YouTube weenies vs .357 Magnum...

1. If I am going to carry the extra wight of a 357 revolver I sure as hell ain't gonna load it with 38s.

2. I am recoil sensitive and even I can handle full power 357s from a K frame with a short barrel.

3. If all you want is a 38 then buy a 38 revolver.

4. I never shoot 38s from 357 revolvers because it requires extra effort in cleaning and I note a loss in accuracy with the shorter cartridge in the longer chamber.
 
To each their own.

I buy .357's because they have heavier frames that will take more abuse and help absorb some recoil. I normally shoot and carry 125 grain .38 +p's in my SP101 because I shoot a lot and it's a round I'm very comfortable with. I carry 77 grain .38 ARX in my LCR which is my EDC. I like that it's recoil friendly in the lighter frame. I'm contemplating upgrading to 86 grain .357 ARX and I can try that without having to buy another arm.

Now my Security Six sees a steady diet of .357 but I like that I can feed it .38's anytime I have the inkling.

We all have our reasons for shooting whatever ammo we choose and I'm glad your choices work out for you . . but please don't hold others in such low regard because they choose to go a different route.
 
Actually, according to an article I read written by Bill Jorden the whole purpose of the S&W model 19 was to have a gun that could be used as a 357 in combat and a 38 on the range. He may have become before your time. I don't think he would have met even your definition of a weenie.
 
I run 125gr Golden Sabers in my .357 snubbie....
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I was just wondering why people pick a certain firearm and downgrade it...
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So if YouTube (and other) folks are weenies for not running .357 mag to their full potential (downgrading as you call it), then what does that make you for not running your .357 mag at its full potential? You are committing the same travesty, only to a lesser degree. There are much more powerful loads you could be running in your gun, but you downgrade it to Golden Saber 125s. :rolleyes:
 
Please explain to me how I need more performance out of my .357 Magnum snubbie than is provided by the .38 Special +P load known as the "FBI Load".

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In addition, my recovery time (as in being able to provide additional hits on target) is much faster than your .357 Magnum load. Hopefully, this will enlighten you.

Don
 
I'm one that loads .38 +p in all of my carry and home defense guns.

I knew going in that I'd probably carry .38 sp in my SP101, but there really wasn't any reason to just get a .38sp SP101, they're harder to find and not really any cheaper.

And while I don't find the recoil of .357 mag out of that gun too bad, it definitely does slow down followup shots, especially shooting one handed. I'd rather have the confidence that I can get 5 shots on target quickly if needed, than knowing I'll have one really good shot, and then 4 slower and probably less accurate shots.

I also keep .38 +p's in my M66 that's kept in the living room. The reason is entirely because my wife is just as likely to need to use that gun as I am, and she's very recoil sensitive. And the gun was given to me by her dad.

The ONLY time I might understand what the OP is talking about is if there's people out there that buy the .357 mag AirLite j-frames and then just carry .38's in them. An AirLite costs a lot more than a normal Airweight, and really the weight savings isn't that noticeable so you'd really just be wasting your money IMO. Even then though, who cares?
 
My 3” GP100 has never, and probably will never see 38’s. As I write this, it’s loaded with 158gn XTP’s. If I want to shoot 38 spl, I have a Model 15.
Got some of the new run of Winchester 145gn Silvertip coming...can’t wait to see how they shoot! It was always my favorite load.
 
Got some of the new run of Winchester 145gn Silvertip coming...can’t wait to see how they shoot! It was always my favorite load.
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Don't know about the "new" .357 Magnum 145gr SilverTips, but the old ones sucked big time when it came to penetration. Most guys don't don't test for expansion and penetration - I do.

Don
 
A short barrel, ie: less than 4 inches, does not give you the cartridges full potential. IMHO, magnum cartridges were designed to be used with longer barreled firearms. Short barrel handguns/revolvers, were designed more for easier carrying on one's person. Just my opinion. Magnum power in a small package sounds like a good idea, but you sacrifice velocity, power, and less recoil. I guess that's ok for urban settings, but my magnum revolvers have longer barrels, which I use for hunting purposes. So I want more velocity, hence, more downrange power, and a flatter trajectory.
 
Have you ever fired a .357 indoors with no hearing protection? I have and I'll tell you it was a miserable experience and my left ear is still ringing to this day.

My 3" 686 is loaded with 180gr .357 when I'm hiking, on the rare occasion I carry it concealed I use .38+p for the same reason I choose 9mm in all my autos over .357 sig or .40. I can put more rounds on target faster and in a tighter group with .38s vs .357. I'm not the least bit recoil sensitive and can handle .357 just fine.
 
A short barrel, ie: less than 4 inches, does not give you the cartridges full potential.
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Been discussed here often, and proven that although the 357 Magnum does not reach it's "full potential" it does produce a velocity with the same bullet a couple hundred feet faster than the 38 Spcl +P in a snubbie.
But is the extra velocity, and energy necessary?
Maybe a question best left up to the individual.
For myself, the couple ounces less weight in the LCR 38 Spcl. VS the 357 Magnum version was more important than a couple hundred fps.
 
I've been toting .357 wheel guns for nearly three decades now, and I load .357 ammo for carry. I've owned a model 60 in .357 and I carried it extensively off duty in the late 1990s, but sold it off because I learned that I prefer the K frames for six shot capacity, larger grip size, and better shootability, not to mention the decrease in felt recoil with hot loads. K frames with 2 1/2" barrels don't think they are snubbies, and they shoot like 4" guns.

My 158 XTP grain hand loads chrono 1150 fps out of the 2 1/2" model 66, and the 145 grain silvertips chrono similarly. So, let's hear some more anecdotal rumors and made up info on how ineffective .357 magnum is in short barrels.

Not to disparage the .38 special, since I like those too. My house guns are in that caliber or .40 S&W to save our ears in the event that I have to light one off indoors.
 
On two big Ohio bucks, they went in one side and out the other.
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Yeah, I killed 2 deer with the classic behind the front shoulder shot with this bullet, but there's not a lot of resistance there to stop a bullet. However, let me tell you what happened when I had to make a different shot. I was in my tree stand one morning when I heard a shot and a large doe came limping over to me and lay down under my tree. So, I figured I would do the hunter a favor and dispatch his deer for him. I aimed my S&W 686 at it's back angling down into the chest cavity and touched one off. To my amazement, the deer got up and ran off. In the afternoon I was hunting on the ground in the same general area, when a deer came limping near me. I shot it with my 12 gauge. When I got it home and took the hide off, I found a perfectly mushroomed .357 silvertip bullet imbedded in the thick layer of suet on this large does back. The bullet did not hit any bone and was simply stopped by the hide and layer of fat. I lost all confidence in the silvertip bullet and would not recommend it's use for anything serious. I have since moved on to a more serious caliber and bullet.

Don
 
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