Windicator

[BigAl]

.357 Bought one.

For my Trip to Key West.

No fooling .357 one bad arse round.

357 Magnum vs. Cinder Block

[fon1961]

i like the commonality to the 38 cartridge.  cheap to plink.

[BigAl]

.357 the real diameter of the .38 bullet, will flat lay an attacker down with one round.

Better than a .45 round will, but .45ACP is pretty close.

The .357 magnum round has better stopping power than the .45 auto round and here's why. The stopping power of a bullet is not only related to the size and weight of the bullet. It is also related to the velocity of the bullet. This is why rifle bullets have much better stopping power than handgun bullets despite being smaller--they travel much faster. The energy of a bullet is E=MV^2. Where M is the mass of the bullet and V is the velocity of the bullet. The velocity of the bullet is more influential in its stopping power than its mass. A .45 auto round travels about 800 fps. A .357 magnum round travels about 1400 fps. Therefore, the .357 round has better stopping power despite the smaller size. Likewise, a .338 win rifle round has better stopping power than a .357 magnum handgun round despite being smaller because the .338 rifle round travels about 2500 fps. The statistics on one-shot stops for handguns prove that indeed the .357 magnum is the king of stopping power. The one-shot stop % for the .357 magnum is about 96%. The one-shot stop % for the .45 auto is about 89%. Bottom line---either round will drop an attacker pretty fast.
Source(s):
In simplified terms think of it this way. I can pick up a .50 caliber bullet in my hand and throw it at you at a rate of 50fps. It will bounce right off of you and have essentially zero stopping power. Why? Because there is no velocity behind it. Size (mass) is not the only factor which determines a bullets stopping power. Velocity is the other factor and it is a far more important factor.
4 years ago Report Abuse

[..]

I really like my S&W .357. Large frame.

[fon1961]

.357 Bought one.

For my Trip to Key West.

No fooling .357 one bad arse round.

357 Magnum vs. Cinder Block

al, just cause you don't have another 2x4 handy doesn't mean that you have to shoot up the target stand lol 

[gregc]

    Isn't this sort of the same, as talking about oil and tires. Everybody will have their own favorite.

[BigAl]

.357 Bought one.

For my Trip to Key West.

No fooling .357 one bad arse round.

357 Magnum vs. Cinder Block

al, just cause you don't have another 2x4 handy doesn't mean that you have to shoot up the target stand lol  

That 2x4 you speak of was a brick. Just Kidding Fire Power is more-- better than a small round shot ten times. Time is of the essence

An egineer at work said his Dad was a Marine Corp Veteran of both the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

He shot a Chinese fellow with a 30 caliber carbine 3 times before he could get him to lay down, worst impliment he ever had to carry,

He liked the 45 caliber grease gun the best, but the 1911 model 45acp was his net favorite, but for Knock down get er done the M14 was the bomb.

[BigAl]

I really like my S&W .357. Large frame.

Generous grip for us ham fisted fellows, 6 rounds of utter infoulable reliability

How could you ever go wrong with Smith Revolver?

Answer you can't

[RTaz]

Everyone has a favorite...here's mine.

[MAD6Gun]

 My favorite the Ruger GP100.... I got one like this one from my dad. The trigger has been lightened significantly to a little over 2 pounds.. Good shooter.....


I also got one of these  "back" from my dad. SP101.. This gun is a little kicker....

[JimmyG]

Very nice. I just got a S&W Model 19 4"  .357 my Dad left me. But to carry concealed, I went with a
Glock mdl. 37 .40 cal.  It spits em out fast and accurate.

[MacDragon]

Very close.. but the Ruger SP101 is my choice for .357 revolver. As always... interchangable with .38 rounds.

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

Very nice. I read a review in a shooting mag once on the 357. At that time it had more documented one shot stops made by LEO's than any other round. It's the least powerful round allowed in Indiana for deer hunting too. 45ACP is considered too weak for humane kills. Granted, pound for pound deer are probably tougher than humans.

[T-Bird]

cool video Al 
Back in the late 70's I owned a S&W Trooper MKIII .357 with a six inch barrel. I wish I still had it.