.357 magnum or .44 special for carry

[mpan72]

Which calibre do my fellow revolver fans carry for self defense. I am going to buy a new gun for carry and wanted some imput by people who carry either of these calibres. I know a .44 mag is too much recoil for me to shoot accurately. I have never fired a .44 special but I have fired .357 factory fmj loads out of a very light S&W. I was able to keep all rounds in the torso of a paper target. I will be renting a 44. sp from a range as soon as I can but I just wanted to hear some opinons untill I can check it out for myself.

[DCChris]

Love my Charter Bulldog 44sp. Light as a feather, and these little ashtrays come out the other end when you pull the trigger, LOL. 5 shot, but accurate and very controllable. I carry it with Blazer 200gr HP.

[knight0334]

.44spl is my main carry piece.. It's recoil is more than a .38spl, but not as much, nor as sharp as a .357mag. It also doesn't have the muzzle blast that the .357mag has.

I'm using 210gr JHP's, and depending on the load, at velocities between 875fps to 1025fps.

[wellcraft]

why choose a wheel gun for concealed carry???? i'm not knocking revolvers but i find semiauto's so much easier to conceal plus you have a wider variety of ammo to choose from and higher ammo capacity in a smaller package compared to a revolver. the SW airlites are great guns but recoil is a real SOB just shooting plain ordinary 357 rounds. i had one and put 5 five rounds through it and sold it off to a guy who wanted to get rid of it as soon as he fired a few rounds. no matter how tight i gripped the pistol grip the trigger guard came back and cut my trigger finger.

[knight0334]

why choose a wheel gun for concealed carry???? i'm not knocking revolvers but i find semiauto's so much easier to conceal plus you have a wider variety of ammo to choose from and higher ammo capacity in a smaller package compared to a revolver. the SW airlites are great guns but recoil is a real SOB just shooting plain ordinary 357 rounds. i had one and put 5 five rounds through it and sold it off to a guy who wanted to get rid of it as soon as he fired a few rounds. no matter how tight i gripped the pistol grip the trigger guard came back and cut my trigger finger.

Revolvers have a wider variety of ammo to choose from, from powderpuff to full-tilt loads. ...they aren't dependent on the recoil to operate the gun so they can shoot anything the cartridge is loaded to so long as it is within pressure specs of the weapon.

They aren't any harder to conceal than a semi-auto is, even if concealment is an issue - which with many folks it isn't.

Capacity requirements are blown out of proportion, especially when nearly all defensive shootouts only have 5-6 shots fired from both sides combined before hostilities end by injury or retreat.

[mpan72]

why choose a wheel gun for concealed carry???? i'm not knocking revolvers but i find semiauto's so much easier to conceal plus you have a wider variety of ammo to choose from and higher ammo capacity in a smaller package compared to a revolver. the SW airlites are great guns but recoil is a real SOB just shooting plain ordinary 357 rounds. i had one and put 5 five rounds through it and sold it off to a guy who wanted to get rid of it as soon as he fired a few rounds. no matter how tight i gripped the pistol grip the trigger guard came back and cut my trigger finger.

I am a big guy and can carry a decent sized gun. I am more confident with a revolver and just plain shoot them better.

[Steve_NEPhila]

I would advise you to go with the .357 Mag and stoke it with .38 special for defense and range work. I am a wheel gunner myself and my daily carry is a Smith and Wesson 386 Mountain Lite 7 shot in .357 magnum, and at about 20 ounces it is the best .38 special defense revolver I have seen.

Practice is very important to me, as I like to shoot quite a bit. You will find .38 special ammunition more plentiful than the .44 Special and thus it will be less expensive. If I were you, I would go with the .357 due to the flexibility in ammunition.

[mpan72]

I already have a nice .38 and want more power for sd. I am leaning toward the .357 because I know ammo is cheaper and easier to find, (not to mention it's reputation as a threat stopper) but I find the .44 sp an interesting round.

[saleen322]

Which calibre do my fellow revolver fans carry for self defense. I am going to buy a new gun for carry and wanted some imput by people who carry either of these calibres. I know a .44 mag is too much recoil for me to shoot accurately. I have never fired a .44 special but I have fired .357 factory fmj loads out of a very light S&W. I was able to keep all rounds in the torso of a paper target. I will be renting a 44. sp from a range as soon as I can but I just wanted to hear some opinons untill I can check it out for myself.

Revolvers, especially if you reload, offer a wide range of energy in your loads. The 44 magnum will shoot 44 specials just like a 357 will shoot 38s. This means you can go from a wadcutter target load in 38 or 44 special and go up through magnum power in a 357 or 44 mag if you go with a magnum revolver. I don't own a 44 special but I have shot 44 specials out of the 44 mag and they did well but, with good grips, the 44 mag is comfortable and accurate so I didn't see an advantage with the 44 special. I have 357s and a 38 special and they are not only versatile but very accurate so I have always shot a wider range of loads in them. IMHO the magnums, either one, is like you are getting two revolvers for the price of one.

[mpan72]

..... I don't own a 44 special but I have shot 44 specials out of the 44 mag and they did well but, with good grips, the 44 mag is comfortable and accurate so I didn't see an advantage with the 44 special..... IMHO the magnums, either one, is like you are getting two revolvers for the price of one.

What the heck, before I choose I will try the .44 mag again. If it is too hot I can shoot specials out of it with the option of loading it with mags should the need arise.