357 vs. 44 mag.

Yes indeed, for what purpose?

As my "go to gun" make it a .357 magnum all the way.

I live in Eastern Kansas. Absolutely no PRACTICAL reason for a .44 magnum revolver unless you're hunting boar or deer with it, which I don't.

A .357 magnum revolver w/ 4" bbl, does everything I could ask it to do in these parts.
 
I live in the lower Rockies and I would choose 357. It's got enough to defend you in almost any circumstances be it kit gun, home defense or carry. 44 mag is great but it's best for hunting or going to places where there might be Grizzlies.
 
In my house, the .357 mags serve more purposes than the .44 mags. A .357 mag serves as my nightstand gun, sits beside me at the reloading/fly-tying bench, and rides on my hip or in the chest rig for nearly all my hiking/fishing/hunting trips. The .44 only goes into the field when I head into highly populated bear or lion country.

What I really like about a .357 mag is the versatility of your choice of rounds for most situations. I can load for anything from taking small game on a hiking trip, to a decent black bear hunting/defensive round, and just about anything in between.
 
They're both great rounds, but 44 Mag is a bit much for casual shooting. I always bring a 38 or 357 on a trip to the range but for 44 comes out only for specific reasons. Also .44 ammo is almost twice as expensive and harder to find.
 
I'll jump on the 357 Mag bandwagon, just because it fits my needs. I've always liked the idea of getting a 44 Mag, but just never really had much of a reason to justify it. Still would like a 44 Mag lever gun, just for fun.
 
Agree with all the above posts. That and the fact that you can conceal carry a .357 whereas a .44 you can't. I carry my K frame snubby year round.

And shooting it is way cheaper too. If you don't mind the reduced fun, I mean power, you can shoot .38 specials. They run close to what 9mm costs. I prefer to shooting standard 158 grain and get it for 30 cents a round. Cheaper than 44 mag.

Oh and finally with a .357 you can get an ultra redneck vanity plate that says " I don't dial 911, I dial
.357"

:)
 
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All factors being the same (as much as possible), I'd want a S&W M27 with a 5" barrel, as long as I don't have to conceal it. And the 4" barreled N-frames CAN be carried concealed. Look up Milt Sparks' "Summer Special" holster.

The .357/.38 is cheaper to feed and more pleasant to shoot, which had better translate to more practice and familiarity, if it becomes the "go to" sidearm. It will also do a great many things that the .44 Mag/.44 Spl. will do, though perhaps not as well. A .357 would not be my first choice for a Whitetail or to fend off agitated bears, but they can and have been made to work and work well in both situations.

If concealment is a more salient issue, then I suspect that dear and bear are more distant ones, and an entirely different platform is more advisable.
 
That and the fact that you can conceal carry a .357 whereas a .44 you can't.
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Perhaps YOU can't. ;)

There are several guns that are chambered in either round. SA and DA guns of the same size, other than the bore & chambers.

There are, of course, other, much smaller .357s, as well.

And you can concealed carry about anything, but you can't do it with every style of dress. What works in south Florida and what works in the north woods can be quite different.

As to the OP, I don't have to choose one, but if I did, it would be .357 over .44 as "go to" implies defense to me, and for that, .357 is just fine.
 
I have a .357 mag Security six...........ammo is easy to find and it shoots .38 special too.
I don't really see the need for .44 mag unless your in to handgun hunting??:confused:
 
I don't have a .44 but have been shooting my .41 for almost 40 years and my .357 for three years. The .41 gets shot only about 1/10 as much as the .357. It's just such a nice versatile platform and as I get older I don't like the heavier recoil so much. Even a full on magnum load with 180 grain bullets in the .357 is more pleasant to shoot than the .41. The lightest load I shoot is the good old 148 grain wadcutters over 2.7 grains of BE and its like shooting a .22 and even a standard 158 grain bullet is very easy on the hand for shooting high volumes.
 
Doug S said:
I'll jump on the 357 Mag bandwagon, just because it fits my needs. I've always liked the idea of getting a 44 Mag, but just never really had much of a reason to justify it. Still would like a 44 Mag lever gun, just for fun.
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Me too. A 357 Magnum makes more sense for my uses/purposes. I would like a 44 Magnum, but I am not so sure, so I have not bought one.
Now, a lever gun? That's a different story. Give me one....... or a few. [emoji6]
 
I'd rather choose a .357 between the two, primarily because the firearm would be a home defense gun and/or carry gun. My new 686+ with a 3" barrel is about perfect for me in that role, and my wife can shoot it with .38s too.

If I were primarily a handgun hunter, I would go with the .44 mag with no questions asked. I would make it work for home defense and range plink with .44 specials, but the gun would be the more versatile platform for the handgun hunter.


But honestly, for my money and my situation, the .327 fed mag makes more sense for me over both of these rounds.
 
Guess I'll be the first and, so far, only lonely vote for the .44mag.

I find my Redhawk .44magnum to be significantly more pleasant to shoot than my .357s. Accuracy is essentially the same.

I will bow to the more easily carried argument and, for CCW, I will slip my S&W 340PD into a pocket.

But, that's cheating. Because it's loaded with .38SPL hollow points; the 340PD hurts to shoot .357 in and, oh yes, they are LOUD, as well :eek:.

Simply "go to" for shooting: The Redhawk (.44) is the one.

Will
 
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