I'm in the market for a .357 and been pondering this one. How unbearable is this one using magnum loads? That's the only thing keeping me from buying one - I feel like a magnum out of a J Frame might be a little crazy. ha Thoughts, opinions?? What if I wanted to put some panel stocks on it?

Thanks in advance!

My buddy carries a J Frame (M&P 340) with 125g JSP magnums.

It is NO FUN to shoot with full house loads. I would not want to do it unless my life depended on it.

Very accurate for a snubbie with 38SPL loads.

I wouldn't say it's crazy, but it's not fun. I have a 3" model 60 in 357 and a 2" 638. The 638 is actually a little more painful to shoot for me with heavy 38 special loads. They have different barrels and grips so it's not a perfect comparison.

Of course, like any 357 mag, the model 60 can shoot 38 special ammo and it's very pleasant.

At the range I like to mix it up. Shoot 5 rounds of 357, then 25 rounds of 38 special and repeat. I wouldn't hesitate to use 357 magnum rounds when carrying it for defense.

Ive probably put 50 or so rounds of Herters .357 158gr down the pipe of my Model 60 and a few cylinders of Hornady .357 American Gunner. It is not totally awful but not fun either. The versatility is nice to have but for the most part I only shoot and carry .38spc/+p in my J frames.

First, the M60 is NOT a range toy. I use my 4" 686 for that.

With my 2" M637 J-Frame I get good hits to 7 yards shooting .38 Specials.
With my 3" M60 I am accurate to 10-15 yards, and that's with .357 Magnums.

I'm 69 years old, with arthritus in both thumbs. But, 20 or so 135 grain .357 magnums weren't really a big deal. Makes for a very good carry gun.

I won't; however, consider it for home defense. I don't want to shoot a short barrel .357 Magnum in an enclosed room with no hearing protection. Let alone, deal with the flame in a darkened room.

Again, if you want something to enjoy at the range, get a 686. The M60 is a purpose oriented working gun. If you're not going to carry it, you will be happier with a L-Frame 686.

It's no fun, but it's a ton better than the alloy frame guns. When I carry it, it's loaded with .38 Special Plus P. Rubber grips make a big difference.

I own several snub .357 small-frame revolvers. The 60-14 (mine is the LadySmith model) weighs about 23oz, IIRC. It is controllable with 110gr .357 JHP ammunition. Also with CCI Blazer 158gr .357 'medium' loads. I see no point in trying the gun with the 125gr .357 "planet-wrecker" loads if these rounds make a follow-up shot impossible.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

Amen to this statement. With what little hearing I have left, the last thing I ever hope to do is fire a shot from a short barreled revolver in the house.

I like shooting mine with reloads in the 1150 to 1250 fps range. I can shoot that all day. I've shot full snot 357s but the fun diminishes the hotter they get from that range. Also as others have said, second shot takes too much time to get back on target to make me want to carry a hot 357 load for self defense. Stick to the top end of 38+ or low end of 357 seems to be my choice

I've posted this before, but I once had to do just that. My ears rang for a couple hours afterwards. It made me switch from a 357 mag to a 44 special for a house gun. A little less roar to worry about if the need ever arises again.

I periodically shoot barn-burner .357's out of mine but makes it twist a little in my oversized hands. But, .38+p's are very nice and controllable in it and are what I keep in mine.

I have shot a few cylinders worth. Not what I would consider fun

I've had the 60-14...and have a 60-10 with a 3" barrel. Have quite a few snubs.

This is certainly not science, well, not all of it. In my view, .357 is too much for a 2-3 inch J frame in most situations. I perceive the recoil, noise, and flash to be unduly disruptive. Follow-up shots are quite difficult. All of this offsets any minor ballistic benefit...particularly out of a 2" barrel. I almost always carry .38 +P in my snubs, even if .357 capable.

Incidentally, I just took this picture an hour ago for another thread....the 60-10

I have a 60-15 and 60-14. 357 are fine out of them. Blue collar working hands can handle it just fine.

It's not what i would describe as fun, but I usually have no problem shooting a couple of cylinders of .357 along with the .38s whenever I take my Model 60 to the range. IMO, .357 in a steel J-frame is not much worse than shooting .38+p from an airweight, providing you have good rubber grips. I have Uncle Mike's combats on my Model 60 and would recommend them for shooting magnums.

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For me the key to shooting .357's comfortably in a J-frame is what TX40d pointed out - you need grips that fits you hand great so it doesn't twist. Secondly your hand must rest on the grip so the trigger guard doesn't smack the knuckle of your index finger. And 3rd - the grips need to cover the back strap. As these three variables are reduced the level of comfort goes down quickly. As revolver686 said, the Uncle Mike's work great. I prefer to carry with wood grips for less drag so I use the combat grips on my M60-9 (2nd from the bottom) for OWB. I have not shot any Airweight .357's, so I'm talking steel guns only. Part of the beauty of a J-frame is that with a little searching (or perhaps a lot) you can usually find a set of grips that provide a great fit. Not sure the same can be said for compact semi's.

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Thank you all! The feedback is about what I expected. I wish I knew someone with one so I can try it. Closest I can get is my buddy's 60 with a 3 inch barrel. Might give that one a whirl first!

I have a 60-14 that I carry pretty much daily. .38 +P is not offensive at all out of it and while not pleasant, most of the .357 loads that I've fired out of it aren't obnoxious either. I carry the Gold Dot 135 grain short barrel magnum load in mine and find that it is very accurate out to 20 yards and recoil with that load is very manageable. There is also a flash suppressant in the powder so you don't have to deal with excessive muzzle flash. In my opinion, it is a whole lot more pleasant to shoot that magnum load out of my 60-14 than it is to shoot .38 +P out of my airweight J frames.

A former S&W employee told me that he was scheduled to shoot the .357 M-60 when it appeared. He said that the first shot didn't hurt as bad as he'd feared, but by the time he fired the fifth shot, he thought, "Thank God, that's over!"


The moderate Short Barrel Speer load should be bearable, and I suspect that the hot Plus P .38 load from Buffalo Bore might be a good choice in this gun. It's about like the old .38-44, but with a better bullet.


I think the Ruger SP-101 handles recoil better and is just enough larger to help.


My opinion is that when S&W made the .38 M-60-4, they had the uiltmate three-inch J-frame.They should have quit there. But the Ruger SP scared them into thinking they needed a similar .357, so they made it.


I have no desire to buy one. But if you need minimum bulk in a trail gun that may have to stop a grizzly or a cougar, it may be the best choice in a small S&W. I just prefer the Ruger SP in that role, or would wear a four-inch K-frame .357.


For the five shots in the cylinder, I think many seasoned shooters can cope with recoil. That's about all the time a bear will give you, anyway. I don't think it's a good gun to shoot for more than maybe 10-15 shots at a time with Magnum ammo, lest you develop a flinch.


The M-60-4 is shockingy accurate for a gun of this type. If that holds for the .357 guns, they'll take small game cleanly and blow away any snake problems. Or, human problems.