Coonan 357 auto
- Thread starter Woodslab
- Start date
Call me a Luddite, but I fail to see any benefit to getting a .357 autopistol and feeding it subsonic ammo.
I mean, a .45 auto can throw a 200gr subsonic all day...
well, at least with the Coonan, if you dink with different recoil springs you should be able to get it to run ok with your chosen load.
You CAN'T do that with a Desert Eagle...
I mean, a .45 auto can throw a 200gr subsonic all day...
well, at least with the Coonan, if you dink with different recoil springs you should be able to get it to run ok with your chosen load.
You CAN'T do that with a Desert Eagle...
cougar gt-e
New member
The cool factor is high with the coonan.
Even if the practical factor is low. I've wanted one for years, since they first came out.
Even if the practical factor is low. I've wanted one for years, since they first came out.
I'm glad you tend to agree with me! But I think you missed my point this time.
I'm fine with the .357 outside it's "just province", I have .357 revolvers (DA & SA, a Marlin carbine, a couple of single shots (Contender), AND I have a Coonan Model A (one of the original production guns), and I have had two .357 Desert Eagles.
What has me mystified is this:
I just don't see the point. The entire point to the .357 Magnum is the power it provides. The point to the Coonan is providing that power in an semi auto pistol.
If you want to buy a 3/4 ton pickup truck, and put in a lawnmower engine, its your money, I just don't get why...
I'd say the practical factor is not low, the Coonan is the most practical of ANY of the magnum autopistols. It's size and weight are only slightly more than the 1911A1 Government Model guns, and it shoots a powerful, and common cartridge.
There are three semi auto .357s that can be found on the market (although almost never on the dealer's shelf), The Coonan, the Desert Eagle, and the rare, long out of production LAR Grizzly. The Grizzly while still a 1911 pattern gun, is bigger and heavier than the Coonan. And the Desert Eagle is the biggest and heaviest of the bunch, weighing in at 4.25lbs empty.
Also, the Desert Eagle does not like lead bullets. Jacketed ammo ONLY for the DE, please! (lead bullet ammo poses a serious risk of clogging the gas system, plus lacking the power to operate the gun).
The Coonan, being recoil operated doesn't mind cast bullets, and can operate at nearly any power level by installing the correct recoil spring for the load level.
Practical, varies with the eye of the user, and their intended use. Some people don't think any magnum auto pistol is practical. I think otherwise. It's all good, get and use what you want, and be happy.
I don't really get it either. Seems like a waste of cool to shoot uncool loads? I do understand wanting the Coonan. I have a hankerin for a 9x23, but I don't think it would make much sense to run sub-sonic 9x19 equivalent loads through it. Please. Think it over. A hotrod is a terrible thing to waste! 
Bah, sometimes you guys have to look past the obvious. My Coonan has had 2,600 rounds through it and I would estimate that fully half of that has been hot .38 Special. And for certain, my hot .38 Special (run with the accessory 10-lb recoil spring) is definitely not the same visceral experience than shooting full-boat .357 Magnum is, but it's still an awful lot of fun.
Why do I do it?!
My club has steel plate ranges and they don't allow magnum ammo on the steel plates. And yes, I know, .357 truly does not hurt these plates (as we hammered them with .357 quite a bit before they put the "no magnum" rule in place) but it's simply far easier for them to enforce a catch-all policy rather than having some dimwits destroy the scores of targets we have by blasting them with .454, .460 and .500 Magnum. So, .357 "Magnum" is a no-go at my club.
So I pound down an awful lot of plates with my Coonan, flinging a 125gr JSP at a chrono'd 1,060 FPS. It's actually pretty funny the first few times you run this load because when you're accustomed to how a Coonan runs & feels, and then you swap springs and run this load, everything seems like it's in slow-motion and cartoonish.
But it is fun, and it's a great way to keep shooting a handgun you love & enjoy when you otherwise aren't able to do that. It's not exactly putting a lawnmower engine in a big pickup truck, it's kind of like shooting a goofy 9mm with a different kind of "bang."
Why do I do it?!
My club has steel plate ranges and they don't allow magnum ammo on the steel plates. And yes, I know, .357 truly does not hurt these plates (as we hammered them with .357 quite a bit before they put the "no magnum" rule in place) but it's simply far easier for them to enforce a catch-all policy rather than having some dimwits destroy the scores of targets we have by blasting them with .454, .460 and .500 Magnum. So, .357 "Magnum" is a no-go at my club.
So I pound down an awful lot of plates with my Coonan, flinging a 125gr JSP at a chrono'd 1,060 FPS. It's actually pretty funny the first few times you run this load because when you're accustomed to how a Coonan runs & feels, and then you swap springs and run this load, everything seems like it's in slow-motion and cartoonish.
But it is fun, and it's a great way to keep shooting a handgun you love & enjoy when you otherwise aren't able to do that. It's not exactly putting a lawnmower engine in a big pickup truck, it's kind of like shooting a goofy 9mm with a different kind of "bang."
Visit this thread for sharing information specifically on handloading for the Coonan:
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=466534
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=466534
Hunter0924
New member
Awesome.
I have been back and forth with Coonan about a test sample to try out. I am glad to hear they are reliable.
I want one pretty bad myself.
I have been back and forth with Coonan about a test sample to try out. I am glad to hear they are reliable.
I want one pretty bad myself.
I would like to add that I have heard not to use Blazer (the aluminum cases) in the Coonan.
Extraction failures, including torn through rims have been reported in the rumor mill. I've never done it, and don't plan to, so I can't say with certainty. But from what I have heard, its not a good idea.
While Blazer (Aluminum) ammo seems to be ok in the shorter "regular" autopistol cases, and works ok in revolvers, the combination of the aluminum, case length, rim, the pressure, and the extraction cycle don't do well in a .357 auto pistol. OR so I heard.
Extraction failures, including torn through rims have been reported in the rumor mill. I've never done it, and don't plan to, so I can't say with certainty. But from what I have heard, its not a good idea.
While Blazer (Aluminum) ammo seems to be ok in the shorter "regular" autopistol cases, and works ok in revolvers, the combination of the aluminum, case length, rim, the pressure, and the extraction cycle don't do well in a .357 auto pistol. OR so I heard.