.357 mag or .44 special??

Since you didn't give a purpose, I'm going to assume general purpose, versatility.
.357 mag because it shoots flatter, faster, and more energy than .44 spl also higher sectional density loads, available for the .357 mag gives it an advantage on thick skinned/heavier game. And generally a larger bullet selection is available for the .357

The .44spl is basically, ballistically, a glorified .45acp in a revolver cartridge. Ok so it's .43 caliber, not .45, but it's close enough, and a 200 grain .44spl load typically leaves a 4'' barrel at roughly 870fps. Compare that to .45 acp the military load 850fps with a 230 grain bullet. Really, not much difference, IMO I doubt you'd see much, if any, difference on game or in a SD situation.

If it were .44mag versus .357 mag there'd be a more even comparison but the .44 special, really doesn't seem that 'special' to me. .357 mag has a clear advantage in almost every category, IMO.
 
based solely on factory ammo...

...it's 357 by a wide margin. That particular caliber in many flavors is normally available w/o too much searching or waiting. With 44spl, it's a much smaller market, so supplies are limited.
 
Though I like the .44 Special, .357 Magnum hands down. .44 Special factory ammo is expensive, weak, and in modest distribution.
 
In addition, .357Mag revolvers can use inexpensive and readily available .38 Special ammo for plinking and practice.

.357/.38 is also a good deal cheaper to handload unless you cast your own bullets and have access to substantial amounts of low-priced or free lead. The typical .357-caliber bullet is 2/3 to 3/4 the weight of a typical .44-caliber bullet, so you won't need as much raw lead if you cast; if you don't, component bullet prices are proportionally lower. .44-caliber loads also use a little more powder and more expensive cases, but powder is by far the lowest-priced consumable item per shot, and both calibers are very gentle on brass, so the cost of the cases will amortize to very little either way. :)
 
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JD0x0, I was going for general purpose. I don't own anything in .44 special and I was wondering if it would be justifiable to purchase or stick with my several .357's
 
Though I like the .44 Special, .357 Magnum hands down. .44 Special factory ammo is expensive, weak, and in modest distribution.
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I like the .44 Special as well and you hit the nail on the head. I do not understand how they cost as much as .44 magnum rounds.
 
I think the .357 is the better choice but if you already have several, I'd opt for a new chambering before I bought another .357.
 
Performance wise a 44 special equals or beats anything you can do against human threats that could be done with a 357 magnum. With less recoil and blast. From guns with longer barrels and with heavier bullets the 357 is a better choice for large animal defense. Unless you are shooting the 44 specials from a 44 magnum gun where you can take it to a new level. I sold all my 357's several years ago after buying a 44 mag. I shoot mainly 44 specials or mid range 44 mag loads, but have the option for heavier loads if needed.

From 4" or shorter barrels 357 magnum is just a very loud 9mm. Not that that is terrible. The best 124/125gr loads from 9mm and short barreled 357's are about the same. In fact at under 3" the 9mm wins.

I buy my ammo here. www.georgia-arms.com 357 mag is 1 cent/round less expensive than 44's. When you factor in that they give you a credit for returned brass, and pay more for 44 brass than 357. I shoot 44 special or 44 magnum cheaper than 357.
 
I'd go with the .357 magnum.

Reasons:
1) You can go from light .38spls up to heavy .357 mag loads.
2) Ammo is generally cheaper (factory) and brass easier to come by (for reloading).
3) The platform itself is smaller... take the S&W K/L frame vs. the N frame. .44spl will only be in an N frame unless it's a 5 shot; the K frame gives you 6, 7 in the L frame. If you go for the big N frame, you get 8 rounds instead of 6.

While the .44spl drills nice big holes and would indeed be effective, I don't think anybody complains about the effectiveness of the .357mag.
 
I like them both.

The .44 Special is my favorite carry, unless it's the little .38 Chief's Special.

I know I get a second shot off much faster with the .44 Special than I do with the .357 Magnum.

Standing offer for the folks who think the .44 Special is a wimpy cartridge : Let me gut shoot you with a .44 and you can tell us all just how what a pathetic, wimpy, lavender kind of defense round it is.
 
You know you want the 44. I cringe at adding yet another caliber to my reloading bench, but always end up doing it anyway. What revolver are you looking at?
 
jmr40,
No factory loaded 44 spl comes anywhere close to a full power 357 Mag. A 357 also gives you the option of 38spl snake shot, last I checked 44 snake shot was in Magnum cases.
 
Factory ammo only makes it an easy choice....357 for sure. But if you reload the 44 special can easily outdo the 357. I reload for both and carefully selected, comparable components basically cost the same....so the price of one over the other is moot.

But that's neither here nor there if it's factory ammo only.
 
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