The 1873 Deluxe Sporting is that classic rifle, dressed to the nines with a color-case hardened finish and checkered pistol grip. My ch oice would be a 4 or 6" 44 loaded with the Fed 200 … The Ruger GP100 .44 Special dropped one round in capacity in return for a big-bore cartridge, but Ruger was also working on increasing the capacity of the Ruger GP100 .357 Magnum. The.44 special on the other hand will give you 1032 for 591 foot pounds. to 88% (.30-30 vs. .357 Mag.) I think both are great rounds, but I chose 357 mag for my carry revolver. Personally, I like Hornady and Underwood offerings in that caliber. For your training needs call Jeremy at tj young enterprises Perry Fla 850 838 7347 The final test I performed was the hard barrier penetration test. .44-caliber loads also use a little more powder and more expensive cases, but powder is by far the lowest-priced consumable item per shot, and both calibers are very gentle on brass, so the cost of the … 357 Magnum is superior to the 44 special in terms of more stopping power for self defense. 357 Magnum is superior to the 44 special in terms of more stopping power for self defense. If you want to shoot more high volume range time, 357 all day long, without regret. If you are talking close range defense then 44 Special is certainly good enough. While any gun is loud indoors the 357 will be louder than the 44. Moving up to 250 gr bullets we see a velocity of 1186 for 780 foot pounds in the.357. Add me to the chorus that says carry what you can shoot well and are comfortable with. The idea was to just find out how many sheets of plywood the bullet could penetrate before it stopped. You are waaayyyy over thinking this, both rounds will do the job! Buy Buffalo Bore cartridges for … Yes, a max velocity 240gr hardcast SWC is NOT ideal for home defense. But something like the Speer Gold Dot 210gr JHP is an excellent choice. I think 357 using 158 grain wadcutters or target load would hard to beat , I never buy defensive rounds aside from buck shot only carry what I practice with if you feel like you need more stopping power buy a bigger caliber, but the 357 has quite a legacy for power and accuracy as others have mentioned. The only reason the 357 Magnum is not a preferred cartridge to a semi-auto pistol is ammo capacity. We could find many reasons to ONLY buy a .38 Special firearm. I lined up 18 sheets with a little gap in between each one. The bonus to carrying a .357 is that it can also be used with .38 Special and .38 Special +P ammo. Just fire one of those hot rounds indoors in a self defense scenario and you will get a sharp stabbing pain in your ears from the muzzle blast. I can only deer hunt with a revolver, so I use 44 magnum myself. Can walk into any place that sells ammo and buy 357 or 38s, but not always 44 Special and often what you do find is the target stuff, not the SD stuff. in favor of the true rifle cartridges. Hope that helps and yes the 375 would not qualify as a straight walled handgun cartridge per rules for Michigan hunting. vs. .44 Mag.) the 357 has an unchallenged reputation fr 1 shot stops. Large bore projectiles are just swell. However, a .38 Special cannot fire a .357 … HP is a very good self defense round except for one big problem. Although fairly powerful, the recoil of a.357 Magnum is manageable for an experienced shooter due to the cartridge being lighter than a.44 Magnum..44 Recoil The.44 Magnum has higher recoil action than the.357 due to the heavier cartridge weight and the increased diameter of the barrel. Love both cartridges and either will do all you ask. BTW, I have a charter undercover and love it. That means you will experience heavier recoil which can affect your accuracy. Don't worry about using it for self defense, it will do its job without the painful crack mentioned before. The result is the GP100 7-shooter. In the end it’s not a case of the .38 Special vs. .357 Magnum, rather it’s about which one makes sense at the time you need it. On the same platform its also lighter than the 357 maggie. Come join the discussion about optics, hunting, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! but it's bullet placement that counts. Everyone's comments are spot on, Confidence's is the only thing that matters. Handloaded, the .44 Special made the .357 - also handloaded to peak performance - eat dust. Now the.357 typically gets loaded with lighter rounds, as it is a smaller diameter. Depends. It doesn't change God; it changes me." or the m29 .44 special with cor bon 165 gr muzzle velocity/1050lbs and muzzle energy 404lbs. Then you are good to go for any situation you could run into anywhere indoors, outdoors self defense against 2 legged or 4 legged critters!! All the ballistics from all manufacturers, finally... in one place. Personally I like to have the "right tool for the right job" and if you have a 44spl, why have a gun that is limited to only that round? There is some overlap, when you consider the magnums can fire their special counterparts (but not vis-a-versa). I'd say if you have a gun you like, is accurate, and is reliable... Why debate it? .44 special is to .44 magnum what .38 special is to .357. The 357 with 125 gr. EDIT: I don't see any supplier of FMJ's for the .357 or .44 Special. At 200 yards, for example, the 150 grain .30-30 bullet is still carrying 944 ft. lbs. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. As far as the 44 special/357 debate, I believe the 44 special would give a small edge due to the increased diameter of the bullet having a chance to cut an artery the smaller bullet might have missed. Also if fired at night the muzzle flash will be a problem. The 44 special will do great. I like my ugly (and I mean ugly) CA Bulldog 44 3" with Pachmayr grips. There are some decent .44 Special hollow point defense loads, but it is doubtful any of them will expand when shot from a CA Bulldog. The 44 special can do anything the 357 can & if need be, its a bigger hammer if things get out of hand. 357 125 grain has 40 years of real world records ann no cartridge exceeds it for 1 shot stops. The only reason the 357 Magnum is not a preferred cartridge to a semi-auto pistol is ammo capacity. Neither The High Road nor any of its directors, members, managers, employees, agents, vendors, or suppliers will be liable for any direct, indirect, general, bodily injury, compensatory, special, punitive, consequential, or incidental damages including, without limitation, lost profits or revenues, costs of replacement goods, loss or damage to data arising out of the use or inability to use this forum or any services associated with this forum, or damages from the use of or reliance on the information present on this forum, even if you have been advised of the possibility of such damages. I can't test that theory in OK because the special is not a legal caliber for deer in this state. 01/26/2012 02:00 AM | by David LaPell. The .357 Magnum, with 125gr JHP bullets, is a supreme defense round. Today, snubbies are, in the main, offered in just a few:.38 Special,.357 Magnum, and either.44 Special or.44 Magnum. what factor most determines recoil. The.44 Magnum can be an effective and 'reasonable' defense round, if the proper loading is used. If I was going to have a big bore revolver it would either be a .44 Special or .45acp probably more the .45acp cheaper to shoot. Keep the Bulldog. This indicates what we already knew: The 44 magnum is much more powerful than the 357 magnum. I use .38 +P lead hollow points in my .357. "Fast is fine but accuracy is final"..........Wyatt Earp. I'm jealous that you have the option. Discussion in 'Handguns: Revolvers' started by airbus300, Sep 23, 2008. Stainless is always better, but often not needed. My favorite big bore to me is in three guns my Ruger GP100, Ruger Vaquero Bisley, or S&W Model 66 all .357's. With a preference to .38 Special I enjoy shooting revolvers but not to beat my hands up. I would hang on to a handgun that you shoot well and enjoy, or you will regret it. It was the case of a good big man beating hell out of a good little man. While initially offered in .44-40, .32-20 and .38-40 (and discontinued for some time) a new version emerged in 2013 chambered for .357 Magnum/.38 Spl and a hammer block safety for safe carry. A 255 grain lead Kieth style bullet will out perform the 357 for defense. As for bullet energy, the 357 comes out at 566 ft-lbs while the 44 creates 832 & 904 ft-lbs. The differences between the .38 Special and the .357 Magnum can be subtle, but they can also be pronounced, depending on your perspective on the matter. Skeeter Skelton tried to talk Bill Ruger into making a .44 Special single action Blackhawk on the No guns, no peace, no safety. "I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. A forum community dedicated to Ruger firearm owners and enthusiasts. I can shoot it way more accurately and I like the round better. First for a home defense gun you don't need concealable short barrels, the shorter the barrel the greater the muzzle flash and blast. And the GP100 already comes in .357 magnum. I would not want to get shot by either round. I know from experience. My only current .44 special is a Ruger BH, but I am constantly on the lookout for a 3" double action revolver in .44 special. At longer ranges the advantage of the rifle cartridges is even greater. Know guns, know peace, know safety. The.44 Mag can be a little slower as it deals with heavier bullets, which results in heavy recoil. If you use a hollow point on the .357 but not the .44 Special: The .357. The typical .357-caliber bullet is 2/3 to 3/4 the weight of a typical .44-caliber bullet, so you won't need as much raw lead if you cast; if you don't, component bullet prices are proportionally lower. In a.357 Magnum, a 125gr JHP performs MUCH differently on a person than a 158gr JSP. My favorite revolver caliber is .357/.38 Special. My only issue with the 44 Special is ammo availability if you need to buy ammo, locally. Contrary to internet rumor there are factory 44 Special loads that outperform standard 45 ACP.