.357 vs 9mm

**dragonofpa** · December 9th, 2007, 11:19 PM

For stopping power how does a .357 stack up to a 9mm? Discuss...

**WMG** · December 9th, 2007, 11:23 PM

357 is the power round ,but as far as stopping power goes, well I dont subscribe to that theory personally

**LittleRedToyota** · December 9th, 2007, 11:37 PM

yeah, i've never been able to figure out just what stopping power is either...

...but, whatever it is, .357mag and .357sig both have more of it than 9mm.

(i carry a 9mm, btw).

.357 mag is more comparable to 10mm than 9mm.

**imashooter2** · December 10th, 2007, 12:10 AM

There's a guy on the S&W forums that has this as his sig line:

"Shot-placement is king. Adequate penetration is queen. Everything else is angels dancing on the heads of pins."

There's a lot of truth in it.

**God's Country** · December 10th, 2007, 12:18 AM

Academically the .357. In the real world...well I would have to say it depends on the shooter.

**DaveM55** · December 10th, 2007, 08:53 AM

I can stack .357 and 9mm about 20 levels high then they all come crashing down.

**WWGunslinger** · December 10th, 2007, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by LittleRedToyota

yeah, i've never been able to figure out just what stopping power is either...

...but, whatever it is, .357mag and .357sig both have more of it than 9mm.

(i carry a 9mm, btw).

.357 mag is more comparable to 10mm than 9mm.

if you don't know what it is, how can you say the .357 has more of it?

**LittleRedToyota** · December 10th, 2007, 12:26 PM

Originally Posted by WWGunslinger

if you don't know what it is, how can you say the .357 has more of it?

i was joking around, but trying to say...

1. all handguns are prone to not stopping threats.

2. the ballistic difference between .357 and 9mm is pretty much irrelevant compared to shot placement which is key. quick follow-up shots are more important than "stopping power" (whatever that is), etc.

3. however, if you look at the ballistics numbers (as some others have posted in this thread)...velocity, energy, etc. the .357 "wins"...now, do those numbers actually mean anything significant?

i guess in a nutshell, i was saying...i think the OP was prolly really asking which had better ballistic numbers...in which case the answer is .357. however, those numbers to not necessarily equate to "stopping power".

**rspowers** · December 10th, 2007, 12:18 PM

I dont know about the rest of you but when I fire my .357 4' revolver with a .357 magnum round, my hand hurts because the bullet is so powerful. I could not imagine firing that round from the snub nose. My semi 9mm is a sub compact and I can fire it all day, my hand wont even get sore. from that, i can say that the .357 seems a lot more powerful.

my advice, pick up a 9mm, fire it. then pick up a .357 and fire it. there is a huge difference. they both can kill though, as can a .22.

**Cheeseybacon** · December 10th, 2007, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by rspowers

I dont know about the rest of you but when I fire my .357 4' revolver with a .357 magnum round, my hand hurts because the bullet is so powerful. I could not imagine firing that round from the snub nose. My semi 9mm is a sub compact and I can fire it all day, my hand wont even get sore. from that, i can say that the .357 seems a lot more powerful.

my advice, pick up a 9mm, fire it. then pick up a .357 and fire it. there is a huge difference. they both can kill though, as can a .22.

I think there's a big difference between power and perceived recoil. A S&W airweight snubby chambered in .38 special is gonna kick a lot more than a subcompact auto in 9mm, but the 9mm is certainly the more powerful round of the two.