357 OR 44 MAG REVOLVERS

[Brick]

I like .357 Magnum. Especially in the S&W Model 627 Pro flavor. It gives you 8 round capacity in moonclips so reloads (heaven forbid you'll need to reload) are fast and easy. But that being said unless you live alone or maybe only with a significant other partner and in a fairly isolated house where shooting through walls and having bullets leave the house is no worry, I wouldn't recommend one. Plus if you're using the .357 Mag 125 gr bullet loads, you'll find performance in the 1100 to 1200 fps range, so why put up with the huge muzzle and barrel gap flash, muzzle blast and lowered capacity when 9mm in 124/125 gr loads will give you the same velocity and thus kinetic energy, larger round count and easier to handle and train with? Take a good look at you abode and surrounding and count noses in your family. You might find you'll be as well or maybe better served with a 20 ga. shotgun using BB shot.

[ray h]

357 has been considered one of the best self defense rounds for many years and for good reason. One reason has been mentioned a couple of times already, 38s are a lot cheaper and easier to get than 44 specials and you can now get 357s that hold 7 or 8 rounds. 357 ballistics are very similar (maybe slightly better) to 40S&W which is to say, more than adequate for defense. If you aren't worried about concealability get something with at least a 4" barrel to help take advantage of the potential energy and velocity of 357s.
As for which brand to get, there's really only three brands I would consider, S&W, Ruger and Taurus (and Colt if you feel like taking out a second mortgage). IMO Smith and Ruger share the top rung as far as quality, with Taurus a little lower on the ladder.
I've got a S&W model 66 w/4" barrel in my nightstand. I keep it loaded with 38+P, with two speed loaders full of 357. I chose to load it with 38+P for a couple of reasons, 38+P out of a 4" barrel is still a substantial defensive round but has less recoil and flash than 357, but the main reason I have 38s loaded is because 38 cases eject better and cleaner. The ejection rod on the model 66 is just long enough that it will completely clear 38 cases from the cylinders but not quite clear 357 cases. In the off chance that I would have to reload, last thing I want is to get slowed down by a stubborn case or cases. So the first 6 rounds are 38+P, if they don't eliminate the threat they will be followed by 357s.

[pennlineman]

Both are effective. In the old school days .357 was king of the hill. The 357 is loud, the only real disadvantage I can think of. Don't buy a lite weight gun or recoil can become a serious factor. The .44 with special loads is also very good, not as loud, probably a less snappy recoil than the .357, more of a push. The .44 mag is too much IMO. The special ammo is out there, just not as common so you may have to order it online. My preferred revolvers are S&W and Ruger in that order. The S&W 686 is sweet firearm.

[R L Suehr]

Lol

If you go short barrel, you don't need a flashlight either.

[acapobia]

Thank You!!!

[acapobia]

Thanks To All!!!

[American1776]

Full bore .44 magnum is *very hard * to control, even for experienced shooters. That said, a .44 magnum 180 gr. JHP @ 1450 ft/s is an insane stopper.

the .357 magnum 125 gr. jhp @ 1450 fts is an even better stopper. It as a long track record as 'the lightening bolt' and 'the magic bullet' in law enforcement circles. Troopers in Indiana and Kentucky had impressive records of one shot stops with this round, even when the shot was not center mass. It tends to have violent and rapid expansion, with a wide wound track and penetration of 10 inches in gel. The winchester version is what I keep in my 4 inch 686 plus.

[bripro]

357. Look at the 7 and 8 shot models out now too.

From every review I’ve read if you go this route stay away from Taurus.
From personal experience I owned a model 66 seven shot that had a horrible timing issues. It went back to the factory for eight weeks and came back with the exact same issues. It was traded in as is at my local shop.
I started researching the eight shot with ported barrel the reviews are far less than spectacular.
To be fair, Smith and Wesson has that TRR8 that tends to go for over a grand but I haven’t heard too much good things about that one either.

[Sandcut]

From every review I’ve read if you go this route stay away from Taurus.
From personal experience I owned a model 66 seven shot that had a horrible timing issues. It went back to the factory for eight weeks and came back with the exact same issues. It was traded in as is at my local shop.
I started researching the eight shot with ported barrel the reviews are far less than spectacular.
To be fair, Smith and Wesson has that TRR8 that tends to go for over a grand but I haven’t heard too much good things about that one either.

And to counter that, I'm on my second Taurus Model 65 and both of the revolvers have been problem free and shot phenomenally. The action/trigger on both was MUCH smoother than on my Ruger SP101. I sold my first for financial reasons years ago and finally found another.

I spend a lot more time in black bear territory here in NEPA than most, and I don't have any hesitation trusting my M65 if called upon, either for performance or for caliber. I have a buddy who's a Skook and his family lives and breathes bear hunting. .357 is all they use while driving bear. They take several bear annually.

[R L Suehr]

From every review I’ve read if you go this route stay away from Taurus.
From personal experience I owned a model 66 seven shot that had a horrible timing issues. It went back to the factory for eight weeks and came back with the exact same issues. It was traded in as is at my local shop.
I started researching the eight shot with ported barrel the reviews are far less than spectacular.
To be fair, Smith and Wesson has that TRR8 that tends to go for over a grand but I haven’t heard too much good things about that one either.

I've known someone else who's had an issue with that same Taurus as well. I've always had good luck with the Taurus revolvers I've owned, but they've been the 5 and 6 shot models.

The reason I mentioned the Ruger Redhawk version, it's in the 7-800 price range and I haven't really seen any negative reviews on it yet.