This is an incredible thread. This many postings and only one that even comes close.
Although the cartridge looks impressive, the 357 max as we know it is not a bear round. It was meant for a long barrel target / hunting gun.
Nearly all factory guns had long barrels. They also have huge frames.
Of the guns, the most practical would be the Dan Wesson. I say this as they are probably the most available, the only double action and it would be doable to get the custom conversion to something like a 4" ported barrel. Even with a 4" barrel it would still be a very large and heavy gun. With a 4" barrel, the regular maximum ballistics would just not be there, but it could do good enough with the right heavy JHP.
Now contrary to what was indicated in a previous post, a 4" ported 357 maximum Dan Wesson would have an advantage in the recoil department. I base this on having fired thousands of maximum rounds from my 8" Dan Wesson. This includes lots of standing practice and quite a few IHMSA rounds in the standing category. Even with full power 200 gr loads and 45 shots per round, the recoil did not bother me in the slightest with the 8" barrel. Actually, the weight of the gun did bother me enough such that I gave up using this gun for standing. With a 4" ported, the recoil would be worse, but the weight and handling would be a lot better.
The above does not mean all 357 maximums are as easy shooting. I also have a 10" contender in 357 maximum. For the TC, any full power 160, 180 or 200 gr load is miserable. The 200s are so bad that my wrist was sore for days after the last time I fired off a dozen or so.
Next comes ammo. For the 44, feedback from actual use tends to indicate that heavy factory jacketed hollow points are probably the best choice. For the 357 maximum, there is next to nothing for factory ammo and there is no experience base with maximums and big bears. Heck I do not even know if there is an available bullet that is a good choice.
The 357 max could have been an acceptable big bear gun if a 4" ported version of the Dan Wesson had been successfully marketed with the right ammo. The marketing angle would have been that the reduced recoil would increase probability for hits 2, 3, and 4 for this application where single hits are no where near reliable in stopping the threat and each follow up hit increases to probability of a good outcome. The biggest downside of the gun vs. the other choices would be the extra weight. Not only is there a huge frame / barrel with small holes in the cylinder and barrel, but the 357 max would need a longer barrel to achieve a similar level of effectiveness as other choices.
Now having said the above, the same gun in 41 Supermag would be a much better choice for anyone that could tolerate the increase in recoil and who did the practicing needed to achieve the same multiple hit probability.
I am pretty recoil tolerant. If I really needed a big bear sidearm, I would start with a 5 shot Raging Bull in 454 with something like a 3" or 4" ported barrel. The gun is smaller and more handy than the 454 sixguns. Your chance of both needing and having time for more than 5 shots is very low. I would do lots of full power DA practice with it to see if I could achieve adequate speed and control. If not, I would then try a DA 454 sixgun. If I found I could not master the 454, I would drop down to a DA 44. In the unlikely event that the 44 was too much, I would consider a 41 mag. I would not be satisfied until I was confident in having adequate speed and control in the biggest choice that I could master.
Although the cartridge looks impressive, the 357 max as we know it is not a bear round. It was meant for a long barrel target / hunting gun.
Nearly all factory guns had long barrels. They also have huge frames.
Of the guns, the most practical would be the Dan Wesson. I say this as they are probably the most available, the only double action and it would be doable to get the custom conversion to something like a 4" ported barrel. Even with a 4" barrel it would still be a very large and heavy gun. With a 4" barrel, the regular maximum ballistics would just not be there, but it could do good enough with the right heavy JHP.
Now contrary to what was indicated in a previous post, a 4" ported 357 maximum Dan Wesson would have an advantage in the recoil department. I base this on having fired thousands of maximum rounds from my 8" Dan Wesson. This includes lots of standing practice and quite a few IHMSA rounds in the standing category. Even with full power 200 gr loads and 45 shots per round, the recoil did not bother me in the slightest with the 8" barrel. Actually, the weight of the gun did bother me enough such that I gave up using this gun for standing. With a 4" ported, the recoil would be worse, but the weight and handling would be a lot better.
The above does not mean all 357 maximums are as easy shooting. I also have a 10" contender in 357 maximum. For the TC, any full power 160, 180 or 200 gr load is miserable. The 200s are so bad that my wrist was sore for days after the last time I fired off a dozen or so.
Next comes ammo. For the 44, feedback from actual use tends to indicate that heavy factory jacketed hollow points are probably the best choice. For the 357 maximum, there is next to nothing for factory ammo and there is no experience base with maximums and big bears. Heck I do not even know if there is an available bullet that is a good choice.
The 357 max could have been an acceptable big bear gun if a 4" ported version of the Dan Wesson had been successfully marketed with the right ammo. The marketing angle would have been that the reduced recoil would increase probability for hits 2, 3, and 4 for this application where single hits are no where near reliable in stopping the threat and each follow up hit increases to probability of a good outcome. The biggest downside of the gun vs. the other choices would be the extra weight. Not only is there a huge frame / barrel with small holes in the cylinder and barrel, but the 357 max would need a longer barrel to achieve a similar level of effectiveness as other choices.
Now having said the above, the same gun in 41 Supermag would be a much better choice for anyone that could tolerate the increase in recoil and who did the practicing needed to achieve the same multiple hit probability.
I am pretty recoil tolerant. If I really needed a big bear sidearm, I would start with a 5 shot Raging Bull in 454 with something like a 3" or 4" ported barrel. The gun is smaller and more handy than the 454 sixguns. Your chance of both needing and having time for more than 5 shots is very low. I would do lots of full power DA practice with it to see if I could achieve adequate speed and control. If not, I would then try a DA 454 sixgun. If I found I could not master the 454, I would drop down to a DA 44. In the unlikely event that the 44 was too much, I would consider a 41 mag. I would not be satisfied until I was confident in having adequate speed and control in the biggest choice that I could master.
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