Thinking about buying an Airweight 357 mag J-frame

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freenokia

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How does their size compare with the 38spl j-frames?

Should I port it?

What will I gain with the 357 over the 38 in the short barrel?
 
Size wise the cylinder is slightly longer but overall the size diffreance isn't noticeable.

What you gain by going .357 is a few hundred feet per second and a sore hand.

Porting is personal preference. Personally I do t like porting.

In the end it's nice to have the extra thump if you ever needed it. Buy you probably won't be putting a lot of full house .357 through it. I carry a 640-1 and it thumps your hand pretty good. So the lighter gun will hit harder. Even still I may get a 340 as I dislike that my 640 has a 2" barrel instead of the 1.875"
 
What you gain by going .357 is a few hundred feet per second and a sore hand.
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I agree, that's why I bought a less expensive .38 +P J-frame for carry, and I bought a steel frame Ruger SP101 3" .357 if I feel like carry something that won't hurt to shoot .357s.

Point? Buy two guns.:D
 
Look at the M&P line from S&W; at least you get a steel cylinder. As for the porting I would pass. The last thing you need on a .357 snub is more flash and velocity loss.
 
A .357 is certainly a step up over a .38, however, if I wanted an Airweight, I'd stick with a .38 and carry +P if I wanted a little extra power.

357 can be pretty brutal out of a small light gun and you will likely practice with .38 any way.
 
The Ruger LCR is a very good gun also. The S&W's are good. Don't get me wrong. I've liked all the S&W revolvers that I have had. Also in that small a frame I prefer a .38.
 
I only shoot .357 magnum out of steel guns, no Airweights for me. And I would never port a snubbie for any reason.
 
Technically there are no aluminum .357 Airweights, .357 Mag j-frames in the S&W line-up are either steel-frame or scandium/titanium Airlites.
 
Have a 13 ounce M&P 360 .357 but never intended to shoot .357 other than downloaded .357. A 158 grain RNFP "Cowboy" round works well. The 340 and 360 are probably the most powerful revolvers ounce for ounce. Porting will blind you at night and you can't use shot shells. Not worth it for me.
 
What you gain by going .357 is a few hundred feet per second and a sore hand.
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Every time I see this question come up, I'm reminded of my shooting buddy who, in an all-time exercise in poor judgment, went to the range and handed his lady friend his scandium .357 snubby (S&W Model 360? not sure) with full-house loads. On the first shot, the gun rotated back in her hand and the hammer spur punched a hole in the web of skin between her thumb and index finger that required a couple stitches to close. Sore hand indeed. They're no longer together - he swears the incident had nothing to do with that, but I'm not so sure.
 
"You might not like the fireball, blast, and the recoil."

And the jackhammer like vibration pulse that enters your hand and leaves you feeling as if the nerves in your hand have been damaged afterwards.
 
Technically there are no aluminum .357 Airweights, .357 Mag j-frames in the S&W line-up are either steel-frame or scandium/titanium Airlites.
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You're correct about the Airweight part, but you forgot about the M&P series, which have scandium alloy frames with steel cylinders. :)
 
What will I gain with the 357 over the 38 in the short barrel?
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Not much, the .357 needs at least a 4" barrel to take full potential of the load. You get the extra recoil, muzzle flash, noise, and slower follow up shots for only a marginally faster round.

I used to carry a S&W model 60 in .357, I sold it and picked up an older 640 in .38. Best choice I ever made. I wouldn't recommend the .357 in a snub for anyone, especially the airweight .357's.
 
I am not particularly recoil sensitive and have fired handguns in most calibers. I have carried and shot .38 snubbies for years using +p ammo with no problems. I had to have one of the Smith 340 M&P's when they came out. What a great idea! A lightweight .357! Not for me. Even the mildest .357 load was like holding up my hand and letting someone rap it with a pool cue. I fired exactly 20 rounds through it and went back to carrying +p .38's. I finally sold it to someone who just had to have it. He still carries it but with .38's. I have regressed to a Colt Cobra loaded with Hornady XTP 158 grain non +p. It's more accurate for me, holds six, and follow up shots are quicker.:)
 
Go with a S&W 60 or Ruger SP101 and shoot 38 spec +p or just spec the frame weight will take some of the recoil and you have the option of 3 calipers to shoot. sorry was reading the other posts and forgot the op was for 357 air weight . ill blame it on the old age
 
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Have an M&P 360 and a Ruger LCR .357 and yup, neither are fun to shoot with .357s; the Hogue grip and the extra weight of the Ruger do help but the Smith is easier in the pocket. I got mine at a way discounted price otherwise I would probably have just gotten a 637/8.

Usually just carry .38s; have a few boxes of Gold Dot short barrel .357s but they really don't give you that much extra omph over .38. Unless you "have" to be able to shoot .357s you'd save a lot of money with a regular airweight, and I agree it's best to try one out first if you can since it's really not that pleasant (I think my snub .44 is less painful to shoot than the super light .357s)
 
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