.357 and .44

B

Bonstrosity

New member
No this isn't a which has more takedown power battle here I just had a few questions. I know quite a bit about the .357/.38 but I don't know much about the .44. I know the .357 is knows to be apretty powerful gun, is the .44 the same way? does it have the big bang that goes with the 357? How about the difference between the 44magnum and the 44 special? is it the same was as the 357 mag and 38 special one has less recoil than the other? would I be pretty happy with a 44 for taking to the range some and further down the road carry it, also cary it if I go deer hunting as a secondary? any other basics about the 44 would be nice to know.
 
The 44 mag compares to the 44 special almost exactly as the 357 mag compares to the 38 special...except the 44 mag/44 special have a lot more power than the 357 mag/38 special respectively.

I actually prefer the blast from a 44 mag over that of the 357 mag...to me it is easier on the ears (from a regular barrel, of course, not a snubbie).
 
357 "standard" load: 158gr@12-1300fps 450-500 ft.lbs energy

44 "standard" load: 240gr@13-1400fps right around 900-1000ft.lbs.


As for shooting them: 357 has a CRACK that is just nasty, the 44 has a BOOM. Either one after 5 shots without earplugs you won't hear very well for a good hour, but that 357 crack left me with a headache that the 44 doesn't give me.

Moral: Don't shoot either without ears on.
 
Stepping up to the .44 mag from the .357 mag is like stepping up to the .357 mag from the .38 spl. While the big bore will have a deeper voice, it can have a massive recoil depending on the load.
 
357 "standard" load: 158gr@12-1300fps 450-500 ft.lbs energy
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44 "standard" load: 240gr@13-1400fps right around 900-1000ft.lbs.
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Note that the 44 magnum produces almost twice the energy of the 357 :) Both rounds are really loud and you should always wear hearing protection gear when you are shooting guns - period. Both have significant recoil but the standard bullet (240 grains) for the 44 magnum tends to have more.

If you plan on using the gun for deer hunting then the choice is the 44 magnum hands down. I have taken deer with both and IMHO the 357 is a borderline choice for deer hunting.
 
And don't be intimidated by the .44 Magnum!! It's not the horrendous recoiler and wrist killer that some people make it out to be. I am not a big man (160 lbs), and I can handle full-power loads without trouble. I do wear a glove on my right hand if I'm going to be shooting more than a few of them, however. My girlfriend is like 5'4" and weighs maybe 125lbs - she has shot full-power .44 loads very accurately and without permanent bodily disfigurement either. :)
Don't sweat it; there's always something bigger.
 
Without going into ballistics (which I know nothing about) your question is easily answered by yourself. Shoot them both! Only then will you know for sure. I luv cannons, even at age 70.

TJhands is right! don't be intimidated by the recoil, just take a firm grip. Having said that, some folks manage recoil better than others. So shooting both is really the only way to find out... :D

Some folks think rubber grips soften recoil. Rubbers have never done much for me. If your a wood guy try to avoid checkers. I like Smooth wood. It turns better in my hand without removing skin...Good Luck! SW 629 mg.
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I love my new Raging Bull in .44 it’s a braze to shoot even with hot reloads (factory 1000ft-lb is nothing :eek: ) the porting and soft rubber grips help a BIT. I haven’t even tired a .44 specials in it yet. And don’t see a reason to…Take a look at one if you can.
 
Ya know, one of these days I'd like to get me a long-ish barrel .44 Mag for hunting purposes, I'd most likely scope it, too. But right now, it just isn't practical. Unfortunately, the range where I shoot has a "No .44 Magnums" policy -- it seems that the .44 Mags tear up the backstop too much. So, until I find myself somewhere else to shoot that is reasonably close by, I wouldn't be able to shoot it. And I'll not have a gun I can't shoot.
 
Personally, if you haven't shot either, the 357Mag is the way to go. It is much more versatile than a 44Mag. The 357Mag can be loaded with cheap and accurate low-recoil 38spl loads and you can even use +p 38spl loads for self defense. You can also use standard 357Magnum loads for self-defense. The 357Mag in these loadings is said to be the best man-stopper in a handgun platform. You can use hot 357Mag loads that put out about 600-700ft/lbs of energy for hunting. The 44Mag is strictly a hunting revolver. It isn't practical for self-defense. You can also shoot and practice with the lower-power 44spl but it costs just as much and is practically unavailable. Common 44Mag revolvers tend to be much bigger and heavier than 357Mag revolvers. In my opinion every gun owner needs to have a 357Mag just for its excellent versatility. If you aren't reloading then the 357Mag is the obvious choice because you will end up shooting it a lot more.

357 "standard" load: 158gr@12-1300fps 450-500 ft.lbs energy

44 "standard" load: 240gr@13-1400fps right around 900-1000ft.lbs.
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First of all, the ft/lbs of energy for the 357Mag loads you quoted is way off. It should read 500-600ft/lbs of energy and that is not a standard 44Mag load. The standard 44Mag load is 240gr @ 1180fps out of a 6.5" barrel for about 740ft/lbs. Also consider that 6.5"-7.5" barrels are used for 44Magnum testing while 357Mag loads are rated for a service-size 4"barreled revolver. Is that really a fair comparison? I will agree that the 44Magnum is a better hunting cartridge because it is bigger and has more momentum and energy than the 357Mag but it does not have several hundred more ft/lbs of energy than the 357Mag.

Note that the 44 magnum produces almost twice the energy of the 357
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Not true in any way, shape or form.

The Federal 180gr. 357Mag load is pushing 623ft/lbs out of a 4" barrel and about 720ft/lbs out of a more 44Magnumish 6" barrel. I don't think it safe as a direct comparison to say that the 44Magnum has twice the energy. It doesn't. Actually when comparing similar barrel lengths the 44Magnum produces slightly more energy. Keep in mind that the typical 357Magnum loads are watered down and designed as service loads as it was one of the most prolific LE cartridges of the 20th century. The 44Mag was specifically designed for hunting, thus using stouter loads. 357Mag and 44Mag hunting loads out of similar barrels are quite similar actually. How could they not be? The case length for both cartridges is exactly the same. The original 357Mag load was 158gr @ 1550fps for about 840ft/lbs of energy.
 
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I admittedly don't have a huge amount of experience with the .44 Magnum. I do, however, own a 4" S&W model 28-2 .357 and rarely shoot .38's in it. I have also shot a Taurus model 66 and a Ruger Police Service Six quite a bit as my dad has owned both. I don't find a .357 to be unpleasant with anything from 110grn loads all the way up to 180grn loads. The only issues I have with any of the loadings is that the muzzle blast from some of the really hot 125grn loads is more than I care to contend with. I have only shot a .44 once and it was my uncle's 7.5" Super Redhawk. While the recoil was quite heavy, it wasn't anything that I don't think I could get used to and nothing like the end of the world detonation that many speak/complain of. The thing I didn't like about it was that my arms got tired trying to hold that big heavy thing steady. I think I would find a Redhawk or Model 29 to be much more agreeable.
 
go with the .44

I've got a SW 629 4" that's great. It's not overly fun to shoot with .44 Mags due to recoil, but the .44 Specials are a blast. You can also run .44 Specials for personal defense, they're ballistically about the same as .45 ACP.
 
The 44 is my favorite round

I have 8 guns that shoot the round, half are 44 sp and the rest are mags.
They go from the Charter arms Bulldog (44 sp) to the Contender in 44 mag.
The best of the group is a 44 Sp was was modified from a Smith Mod 28 which was 375 mag. Had the cylinder honed out to 44 SP and a douglas 3 inch barrel and one of the best trigger jobs that I have ever felt in a gun.
I have a Mod 24 Smith that I am having the same gun smith put the same barrel stock in 5 inch on it right now and I cant wait to shoot it.
GO with the 44 and you will never be sorry
 
Personally, if you haven't shot either, the 357Mag is the way to go. It is much more versatile than a 44Mag. The 357Mag can be loaded with cheap and accurate low-recoil 38spl loads and you can even use +p 38spl loads for self defense. You can also use standard 357Magnum loads for self-defense.
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I dunno. One thing that impressed me after getting into the 44 was it's versatility, which I think actually outstrips the 357 in some ways. Granted, your light loads for the 357 (i.e. 38sp) will be a lot cheaper than 44 specials. But the 44 can range up to a very heavy load (300+ grain at 1300-1400 fps) down to very light cowboy loads (200 grains or less at 750 fps). And a 200 grain HP 44 special round fired at 900 fps is a great self-defense load (I currently have my SRH loaded with these as my nightstand gun). So the 44Mag goes from great hunting round to good self-defense round, while the 357 can't approach the power of the big 44s.

Now, for carry and for cost, the 357 is obviously a better way to go. I just think that the 44 Mag is a great all-around platform (with great reloading possibilities!).
 
The original 357Mag load was 158gr @ 1550fps for about 840ft/lbs of energy.
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This was shot thru a 8" barrel. The original .44mag load was a 240 grainer @1500+ fps and thru a 6.5" barrel. That means it takes a .357 magnum 1.5" more barrel to throw a lighter bullet as fast as a .44 magnum.
If you are going to look at the heavy .357 mag loads then to be fair include the heavy .44 mag loads. Then the energy for the .44 goes up to 1200 ft.lbs. Quite a bit more than the 700+ ft. lbs. of the .357.
The .357 loads are not similar to the .44 loads in similar length barrels. You have to factor in bullet weight and the .357 heavy bullet just equals the .44 light bullet.
Now the .357 mag is a great cartridge, but it is a class below the .44 mag (which is also just as versatile). With similar velocities the heavier bullet will generate the most power and the .357 can't match the .44 in bullet weight and mass.
 
Now, for carry and for cost, the 357 is obviously a better way to go. I just think that the 44 Mag is a great all-around platform (with great reloading possibilities!).
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I agree, the 44Mag is a great round that I also enjoy shooting. Its good to see that you agree with me on the 357Mag being the better for carry and cost.

For a person that is fairly new to firearms and Magnums and general, the 357Mag is going to be more versatile. If reloading, the 44Mag is as versatile or maybe more so than the 357Mag. If not reloading, who can afford to shoot a lot of 44Mag or 44spl loads? I don't even know of any non-self defense rounds for the 44spl other than cowboy loads, even those are still pricey.

The super-hot 44Mag loads that you mentioned can really only be shot in the tough Ruger DA and SA revolvers. Don't try shooting those out of a S&W 629. I think the originator mentioned something about good overall use such as defense, carry, and deer hunting. The 357Mag is the only pistol I know of that can do all that. You can't really shoot 1100ft/lbs hot loads from a carry revolver and you also can't carry a 7.5" hunting revolver. From my experience, one of my favorite 357Mag deer hunting loads is a 158gr. bullet going 1400fps. This load does from my 6" GP100. Deer drop on the fly. I haven't lost one yet. I've also hunted elk with my 6" GP100 and the same load and it also does well. For elk I use a JSP and for deer the Speer GD. I have loaded 180gr. loads as fast as 1500fps out of the same 6" GP100 which is close to 1000ft/lbs of energy. The 357Mag isn't as weak as some people think it is.
 
Versatility has nothing to do with cost.
Long before the "Cowboy" loads there has always been the 246 gr RN for the .44 spl.
I thought this thread was about the cartridges and not the platforms launching the bullets. Dan Wessons, Anacondas, Rugers, and Freedom Arms are all stronger than a S&W M29/629.
Now a .44 will be a large frame revolver, but that doesn't mean it don't have applications in defence, carry, or hunting. You just have to make the decision to carry a bigger revolver.

BTW....I for one would like to see that 180 grainer doing 1500fps out of a 6 inch barrel.
 
For the novice, the .357 mag is the most versatile handgun...and I used to think (just recently) that this was the case for any shooter.

However, after giving this very topic more thought, I believe the 44 mag is the most versatile handgun cartridge. I especially like the Ruger Redhawk in the 5.5" barrel. I don't think that this would be a good CCW gun, but for just about any other job, it is almost ideal...the reasons have already been stated.

Don't get me wrong, I love the 357 mag, but the 44 mag is DEFINITELY a class above the 357.
 
I have two wheelies.. a 7 1/2" Super Blackhawk and a 4" M15-3, will soon be getting another 4 5/8" Super Blackhawk(as in a matter of hours!).

I think the only issue with the factor .44 loadings is cost. There are a LOT of guns chambered in it, from smaller to large. Smith makes several smaller ones, and I believe Taurus even makes a 5 shot one in a smaller frame.

There are also a lot of options for .44 bullets and loads, even a good deal from the factory. Depending on if you can find ammo cheap, it can range from $5 more per 50 all the way up to twice as much per 50.
 
cje1980

Yes .44 is roughly twice as powerful as .357mag

Buffalo Bore makes some of the hottest ammo here’s some numbers;

.44mag +P+ 340 gr. @1478 fps = ME 1649 ft. lbs.
5.5 inch factory stock Red Hawk--1401 fps
7.5 inch factory stock Red Hawk--1478 fps

.44mag (standard) 270 gr. Speer Uni Core. @1450 fps / M.E. 1260 ft. lbs


.357mag 125 gr. JHC @ 1700 fps ME 802 ft lbs.
5 inch S&W model 27 -125gr. Speer Uni Core = 1543 fps
6 inch Ruger GP 100 -125gr. Speer Uni Core = 1707 fps


Looks like .357 is only half the .44’s energy ;)


As far as ‘normal’ factory ammo goes 180gr .44mag has over 1000ft-lb, while .357mag has only 550ft-lb at most...

I reload ( kinda had to after I bought my Raging Bull) so I don't have a problem with ammo cost :)
 
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