.357 mag or .44 special??

"Discuss"

Performance wise a 44 special equals or beats anything you can do against human threats that could be done with a 357 magnum
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This, based on the real world, is backwards.

the 357 is a better choice for large animal defense
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So is this.


In the real world one loads a 125g JHP to 1450fps for 357 Magnum people-shooting.
And one loads the 250--270g lead big-meplat bullets to 1200fps in 44 Special for big biting animals.
 
to play with.....

Well, I just enjoy shooting a .357 Mag ...a lot more than the .44 spl / or even the .44 Mag.

The .357 Mag is a very versatile cartridge..with a wide variety of bullet weights and velocities in retail ammo...( and you can shoot .38 spl's in it as well )...so it gets my vote.

Like someone else said, if you have a lot of .357's ...and you want something different, I'd go with a .44 Mag instead...( and you can shoot .44 spl in it if you want to ).....just for something different.
 
If limited to factory ammo there's no comparison. There is far more 357/38 ammo available at cheaper prices than what is out there in 44 Special.

The best solution of course is to start reloading. Then buy both.

A 5" 44 Special.

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A 5" 357 Magnum.

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Not a .357 fan myself. If I need anything more than 9mm, .40, or .45acp I don't move up to .357, I move up to .44 mag or .45 Colt. The .44 and .45 can do anything a .357 does but better while still having manageable recoil. Even if it was .357 vs .44 special I would take a hot .44 special over any .357 round.
 
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.
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It's very simple economics... the economy of scale. There is FAR more .44 Magnum ammo being produced across the board than there will -ever- be .44 Special ammo produced. That means there is a lot more access to brand new .44 Magnum brass produced and procured by the manufacturer and in comparison, .44 Special brass is quite scarce.

It's not much different than what you see if you are shopping for 9mm and .380 Auto ammo. And .380 has come a long, long way in the last 5-7 years, but a box of 9mm can often be found around $12... while you still see similar .380 going at a higher price. Why?! Because they make 500 gujillion rounds of 9mm, so that brass and component 115grain slugs are produced in greater volume, easier and cheaper for any 9mm ammo manufacturer to get their hands on.

Compare the price of a box of .25 Automatic or .32 Smith & Wesson. These are not produced in high volume (like a box of .40 S&W) so you aren't paying less cause of the dinky 50 grain or 71 grain bullet... you are paying more because the ammo company (maybe!) sets up the line once every 18 months to spit out a bucketload of it and then they don't make any more for months and months at a time.
 
The 'Only' thing (in my mind) the .357 has over the .44Spec is factory ammo availability and price. If you are a reloader (like me) I'll pick the .44Spec every time. Bigger hole, heavier weight, and slower is the way to go ... and never look back. Need more than the .44Spec (which does 99% of all that needs doin' ) there is always the .45 Colt or back down to the .44Mag.

So in your case (non-reloader), the .357 is a good choice. But if you 'really' want a .44Special, go for it! Might get you interested in reloading for the fine cartridge!!!!
 
Based solely off of factory ammo, no hot reloads, which one would you pick?
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I'd suggest you start reloading before you buy another gun:eek:
I have 10 357s and 3 44 specials, you bet I think a 44 special is worth while.
I do pack a gun in the woods and will shoot a few rounds without ear protection. I hate doing that with full house 357s.
 
Based solely on factory ammunition both are so expensive to shoot that I don't think I would want either unless I were a millionaire. The 44 special in a factory loading would be less painful to the ears when I missed because I couldn't afford to practice.
 
A little off topic here. Real quick. . .

What were the model numbers of S&W's modern N-frame 44 Special revolvers? (I'm drawing a blank for some reason.)

Addendum: Model 24 & 624, I think?
 
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Get the tree-fiddy seven!

Relatively inexpensive (compared to .44 special) and every bit as potent! Among other reasons.

.357 all the WAY! :D
 
Revolvernut,

Unless you handload I would think the .357 is the way to go.

But, if you do handload a good .44 Spl. will shoot fantastic with good loads.

My Lew Horten 3 inch bbl. 24 just shoots one hole groups and is mild kicking.

But for most of my field trips, when not hunting, I use this:

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My 'Canadian' Ruger 3 inch GP100 in a old Buchmyer cross draw with some spare ammo and a snakebite kit and Blackjack #15 'Jet Pilot' knife.

Deaf
 
Looks like he wants a Charter Bulldog so higher than pressure than normal 44spl loads should be avoided.
 
Ive gone through this myself. The 45 colt does seem a good choice. But if your only going for FACTORY ammunition options, the 45 colt turns into a bad choice because at the moment i can only find one place selling non ruger only ammunition.

And with 44 special, its a very similar issue. .

I myself chose .357 myself to get after 6 months of personal debate. I dont need it for hunting by any means, i have good rifles, but in a pinch it can serve that purpose.
 
"Addendum: Model 24 & 624, I think?"

Yes.

I have a 24-3 (Lew Horton reintroduction) 6.5" that I picked up for well under $400 some years ago.

They made two versions for Horton, the 6.5 and a 2.5 or 3" (can't remember the barrel length). Friend of mine had one of the snubs, and when he sold it, he offered it to me. I couldn't afford it at the time... :(

Last one I saw for sale was pushing $800... and of course I was picking up my new Colt, so I couldn't afford that one, either. I should have just bought the damned thing.

Here's my 24, with a speedloader of Blazer, and a box of circa 1915 Winchester ammo.

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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.
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In addition to the points others have made, making a .44 special round consumes just about as much metal as making a .44 magnum round. OK, the .44 special case is 1/10 inch shorter, but the bullet is just as heavy.
A pound of powder will reload about 300 or so .44 magnum rounds and probably about 1000 or so .44 special rounds. With powder costing about $28/pound, that's about 9 cents of powder in a .44 mag and maybe about 3 cents of powder in a .44 special.
The .44 special uses the same bullets and primers that the .44 magnum uses although you can't drive swaged lead bullets up to .44 magnum velocities.

You ever notice that standard velocity .22LR ammo is just as expensive or even more expensive than high velocity .22LR ammo? It's not the powder charge that makes ammo expensive.
 
357 mag is more versatile in factory loads. I would choose 357 mag, but honesly I don't carry a 357 mag. I just don't like the recoil in smaller carry type revolvers. All that said, you won't likely ever shoot a 357 mag in a defense situation outside the home, so load them as hot as you like.

If you want some variety, pick up a 44 spl or a smaller 44 mag and load with 44 spl.
 
I like shooting .44 specials in my Super Blackhawk, but my "general purpose" gun is a 3" Ruger SP101 in .357. It can serve as a ccw, field or nightstand gun with various .38/.357 loads. The ammo is a helluva lot cheaper than .44 special too.
 
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