Ammo lesson: .357Mag, .40S&W, or .41Mag?

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marteny

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I am researching to get a revolver for defense purposes. I will probably get a Taurus. I like their feel. But please give me some comparisons, or links, for a lesson about ammo. I currently use a Makarov semi-auto, but the caliber is a little wimpier than what I want (9x18mm). Which one of these three DO I want?
.357mag, .40S&W, or .41Mag? -Marteny
 
REVOLVER

Correct defense caliber = 357 Magnum.

Not sure if there's a Taurus wheel I would trust (don't hurt me -- my automatic always is a Taurus).

Better launch platforms from S&W and Ruger.
 
If you're looking for a revolver, the .40 S&W is out--other than a coupled of limited/special editions by S&W and Ruger, it only chambered in pistols.

I'm a .41 Magnum fan, but your choices are very limited in terms in that Taurus only offers two of them and neither one are really suited for personal defence. So by process of elimination that pretty well leaves you with the .357 Magnum (and plethora of good choices in handguns both from Taurus and others). The good news it that the .357 Magnum is probably the most versatile handgun available, and you can buy commercial ammo for just about any purpose you want. The only thing I would add is that I would stay away from any barrel length less than three inches and not even consider anything with a ported barrel for defence.
 
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Well, .40 S&W is predominantly a semi-auto pistol round, and for revolver use normally requires a moon clip for extraction purposes. That said, a moon clip type arrangement makes ejection virtually fool proof.

I'm not seeing any revolvers chambered for .40, so I'm guessing the only one availble is the S&W N-frame revolver, which is chambered for 10mm, but can use clipped .40 ammo, as well.

The .41 Mag. normally comes in a larger to much larger gun than either the .357 or the .40. It's also a LOT more powerful, but on the flip side there are fewer ammo choices, especially for defensive purposes. The .41 Mag. can also be hard to learn to shoot because the recoil is quite a bit stiffer, muzzle blast can also be quite a handful. And, if you're coinsidering it in one of the very lightweight guns, recoil can be a KILLER.

The .357 Mag. is probably the single most versatile caliber now on the market. In some ways it is a generalist round, but unlike most generalists it does a lot of things really well -- target, plinking, defense, and even hunting. Ammo availability is virtually endless, and if you factor in the .38 Spl., it increases ammo choices even more.

I really think for general defense and shooting, a .357 is about the perfect gun. Most people can handle the recoil without too many problems, practice is cheap, and you have a huge universe of ammo options.
 
.40S&W = powerful (semi-auto round)

.357MAG= more powerful (revolver round)

.41MAG= more powerful yet (revolver round)


Unless you have other guns you didn't mention, it would seem this will be your first "major caliber" firearm.

I would go with a .357 (in fact, I did - many years ago). Very potent defensive round in the popular 125 grain JHP (Jacketed Hollow Point) style of bullet, but able to shoot much more economic .38 Special loads for plinking and practice. Wide variety of revolvers, both new & used available at reasonable prices too.

The .40S&W ammo will be more expensive, & the rounds will have to be placed into a "moon clip" before they are loaded into the cylinder (as it is a rimless cartidge, designed for semi-auto use).

The .41Mag will recoil much more than a .357, & ammo is way more expensive (I just added one to my collection). The variety of what is available is much more limited also.
 
I don't think that the Winchester silvertips in .41 are that bad. Considering it's a .41, they seem to be fairly mild. I don't think you could go wrong with a .357 though.
 
For all around ooommmph and a concealable gun, go with the 357 mag. They come in all shapes and sizes.
41 mag is an awesome caliber but very costly to shoot
40 s&w is a great auto round, but very very hard to find in a revolver.

Here is a link that breaks down most handgun rounds with the Manufacture and ballistics for alot of available defensive rounds.

http://home.earthlink.net/~kvuo/text/stop80d.txt

juliet,
Taurus doesnt make a defensive 41 mag? The 415 is a 41 mag snubbie that is an excellent defensive gun, in stainless and Ti.

Shoot well
 
Welcome marteny, to TFL. Trust me on this one my friend, the 357 maggie is the only way to go. Forget the 41 magnum for your intro into a good self-defense calibre. Recoil is stout, calibre is not versatile (there's only one power level), ammo is scarce and pricey, and handgun choices are limited.
There are a zillion handgun choices for your 357 maggie, you can buy big 357's or small 357's, ammo choices abound- stout 357 loads, medium 357 loads or light 357 loads. Then there are the stout 38spl loads, medium 38spl loads and light 38spl loads. All because the 357 maggie shoots 38spl too.
The 357 magnum is the most versatile calibre on the planet, period. The handguns themselves are relatively inexpensive and plentiful. Please don't be afraid of Taurus. I've had many Taurus revolvers and all have been satisfactory and some even more so.
Forget the 41 magnum. Get the 357 maggie and you'll be happy. Good Luck, J. Parker
 
Takes a fair amount of ammo and time to get proficient with a handgun. A lot of ammo to get really good.

For all the reasons above I would opt for the .357mag.

Plus cost of ammo is considerably less than the other two choices.

Flexible in spades. Ammo can be had for the .357 ranging in energy from 200fpe to 1,000 fpe.

The lighter, smaller framed revolvers shouldn't be used with the extreme high end .357s but most defensive ammo is rather mid range for energy and recoil. Easy on the guns.

Sam.....my favorite 9mm is the 9X32R...yanks call it the .357mag.
 
Taurus doesnt make a defensive 41 mag? The 415 is a 41 mag snubbie that is an excellent defensive gun, in stainless and Ti.
Click to expand...
Eric -
With any of the current factory loadings of .41 Magnum shooting a Taurus 415 in any realistic defensive scenario would be like setting off a flash-bang grenade in your hand--too much flash and too much bang (muzzle blast) to be useful as a defensive realistic defensive scenario--fun to play with on a range, but that's where its usefulness ends. Besides, there are many, mang very good reasons why not to have a ported barrel on any defensive weapon (and I have only seen ported barrels in the 415)--again, I fine option if all your shooting in on a range, under controlled conditions, and all the targets are directly in front you, not a workable option for the messy real world of personal protection. To be honest, if they would lose the ported barrel, and your were willing to reload your defensive loads down to ".41 Special" or maybe even the old .41 Colt levels, the 415 would have good potential.
 
My first handgun was a 357, now I have a whole bunch of them! You won't go wrong with a quality 357. You have an incredible variety of factory ammo from 38 Special target wadcutters to 357 Magnum 180 grain Deer Stopper loads. If you reload, the 357 is a pleasure to reload; lots of components.
 
juliet,
I understand your concern with porting...I did a "ported gun test" with 2 ported guns at dusk and it was pretty dark. IMO..and only that, a snubbie with ports and without ports has little difference...really. A snubbie is and has been a very solid defensive gun platform for years. Even my non ported 357, which is my daily carry, has fairly substantial flash.......but not much less than the ported 357 I shot during my "backyard testing". A snubbie 357, with its inherent design and purpose, will always be a top choice for a CCW and with it comes pretty substantial flash.
The 415 is a "H*ly Sh*t , 41 mag snubbie", its size is very small given its designated calibers energy. Its not my first choice for a defensive gun because of limited availability, cost and choice of rounds available. Any gun I carry will be proven and fired enough to be quite comfortable and proficient with. The 41 mag is lower on the list, IMO just for those reasons..not because of porting.
I appreciate your response and I am sure you have alot of people who agree with you...but ported vs non ported in a snubbie magnum gun, IMO isnt really a valid point. Thanks and shoot well.
 
I took my 415T out at about 9:30pm and fired off some of my Silvertips just to see how much muzzle flash it had, well my non-ported 357 snubby has much more flash than my 415T did with the porting. :D
Eric and I have come to the same conclusion, in a snubby, it doesn't matter if it's ported, there will be alot of muzzle flash.

If muzzle flash is a distraction, then you shouldn't use that weapon, I don't find the muzzle flash distracting and shoot the weapon just fine.

As for the the thread topic, I would take the 357, since it has a higher capacity, less recoil and is less expensive to shoot than the 41mag is.
 
.357 hands-down

The .357 mag is probably the most versatile revolver platform ever developed. It will fire the hottest high-pressure .357's or you can shoot any .38 spcl round for practice or for home defense if concerned about over-penetration.

I own a Taurus mod 85 and I find the entire Taurus revolver line vastly improved in workmanship and shootability. They make a .357 mag called the model 605. It is identical in size to their model 85. It weighs in at around 23 oz, holds 5 rounds and comes in a variety of finishes, and can be bought blued/stainless, ported /unported or hammer/hammerless. If you've ever seen a model 85, they can be just dropped into a pocket and hide quite well. You should be a able to pick one up brand-new for less than $300. For comparison's sake, it is almost indentical in size to Smith and Wesson's model 37 Chief's Special or Charter's .38 undercover model.

Maybe I'm used to them, but I find these little snubbies highly accurate out to 10 yards. 25 yards?? Good grief, in a self-defense situation, why am I going to be shooting at someone at 75 feet?? Inside of 10 yards, the .357 is still just about the most accurate, devastating stopping round ever made.

Maybe I'm a little on the crazy side, but I think it is great fun to shoot the .357 with it's deafening noise, tremendous muzzle flash and side-flash, and that whopper recoil.

If you shoot a .357 often, double-up on your hearing protection; there is nothing quite as loud as a .357 snubby.

Ammo is plentiful and cheap, with a wide range of bullet types, not to mention the entire .38 spcl ammo spectrum.

Get the .357; you'll be glad you did!
 
Porting.....
Shoot from pocket not good.
Shoot from close retention not good.

Crap in face not good.

Heavy recoil from tiny gun and big load not good.

No win cept bigger gun.

Sam....yes dear, that's a 29 in my pocket.:D
 
C.R.Sam -

I agree. My major concern with porting is not so much the flash, which every agrees is substantial anyway, but rather "collateral damage" if forced to shoot in a close retention either in a "speed rock" type move, in a struggle, shooting across your chest/face (e.g., a right handed person shooting out a driver's side window while seated behind wheel). Also, another consideration, at least for me, would be being forced to shoot in close proximaty to a loved one--there is a tremendous amount of hot gases and particals flying sideways (or vertically, depending on the style) out of the ports.

To be honest, I think a realistic evaluation of potential self-defence scenarios contraindicate a ported barrel (and to be honest, the .357 Magnum snub as well). I'm afraid a lot of people who carry these little jewels stuffed with the hottest ammo they can find have fallen in the trap of assuming everything will go down like they think it should.
 
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