44 vs. 357 mag

.357 vs .44?
Personally, I consider the .357magnum the second most useless caliber that I own, right down there next to the .25acp.
If it wasn't for the Marlin Cowboy II rifle I own in .38/.357mag, then it would be a coin toss between the .357 and the .25 for bottom honors.

.44 OTOH is my idea of the "prefect round".

YMMV - and I'm pretty sure it will.

Please note I'm not slamming or dissing the .357. I have quite a few of them. I just don't like the round. I got that way after firing the .44magnum. The .44 is right where my comfort level is.
 
Let me expand a bit:

  1. Start off with a 22. You can use the money you save learning to shoot properly with a 22 to buy the GP-100 later.
  2. I assume that since you don't have a pistol yet, you don't reload yet either. If you reload, the 44 is the hands-down better choice. Cost is about the same for 44 reloads as 357s. You can load them to 38 Special levels or up to 44 Magnum levels.
  3. If you don't reload, (yet) and won't start with a 22, get the GP-100

The best advice I got was from the gun store owner who told me to get the 22 instead of the 45. He told me that "You can always afford to shoot 22. Not so with a 45, 357, or 44.
 
I agree that a .22RF is the best starter, and a must have at some point for it's own merits. But if you must get a centerfire first I would go with the .357 revolver. A good .357 revolver with a barrel of 4" to 6" is one of the most versatile tools around. Even if you do not handload you can choose from a pile of factory loads from the mild 148 grain lead wadcutter .38 Special loads on up to the hottest and heaviest of the magnum loadings.
 
I recommend the GP-100, even over a .22 revolver.

1.) It's more versatile than the .44 or even the .22
2.) It's MUCH more useful as a HD gun, and since you don't have one yet, the .22 would be a bad choice for this application
3.) .38 specials are not going to recoil much in a 6" GP, not enough more than the .22 to cause a problem.
4.) Unless you're handgun hunting fairly big critters, you don't NEED a .44 (although if you like the .357, you'll probably want to get a .44 after that).
5.) If you're considering carrying the gun (concealed) think about a 4" GP instead.
 
I really prefer the 44 to the 357, but the 357 is a much better starting point for a first gun. The 357 is much more versatile, and cheaper to shoot.

Having stated the above, once I got started with the 357 Magnum I could not stop with just one.

Charles
 
Brian,

I hope no one actually decides to follow your advice on shooting .357 mag loads without full hearing protection "just to see what it sounds like."

Permanent hearing damage for shiz'n'giggles isn't a good idea.

If you have to shoot it inside w/o protection, the hearing damage will be justified by saving your life or others. Otherwise, it is a foolhardy move.

I, personally, don't think it will down right incapacitate a person. It will make them unable to hear for a while, though. And they may no longer be able to hear everything they used to be able to hear ever again... which is why I don't suggest doing it just for the experience.

No offense is intended here, I'm just a live sound engineer by trade and treasure my hearing very much. To hear anyone suggest someone else damage their hearing in any way makes me cringe. (yeah, I'm one of those rare sound guys that doesn't sit there at the sound booth saying "make their ears bleed!" while cranking out the mid/hi packs)

Best Regards,

Chip Dixon
 
Chip, I love to hear a good sound guy at work, there is no riding of the sliders just a real good mix. At church I do the lighting and we have a bunch of us volunteers who run the Tech stuff and we have one who like to ride the main sliders and another who gets the mix right and we just sit back and enjoy, with hardly any complaints when he runs the show.


I hope no one actually decides to follow your advice on shooting .357 mag loads without full hearing protection "just to see what it sounds like."
Click to expand...

My suggestion was to only partially pull one of the ear plugs not to totally remove all hearing protection. I had a ND in my living room, while the room is large 24' x 15' with 10' ceilings the noise did not even cause my ears to ring, just scared the stuff out of me, my wife, and my daughter. If one wants to "hear" what a fulltiltandboogie load sounds like you only have to pull 1 earplug out a little, but you will still have the protection needed to prevent hearing loss or damage
 
Re:

Tav, definitely go with the GP100, I have a GP100 4 inch satin stainless that is a blast to shoot. If the whole recoil thing is an issue you can shoot 38 specials or 38 special +p's. The GP100 in 357 is lots of flash bang for the money and a darned accurate fun shooter. Heavy and reliable to boot. For the money spent you get alot of bang (pun intended) for the buck. Good luck..enjoy be safe....mack
 
Hi everyone,

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who responded to this thread. I knew I came to the right bunch of shooters. With all the valuable input, I have decided to go w/ the GP 100 six inch stainless. It just felt better in the hands than the four inch. Thanks everybody. :)
 
buying my first pistol
Click to expand...

The .22 advice is excellent, but if you are going to buy either the .357 or the .44, make it the .357 and buy yourself a case or two of the (excellent and cheap) PMC 130 gr FMJ for target practice.
 
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