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

[92FSTech]

View attachment 318284 View attachment 318285 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.

They made that in a .45 Colt, too...called it the 450 Titanium. I keep watching them when they come up on gunbroker. I keep telling myself I'm not getting suckered into buying another Taurus after my past experiences, especially for what those go for...but I have to admit that configuration is very appealing. Appealing enough that I keep watching them .

I had a Taurus Model 44 with a 6" barrel at one time. It had that stupid porting, too, and I could feel the blast pressure in the bridge of my nose every time I fired it. That full-size 6-inch gun was worse to shoot with magnum loads than my snubby 69. I've shot other ported .44s and none of them sent the blast back at the shooter like that design. It also had a nasty habit of randomly skipping chambers or not properly locking up the cylinder in double-action. I had a 605 that had similar timing issues, and that finally convinced me to start buying Ruger's and Smiths, none of which have exhibited those problems. Even with those experiences, though, if I ever found one of those titanium 450s for a fair price when I had money in my wallet, it would almost definitely go home with me.

 

[Ark]

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

.44 is stupid soft shooting out of a long gun. Not a whole lot of trigger time on the revolvers, but anything carryable is gonna be a handful.

It really comes down to how absolutely married you are to primary/secondary ammo sharing. I only went 45LC because I wanted to be a walkin talkin rootin tootin cowboy shootin meme human. Outside of that, I think it's mostly dumb to obsess over. Get a rifle in a rifle caliber, if you're gonna carry one around, not a jumped up pistol cartridge that drops like a rock.

Although, within Indiana's public land restrictions, .44 mag would be my long gun choice for deer.

 

[Max Volume]

I have handgun/lever gun combinations in 357, 44 mag and 45 Colt. The 45 is my favorite but that wasn't listed as
an option so was ignored. Can't miss with 45 handloads out of a Marlin 1894 Cowboy Limited. Hornady published load
with 250 gr XTP over 20.2 grains of 4227. Took that deer hunting but didn't take a shot.

 

[schmart]

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... $$$

What is the cost of getting into a new caliber? $60 for new Lee dies. If using progressive press, a new shell plate or caliber conversion if Dillon equipment? Depending on your press, less than $100 with fiddling to change over, up to maybe $400 to go all in w/ new powder drop and quick change (which isn't all needed at first)? Heck for much less than that you could get a single stage press until your volumes justify the progressive.

Compare that with the cost of the firearms you are talking about? Revolver $1200, lever action $1200+. So $2500 in guns vs $1/round factory ammo or $400 and .25/reload (depending on bullet).

IMO, if it is a gun you are going to SHOOT... 500+ rounds/year the reload equip pays for itself quickly. If you are only taking it hunting, or self defense, the buy $150 in factory ammo and have almost a lifetime supply.

--Rick

 

[DadSmith]

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

My father, and I both have 44mag revolvers.
Since he has aged a lot in the last 5 years I load him rounds just above a 44 Special velocity, he likes them because he can still shoot his 44mag revolver, and have a bit more punch than a 44 Special.

I've played around with 44mag for over 30 years hand loading.
I have a 300gr XTP load that has a velocity over 1350fps from a 6.5" ported barrel. That let's you know you shot something.
180gr XTP load that has a velocity over 1750fps in the same revolver.
240gr velocity around 1450fps same revolver.

I also load a 240gr at 1200fps I call it what Dirty Harry called his a light magnum load.

You can do a lot with a 44mag caliber.

I had this debate years ago when I was younger, and I had to choose one firearm to hunt, and for self/home defense because funds were tight starting a family.
I went with the 44mag because you can load it however you want it. You can download it to 357mag power, or full 44mag power.
It just made more sense at the time. I still have that 44mag revolver yet.
I also got into reloading because it was so much cheaper than buying ammunition back then. Started out with a IIRC $59 Lee single stage press kit. Had everything I needed except dies, powder, primers, and brass. I still have that press around somewhere.

Memories are a wonderful thing.

 

[IN New Guy]

I can't address the issue of large/dangerous animals ( where I'd want a .45-70), but from personal experience I know the .357 Mag will put down a whitetail at 60 yards with a through and through shot. And that from a 6 inch revolver. I'm sure a .44 Mag would be even more effective, although dead is dead no matter the caliber.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

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

I can't recall the exact model but I'm running a vortex scope.

 

[daddyusmaximus]

I have both calibers in a levergun, but only the .357 in handguns. I'm not sure I would ever want any more recoil than a .357 mag in a handgun unless I were to spend a lot of time in griz territory.

 

[Max Volume]

I have both calibers in a levergun, but only the .357 in handguns. I'm not sure I would ever want any more recoil than a .357 mag in a handgun unless I were to spend a lot of time in griz territory.

44 specials out of a Ruger Super Redhawk with a 9.5" barrel are very pleasant and can be shot all day long. Now shooting full power magnum loads are another story. Twenty of those will hold ya for awhile.

 

[Amishman44]

If I lived out West I might think differently, but for me the 357 magnum would seem to check most of the boxes except perhaps big animal protection. A Buffalo Bore hardcast outdoorsman load might check that box though. A .357 revolver for me is extremely versatile and a handloader

Bingo! A good .357 magnum revolver is more than sufficient for hunting / plinking / EDC / home defense, for anything east of the Mississippi. I have a few Ruger GP100's, a 3" for EDC, a 4" for home defense and plinking, and a 5" for hunting (deer, mostly) and I have a Winchester '94 in .357 magnum (a 16" brush gun) that is a hoot to shoot and very accurate to 100 yards.
The good part is I can shoot .38's for light-weight plinking and target shooting with very minimal felt recoil.
If I am going out west of the Mississippi, I would want something bigger than a .44 magnum against brown bear or moose, like an Alaskan in .454 Casull.

 

[led4thehed2]

I like the .357 for hood, .44 for woods reply. I think plenty of folks with a .357 don't use it as a dedicated Magnum gun, and they see plenty of Specials.

If your revolver is intended for regular Magnum use, I'd say the .44 gives you more options with heavier bullets and more energy on tap. I got a cousin that takes deer with a .357, so I guess hunting does not absolutely demand the .44.

I've had wheelguns in both, but the .44 remains. Probably only because I've grown fond of shooting guns with more recoil....for some reason. I like the variety of choices I have in bullet weight and powder selection. From soft-shooting Special to max-load Magnum, it's a gun I enjoy shooting quite a bit. It is massive, however, and is totally impracticle for carry. If I had to use one revolver for carry, target shooting, home defense, it'd probably be a 3" .357.

 

[Hookeye]

I think the .44 mag is better on critters.
Ran non endurance package Smiths so stayed w 240gr or lighter. Shot the heck out of em too.

But that was when powder and bullets were cheaper LOL

Even in Ruger stuff, 180s and 200s cranked usually what I ran.

Most of my shooting .44 mag has been 180s full throttle.

 

[Hookeye]

If you are gonna plink, reload, cast your own bullets.....get more mileage out of .357/.38 special.

But its still a wimp. LOL

 

[Mongo59]

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.

Adapt and overcome!

I have 4 different weight projectiles for my .45/70, cast for the oldies and cased for the newbies. Between BP, Pyrodex and 5744 powders with the different projectiles I have tuned in 2 of my three rifles. You would have 4-5 times as many options with the .44mag!

It sounds like you know what it feels like to have a weapon you will KNOW it will work for you, why stop at one? Eventually you will come to a max on the .357 but the possibilities of the .44 will exceed that maximum. GO FOR IT!

 

[Mongo59]

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

As a black co-worker once said, "graveyard dead"...

 

[daddyusmaximus]

44 specials out of a Ruger Super Redhawk with a 9.5" barrel are very pleasant and can be shot all day long. Now shooting full power magnum loads are another story. Twenty of those will hold ya for awhile.

So are .38 Specials out of a 4" S&W 686.

 

[Bosshoss]

357 Magnum vs 44 Magnum | MidwayUSA

So, you want a magnum handgun cartridge but just can’t decide between the 357 magnum and the 44 magnum? Although they both have magnum in their titles, the 3...

www.midwayusa.com

 

[davidwilso78]

^this guy gets it.

Thanks for the response...

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.

I never had it happen to me but I saw it happen at the range that day. I love the lighter weight and despite what some shooters will say about holsterless carry... Adding a techna clip adds so much more versatility to carry locations. I have them on a couple of my revolvers and my single stack 9mms

 

[davidwilso78]

So are .38 Specials out of a 4" S&W 686.

S&W 686 Plus with 5inch barrel is nice for all day shooting also

 

[davidwilso78]

357 Magnum vs 44 Magnum | MidwayUSA

So, you want a magnum handgun cartridge but just can’t decide between the 357 magnum and the 44 magnum? Although they both have magnum in their titles, the 3...

www.midwayusa.com

So, although the 44 magnum generates over 77 percent more muzzle energy than the 357 magnum, it also generates just over 2.8 times the recoil. This substantial increase in recoil equates to the 44 magnum having considerably more muzzle rise than the 357 magnum, which is not ideal for quick follow-up shots. Exactly what I focus on right here...