're talking GP100, Smith 586 or N-frame, that type. I fired 5 rounds of full power Federal 158 factory loads from my 4" SP101 a couple of weeks ago and while it's still doable that's a bit more fun that I want out of a handgun any more.

You can use powder puff 148 grain loads in .38 cases up to a 180 grain bullet at 1200 fps and they will all be reliable in a revolver. You use less powder and also less alloy per bullet for casters. It is loud but to be honest any handgun is going to be loud, repeated exposure to any of them without hearing protection is going to cause hearing loss.

I look at it as the .308 of handguns and that's not a bad thing.

Lets not forget what really makes the .357 so great; the revolvers!.

Seriously, some of the finest revolvers ever made, have been made in .357 Mag. If you're a REAL wheel gun guy; why wouldn't you own at least one .357?

Good point. The Model 19 and 27, the Python.

I think a good six gun man has always been a dangerous opponent. But that has little to do with the weapon and everything to do with the man. I find the idea that using a revolver somehow makes one a much improved combat marksman over the same person armed with a semi auto as silly.

Yeah, I'm trying to wrap my mind around the imaginary binary choice between hits with a revolver and misses with an auto.

The GP 100, the Security Six.

Yep. Agreed. And the Speed Six, and the S&W Model 13.

And the model 60.

You lost me with that one. I think that was a pretty stupid gun/cartridge combination to come up with.

King Cobra