Jamie Young
New member
Whats the difference between these two rounds as far as energy for standard loads?
.38 Special Snubby vs. .357 snubby
- Thread starter Jamie Young
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rugerfreak
New member
500 or so ft-lbs vs 200 or so ft-lbs-------I have a S&W model 36 .38(sweet shooter)------my buddy has an SP101 that with .357's makes my hand feel like its on fire. Get the .38---.357's are way too much in those little guns. Go with the .357 in a medium frame or larger gun.
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Jamie Young
New member
Well I already have a Taurus 38 Special and I've fired a few .357 Snubbies. I agree the 357 is a little too intense. I'd rather get a full size .357 that a snub. Just curious on the energy differences.
The other thing is carry weight...
There are .38Spl snubbies that are lighter than .357s. My personal snubbie, a very early model Charter Arms Undercover, is part steel, part aluminum. Carry weight is lower than an all-steel, higher than a true aluminum frame, and lower than any practical .357 snubbie.
There's three things to be said in favor of a "crazy recoil" .357 snubbie:
1) Some people really can handle that level of recoil;
2) If you're heading into Black Bear country and just plain have to carry hard-cast .357s "just in case", you *can* do it;
3) Some people load their .357 snubbie with four rounds of a good .38/.38+P, and load a .357 monster as the last load. Once the gun is dry, recovery for the next shot is a non-issue and that final wallop tells you you're dry and better come up with a "plan B" real quick
.
That said, the idea of shooting .357 from a gun as light as my Charter seems insane. It's on par with a Taurus TI snubbie, and heavier than the S&W Scandium .357 snub.
Jim
There are .38Spl snubbies that are lighter than .357s. My personal snubbie, a very early model Charter Arms Undercover, is part steel, part aluminum. Carry weight is lower than an all-steel, higher than a true aluminum frame, and lower than any practical .357 snubbie.
There's three things to be said in favor of a "crazy recoil" .357 snubbie:
1) Some people really can handle that level of recoil;
2) If you're heading into Black Bear country and just plain have to carry hard-cast .357s "just in case", you *can* do it;
3) Some people load their .357 snubbie with four rounds of a good .38/.38+P, and load a .357 monster as the last load. Once the gun is dry, recovery for the next shot is a non-issue and that final wallop tells you you're dry and better come up with a "plan B" real quick
.That said, the idea of shooting .357 from a gun as light as my Charter seems insane. It's on par with a Taurus TI snubbie, and heavier than the S&W Scandium .357 snub.
Jim
P
PreserveFreedom
Guest
A lot of people say that out of a snubbie, a 357 Magnum and 38 Special are extremely close to identical in performance. It makes sense to me, although I do not know for sure first hand. However, there is one good reason why I would get a snubbie chambered in 357 Magnum instead of 38 Special. Even if you intend on just shooting 38 Specials out of it, if you have any other guns in 357 Magnum, you most likely have ammo in 357 Magnum. I'd sure hate to be in a rush and grab the wrong box of ammo and not be able to use it in a pinch. The only exception I would give to my own rule on this is if I got a real good deal on a 38 Special that I couldn't pass up. You can argue that the shorter case in the cylinder may affect accuracy, but will you notice it in a snubbie? In short, if the prices are similar, it won't really hurt to get the magnum rated snubbie.
.357 Snub performance IS higher...
You can still get some serious energy out of a .357 in a snubbie. Like most short-barrel situations, lighter projectiles tend to work better; if you try and shoot 145grain or higher results may indeed be poor but some of the 125s do very well, and the 110s.
Improvements over .38+P can be up around an additional 150ft/lbs or more of energy. That's a lot. Recoil gets pretty crazy though...some people seem to be able to handle it in the heaviest .357 snubbie, the Ruger SP101. The steel J-Frame class cooking off .357s are barely controllable by some people, while the TI and Scandiums are wrist damage waiting to happen in .357 for more or less anybody. Even if you have the muscle/tendon strength to control them, your wrist bones aren't built for that sort of sudden compression.
Raw energy is good, but not the sole factor in successful self defense. Shot placement matters more, as long as you've got "enough" raw power and the right .38 loads indeed offer "enough" - to hit vitals or penetrate the brainpan with the right hit.
I can control my fairly light J-sized snub rapid-fire with .38+P, and the gun and I can hit a torso-sized small metal barrel at 50 yards 100% of the time. I see no need at all to buy a different gun in that tactical class.
Jim
You can still get some serious energy out of a .357 in a snubbie. Like most short-barrel situations, lighter projectiles tend to work better; if you try and shoot 145grain or higher results may indeed be poor but some of the 125s do very well, and the 110s.
Improvements over .38+P can be up around an additional 150ft/lbs or more of energy. That's a lot. Recoil gets pretty crazy though...some people seem to be able to handle it in the heaviest .357 snubbie, the Ruger SP101. The steel J-Frame class cooking off .357s are barely controllable by some people, while the TI and Scandiums are wrist damage waiting to happen in .357 for more or less anybody. Even if you have the muscle/tendon strength to control them, your wrist bones aren't built for that sort of sudden compression.
Raw energy is good, but not the sole factor in successful self defense. Shot placement matters more, as long as you've got "enough" raw power and the right .38 loads indeed offer "enough" - to hit vitals or penetrate the brainpan with the right hit.
I can control my fairly light J-sized snub rapid-fire with .38+P, and the gun and I can hit a torso-sized small metal barrel at 50 yards 100% of the time. I see no need at all to buy a different gun in that tactical class.
Jim
Lord Grey Boots
New member
I have a SP101 in .357 magnum.
The 158grn magnum loads are painful to shoot and will leave me with a bleeding blister within 20 rounds or so. I can shoot the 110grn/125 grain magnum loads all day.
I'd get a .357 magnum snubby. You can then select your load to match your recoil sensitivy, from .38 special stnd pressure, +P, +p+, and mild, medium, hot (and extra spicy) .357 magnum rounds.
The super light weight .38 revolvers can be just as painful shoot as a full magnum in a steel .357 revolver.
As for power, a mild .357 magnum could end up equiv to a +P or +P+ .38 round. It depends. Thats the advantage of the .357 revolver, a broader range of options.
The 158grn magnum loads are painful to shoot and will leave me with a bleeding blister within 20 rounds or so. I can shoot the 110grn/125 grain magnum loads all day.
I'd get a .357 magnum snubby. You can then select your load to match your recoil sensitivy, from .38 special stnd pressure, +P, +p+, and mild, medium, hot (and extra spicy
) .357 magnum rounds.The super light weight .38 revolvers can be just as painful shoot as a full magnum in a steel .357 revolver.
As for power, a mild .357 magnum could end up equiv to a +P or +P+ .38 round. It depends. Thats the advantage of the .357 revolver, a broader range of options.
Get the S& W 640 357 mag. I love mine. Buy it used so you aren't supporting the Clinton contract. Mine is mag na ported from S&W. It is a wonderful factory gun. I shoot 357, 38 and 38+P. The 357's do sting after shooting a box, but I still shoot enough of them to remember where the sights line up and how to shoot it well. I shoot a bunch of 38's also to keep the feel for the gun.
4thHorseman
New member
I must agree with many of you in your advice, if the revolver comes in both .38 and .357 I would go with the .357. However, I make the case, some fine guns do not or did not come in the .357 cal. Case in point, the Colt Detective Special, Agent, Viper, etc. only came in the 38 cal. I have a Colt Magnum carry, but in my humble opinion, no way does it compare to my Detective Special in quality, workmanship, and over all shootability. I would certainly purchase another Detective Special before I purchase a Magnum carry.