44 special over 357

Wow. Where to begin with all the armchair quarterbacks ... :rolleyes:

I have run into too many people who can't handle the recoil of a 357 Magnum and those 125's are pretty snappy too and worse than the 158's. A great deal of those users could handle a 44 Special and wouldn't develop flinch and other bad habits.

A solid hit with a 380ACP (or Kurz) is better than a miss with a 357 Magnum, 44 Magnum, 480 Ruger, ..... A solid hit with a modern 44 Special is nothing to dismiss for self defense in an urban environment. If one additional round makes the difference, in most urban self defense scenarios your tactics and training are lacking IMHO.

Where I live, a rifle first so I'm more into enough pistol with the least amount of additional weight within reason.
 
u812 said:
The way I see it is there was a reason for them coming up with the 44 and .357 mag.
I would go .357 and day over .44 sp only. If I though I wanted .44 sp I would just buy a 44 mag so I could shoot the sp. if I wanted. Same with a .357 and .38.
Click to expand...

Size and weight can be an issue in some situations. Medium framed revolvers in 44 Special fit a different role than a 6-shot 44 Magnum large framed revolver. A bit of an orange versus a grapefruit comparison in my book.
 
Sid Post said:
Wow. Where to begin with all the armchair quarterbacks ... :rolleyes:

I have run into too many people who can't handle the recoil of a 357 Magnum and those 125's are pretty snappy too and worse than the 158's. A great deal of those users could handle a 44 Special and wouldn't develop flinch and other bad habits.

A solid hit with a 380ACP (or Kurz) is better than a miss with a 357 Magnum, 44 Magnum, 480 Ruger, ..... A solid hit with a modern 44 Special is nothing to dismiss for self defense in an urban environment. If one additional round makes the difference, in most urban self defense scenarios your tactics and training are lacking IMHO.

Where I live, a rifle first so I'm more into enough pistol with the least amount of additional weight within reason.
Click to expand...

Armchair quarterback? Nah, I'm more Chair-Borne Ranger.

Dude asked if there was any reason a 44 Special might be better than a .357, since specs show the .357 to be a better round for defense.

I can't think of a reason why the 44 Special would be the better round, and I can't refute any specs he might have read that indicate the .357 to be more apropos.

I have my reasons why I'd choose the .357 for a defensive carry, even though I think the 44 Special is awesome.

If those reasons make me an "armchair quarterback", so be it. I'm no Massad Ayoob or Sid Post, I'll give you that... but neither of those "experts" will invalidate my reasons.

I'm still gonna get me one of these Rugers though, 'cus 44 Spl is awesome.
 
The .357 is proven for 2-legged predators but for larger 4-legged the .44 special, properly loaded, has an advantage.

People who have a lot more experience with guns than most of us call the .44 special the "connoisseur's cartridge", so the connoisseurs can buy the .44 special and the non-connisseurs can buy the .357. This points out the real reason for the .44 special in the Ruger- so people have a choice and some people can buy both.
 
Sid Post said:
Wow. Where to begin with all the armchair quarterbacks ... :rolleyes:

I have run into too many people who can't handle the recoil of a 357 Magnum and those 125's are pretty snappy too and worse than the 158's. A great deal of those users could handle a 44 Special and wouldn't develop flinch and other bad habits.
Click to expand...
Unless they are 98 pound women with no muscle mass and 1.75: wrists, those people need more/better training. Properly trained, most can learn to handle recoil (or as is often the case, their fear of recoil). I'll continue to carry .357 Mag.
 
Last edited:
leghog said:
Unless they are 98 pound women with no muscle mass and 1.75: wrists, those people need more/better training. Properly trained, most can learn to handle recoil (or as is often the case, their fear of recoil). I'll continue to carry .357 Mag.
Click to expand...

What amounts to better training? The recoil on my LCP is vicious as far as my hand goes.
 
Charlie_K said:
What amounts to better training? The recoil on my LCP is vicious as far as my hand goes.
Click to expand...
Proper coaching by a competent trainer. Training doesn't change the recoil. It helps the shooter's ability to properly handle both it and their fear of it.
 
The 44 Special is a superb defense round. No doubt the .357 is the best man stopper on record, but the 44 Spec. is no slouch. And, while the .357 can be down loaded to .38 Spec., for versatility, the .44 Spec. can be loaded up to near .44 Mag levels for versatility. I think it all depends on what the OP wants out of a round. If there is a possibility of outdoor use, I would opt for the 44 Spec. though a .357 would not be a bad choice. Also, if it is for home defense, a .44 Spec will not have a blinding flash like a .357 does. That is something to consider. However, on the plus side for the .357, there are 7 and 8 round revolvers out there from Ruger and S&W vs 5 or 6 for the 44.
 
DocT said:
The 44 Special is a superb defense round. No doubt the .357 is the best man stopper on record, but the 44 Spec. is no slouch. And, while the .357 can be down loaded to .38 Spec., for versatility, the .44 Spec. can be loaded up to near .44 Mag levels for versatility. I think it all depends on what the OP wants out of a round. If there is a possibility of outdoor use, I would opt for the 44 Spec. though a .357 would not be a bad choice. Also, if it is for home defense, a .44 Spec will not have a blinding flash like a .357 does. That is something to consider. However, on the plus side for the .357, there are 7 and 8 round revolvers out there from Ruger and S&W vs 5 or 6 for the 44.
Click to expand...

I like the way you argue your point, for both sides. Lol I agree. :)
 
Ruger has my GP100 .44 since Thursday to deal with the front sight issue, as well as the rough trigger guard. That said, I miss the lil guy. Very sweet shooting. I had to have a fix this morning, so brought out my S&W New Century First Model Hand Ejector. It's waiting on some Skeeter grips, so wasn't as pleasant to shoot as the Ruger. I reload so the world of .44 Spec bullets are mine to use. Liking Montana Bullet Works LBT's https://www.montanabulletworks.com/product/44-mag-lbt-240gr-owc-pb/.
Off to load some Keith bullets for use tomorrow in the Second Model Hand Ejector.
Life is good.
 
I know I'm poking an old thread. Never noticed this till now. I think .357 is the more practical round. Proven in a variety of ways. However, I own 44 specials made in the mid 90s. A S&W 696 and a Rossi 720 covert (hammerless K frame sized). They are a blast to shoot. More of a somewhat aggressive push, then the snap on a .357. I have 44 mags as well.

I'm not sure I can clearly state why I like 44 specials so much. I just do.
 
I personally buy .44 specials to shoot in my super Blackhawk.
.44 magnum is a helluva round and will wear your wrist out after a dozen or so rounds in that gun, regardless of your "training".
.44 special is still a very stout round and would be more than enough to get it done in any SD situation.
 
My 2 cents... IMO, many of the modern, popular, DA revolver grips don't allow for a good high hold. You can see this with many YT reviewers who hold magnum revolvers too low, even though they'll say how important it is to hold their semi-autos as high as possible. A good grip will allow for a high hold and is thick enough by the web of the hand to spread the force out (on DA revolvers). Much of the 'pain' from standard magnum loads in full size revolvers can be minimized, if not eliminated, if these two points are satisfied... again, just my opinion.

I currently shoot the 66-8 2.75". I've tested Rem UMC, Sig, Barnes, and Hornady CD in 125 gr and Rem HTP and Magtech in 158 gr. I didn't notice much difference in recoil between the 125 gr and 158 gr with those brands. I even tried mixing the cylinder up with different gr loads to see if I could tell the difference and the only difference I noticed was muzzle flash (didn't pay attention to sound, but they were both loud).

The only 44's I've shot were 6+". My current 44 is a Ruger Redhawk 7.5". If I got into reloading, I would probably be more into the 44 spl. Most factory loadings in my area are light cowboy loads, and the SD options are a little light for my piece of mind, and expensive (BB and UW aren't readily available in my area). If 44 spl factory loadings were more available in my area with power/energy levels closer to the 45 ACP I would be more interested. I was interested in Taurus's 44 lightweight snub a few years back, but never picked one up. As is, pricing on the 44 spl is about the same (and sometimes more) than the 44 magnum ammo, and I can go through 50-100 rounds of factory 44 magnum without fatigue in the Redhawk, so I don't bother with the special. That being said, I would probably prefer the 44 spl to a 38 for SD if I weren't going with the magnums, and I might worry about the blast of the magnums (357/44) indoors for SD. Additionally, I would think that the 44 spl out of a 7.5" barrel isn't anything to sneeze at.
 
My 2 cents... IMO, many of the modern, popular, DA revolver grips don't allow for a good high hold. You can see this with many YT reviewers who hold magnum revolvers too low, even though they'll say how important it is to hold their semi-autos as high as possible. A good grip will allow for a high hold and is thick enough by the web of the hand to spread the force out (on DA revolvers). Much of the 'pain' from standard magnum loads in full size revolvers can be minimized, if not eliminated, if these two points are satisfied... again, just my opinion.

I currently shoot the 66-8 2.75". I've tested Rem UMC, Sig, Barnes, and Hornady CD in 125 gr and Rem HTP and Magtech in 158 gr. I didn't notice much difference in recoil between the 125 gr and 158 gr with those brands. I even tried mixing the cylinder up with different gr loads to see if I could tell the difference and the only difference I noticed was muzzle flash (didn't pay attention to sound, but they were both loud).

The only 44's I've shot were 6+". My current 44 is a Ruger Redhawk 7.5". If I got into reloading, I would probably be more into the 44 spl. Most factory loadings in my area are light cowboy loads, and the SD options are a little light for my piece of mind, and expensive (BB and UW aren't readily available in my area). If 44 spl factory loadings were more available in my area with power/energy levels closer to the 45 ACP I would be more interested. I was interested in Taurus's 44 lightweight snub a few years back, but never picked one up. As is, pricing on the 44 spl is about the same (and sometimes more) than the 44 magnum ammo, and I can go through 50-100 rounds of factory 44 magnum without fatigue in the Redhawk, so I don't bother with the special. That being said, I would probably prefer the 44 spl to a 38 for SD if I weren't going with the magnums, and I might worry about the blast of the magnums (357/44) indoors for SD. Additionally, I would think that the 44 spl out of a 7.5" barrel isn't anything to sneeze at.
 


A pair of S&W 696's, in .44 Special. Five shooters on the medium, L Frame. Three inch barrels and adjustable sights.

Only issue; they suffer from a thin barrel at the forcing cone, so one can't get too crazy with hotter handloads. But standard loads are pretty competent for most anything any of us will ever run into.



edit....For some reason I can NOT delete this OLD file. I tried to post a shot of my 696's and all I get are these J frames. Sorry. Unable to delete these out.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top