Originally Posted by bobsleatherworks

Hello,

I'm on the fence about whether or not to stay with my Model 457 .45ACP as a carry gun...which even as a compact 3 1/2" 7 shot semi-auto, is still a serious hunk of steel to carry on a belt unless its hanging in the shoulder holster I made for it.

Currently the above mentioned gun is on its way to S&W for a repair since it was not functioning correctly 100% of the time.

And, I'm wondering if I should just return to "keep it simple" and get a carry revolver. If I stumble on a .44 special Model 696, there would be no question. I made a compact slide holster for this gun for a man and basically fell in love with the gun while I had it in my possession.

But, if I go to a revolver, I'm likely to go to either a .357 Model 65 or a .38 Model 64 with a 3 inch barrel. I just located a 65-5 in a pawn shop for $430. And so, the question comes up:

In the hopefully not going to happen but never-the less could happen one day scenario, if you hit an assailant center mass ONE TIME with either a .38 JHP or a .357 JHP will you get a significant difference in stopping power from the .357...or, will the .38 do the job just fine?

BTW...are both the Model 64 and 65 +P guns?

Thanks!