A .357 that acts like a .45 acp?

High,
Coulda used fatuous instead. :)

Like loading a .300 Win Mag down to .30-06 velocities for hunting because it's quieter.
Unless you enjoy tinkering merely for the sake of tinkering, just buy a .30-06 in the first place. :)

And- I'll leave you to it.
Denis
 
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If this was mentioned in this discussion I missed it but the felt recoil is less in the semi auto than in a revolver. I shoot a 625 with the same loads used in my 1911 guns and the revolver seems to have more recoil. I suspect the action of the auto makes it seem like less. That being said the recoil of a 357 doesn't bother me a whole lot but is heavier than a 1911 in .45ACP.
 
There was the old 200 grain .38 special "Super Police" loading. It was known to yaw quite well in flesh, creating a good wounding against a man but having poor penetration against things like car doors etc. etc.

I'd imagine the same bullet loaded in a .357 case with more powder behind it would make a great heavy bullet defense load.

But, "a .357 that acts like a .45" reminds me of the new heavy-bulleted .223 loads out there. Even with a 77 grain .223, you are never going to get to the same level as a 168 grain .308 round. :)
 
I can't help with suggestions and I recognise some of the limitations but I applaud the OP for a leap of imagination, even if it leads nowhere.

This is what I love about hand-loading: the ability to tailor your loads and therefore your guns do something they were not marketed to simply because you have a role and you work to adapt the gun to fit it.

I say good luck with it and see how it pans out.
 
The pleasant push of the .45 is more about the pistol absorbing some of the recoil to function. Otherwise, you're trying to fight the physics of smaller faster things moving air differently than big slow things. You ain't going to change that.
 
DOYLE: Don't know perchance if you were referring to me (.45 @ .357 velocities) but I HAVE loaded HOR. 185gr XTPs to 1420 fps avg. and 200gr XTPs to 1325 fps avg. in my Series 80 SS set up for .45 SUPER and they're still going strong as long as my wrists hold out. 230gr XTPs and WW230gr JHPs loaded to 1230 fps do start to get a little rough after a mag or two, though.
I've thought of loading some to ROWLAND specs, but my hands start clenching and threaten to whop me upside my head if I ever do, so I guess I'll stay with the SUPER loads.

WILL
 
What matters for noise isn't case pressure, but the residual pressure of the gases that shoot out the barrell after the bullet leaves, which depends on case pressure, powder, barrel length, etc. That's why silencers work, assuming the bullet is subsonic - otherwise, you'll get a miniature sonic boom from the bullet itself, and a loud crack even with a silencer.

So sure, you could play with powders and quantities and barrel lengths and come up with something that sounds like a .45ACP, but it would have to be moving much slower than a .357 magnum usually does. Terminal ballistics would be different, even for the same bullet mass and velocity, and a revolver will never feel like a pistol, but sure, you could play with parameters.
 
The pleasant push of the .45 is more about the pistol absorbing some of the recoil to function. Otherwise, you're trying to fight the physics of smaller faster things moving air differently than big slow things. You ain't going to change that.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%. My Coonan has less felt recoil than any of my 357 revolvers. Sure the weight plays a roll but so does the action taking up some of the energy.
 
I enjoy even just the mental gymnastics for what it is.

Always like being innovative and a little different.
If you look up my past posts, you will see a Bisley hammered Ruger Security six as well as a Birdshead grips for a Smith model 19, a Barami grip for my Ruger Alaskan and Ruger lCR, as well as very unique holster designs. All silly ideas of course!:p They're all just fun projects that don't cost much and I get to play with my guns at home!

I was one of the early ones to chop my glock 19 to a 26 grip length in 1995 just after they came out with the glock 26. Reason was that I already owned it, like that particular gun, but wanted the convenience of having the shorter grip for concealed carry, so braved the conversion.

Thanks to Deja for the the informative posts.
Looking forward to some experimentation on this further, but will have to wait.
Today's project leads to another path.

Since my friend DPris insists that I find another alternative to the sound issue of the .357 and just buy another gun, I am working on that today!
Of course my friend will insist this new project is a silly idea too, but hey,
it's my toy!LOL

But for that you will have to wander over to the dark side. (glocks)
I'm posting today's project on the semi auto forums.
 
I agree that a 45 is a better option if you want to shoot 45 type loads then shoot a 45. I would not want to use one of my 250 grain 357 magnums for self defense. It would likely just punch threw and keep going.

For what I am doing I want the hardest hitting subsonic rounds I can shoot with this gun. The 250 grain bullets has 612 foot pounds of energy at muzzle and 531 at 100 yards. For Comparison my suppressed 45-70 has 1356 Foot pounds at the muzzle, just under 1200 at 100 yards and has over 1000 out to 275+ yards. All subsonic at the muzzle.

In my experience subsonic loads are only slightly quieter than supersonic loads unless you shoot suppressed.
 
I want my...


SW38_zps256a3ece.jpg
 
Problem solved.
I was just out shooting my glock 20 with 180 grain @ 1060 fps equaling 400 foot pounds ME and it felt nice and comfortable without the sharp recoil and sonic blast that the .357 puts out.

And this is the low end stuff, and the DT @ 700 #ME doesn't feel that bad at all.

So .45 acp @ 1100 is pretty close to the 180 @ 1060 low end 10mm?
 
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