357, 41, and 44 magnum owners

[beex215]

if you own any or all of these caliber revolver which one would you recommend for plinking/range time/defense?

also what are these magnums comparable too in semi auto rounds? ive read that the 357 is close to a 10mm. 41 and 44 are unknown.

[afultz075]

Only own .357, but i'd say it's the best for plinking as you can also shoot .38 spl out of a .357.

[TaurusPT145]

Only own .357, but i'd say it's the best for plinking as you can also shoot .38 spl out of a .357.

Exactly what I was going to write.

[ScotsGuards]

Only own .357, but i'd say it's the best for plinking as you can also shoot .38 spl out of a .357.

Ditto, ditto. Seriously, the .41 Mag. & the .44 Mag. are REALLY expensive to shoot. Especialy the .41.

[pacpiper]

you can plink till ya can't plink no more with 38's in a 357 and when it comes down to defense time either load up some 38 +P's or 357's if you dare

All kidding aside. 357 is a great gun but some have warned that with increased stopping power of a 357, comes the negatives of over penetration, blinding muzzle flash and deafening noise. All relative to your own tolerances though.

I also shoot the 44 but in special only. Kind of expensive as a plinking round but great for home defense. I can shoot them all day too.

I know very little about semi-auto's as I haven't owned one for at least 12 years when I had a temperamental Para P12 in 45ACP. Good riddance

[tlgpa]

Only own .357, but i'd say it's the best for plinking as you can also shoot .38 spl out of a .357.

Ditto X2

You can easily shoot .38sp all day and not be sore. .357 in a small gun will start to wear on your hands and wrists.

The only downside to plinking is .38sp and .357 can be pricy. If you shoot a lot, consider picking up a .22 revolver to plink with. The ammo difference will pay for itself.

[brian]

i own all three, in n frames, m28, m57 and the m29.
they all have their place.
i shoot alot of 110 grain bullets out of the 357, they come out pretty pissed off..right around 2400ft/s,but yet they make a great plinking round.

the 44 is a managable handfull with full book 240 grain loads.

the 41 is sorta in the middle, and there isn't really that many loads to pick from...even for the reloader.

something to keep in mind, the 41 uses a .410 bullet and the 44mag uses a .430 bullet....not really that much difference.

the only way to really enjoy any of them to reload.
the 41 is the most expensive to shoot if not loading your own. it's right around a dollar a shot.

as for comparing to auto rounds.
nothing from anything but the 50ae is on par with the forties.
and it depends on the 357 loading...110, 125, 140 or 158 grain bullets?

[beex215]

i understand that i could shoot 22lr for cheap all day without breaking the bank. i just wanted a larger magnum handgun. all the revolvers im looking at are 6 or 6.5 inch barrels. i kinda forgot for a second that i could shoot 38spl out of the 357. thats looking even nicer now.

ok so the 357 mag places where in power top of the line grain vs top of the line grain? is it stronger than a 45 acp?

[twoguns]

I own 3 each of revolvers chambered in .357. A 2 inch stainless and hammer-less for deep concealment or Summer time clothes. 2 each of 4 inch guns, one for carry and one always at the ready for home defense. I like the variety of .38's for plinking and +P or magnum loads for defense though magnum loads are no fun to shoot much in the shorty.

In .44 mag. I have one with 6 and 3/8 inch barrel. That is for hunting or big thunder at the range. The longer barrel is best for wringing out the full power of the .44 round. Shorter barrel in that caliber is just a waste. It is accurate out to quite respectable distances, compact compared to a rifle for tromping around in the woods all day and loaded with hot hand loads will damn near knock over whatever I hit with it....nice to have that kind of power from a handgun. That kind of power is not needed by everyone and from my experience most folks can't handle it.

.41 is a good yet underrated caliber. I don't have much experience with it and prefer the more common .44 due to greater availability of ammo and loading components.

[Azzy]

You can shoot 44 Special out of a 44 mag...

Not saving anything, but it is there