.357 enough?

I love my 4" GP100. Probably the best all around gun I could imagine. With hot 180gr handloads, I don't feel undergunned in the woods of Va and Wv. Switching to light 38special loads gives me a great plinker.

Chris
 
I love my 4" GP100. Probably the best all around gun I could imagine.
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That's the way I feel about my 4-inch Security Six. Wonderful trigger, superb accuracy, beastly strong...

Let me also add that in my eyes it's an uncommonly good-looking revolver. I've fired thousands and thousands of .38's in it... I guess I've fired this piece more than any other centerfire I own.

Ain't it great to have a gun that just delights you to the very core? ;)

StrikeEagle
 
Hey Mike, I have seven single-action 357's, and a few more doubles. Looks like you need to buy more guns!!! ;)

You really can't get any better for an all-around caliber IMO.
 
JR,

The 6" barrel is a bit long for concealed carry, but not for defense. The 6" is a great multi-purpose gun, good for defense, good for targets and good for hunting. I wouldn't get rid of it. Since you have the 6", the next I'd get is a 3" GP-100 as a carry piece.

I prefer the 158-gr loads for defense, 180s do well for hunting. If you want to hunt with a .357, don't forget to get a good lever action rifle chambered for .357.
 
"Just one more? "

No way! Let's see, I now need:
A Vaquero - because they are just too cool and everybody should have a "cowboy" gun.
A 50th anniversary Blackhawk - because the ol' flat top is almost a work of art.
A S & W 686 - because it's a seven shooter.
A .357 to CC for my "New York" reload.
Throw in a Lever action in .357 to share ammo with and ...

I think this could get out of hand......... :D
 
.357 enough?
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No.
.44 beats it seven ways since Sunday....

I'm sorry, but if you can handle a .357 Magnum and come away feeling "My .357 has almost no recoil," then you're a prime candidate for something more.

"I'm starting to feel that if a .357 is not enough, I probably need a rifle"
That's pretty much the reason Elmer Keith pushed so hard for a .44 caliber version of the .357. He wanted something that was "rifle hitting hard"/"extended range" - that he could pack on his side. Good as it was(is), the .357 magnum falls shorter than the .44 Rem Mag does at this task.

- Is the .44 "more" on the backend than a .357?
Yes. Most of the time. Most of the time it's more than most people can or want to cope with.
It sounds a lot to me, like you're in the same boat I was 30 years ago. My first 6 shots out of a .357 mag left me with a "Is that all there is?" feeling.
My first round of .44 Rem Magnum, OTOH, was like "Oh yeah! That's MORE like it!".

Where do the big boys realy stand out?
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Raw horse power my man,,raw horsepower. You give up some of the lower end versitility,,,but make huge gains in the mid to upper ends. Already having a GP100 solves the lower end versitility. The .44 can pck up right where a .38spl ends off - and ofetn with less strain to both gun and shooter.

- Is the .44 more expensive to feed?
Unfortunatly, yes it is. Second to increased recoil, the increased cost of ammunition is the biggest trun off for most people. Handloading reduces it some, but even there the .38/.357mag is cheaper to feed.

- Is the .44 as packable (carry)?
Again, probably not - if you want to maximize power/ minimize package. IMHO, the best home for the .357 Mag is a small pocket revolver, like the Smith J frame, the discontinued Colt magnum carry or the SP100.

Sorry to be so long winded. Personally I think you're making a mistake by overlooking something more than the .357 Mag.
 
Have any of you guys scoped your GP-100's? Have been thinking about scoping mine but didn't know if i should get it drilled and tapped.
 
The one time when it matters, rest assured you will not be under gunned with a .357

That being said, I carry a 2.5" .41 MAG

________________________________________

An old west lawman once said when asked why he carried a .45, "because they don't make a .46"
 
I'd upgrade to a Super Redhawk before tapping a GP-100....

Practically speaking(to echo my previous post as well), my expierence tends to tell me that with the .44's I've used I can bring it out to 75 yards+ easily in a pistol, I know for a fact I can't do that in a .38/357(whether it user or cartridge, I don't know).

That, and the boom factor is just to cool :cool:
 
Take a look at the S&W models 25 and 29

I would say take a look at the S&W m25, "mountain gun" in .45 Colt (AKA .45 "Long" Colt). Cor-Bon makes a really nice 200g. HP load for it at 1100 fps (if I remember correctly); this would be a good stopper for up to deer size critters as well as two-legged vermin. :D

Also, the S&W m29, .44 magnum with a 4" barrel is a very versatile shooting tool. You can stoke it with 240g. softpoints for hunting, although this load will kick hard in a 4" gun. For self-defense, there are many good .44 special HPs to be had.

Either one of these guns would be a great choice for the above applications. A Smith "N" frame revolver is not as concealable as a 4" .357, but you get increased stopping power for your inconvenience.

If you find yourself in a situation where the "S" is about to hit the fan, that big chunk of steel will sure be comforting!
 
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