which is best carry-44 Spl. or 357?

[jimdana1942]

Both are snubbies. Close in, which do you think would be the best stopper.
Top is 44 Bulldog Special 2 1/2".
Below is Rossi 357 2".

 

[Gus McCrae]

IMO, those two rounds would do the job well. Both have their pros and cons to the point I'd think it'd be a draw.

I'd probably pick the .357 because it would be smaller, lighter and easier to conceal.

 

[hdfinder47]

Assuming you are referring to CC, what BBQLS1 said. If for home or vehicle, both are good rounds - I'd prolly go with the 357 for availability of ammo and you can practice / play with 38's.

 

[Tx_oil]

My vote is .357. Wide choice of defensive loads available.

 

[Storm52]

Plus, the nickel shows up great at night.

 

[jetmech1983]

I would have to go .357. Excellent round and you can practice with the .38 special. Plus I just carry my 605 taurus and it is excellent.

 

[f350drvr]

If you decide to go with the Rossi, I have one identical to the one in your pic for sale.

http://www.bayoushooter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23288

 

[dwr461]

I'd go with 44 special it's a better penetrator than the 38 special. I say 38 special on purpose since in that size gun most of the extra powder in the 357 magnum case will be converted to flame and noise rather than velocity.

Dave

 

[Gus McCrae]

I'd go with 44 special it's a better penetrator than the 38 special. I say 38 special on purpose since in that size gun most of the extra powder in the 357 magnum case will be converted to flame and noise rather than velocity.

Dave

We chronographed some Remington 125g loads out of my Taurus 605 and it was tickling 1200 fps. That's still cooking.

 

[jimdana1942]

I have both, just wondered if yall had experience with them. The BullDog is just as light and small as the 357. Both are easy to carry. The 44 special 240 grain cowboy flat nose sure seems to penetrate with a big hole. Haven't ever shot the 357 snubbie. Just hoping for some real world info. from you guys and gals.

 

[Gus McCrae]

The BullDog is just as light and small as the 357.

I would be real tempted to carry that then. It might come down to recoil.

 

[henry]

I'm no expert, but this is how it was explained to me,...use the largest caliber that you can control. If all you can handle is a .22lr,..that's all you need. All the biggest bullets in the world are worthless if you can't put them on target!

 

[hdfinder47]

If you are of "mature figure", you could carry both and not worry about extra ammo. I am blessed with "excess concealment abilities" and carry both a S&W 642 and a 442.

 

[smith625]

44 special would be the better of the two just on it's merits of more energy, this is what stops people. (bullet weight x velocity)

 

[Leadslugga]

The energy of .44 special comes nowhere near the energy of .357 Mag. I still think it is a very neat cartridge, though, and in a snubbie it is likely even more practical as it doesn't need as much barrel to achieve its velocity potential.

It comes down to personal preference. The ammo availability is certainly higher for the .357. The .44 special will likely have less recoil than the .357 and more than the .38. If you aren't handloading them, this is probably the best way to "split the difference" between .38 power and .357 power, and that's a pretty significant difference to split.

 

[dwr461]

Force=Mass+Velocity

That's the formula for momentum. Momentum is what happens when a body strikes another body. My point (and smith625's) is that as a bullet travels through a target momentum is what's keeping it moving not the initial impact. If you look at that 44 special has a heavier bullet which means it's the equal of the lighter bullet 357 magnum after entering a target. Of course the 357 magnum carries a higher starting velocity which is good because it's round will slow down faster. It has less momentum.

In short both are really good man stoppers. They just do it in two different ways.

Dave

 

[Leadslugga]

If you are interested, the specific formula for muzzle energy is Velocity (in feet-per-second) squared multiplied by the Mass (in grains), then divide that total by 450,500 (a constant term), which will give you the muzzle energy in foot-pounds

So if you have a 125 gr .357 going at, say, 1400 FPS,

1400x1400= 1960000
1960000x125 = 245000000
245000000/450400 = 543.96ft-lbs

 

[jimdana1942]

I think the .44 was the predominant cartridge of the old West. The cowboys used it for just about every kind of critter, unless they had a rifle. I remember that the "son of sam" killer in NY used a .44; must have been a devastating round close in.

I remember reading about a guy who used his .44 snubbie for deer hunting. So I heard.

 

[Leadslugga]

Cowboys would have been using .44-40 or maybe .44 Russian. .44 Special wasn't introduced until 1907. I wouldn't think .44 special is too effective for hunting, especially in a snubbie. This isn't .44 mag we're talking about. There's a world of difference between the two.

 

[dwr461]

I know how to figure out muzzle energy. Thanks. But I also know enough to know that muzzle energy has nothing to do with what happens after the bullet strikes another object. If you want to look at ft/lbs strictly while ignoring anything else. Let's figure out the ft/lbs in a baseball bat strike against a person some time. I don't remember the exact figures but it was in the neighborhood of 4,000 ft/lbs. Fortunately what we have to worry about is the momentum the bat carries not the ft/lb of energy it generates. Gun writers use ft/lbs because they don't have a science background.

Dave