10mm or 357 mag?

.357 for me

I have had an interest in 10mm pistols for about a decade. Never bought one because of ammo availability. I know 10mm can be found on the internets but I like ammo I can find in my local bait shop.
 
I own 357 mag & 40 sw .
According to internet searches the 10mm off the shelf is as equal to 40 SW.
I am content with these .
 
I own, shoot and love both, but IMO the 10mm is only a viable option if the OP makes his own ammo. Most commercial 10mm ammo is loaded to levels barely above 40 S&W with the exception of the specialty loaders like Buffalo Bore or the 175gr Silvertips. Walk into the average gun store and compare the 357 ammo selection to 10mm...I'll bet it's not even close. Even if you're a hand loader the 357 still has an advantage in terms of brass availability and cost.

If the OP reloads then the question becomes a simple revolver vs auto debate with the qualifier that there are MANY more options for current production 357 revolvers than there are 10mm autos. On the other hand, I haven't seen a 15 +1 capacity 357 revolver for sale anywhere.

Clearly the only option is to get both.
 
Posted by Cosmodragon,
But wait... can't a 10mm shoot .40?
Click to expand...

Yes with the use of conversion barrels. I think Glock has more conversion options then any of the others out there. The G20 can shoot 10mm, .40 S&W, 9mm, 9x25 Dillion and .357 Sig.

The Glock 21 can fire .45 ACP, 460 Rowland, .40 Super, 400 Corbon and 10mm.

These are just the barrel conversions that I have seen. They do have other conversions that involve slide changes like the .50 GI but, those cost as much as the gun to do.

Yes it's a Glock and ugly but, the conversion are pretty cheap and if you want 1 platform to fire many calibers it a great choice.
 
Both 10mm and 357 mag require big guns to take advantage of them. If you want to shoot them with a small pistol/revolver, you're deluding yourself.

A 10mm 1911 with a ramped, bull barrel and carbon steel frame is a great choice and can handle the hottest loads--a 10mm revolver with a 6-8" barrel is also good.

I think given the choice of 10mm vs 357 mag for big critters, I'd go with 10mm. I carry a 44 mag SA or 10mm 1911 when hiking/hunting.

Also consider a beefy 1911 or HK that can shoot 45 Super.

Just avoid pop guns in 357 SIG or 40 SW when you're in the woods.
 
Glock 29. Small enough for me. Exterior dimensions not too much bigger than a smubnose .38, although quite a bit heavier with 11 rounds of 10mm ammo. MUCH easier on the hand than firing .357 mag, 5 shot S&W, though.:)
 
Anyone who has tried to hunt deer knows you don't just walk around in the woods and blast one that comes up on you.

A woods gun should be able to both protect you and help you survive.

Killing critters will help you survive not deer and for that a .357 revolver is a clear winner.
 
from some basic calculations i found with the glock 20 you have up to 12,384 foot pounds of energy in your gun fully loaded. ( you could get as high as 16,240 with really light weight rounds but i don't count that) with the 357 you can get 5,614 in a fully loaded 686 plus.

to me this shows that while the 357 may be slightly more powerful when both rounds are pushed to their limits the glock 20 offers SIGNIFICANTLY more firepower to get you out of a bad situation.

this being said i wouldn't ever advise someone to carry a glock 20 over a 357 if they think they could hit their target better with a revolver. capacity means nothing if your missing
 
If you are looking for woods gun, I tend to lean to the revolvers and lead cast. Heavy loads in auto loaders just add issues that you don't need in remote areas. I am always concerned with heavy loads in a semi that will someday imbed the slide between my eyes:eek: Never experienced anything in woods that 6 rounds of good ammo was not more than enough.

I also know that no mater where I am in the country I can find .357 ammo or at least some .38. If you are just hanging around the house this is probably not an issue.
 
Now if it's which is better for woods, revolver .vs. semi-auto think of this...

Critters don't shoot back (bite but not shoot back.) So firepower is not all that big a deal.

Revolvers allow you to put full power loads in a few chambers and low powered loads (and snake shot) in other chambers. A quick flick of the hammer a few times and you can change, at will, wither you need full power, reduced, or shot shells.

Much as I detest the 'Governator' and 'Judge' (yes I do) the .45 LC/.410 guns make sense in such a situation like survival in the woods.

No they can't take .44 magnum power loads but they can take good .45 LC loads!

Now as for .357, remember there are low powered .38s, snake shot, and Buffalo Bore class deer loads for it. Plenty of rugged revolvers like the GP-100 out there to.

As long as we are not talking about a war in the woods with ninjas or zombies or whatever the revolver has many good things going for it. So does the .357 magnum.

And guys, I pack a Glock and own many a 1911, SIG, and Glock. I'm not anti-auto nor 10mm. It's just that the revolver and .357 do make sense in the woods.

Deaf
 
According to internet searches the 10mm off the shelf is as equal to 40 SW.
Click to expand...
SOME 10mm off the shelf duplicates .40S&W performance. Not all of it does. Not by a long shot. Even the major makers offer a few 10mm loads that handily exceed anything sold for use in a .40S&W, and if you poke around you can find some of the smaller "boutique" ammo makers who far exceed anything you'll get from one of the major makers.

The charts I posted earlier on this thread was based on published ballistics for off-the-shelf loadings and the results clearly demonstrate the difference between 10mm and .40S&W performance ranges.
 
I've hunted deer with a 10mm. Explain to me WHY one might think that the .357 is CLEARLY superior for this. Also, I fail to see any clear superiority of the .357 over the 10mm in BARRELS OF EQUAL LENGTH, given best factory loads available, or BEST documented handloads available.
 
zary5yby.jpg

This!!!
 
I've hunted deer with a 10mm. Explain to me WHY one might think that the .357 is CLEARLY superior for this. Also, I fail to see any clear superiority of the .357 over the 10mm in BARRELS OF EQUAL LENGTH, given best factory loads available, or BEST documented handloads available.
Click to expand...

The reason that the .357 Magnum is superior for hunting doesn't have much to do with the cartridges themselves, but more to do with the availability and price of guns and ammo and, in some states, hunting regulations. I can walk into just about any decent gun shop in my area and pick up a medium-to-large frame .357 Magnum revolver with a 6" or longer barrel and nice adjustable sights for $600-700 new and substantially less used. Likewise just about any gun shop will have a box of decent 158gr or heavier JSP .357 ammo that would be suitable for deer hunting.

To get a gun set up the same way in 10mm, I'm looking at either spending substantially more up front or doing a fair bit of not inexpensive custom work. Likewise, most off-the-shelf 10mm ammo is of reduced power and/or uses bullets that aren't particularly well-suited to hunting like FMJ or rapid-expanding, self-defense oriented JHP's. While suitable 10mm ammo does exist, it's not very common and certainly isn't cheap.

Also, nearly every state that allows deer hunting with a handgun lists a long-barrel .357 Revolver as a legal firearm but such is not the case with a 10mm. Some states require at least a 6" barrel for hunting which isn't particularly common or cheap on a 10mm and some states, like my home state of Indiana, don't even allow a 10mm for deer hunting at all (we have rather odd laws regarding case length for hunting).

Now, I'll give you that if gun/ammo cost and availability are no object and local regulation are taken out of the equation, a properly loaded 10mm is probably just as good a deer cartridge as a .357 Magnum, but for most people those factors cannot be taken completely out of the equation.
 
357 is easier to get commercially although with internet dealers its no longer difficult to get 10mil. If you don't reload you will find a lot more diversity with the 357.

Since my job duties no longer require me to carry a firearm I find that I like shooting autos less and less and I buy more revolvers so just from a platform perspective I would go with the 357/38spc. I see no advantage going to an auto and many disadvantages.

Your ability or willingness to reload is really going to be the deciding factor here imo. No reloading no question 357 is better. If you wish to reload 10mil has a lot to offer. Honestly you can't really go wrong both are superb rounds.
 
45ACP FMJ is a good fight ender?
Click to expand...

That depends on what's fighting you.

To the OP, i'd go with whatever you are more comfortable shooting. If you don't reload, you may find 10mm a little bit expensive and lacking variety. If you do reload, it makes 10mm lots of fun and cost effective. Personally, i'd go .357 because i have experience with that caliber. I don't know which is better, all i know is both will kill most anything you need dead(in the eastern US anyways) as long as you can put the bullet where you need to. That part's key. If you can't do that, it doesn't matter which has more KE or which makes a bigger hole.
 
Posted by Webleymkv
To get a gun set up the same way in 10mm, I'm looking at either spending substantially more up front or doing a fair bit of not inexpensive custom work.
Click to expand...

Well I don't think that statement holds true. You can find Glock 20's at many local gun shops and they run around $550. If you have to have a 6" barrel they can be had for a modest price of $125 for a Lone Wolf, $175 for a stock Glock 6" Hunter and $195 for a 6" EFK Fire Dragon Ported barrel.

Yes 10mm can be hard to find at local shops but if your using it to hunt your likely going to use reloads or full bore loads with a hard cast bullet. Yes I know not all hunters reload but, many do.

About the same price from underwood. 180g .357 Mag 1400fpshttp://www.underwoodammo.com/357magnum180grainlfngcboxof50.aspx

220g Hard cast 10mm 1200fps http://www.underwoodammo.com/10mmAuto220GrainHardCastFlatNoseBoxof50.aspx
 
SharpsdressedMan said:
I've hunted deer with a 10mm. Explain to me WHY one might think that the .357 is CLEARLY superior for this. Also, I fail to see any clear superiority of the .357 over the 10mm in BARRELS OF EQUAL LENGTH, given best factory loads available, or BEST documented handloads available.
Click to expand...

I would not call the .357 Mag clearly superior for deer hunting over the 10mm as a whole, or for hunting in general for that matter. You will gain some sectional density with the .357 Mag, but both with the right bullet will penetrate sufficiently. Another factor, the .357's JHP bullets are likely to hold up better than the 10mm JHP bullets (assuming both are maxed out) since most are designed around the .40 S&W.

But what's funny to me is stuff like this post:

thedudeabides said:
Just avoid pop guns in 357 SIG or 40 SW when you're in the woods.
Click to expand...

Most aren't familiar with warm 357 Sig and .40 loads. Most don't know you can use .357 Mag bullets in the 357 Sig (just like you can use them in the 38 Super). I've seen the .357 Sig pump out some impressive numbers.

A warm .40 can push a 180gr to 1,200 fps in a 4" barrel, and 200gr over 1,150 fps. Add a longer barrel and you get more velocity.

So what I'm really curious about it this, not taking away from the 10mm because I have one and handload for it, where is the proof that the 10mm is clearly superior as a hunting round compared to a warm .40 S&W? Same bullet, same powder, same barrel length, assuming same shot placement. I mean is there something the 10mm absolutely will kill that if shot with a warm .40 S&W it wouldn't kill?

Is the 10mm more lethal? No, I don't think such an animal exists. Sure the 10mm has a slight velocity advantage over a warm .40 S&W, but that difference isn't the deciding factor between a kill and no kill. Just sayin'.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top