Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns COLT KING COBRA 357 MAG.

PHARAOHAWK 27 -" In a world of automatic pistols it is indeed a little antiquated, slow and under capacity with only six rounds on board,..."

Pharaohawk, I wouldn't be concerned about "slow, under capacity, antiquated," etc., if I were you. If you get in a fix and can't do it with six rounds of .357 Magnum ammo, you ain't gonna do it with more from a semi-auto.

Suppose that four or five bad guys tried to hurt you. You drag out that King Cobra and put a .357 125 grains hollowpoint through the briskets of the first two and all you are gonna see then from the other cretins are rearends & elbows as they fall all over each other trying to outrun their buds.

L.W.

Mando, we could go off on this for a long time. You've made some incredible statements. You try and sidetrack the discussion by changing the focus. I did not get into police tactics, but you did. The discussion was about whether or not a good .357 revolver was quite sufficient for almost any self defense situation a civilian would find himself in.
You turned it into a cop vs. gangsters issue, to try and make your point. Right here is your quote. " MANDO - Also, I am curious of what you think the other four will be doing while you're concentrating on "putting hollowpoints through the brisket" of merely one?"

Plus you misquoted me. I said "... put the h.p. bullet through the briskets of a couple..."

Very few thugs will stand up against a man who is not only shooting at them, but who has killed a couple of their "tough" buds.

I don't know where you've been but if you are not aware of politics being involved in many decisions that are made in police and sheriffs' organizations, you just haven't been paying much attention. Just look at the various agencies that wanted to start using hollow point bullets as they were more effective than either lead round nose or FMJ bullets. The politicians in the City Councils, Police Commissions, and County Supervisors, in some areas, refused to allow the cops to carry h.p. ammo because "...it was just too devastating against the poor criminals." Proof? How about that very issue with LAPD? (Now they carry h.ps., but for years, they could not... because of POLITICS!)

Ever heard of the North Hollywood Shootout?? LAPD officers were not allowed to have AR15s in their patrol cars, they did not even have an AR15 in the freaking station!! Had to go to a nearby gunstore and beg for a couple of ARs and mags. Why?? POLITICS!! LAPD cops shouldn't have those evil, horrible assault weapons, said the Mayor and Police Commission. POLITICS.

Sure, agencies' armorers and field cops test equipment. I've been involved in it. But it is extremely naive to say that "politics" from above does not play a role in the selection of SOME equipment, and that sometimes includes guns and ammo.

As you made this an issue of "cops vs. gangstas," I can tell you that even though some gangstas will practice, not that many do, other than a few rounds at a garbage can, or maybe a trip for a few hours to a range someplace.

One of the major problems with the cops using high capacity handguns is the "spray and pray," or "hose the foes" syndrome.

When the adrenalin is flowing and fight begins, many cops just start firing as fast as they can, and empty the magazine. Sometimes they hit the bad guy; sometimes they don't. I know of several peace officer shootings where four or five cops with semi-autos fired upward of 125 rounds at a susupect, and barely wounded him. I know of others where again, "spray and pray" was the usual response against one person. It's infectuous. Under heavy stress, one cop fires and the others just start capping rounds until their semi-auto pistols run dry. Quick reload and "hose the foes."

Perhaps that's good "tactics" to you but it results in bystanders sometimes being wounded, bad pubic image of cops, and lawsuits against the department.

MANDO - "Where in God's name did you come up with this pronouncement?"

Mando, you came up with that yourself, so don't try and turn it around. You turned it into a cop vs. gangsters issue, to try and make your point. Right here is your quote. " MANDO - Also, I am curious of what you think the other four will be doing while you're concentrating on "putting hollowpoints through the brisket" of merely one?"

So suddenly, rather than in my scenario of four or five thugs trying to roust a civilian, it's well armed gangstas attacking like well trained ninja assassins. Two go down, shot through the heart with a .357, but the others just keep on coming. Your scenario, not mine.

Very, very few civilians are going to run into a group of well trained, well armed gangstas. Cops have to go into those dangerous areas. Civilians, ordinarily, do not.

My original post had to do with the poster talking about whether or not his "old fashioned" .357 would do in a self defense situation. I said it certainly would. You disagreed.

I could not possibly care less what a man or woman carries for self defense, so long as he or she knows how to use it, and has the determination to use it. I like semi-autos just as well as revolvers. But when some "expert" advises a person who might not be very familiar with firearms, "Nope, that's no good! Gotta have what I carry, or you'll likely die for sure if you're attacked!!," I find that somewhat egotistical and not at all accurate.

By the way, Bill Jordan, U.S. Border Patrol, did quite well with a S&W 19 .357 Magnum.

And a Merry Christmas to you, also.

L.W.