Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Have the .357 Magnum and 45 ACP Become obsolete?

Mini-Flave looks like a Mini-Dirty Harry! Those model 14s are sure nice guns.

With the rise in concealed carry permits across the country and most servicemen being familiar with the caliber the 9mm has eclipsed the .357 in sales, probably by a very wide margin.

But I doubt that the .357 Magnum is going away any time soon. It's like saying pickup trucks are obsolete and on their way out since so many more Camrys and Accords are sold than pickups.

The top two selling vehicles in the US are pickups (F-series, Silverado), but thanks for playing.

The 357 will always be a great jack-of-all-trades.

I've been enjoying the heck out of 170gr Keith in 38 Spl brass, over 5.3 gr Unique, for 1000 fps in the Security Six.

I think you've got it right. The 45acp seems to have been given a boost and now I see lots of factory ammo on the shelves at very good prices. 15 years ago when I was shooting 45acp a lot the situation was different. I'm not sure why folks are gravitating to the 45acp, but the ammo supply indicates that they are.

The 357mag pretty much followed the decline in revolver sales, IMO. It might have seen an uptick when the police agencies were dumping their revolvers into the used market.

Hey, at least I get an A for effort.

So, how many .357 Magnums are riding in those pickups?

P.S. Okay, the F series Fords I can see. But a Silverado?!?!

They aren't rounds for people who blather about minutia incessantly on the internet, they are rounds for people who go out and shoot.

I think out of all the revolver calibers that the 357mag would be the best seller?

Don't see many 44mag, 45colts, or larger handguns. But always see 357mag revolvers.

I'd supsect mostly 38specials get shoot through those 357mag

I sold my S&W Model 19 many moons ago for the cash to buy a Ruger SBH in .44 mag. In Montana that seemed to be the right thing to do. Now though, as an old man who know longer hunts, I wish I had kept the Model 19. Recoil for us old pups becomes more of a problem.

Same here.

I've gotten out of the .44 business entirely after having had a .44 Magnum or Special of one kind or other since 1974, often multiples of either.

The .45 Colt at leisurely velocities of 950 fps or the .357 Magnum also at somewhat leisurely velocities of 1200 fps or so fill the bill these days. The .45 Colt doesn't blast much at those speeds and neither one kicks enough to bother me.

For the old folks here--

Some never left using the classic calibers.

Some have, then came back to them.

Some just added to them.

You can like a caliber without hating another.

But NO, the .357 and 45 ACP is not obsolete. Never will be.

Man I wished I'da knowed the 357 was on its way out. I wouldn't have bought one this summer.

All you guys with extra obsolete 357 brass and bullets hanging around, I'll take them off your hands. Please send to: ......

I've owned a 357 for 20+ years but never shot it much, preferring my 44, 45's and such. Shooting full power 357 in my 4" Security Six is a relief compared to most of my other pistols. I've run several hundred rounds through mine in the past month or so. I'm keeping it. I'll bet a nickel my 184 gr hard cast lead over 12 gr 2400 loads won't bounce off much.

With powder, lead and 22 rf being harder to come by than years past, I've gone to the 357/38 as my primary handgun for target practice. It's such an incredibly versatile round with 100-150 gr cast bullets at sedate velocity for small game and targets, and 170-200 gr @ 1200+ fps for mid size game.

The range I practice at has a plate rack. It has 6 plates. I like wheel guns, not because their better, because their easier to clean and you don't have to chase brass. On the plates 6 shoots is usually all it takes. Hasbeen

Obsolete?

Not in my book.








L.W.

I can't get my 10 year old to chase brass anymore, it's getting tough to get my 8 year old to, 3 year old still loves it....when the youngest gives it up I'm going to revolver's full time.

I'm a big fan of auto rounds in revolvers so it won't be a huge change. Moon clips are great.

I despise policing up brass! I believe my dislike of the practice stems from a hot and muggy day on the rifle KD range, where myself and my platoon mates had to crawl the length of the range, policing up any and all brass we found.

Hence my preference for revolvers.

Revolvers are losing ground every day, so that's why the .357 is declining as a defensive arm (and the fact it's not a great defensive choice, too much noise and muzzle flash).

For law enforcement and military, I think you're going to see the .45 ACP decline as the decades roll by. But I don't think you'll ever see it die; far from it. Civilians still love the .45 ACP and it's an excellent cartridge.

I think there's a good chance we'll see the .40 decline in the next decade or two though. People are starting to realize that a 147 grain, or 124 grain +P 9mm will do most anything a .40 can do with less recoil and far less abuse to the gun.

Stop chasing brass use a brass catcher.