.357 Snub vs .40S&W auto

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ninjatoth

Moderator
which platform do you think is better for power,concealability,and accurracy?A .357 snub revolver,or a .40s&w automatic pistol?
 
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Which model pistol? Need more specifics. Are we talking a full size pistol? Compact? Sub Compact? Polymer frame? Steel?

What size snub? J Frame? Ruger SP101?
 
I'd take the .40 if it were for concealed carry. Why? More rounds, longer barrel, easier follow up shots.

I've got an SP101 in .357 MAG and a SIG P229 in .40 S&W. I never carry the SP101 around town. It's more of a hiking/camping gun. They both have their purposes.
 
which platform do you think is better for power,concealability,and accurracy?A .357 snub revolver,or a .40s&w automatic pistol?
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Power: .357
Concealability: Depends on the specific handgun. Could be either.
Accuracy: .40 (it'll have a longer barrel than a snubby .357)

Which one do I carry? .357 or .45acp
 
I believe that the 357 magnum is a far better round than the 40. This is just my opinion and I am sure there will be more than one that disagrees for whatever reason. The 357 is a magnum caliber and in the right revolver can be loaded way more stout than the 40. To equal the 357s more powerful loads in an auto, you need to compare to the 10mm. The 357/38 is great to reload for because there is alot of proven load data out due to the age of the caliber.
As for the auto vs revolver platform, the revolver easily wins for me due to the reliability and accuracy. This will also be flammed by the die hard auto folks, but you will never find an auto to be as reliable as a revolver. There is no fail to feed, fail to eject, and in the case of a fail to fire, you just pull the trigger again.
If you want a good carry gun, look into a 686 2 1/2in, 66 2 1/2, a ruger sp101, or any of the other fine steel revolvers out there.
 
as for power is concerned,I compared these two rounds mainly because the snub nose barrel greatly decreases the .357's ability.What would be a 600ft lb round is only a 400 or so ft lb load in a snub.A .40s&w out of a 5" auto is also around 400 ft lbs,so as far as muzzle energy,they are pretty close.For me I don't carry,so I chose a snub that is manuverable around the house,easy to conceal when answering the door etc.If I did carry,I might go with a .40
 
Regardless of length of barrel, the .357 will always win.

You've got to consider noise of the two rounds. A snubby .357 is LOUD! I wouldn't want to shoot one off inside my house or any closed in space without ear protection. Making follow up shots will be easier with the .40, and over penetration isn't such a big deal either.

The .357 MAG was designed as a hunting cartridge, while the .40 S&W was designed for defensive purposes.
 
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Well, here's one that traded a 2 1/2" Model 66 for a Glock 23. Two reasons (three if you count the fact that my wife would shoot me if I added yet another gun): muzzle blast and the fact that I just did not shoot that short barreled cannon well. Fact is I shoot the Glock much better. Power? Downloaded a couple notches, I still got a 140 grain JHP out of the .357 at 1200 fps. Weak by .357 standards, but still quite a wallop. Beauty? Those K frames look nice, and even a Glock lover knows they're ugly. But for the real world, mine at least, the flat pistol tucks in an IWB holster very nicely, and if I have to shoot, there are 14 "sufficient" rounds. Most will be on target. IMHO, you should go with a 4" barrel minimum on the .357 to do it justice. It's the cylinder that challenges concealment, not the barrel.
 
Regardless of length of barrel, the .357 will always win.
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Not if you cant hit anything with it.

The snubbies in 357MAG are kind of a catch 22 proposition. You have to practice extensively with ammo that you intend to shoot if you want to be proficient, but you usually cant stand to shoot it enough to be reasonably "good" with it.

A .40S&W or 357SIG in a similarly sized auto on the other hand, are ***** cats to shoot well with, even with the hottest loads.
 
ninjatoth,

I understand you prefer the relibilty of the revolver. But the reliability is only slighty more than most good autos, and some autos actually are more reliable than revolvers!

Now I grew up on Smith "K" frame and Colt "O" frame handguns. Read Smith .38s and Colt .45s. I know the magnum round very well.

Now I have several .357s, the longest barrel on them being 3 inches (a 686 Smith.) But I pack a Glock. I have several of them to!

Say compare a M66 .357 2 1/2 barrel Combat Magnum (which are not cheep anymore) to a Glock 27 in .40 S&W.

Full power 125gr .357s will, for say a 125gr slug, get 1350 fps from the 2.5 inch barrel (and I have a M66 2.5 Smith and that is what it gets.)

The Glock 27 will get a 135gr JHP at 1300 fps, and 155gr at 1200 fps. I carry a Glock 27 and know it well to.

So they are pretty close in power.

But the M66 has more blast, fewer shots, longer DA trigger pull, and very slow reloading.

Now with that being said, if you can shoot well and fast, the 6 shot snub magnum revolver will get you through most realistic self defense situations fine and dandy. Just get a Dillon press set up for the .357 and load light loads, warm .38 Special loads, and practice alot.

Do that and you will be ok.
 
Without narrowing things down a bit by talking about specific models, etc., I'd offer that if it were up to me to choose between a medium to full size .40 semi auto and a J-frame-sized snub nose revolver (small), if this were going to be my one and only firearm, I'd opt for the medium sized .40 (e.g. Glock 23). J-frame snubbies are great to carry, but (for me) not fun at all to shoot: I'd never choose a J-frame snubbie for a range gun, for example.

That said, if it were strictly carry, the J-frame is hard to beat.
 
Personally, I would pick the .40S&W. Higher capacity and I find it more comfortable and controllable to shoot. I have an SP101 in .357 that I love but with only 5 rounds I feel under gunned.
 
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