10mm or 357 mag?

D

David spargenator

New member
Do you guys like the 10mm or the 357 magnum better? I've been thinking of getting a gun in one of the 2 calibers. It may become a hiking gun for me, but most likely something that I'll just be shooting up my back yard with. What do you guys think? The 357 seems to be very high in velocity, and the 10mm seems to be pretty heavy and still kinda high in velocity. What do u think? Which would you prefer ?
 
I have both and they each fill a niche. It depends what you want to shoot them out of and, as mentioned, whether or not you load. While there are 10mm revolvers and at least one 357 auto, mostly the 10 is for autos and 357 is a revolver round. The 357 is better if you have to stay with factory ammo and of course you can shoot factory 38s as well. The 10 is harder to find in factory options and you will generally pay more for it. If you load, you can shoot heavier bullets from the 10 and the costs are more the same. It all depends on what you want.
 
You'll have to decide if you want semi auto or revolver. I had a S&W 610 once but it was odd, very large revolver and it only shot 10mm, felt way odd to me. Had it been on a smaller .357 frame instead of a .44 frame maybe it would have felt more sensible.

The 10mm will give you the obvious advantages of a semi auto, but it's pretty close to the .357 Mag in power. It will poke bigger holes and hold more ammo though, which is a plus. But the .357 Mag is plenty capable of doing just about anything you want with. If you like going to Walmart and buying ammo maybe the .357 Mag is a better choice, if you reload, it's a wash but you almost have to reload with the 10mm unless you buy ammo online.

If it were me? Honestly I don't see that the 10mm is doing anything the .40 or .45 isn't already doing. There is something satisfying about a good .357 revolver though. Check this one Ruger just came out with:

http://gunblast.com/Ruger-GP100MC.htm
 
I can't imagine life without both calibers, either one will do most anything one can ask a handgun to do.
The 357 revolver has a little advantage in range of power as you can shoot 38 special level loads without a spring change, The 10mm has the advantage of higher capacity in most applications.
As to power they are very close through out the range of respective bullet weights when comparing similar sized guns.
I can get 1600 FPS with 125s or 1250 with 180s with a 4" 357 and can ge 1550 with 135s or 1250 with 180s with a 5" 1911 10mm.
 
I think the first question ought to be: What do you want the gun to do?

If you're talking about a woods gun (intended to stop an animal that poses a threat to you), you want a firearm and round that can shoot a heavy, flat-nosed cast lead slug. The .357 is preferable to the 10mm here.

If you're talking about a street gun (intended to stop human predators), then perhaps you're interested in a performance (i.e., capable of upsetting) bullet. The 10mm is at least the equal to the .357 in this scenario.

If you're talking about just a range gun (intended to be shot for fun), then each has its attributes and they are not really alternatives to one another.

From a pragmatic perspective, I'm a fan of neither the .357 nor the 10mm. Both have pretty huge recoil and muzzle flip, which interferes with good shooting. Both are reported to be hard on the weapons that fire them. And both have what I consider to be preferable alternatives for either scenario.

For the woods, I prefer a Model 24 in .44 Special, loaded with .240 gr. SWC lead slugs at about 850 fps. For the street, a .45 ACP (either a Gov't Model type or a SIG P220), loaded either with factory ball or a 230 gr. FMJ, is a more than adequate fight ender, pretty easy to shoot, and less expensive to acquire and feed.
 
The .357 is a much more versatile platform because of the wider variety of factory ammo and reloading components available. Add to that, in most platforms, it can also shoot .38 special ammo. There are also companion lever/bolt carbines that shoot the same ammo. But in the long run, it comes down to a wheel-gun or bottom-feeder.
 
It may become a hiking gun for me,
Click to expand...

For this purpose a Glock 20 or 29 is about perfect. When shot from 7-8" barrels 357, 41 and 44 magnum revolvers are in a different league. But from 3-4" barrels commonly carried revolvers lose a LOT of speed and power. In fact a 10mm with the best loads will beat a 357 from 3-4" barrels. Comes closer to 44 magnum than many realize, and will equal 41 magnums best loads if fired from 4" or shorter barrels.

but most likely something that I'll just be shooting up my back yard with.
Click to expand...

As a plinker, target shooting, or hunting a revolver with a longer barrel will give you more velocity, a better trigger, longer sight radius, and cheaper ammo.

I have lots of guns, including 357 and 44 mag revolvers, but the G20 is my top pick as my hiking gun. It is 3/4 lb lighter, 1" shorter and holds 10 more rounds than my 3" Smith 44 mag. I have all of the advantages of a semi, with true magnum revolver power.

Actual performance, the Glock shoots 200 gr hardcast bullets slightly over 1300 fps. The 44 mg from the stubby barrel will only get 1150 gps with 240 gr bullets. A slight power edge to the 44, but not worth giving up 10 rounds and carrying around a bigger heavier gun with far more recoil and blast.

If I were specifically hunting with a handgun it would be one of the revolvers.
 
10mm is the way to go. The Glock 20 or 29 and order some real 10mm ammo from Underwood. With the ammo from Remington, Federal, Winchester, Armscor, etc., you are just basically shooting a .40 cal.
 
Its personal preference and economics. Both are great rounds but .357 makes it much less difficult to support your shooting habits.
 
The firepower in a G20 is unmatched by any 357. Light, tough and 15 rounds is a game changer in a outdoor back-up gun. I have hunted with the 357 and 10mm. Even if both were in a revolver to even out fire power, I would go 10mm for deer size game.
 
If it were me? Honestly I don't see that the 10mm is doing anything the .40 or .45 isn't already doing. There is something satisfying about a good .357 revolver though. Check this one Ruger just came out with:
Click to expand...

LOL. You do realize the .40 Short and Weak would not exist without the 10mm?
10mm was created long before the short and weak was even dreamed of.

So, the .40 doesn't do anything that the 10mm hasn't been doing for many years prior to it becoming a commercial cartridge. And the 10mm blows the .40 and .45 out of the water in terms of performance capabilities.
 
the 10mm can be had in commercial loads as light as .40S&W (think of the big three ammo makers), to moderate loads equal to .45acp (a few of the ammo makers like hornady and cor-bon), to high powered loads in true 10mm, (some call them boutique ammo makers like Underwood) all without changing anything. plus you get faster reloads and more ammo on tap before a reload.

but I like the .357magnum too.
 
If you like wheelguns and a 10mm size projectile you could go with a .41 rem mag and get more power out of it. Again though, you really need to reload to get your moneys worth with this round as well.
 
RKG said:
If you're talking about a woods gun (intended to stop an animal that poses a threat to you), you want a firearm and round that can shoot a heavy, flat-nosed cast lead slug. The .357 is preferable to the 10mm here.
Click to expand...

??????????????????????????????
923854.jpg
 
So, the .40 doesn't do anything that the 10mm hasn't been doing for many years prior to it becoming a commercial cartridge
Click to expand...

You mean like fit in a 9mm frame size gun?:rolleyes:

I've been enjoying handguns since the early 1970s, and the one US caliber I have never owned is 10mm/.40.

I have, or have had, .22s..25s,.32s,.380s, 9mms, .38s, .357s, 41s, .44s, & .45s. I haven't found anything in my life that the 10mm does that isn't already covered (on either end of any scale you choose) by what I already have.

If you go to the extreme ends of the spectrum, the .357 beats the 10mm in power (although you need a gun that most people feel falls outside the "carry gun" class to get the most you can get, from either one).

.357 beats the 10mm on the other end, firing .38 Specials. Cost is lower for .357/.38 (although for some loads the difference isn't much, for others it is), and the .357 is hands down winner for availability off the shelf ammo.

If you handload, then the point about ammo availability is moot. Cost is essentially the same, with a small difference in the cost of brass and bullets, the 10mm (being essentially still a niche caliber for brass) generally costs a few pennies more...

Simply put, I'm not going to go get a 10mm (or a .40) when I have half a dozen different .357s to choose from, already. But that's just me.

I will say this, if, at some point you get tired of the 10mm, selling one is aiming at a much smaller market than a .357.

Essentially, it comes down to you deciding what gun best suits your needs, and likes, and then choosing which caliber it is offered in that also best suits.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top