357 or 44 magnum snubnose?

[jcabin]

Do any of you have either, which do you prefer?

I won't consider a .38 because, its just less powerful than what I use for my main carry piece. I figure if I am forced to use a backup piece with a small barrel, I'd rather it have devastating power to make up for accuracy at distance.

I have never seen a 44 snub in a shop before, just on the internet.

[DCChris]

How about a 44 Special? Charter Arms makes a dandy.

[God's Country]

I think you're selling short the .38 snub, but I would stick with the .357 so you can go to .38's. I can't say I ever shot a .44 snub, but the 6" & 8" that I have would never make me consider a snub. I do shoot a .357 sp101 snub and although it's manageable it's a lot to handle. Keep in mind that a .357 in a snub is incredibly loud not to mention the muzzle flash. I’m fond of the .357, but not under the 4” barrel JMO of course.

[SigMan1980]

I'm actually in the process of switching my pocket "deep coceal" gun from a
.357 snub to a .38. I was carrying .38 exclusivly in my .357 so I figured I might as well save the weight. The main reason for me was over-penetration. Recoil with the .357 sucks and hurts and all that, but if you need to shoot you BUG and your biggest complaint is a numb hand I would say your having a better day than the BG! Anyway, I carry the pocket snub mostly at work and I am in some some pretty densly populated areas. I know a .38 will go clear through just like a .357, maybe it's all mental. As to your question, I'd say .357 so you can practice with .38's. But then again if its only a BUG might as wll be .44mag!

[bripro]

357. Just imagine if you had to shoot it in your car.

[kmrcstintn]

just my 2 cents worth...

.38 spl & .44 spl are lower pressure/lower velocity rounds, but your chances of seeing spots (muzzle blast) and hearing buzzing (audible report) are greatly reduced and your ability to recover quickly enough to place followup shots is increased vs using magnum rounds; especially true with smaller guns that weigh less and when shot inside enclosed spaces

if you insist on using magnum rounds in your snubbies...use reduced loads that still qualify as 'magnum' loads; .357 mag: Speer Gold Dot 135gr jhp 'short barrel' load or Remington Golden Sabre 125gr jhp medium velocity load; .44 mag: Speer Gold Dot ?200gr? jhp 'short barrel' load;

yes I own a S&W .38 spl +p snubby and did own a Taurus .357 mag snubby -- Taurus got Speer Gold Dot short barrel load in .357 mag; I do not feel undergunned using the .38 spl +p snubby & that's the one that stuck around

[goon]

The only .44 Magnums I've shot were full sized S&W and Rugers with 6"-8" barrels.
The recoil in them was definitely there. Not severe or painful, but I knew I was shooting a .44.
I'd think that a snubbie in that round would really get your attention. Follow up shots would be virtually pointless.

Stick with the .357.
BTW - have you shot any .357 snubbies? What about .38's?
Even a J-frame .38 with moderately hot ammo can wear on you at the end of a long shooting session. The last J-frame I had, I was only good for about 40 rounds at a time.

Just saying that maybe you should try a few out before you spend money on anything.

[LastManOut]

Definitely a .38 snubby with .38 Special S&W.

Why bother with +P or .357 magnums?

Snubbys are "belly guns", not 50 yd. plinkers (although one can hit COM at 50 yd with one).

[MMH]

I don't have a snubby 44 magnum, but have two .357s. Both of them are S&W. One is a SS round handle L frame (model 686) w/ a 2 1/2" barrel. The other is a SS round handle K frame (model 66) w/ a 3" barrel. I can shoot full house .357 loads in the L frame gun all day, and teh recoil does not bother me. Then again it is a full frame gun w/ a short barrel & round handle frame. The K frame I can shoot full house .357 loads too, but at the end of the day get tired. Then again, most would consider this a full frame gun too, just not as big as the L frame. I can shoot either much more comfortably than a true .38 snubby (like the 5 shot chiefs special - J frame). That gun was so small that it tore up my hands w/ standard loads never mind teh +P.

Overall for a carry gun the K frame is the best overall compromise for me. Controllable even w/ full .357 loads, and somewhat concealable. Much more concealable than the L frame, but not as concealable as my M&P 9mm Compact.

[MMH]

The only .44 Magnums I've shot were full sized S&W and Rugers with 6"-8" barrels.
The recoil in them was definitely there. Not severe or painful, but I knew I was shooting a .44.
I'd think that a snubbie in that round would really get your attention. Follow up shots would be virtually pointless.

Stick with the .357.
BTW - have you shot any .357 snubbies? What about .38's?
Even a J-frame .38 with moderately hot ammo can wear on you at the end of a long shooting session. The last J-frame I had, I was only good for about 40 rounds at a time.

Just saying that maybe you should try a few out before you spend money on anything.

Very true on the J-frames. Same is not true w/ K-frames which are not that much bigger. See my previous post.