I love revolvers and have one of each, but the Charter .44 special is my favorite. Add me to the chorus that says carry what you can shoot well and are comfortable with. -- C. S. Lewis. Know guns, know peace, know safety. Discussion in 'Handguns: Revolvers' started by airbus300, Sep 23, 2008. Snub nosed revolvers have been produced in almost every handgun caliber ever invented. If I were limited to only one or the other, no debate at all--it's the .357 Magnum the whole way. I agree with emay. I agree with the undisputed truth about the stopping power of a 125 gr. On the same platform its also lighter than the 357 maggie. The.44 Mag can be a little slower as it deals with heavier bullets, which results in heavy recoil. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. A .357 magnum and .44 special, both with some sort of hard cast pointed-nose bullet: I'd say, bigger OD, more stopping power to the .44. Moving up to 250 gr bullets we see a velocity of 1186 for 780 foot pounds in the.357. or even the 686 .38 special with cor bon 110 gr +p muzzle velocity/1050lbs and muzzle energy 270/lbs. If you use a hollow point on the .357 but not the .44 Special: The .357. The.44 Magnum can be an effective and 'reasonable' defense round, if the proper loading is used. The.357 is categorically less powerful in terms of available foot-pounds and bullet mass. While any gun is loud indoors the 357 will be louder than the 44. It doesn't change God; it changes me." Personally, I like Hornady and Underwood offerings in that caliber. vs. .44 Mag.) I'd say if you have a gun you like, is accurate, and is reliable... Why debate it? It shoots better and is lighter and feels better in my hand. Contrary to internet rumor there are factory 44 Special loads that outperform standard 45 ACP. Now the.357 typically gets loaded with lighter rounds, as it is a smaller diameter. There are some decent .44 Special hollow point defense loads, but it is doubtful any of them will expand when shot from a CA Bulldog. For your training needs call Jeremy at tj young enterprises Perry Fla 850 838 7347 On the same platform its also lighter than the 357 maggie. I think 357 using 158 grain wadcutters or target load would hard to beat , I never buy defensive rounds aside from buck shot only carry what I practice with if you feel like you need more stopping power buy a bigger caliber, but the 357 has quite a legacy for power and accuracy as others have mentioned. Yes, the.44 Special could be fired in a.44 Rem Mag for low recoil practice (much the way.38 Special rounds can be fired in a revolver chambered for.357 Magnum) and no doubt that’s what has kept the cartridge in the ammo maker’s catalogs all these years, but few handguners were actually buying guns chambered for.44 Special. For this, I used pieces of ⅝-inch plywood. The pressure of a .357 is significantly stronger than a .38 Special. My only current .44 special is a Ruger BH, but I am constantly on the lookout for a 3" double action revolver in .44 special. A factory loading will give you something more like 1261 for 511 foot pounds though. As far as the 44 special/357 debate, I believe the 44 special would give a small edge due to the increased diameter of the bullet having a chance to cut an artery the smaller bullet might have missed. Stainless is always better, but often not needed. You are waaayyyy over thinking this, both rounds will do the job! With a preference to .38 Special I enjoy shooting revolvers but not to beat my hands up. That means you will experience heavier recoil which can affect your accuracy. 01/26/2012 02:00 AM | by David LaPell. I think both are great rounds, but I chose 357 mag for my carry revolver. It feels and handles like a smaller revolver. I guess given those two options I'd take a .44 spl for a nightstand gun, but carry the .357 like I do now. In a.357 Magnum, a 125gr JHP performs MUCH differently on a person than a 158gr JSP. Large bore projectiles are just swell. A 255 grain lead Kieth style bullet will out perform the 357 for defense. what factor most determines recoil. Might be worth a little peace of mind to check what is available in 44 on a local level. Muzzle flash and ringing in the ears are likely to affect targeted bad guy as much as the shootist, perhaps more so because he ain't expecting it. First for a home defense gun you don't need concealable short barrels, the shorter the barrel the greater the muzzle flash and blast. All the ballistics from all manufacturers, finally... in one place. I would not want to get shot by either round. in favor of the true rifle cartridges. The 44 special can do anything the 357 can & if need be, its a bigger hammer if things get out of hand. The .38-44 revolvers were made by using a .44 Special size gun with the barrel bored to accept .357-caliber bullets (the true bullet diameter of the .38 Special) and the cylinder bored to accept .3801–.3809-inch-diameter (9.65–9.67 mm) cartridges (where the name “38 Special” originated). I use .38 +P lead hollow points in my .357. Given a similar gun and barrel length, the.357 will always be easier to shoot and generally more accurate. 357 Magnum is superior to the 44 special in terms of more stopping power for self defense. Can walk into any place that sells ammo and buy 357 or 38s, but not always 44 Special and often what you do find is the target stuff, not the SD stuff. The 357 is a capable gun with correct ammo for your intended use. What in the wide wide world of sports is going on here? Although fairly powerful, the recoil of a.357 Magnum is manageable for an experienced shooter due to the cartridge being lighter than a.44 Magnum..44 Recoil The.44 Magnum has higher recoil action than the.357 due to the heavier cartridge weight and the increased diameter of the barrel. I can only deer hunt with a revolver, so I use 44 magnum myself. The typical .357-caliber bullet is 2/3 to 3/4 the weight of a typical .44-caliber bullet, so you won't need as much raw lead if you cast; if you don't, component bullet prices are proportionally lower. Compare all 44 Special ammunition manufacturers on one easy to read chart. Neither The High Road nor any of its directors, members, managers, employees, agents, vendors, or suppliers will be liable for any direct, indirect, general, bodily injury, compensatory, special, punitive, consequential, or incidental damages including, without limitation, lost profits or revenues, costs of replacement goods, loss or damage to data arising out of the use or inability to use this forum or any services associated with this forum, or damages from the use of or reliance on the information present on this forum, even if you have been advised of the possibility of such damages. And the GP100 already comes in .357 magnum. .44 magnum is a little ridiculous for a personal defense weapon. Skeeter Skelton tried to talk Bill Ruger into making a .44 Special single action Blackhawk on the If you want to shoot more high volume range time, 357 all day long, without regret. I personally like the .357 loaded with .38 ammo. As for bullet energy, the 357 comes out at 566 ft-lbs while the 44 creates 832 & 904 ft-lbs. or the m29 .44 special with cor bon 165 gr muzzle velocity/1050lbs and muzzle energy 404lbs. The only reason the 357 Magnum is not a preferred cartridge to a semi-auto pistol is ammo capacity. No guns, no peace, no safety. The.44 special on the other hand will give you 1032 for 591 foot pounds. The final test I performed was the hard barrier penetration test. A forum community dedicated to Ruger firearm owners and enthusiasts. So selling a .44 special gun just allows them to sell more guns, so it makes sense from a business perspective. Just wondering, which of these is better more foolproof for self defense? in a .357, however the 44 special is a great round and also one of my favorites. The 1873 Deluxe Sporting is that classic rifle, dressed to the nines with a color-case hardened finish and checkered pistol grip. If you are talking close range defense then 44 Special is certainly good enough. I would hang on to a handgun that you shoot well and enjoy, or you will regret it. The 357 with 125 gr. Buy Buffalo Bore cartridges for … I lined up 18 sheets with a little gap in between each one. I can shoot it way more accurately and I like the round better. The.357 Mag has higher velocity compared to the.44 Mag at a distance of around 100 yards, but they do perform quite similar at the 50 yards mark. 357, 44 mag, and 45-70 will all put deer in your freezer. Then you are good to go for any situation you could run into anywhere indoors, outdoors self defense against 2 legged or 4 legged critters!! Sell them all and get a 44mag/44spl and be done with it! but it's bullet placement that counts. The .44 Special may not be as powerful as the .357 Mag. While initially offered in .44-40, .32-20 and .38-40 (and discontinued for some time) a new version emerged in 2013 chambered for .357 Magnum/.38 Spl and a hammer block safety for safe carry. 357 125 grain has 40 years of real world records ann no cartridge exceeds it for 1 shot stops. The 44 special will do great. The Clash of the Cartridges: .357 Magnum vs. .45 ACP. .44-caliber loads also use a little more powder and more expensive cases, but powder is by far the lowest-priced consumable item per shot, and both calibers are very gentle on brass, so the cost of the … The 44 special can do anything the 357 can & if need be, its a bigger hammer if things get out of hand. Handloaded, the .44 Special made the .357 - also handloaded to peak performance - eat dust. 357 Magnum is superior to the 44 special in terms of more stopping power for self defense. The advantage runs from about 33% (.35 Rem. The 357 or 38 special loaded in the +P range can be quite loud, the 44 special isn't nearly as bad if you have to take a couple of quick shots without hearing protection. The idea was to just find out how many sheets of plywood the bullet could penetrate before it stopped. All information is provided "as is" with all faults without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. Depends on Kind of bullet, also. For the 44 Spcl to be near that good, the load configuration needs to push the 44 spcl bullet a little faster than typical "light 44 special loads" and the bullet needs to be 240 grain. .357 Magnum vs .44 Magnum Hard Barrier Penetration Test. I carry .357 when I'm out and about, but I would not want to discharge one of those rounds inside my house. There is some overlap, when you consider the magnums can fire their special counterparts (but not vis-a-versa). If you're comfortable and can accurately shoot a specific firearm...then that should be unit of choice. tc scout, comparing the 357 max in the contender barrel you bought to my 10" 44mag barrel also in a contender, the 44 had quite a bit more recoil.