.357 or .44 Special?

[Keith4001r]

I'm ready to add to my "next" list. This will be primarily for concealed carry, but the occasional OC. Which round gets the nod for stopping power, economy, weight, holster availability, etc.? I'll be rolling my own for just fun shooting, but using store bought SD rounds for carry. So, .357 or .44 Special? It will be a 5 shot stainless snubbie, looking hard at Charter Arms. Which would you choose, and why?


Keith
PAFOA PROUD!

[sjl127]

357........... for all your reasons listed

[TonyF]

All else being equal, the .44 Spl. Milder recoil and bigger bullet.

[knight0334]

both are pretty good choices for "stopping power"..

I personally would go with 44spl, but thats just my choice. Less muzzle blast than the 357mag, with similar energy levels with handrolled ammo.

[DCChris]

I have the Charter and recommend it. The recoil of the Charter is pretty close to a 357. I love the 357, but I'm becoming more of a believer in the bigger hole theory.

[kevinmch]

What type of revolver are you buying/do you own? Is it strictly .44 spl or is it a .44 mag that you will shoot .44 special out of? If you buy a .357 magnum, have you considered shooting .38 special? Also, I tend to believe that any magnum revolver, for example, a .357 mag should have at least a 4 inch barrel on it. The reason is that the powder charge in a magnum shell is large and takes a relatively long time to burn, certainly more time than it has in a snubbie barrel. As far as I know, there has been shown to be not much difference in .38 spl and .357 mag in a snubnose revolver. The bullet simply doesn't have the time inside the barrel to build up a ton of speed, which is what a magnum cartridge is all about...follow me? Just look at the muzzle flash on a .357 mag snubnose...it looks like a flamethrower. That is ALL unburned powder that doesn't contribute muzzle energy. That being said, a .357 mag snubbie that you can shoot .38 specials out of is still the best self-defense revolver, IMHO, especially for CC. Have you ever shot a snubnose magnum revolver? They are a bear to handle...not exactly ideal for CC/OC. .38 on the other hand is quite nice. I have not actually shot a .44 special, so I will not b.s. you about that. As always, shoot them both, Lord knows that accuracy and comfort are superior to power any day of the week. Hope this helps...be safe.

[BenningBoy]

44 Magnum, simply because Dirty Harry is now out on DVD, I'll see the old Model 29, and fall in love all over again.

[WVBob]

Go with the .44. From a short barrel you need a big punch and while the .357 will do it, you get a lot of blast. The .44 with a 230 to 250 grain bullet has a large cross section and carries a lot of knock down power. The .357 may go right through the bad guy at a short range and not do a lot of damage. A .44 lead load will knock them down so you can take aim for the next shots.

[CommonHighrise]

Charter Arms "Goldfinger" .357 PUG. Just cause.

[drk]

I've never seen a study that shows 38 = 357 magnum out of a snub nose. I've only ever seen it as internet conjecture. I have read a test that shows 357 out of a snub nose is not optimal, but it still beats a 38 snub nose by a wide margin.