.357 mag or .44 mag That is the question...

[Mongo59]

Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it, 44mag.

 

[STFU]

.44MAG FTW!

Seriously though, if you reload...why would you want a .357?

 

[davidwilso78]

I have both and like both.

In handguns I like the extra power of the .44, and it doesn't hurt that my Model 69 has the best trigger and smoothest action of any wheelgun I own. I also like the extra punch and penetration for bigger critters.

The .357 is available in smaller packages and is a better choice for defense against two-legged problems. My Model 640 is much easier to conceal and carry around town than the 69.

Both cartridges are very versatile and can be loaded from light .38/.44 Special to heavy magnum. This provides pleasant practice options for close-range handgun shooting, but is not quite so useful at distance as the trajectories can differ drastically from your carry/hunting load and requires a drastically different zero across the load range.

In rifles, both gain a lot of velocity from a longer barrel. The .357 shoots flatter, and my particular example (Marlin 1894C) is more accurate and less ammo-picky than my 44 (Marlin 1894P).

I'm not sure I could happily pick just one. Each has a role that it excels in, and while both can be pressed into service for either role in a pinch (which I've definitely done from time to time), it's much nicer to have the option of using the appropriate tool for the job.

Lighter loads for the .44 is not something I thought of. Excellent point and the larger yet slower projectile is still going to be devastating on the receiving end. I have many .357s and access to one .44 mag revolver... It has tempted me to buy a Rossi 92 in .44 mag because I love my .357 version. However...once I do that I will have to buy the dies and projectiles because I have a rule of only shooting what I reload... Outside of.22 of course

 

[davidwilso78]

Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it, 44mag.

This is the page many people are on. However my 2nd and 3rd shots are way more accurate with my .357 / .38+ p handguns. I have not had the pleasure of shooting a .44 mag rifle and honestly that is the direction I want to go because I love my .357 lever action so much. But then I will go down the rabbit hole like I always do and have to get all the reloading stuff for a new caliber.

 

[davidwilso78]

.44MAG FTW!

Seriously though, if you reload...why would you want a .357?

I do reload the .357... I have access to a .44 mag revolver now and trying to decide if I want to go all in and get the reload setup and matching lever action rifle... $$$

 

[davidwilso78]

.357 for the hood, .44 for the woods

I laughed out loud at work on this one and had to explain the comment to a coworker Thanks for the chuckle but yes...2 legged dangers the .357 is more than capable

 

[Ark]

.44 is a cool lever gun cartridge, the chonky boi loading experience of 45LC combined with the punch of a more powerful cartridge, though it still doesn't have rifle caliber ballistics by any means.

Not a huge fan of .44 for handguns. I just don't have an application for it to justify the expense and shooting discomfort. My revolver/lever combo is 45LC.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

I have no opinion 357 but I love my 44mag lever gun. Puts deer down good.

 

[hunt4fun]

Lighter loads for the .44 is not something I thought of. Excellent point and the larger yet slower projectile is still going to be devastating on the receiving end. I have many .357s and access to one .44 mag revolver... It has tempted me to buy a Rossi 92 in .44 mag because I love my .357 version. However...once I do that I will have to buy the dies and projectiles because I have a rule of only shooting what I reload... Outside of.22 of course

I had a Rossi in 44 mag. Action was not smooth. Ended up taking the whole thing apart, and stoning and lubricating every metal surface. It helped a lot but I was still not happy with it. Sold it and bought a Henry Big Boy in 44 mag. No modification needed. Perfectly smooth.

 

[Michigan Slim]

I cast multiple boolits and reload for both. .44.

 

[davidwilso78]

I have no opinion 357 but I love my 44mag lever gun. Puts deer down good.

I have the 92 Rossi in .357 and definitely puts down the deer also. What sights/scope are you using?

 

[davidwilso78]

I had a Rossi in 44 mag. Action was not smooth. Ended up taking the whole thing apart, and stoning and lubricating every metal surface. It helped a lot but I was still not happy with it. Sold it and bought a Henry Big Boy in 44 mag. No modification needed. Perfectly smooth.

I have heard about rough action on the Rossi. I got mine used and it is so smooth... It is also a much older model so not sure if that makes a difference. The Henry Big Boy is amazing and definitely on my want list. One of these days...

 

[92FSTech]

Lighter loads for the .44 is not something I thought of. Excellent point and the larger yet slower projectile is still going to be devastating on the receiving end. I have many .357s and access to one .44 mag revolver... It has tempted me to buy a Rossi 92 in .44 mag because I love my .357 version. However...once I do that I will have to buy the dies and projectiles because I have a rule of only shooting what I reload... Outside of.22 of course

Larger and slower also applies to the .45 Colt, which is a truly fantastic cartridge. You get more mass and penetration nearing that of the .44, but with less blast and recoil. Unfortunately, it's not terribly popular these days and it's hard to find modern DA revolvers chambered in it unless you want something stupidly big like a Taurus Judge. Smith made some nice 3" and 4" 625s at one time, but they are insanely expensive now. Even the Ruger Blackhawks have gotten kinda crazy price-wise, but they can handle some very stout loads. My pair always gets me in touch with my inner cowboy when they come out of the safe.



I did go with the .44 Mag for a trail gun...there are just more readily available and affordable options out there in that caliber, and you're not limited to a Ruger for the hot loads. I finally found a lever-action to go with it for in camp, and on the trail the revolver usually lives in a Hill People Gear kit bag. The factory grips on the Model 69 were too long, and I experimented with some nice Altmont wooden boot grips (ow!) and some Pachmayr compacts that were a horrible fit before finally settling on a Hogue monogrip that I surgically removed the finger grooves from and shortened the heel to where it just fits my hand. It's not the prettiest thing but it's very functional.

I like the 69 because I can throw some light magnum hollow points in it and carry it IWB on the trip to the woods (sometimes several days of driving and car camping) and then load up with stouter hard-cast stuff before I head out on the trail. That way I don't have to take a second gun and leave it in an unattended car at a remote trailhead for days while I'm out hiking. It's not the ideal urban defensive gun but it'll work in a pinch. It is kind of heavy and even the 5-shot cylinder is kind of thick for inside the waistband. I've been toying with the idea of adding a 329PD as a lighter-weight option...if they made an L-Frame scandium version of the 69 I'd already have one.





Finally, the .357s. They're just so versatile, and there are so many options. If I'm going into bear country I'd rather have the .44, but the .357 is more than adequate for anything in the Midwest or Great Lakes regions, and there are just so many convenient ways to carry and conceal it. It's also cheap and fun to plink with, especially if you cast and roll your own.




Finally, it's good to have some copies of your platforms in .22 for training with, or varmint hunting/eradication. The 39a is an absolutely fantastic levergun (albeit a bit long...I wish I had a 39M)...it just oozes quality. I like a .22 that feels like a real gun, not a toy, and that thing as well as the Single-Six and Model 63 all deliver.

 

[davidwilso78]

.44 is a cool lever gun cartridge, the chonky boi loading experience of 45LC combined with the punch of a more powerful cartridge, though it still doesn't have rifle caliber ballistics by any means.

Not a huge fan of .44 for handguns. I just don't have an application for it to justify the expense and shooting discomfort. My revolver/lever combo is 45LC.

The expense, discomfort and successive shots are what concern me with the .44.

 

[Mgderf]

If the question is .357mag or .44mag, the answer is yes.

 

[davidwilso78]

Larger and slower also applies to the .45 Colt, which is a truly fantastic cartridge. You get more mass and penetration nearing that of the .44, but with less blast and recoil. Unfortunately, it's not terribly popular these days and it's hard to find modern DA revolvers chambered in it unless you want something stupidly big like a Taurus Judge. Smith made some nice 3" and 4" 625s at one time, but they are insanely expensive now. Even the Ruger Blackhawks have gotten kinda crazy price-wise, but they can handle some very stout loads. My pair always gets me in touch with my inner cowboy when they come out of the safe.

View attachment 318271

I did go with the .44 Mag for a trail gun...there are just more readily available and affordable options out there in that caliber, and you're not limited to a Ruger for the hot loads. I finally found a lever-action to go with it for in camp, and on the trail the revolver usually lives in a Hill People Gear kit bag. The factory grips on the Model 69 were too long, and I experimented with some nice Altmont wooden boot grips (ow!) and some Pachmayr compacts that were a horrible fit before finally settling on a Hogue monogrip that I surgically removed the finger grooves from and shortened the heel to where it just fits my hand. It's not the prettiest thing but it's very functional.

I like the 69 because I can throw some light magnum hollow points in it and carry it IWB on the trip to the woods (sometimes several days of driving and car camping) and then load up with stouter hard-cast stuff before I head out on the trail. That way I don't have to take a second gun and leave it in an unattended car at a remote trailhead for days while I'm out hiking. It's not the ideal urban defensive gun but it'll work in a pinch. It is kind of heavy and even the 5-shot cylinder is kind of thick for inside the waistband. I've been toying with the idea of adding a 329PD as a lighter-weight option...if they made an L-Frame scandium version of the 69 I'd already have one.

View attachment 318272

View attachment 318273

Finally, the .357s. They're just so versatile, and there are so many options. If I'm going into bear country I'd rather have the .44, but the .357 is more than adequate for anything in the Midwest or Great Lakes regions, and there are just so many convenient ways to carry and conceal it. It's also cheap and fun to plink with, especially if you cast and roll your own.

View attachment 318274


Finally, it's good to have some copies of your platforms in .22 for training with, or varmint hunting/eradication. The 39a is an absolutely fantastic levergun (albeit a bit long...I wish I had a 39M)...it just oozes quality. I like a .22 that feels like a real gun, not a toy, and that thing as well as the Single-Six and Model 63 all deliver.

View attachment 318275

Wow... Quite the collection you have there! The 329PD is great but it is the only revolver I have had a problem with. The logistics of why make sense. My inexperienced buddy was shooting mine with factory lead nose rounds and one of them unseated and got stuck in the cylinder/cone area. It was a pain to pull but it was determined he didn't have a firm grip on the revolver so the inertia was absorbed by the ammo. So strange and really surprising. Never shot lead nose out of that one again that is for sure. Thanks for your post... Very informative and great photos!

 

[davidwilso78]

If the question is .357mag or .44mag, the answer is yes.

Yes.. both of them. 44 on the belt and .357 on the ankle

 

[Mgderf]

Yes.. both of them. 44 on the belt and .357 on the ankle

^this guy gets it.

 

[92FSTech]

Wow... Quite the collection you have there! The 329PD is great but it is the only revolver I have had a problem with. The logistics of why make sense. My inexperienced buddy was shooting mine with factory lead nose rounds and one of them unseated and got stuck in the cylinder/cone area. It was a pain to pull but it was determined he didn't have a firm grip on the revolver so the inertia was absorbed by the ammo. So strange and really surprising. Never shot lead nose out of that one again that is for sure. Thanks for your post... Very informative and great photos!

Yeah, I've heard they have a tendency to act as an inertial bullet puller, and also that they can stick spent cases in the titanium cylinder and be a bugger to extract. That's part of the reason I don't have one. But the light weight sure is appealing, especially after humping up and down mountains for days.

If I had my wish they'd make a 5-Shot L-Frame snub like the Model 69 out of scandium but with a steel cylinder, like my 360J. If they made them in .44 Mag and .45 Colt I'd buy both. Maybe 4" versions, too.

 

[Mgderf]

Yeah, I've heard they have a tendency to act as an inertial bullet puller, and also that they can stick spent cases in the titanium cylinder and be a bugger to extract. That's part of the reason I don't have one. But the light weight sure is appealing, especially after humping up and down mountains for days.

If I had my wish they'd make a 5-Shot L-Frame snub like the Model 69 out of scandium but with a steel cylinder, like my 360J. If they made them in .44 Mag and .45 Colt I'd buy both. Maybe 4" versions, too.

it's a Taurus titanium frame with steel barrel.
5 shot .44spl
When I first got it I kept feeling my belt to make sure it was still there.
It is so much more comfortable than carrying a steel frame gun.
The ported barrel helps with muzzle rise but also effectively blinds the shooter at night.