.357 Magnum vs. .44 Magnum

  • Thread starter Thread starter ASG
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If you don't really know exactly what parameters it may be needed for, the .44 is the way to go. Even if you have to buy a reloading setup for it.

I have a .44 and ifn' I want a .357 or .41, I just load up some light loads for it! If you're worried about its packability maybe you should consider a 10MM.
 
Jim,

Everything is relative, of course.

If you get mild .357 ammo, and get something similar in .44, you're going to have more recoil and likely more blast with the .44 simply because you're firing upwards double the bullet weight. That's simple physics.

Of course you're going to have more blast and recoil with the .357 if you shoot firewall ammo out of it, but scale way back on the .44 ammo. That's also a component of simple physics.

If you shoot firewalled ammo in both, guess which one's going to have more blast and recoil? If you shoot ammo loaded to the same pressure specs in both guns, the .44's still going to give you greater recoil, again from a simple physics stand point. At that point, though, I'm not sure which one would have the greater muzzle blast...


Hawkman,

Yes, I mentioned that.

Problem is, when you compare what's out there for .44 Spl. vs. .38 Spl., the relative versatility factor (based on ammo selection alone) HEAVILY favors the .357 in that case. Price wise, too.
 
While this is certainly an interesting thread, and a topic close to me heart, I am still shaking my head in disbelief at the comment:

"the 357 is basically useless when compared to larger calibers, except in certain concealed carry applications."

This has to be the most assinine statement I have ever read, with the possible exception of , "you are 47 times more likely to kill a loved one than an intruder if a firearm is kept for home defense."


but hey what do I know?
 
Possibly another consideration (it is for me): At my indoor range I can shoot anything up to .357 mag. No .44s due to noise problems (it's in a downtown sporting goods store, with a restaurant right next door -- apparently the big boomers scare the patrons).

That, combined with cost, has kept me liking my .38/.357 revolvers. Even .44 special is relatively expensive, due a lot to the greater popularity of .38 special.

-- Sam
 
Actually, I was trying to decide between a .357 and a .44 magnum.

I don't have anything more powerful than a 9mm. That's fine with me for defense most of the time. Should I get on a long trail and meet up with a cat, bear, bigfoot, (or anything that I might run into in the continental US), I was thinking that a large caliber revolver might be better that a 9mm semi-auto.

The .357 might be slightly smaller, lighter, and less expensive to own. But if a .44 mag would take out a bear a lot faster, then I would probably go that route. I know this has been discussed some elsewhere here on the board. - still undecided though. Is there a significant difference in the ability of these two to stop a large animal?
 
"Is there a significant difference in the ability of these two to stop a large animal?"

Well, as they found out in Africa many years ago, when you're dealing with large animals that can either eat you or grind you into a fine, red paste, sometimes bigger IS better. Hence cartridges like the .416 Rigby, .470 Nitro, .505 Gibbs, and .577 and .600 Nitros...
 
Ben Shepherd,

You think a .357 revolver has quite a 'crack'? Try standing in the next stall at an indoor range when I loose a cylinderful of .30 Carbine outta my Ruger Blackhawk! :eek: I get the strangest looks every time I do that. People want to know just what in blazes I'm shooting!

It isn't so much the power of the round itself, which is really quite tame - like between a .38spl +p and a .357Mag -but the slower burning powder (H4227 I believe is what most .30 is loaded with) meant to be used in a longer carbine barrel. Much powder gets burned outside the gun! Impressive fireball and noise!

In the 7-1/2" barrel of the Blackhawk, the average 110gr .30Carb ammo will produce about 1550fps. See not all that impressive. More bark than bite. My homebrew hunting round for my .357 8" Dan Wesson does that same speed using a hard cast 158LSWC. That round is just barely within SAAMI limits. I'm not a particularly recoil sensitive guy, but I don't want to shoot that hunting load too much or too often!

What I'm trying to say is its all in the ammo!
 
Cougar, I gots one o' those (goes with the old rifle real handy)d*** loud, but not the same "crack".

1935 spec 357 out of my 2 1/4" SP101 is just plain ugly.
 
My all around caliber

For me it would be a .41 magnum. If you can't decide between .357 and .44, just pick something in between. :)
 
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