Nightcrawler
New member
Jeff Cooper, one of the inventors of modern pistolcraft, considers .357 Magnum a minor caliber. According to him, velocity isn't that important in a handgun catridge, which is probably true. No handgun cartridge is fast enough to generate hydrostatic shock, and even a .45 hardball at 850 feet per second will go clear through a human target at close range, so penetration isn't the issue either. I, personally, from what I learned in Physics class, would guess that the harder you hit the target, the more damage it will receive. How do you hit a target hard? The more mass you have, and the faster it goes, the more energy it'll have on impact. Again, high school physics here.
.357 Magnum, though not "big bore" (I'm a little confused as to where the Colonel considers the line between major and minor caliber to be), can put a heavy projectile onto target at high speed, up to 180 grains.
I've never heard of anyone suggesting that .357 Magnum is "not enough gun" for any social purposes.
.357 Magnum is about all you can find in a social revolver these days, that and .38 special. Sure, there's the occasional .41 Magnum, and reduced power loads for .44, but .357 reigns supreme.
So. Does the bigger bore of say, .41 Magnum, or a properly loaded .45 Colt round, really give them an advantage over a .357 Magnum round? I'm sure everyone has their own opinion, I'm just curious as to what they are.
.357 Magnum, though not "big bore" (I'm a little confused as to where the Colonel considers the line between major and minor caliber to be), can put a heavy projectile onto target at high speed, up to 180 grains.
I've never heard of anyone suggesting that .357 Magnum is "not enough gun" for any social purposes.
.357 Magnum is about all you can find in a social revolver these days, that and .38 special. Sure, there's the occasional .41 Magnum, and reduced power loads for .44, but .357 reigns supreme.
So. Does the bigger bore of say, .41 Magnum, or a properly loaded .45 Colt round, really give them an advantage over a .357 Magnum round? I'm sure everyone has their own opinion, I'm just curious as to what they are.