.357 Magnum is obsolete
- Thread starter aterry33
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Missionary
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Good morning
RIGHT...OBSELETE just like the 38-55 and the 45-70 and the 45 Colt...
Now lets figure.. the 1851 Colt has been about a long time. That .36 ball did in alot of critters and people. The 38 special continued the score. The .357 mag made it that much more lethal.
So when did the human anatomy suddenly alter to the point a .36 hole will not leak out as it always has ?
I like bigger holes... 41 mags are my FAVORITE revolvers and lever guns. But I have no concerns my 5 shot .36 bore is going to fail me today because someone who I have never met says so.
RIGHT...OBSELETE just like the 38-55 and the 45-70 and the 45 Colt...
Now lets figure.. the 1851 Colt has been about a long time. That .36 ball did in alot of critters and people. The 38 special continued the score. The .357 mag made it that much more lethal.
So when did the human anatomy suddenly alter to the point a .36 hole will not leak out as it always has ?
I like bigger holes... 41 mags are my FAVORITE revolvers and lever guns. But I have no concerns my 5 shot .36 bore is going to fail me today because someone who I have never met says so.
BillLester
Member
According to Webster's, obsolete means
1 a : no longer in use or no longer useful <an obsolete word> b : of a kind or style no longer current : old-fashioned <an obsolete technology>
It's hard to argue the second definition. .357 Magnum revolvers use a technological base well over a century old. Fine. It can easily be argued that the technology works better today than in the 19th century. But let's give the naysayers a nod that any revolver is "old fashioned" by Webster's definition.
The first definition, however, clearly shows that the .357 Magnum is anything but obsolete. It is very much in use by many CCW users, hikers, ranchers, etc. With the variety of ammunition available today, the cartridge is more useful than in 1935. You can load a .357 with light(er) weight JHP's for anti-personnel defense, shot loads for snakes and pests, light WC or SWC loads for practice and plinking, heavyweight loads for deer hunting and protection against predators smaller than bear, etc. The round has plenty of usefulness. In short, the .357 Magnum is far from "obsolete."
1 a : no longer in use or no longer useful <an obsolete word> b : of a kind or style no longer current : old-fashioned <an obsolete technology>
It's hard to argue the second definition. .357 Magnum revolvers use a technological base well over a century old. Fine. It can easily be argued that the technology works better today than in the 19th century. But let's give the naysayers a nod that any revolver is "old fashioned" by Webster's definition.
The first definition, however, clearly shows that the .357 Magnum is anything but obsolete. It is very much in use by many CCW users, hikers, ranchers, etc. With the variety of ammunition available today, the cartridge is more useful than in 1935. You can load a .357 with light(er) weight JHP's for anti-personnel defense, shot loads for snakes and pests, light WC or SWC loads for practice and plinking, heavyweight loads for deer hunting and protection against predators smaller than bear, etc. The round has plenty of usefulness. In short, the .357 Magnum is far from "obsolete."
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arizonaguide
Member
I've got a nice 1911 that I'm willing to trade for a good (obsolete?) .357 Jframe.
REASON: I can carry a jframe ALL DAY in comfort, even in Arizona shorts/t-shirt, and IF I have to use it and there's a malfunction...I can simply (and immediatly) just pull the trigger again. No Failure to feed drills, etc. And, this can all be done while STILL in my sweatshirt pocket...if absolutely necessary. I can also carry it with 200grainers as a fine Wildlife Photography (backup protection) gun that should handle (pretty well) close range protection against most anything in Northern Arizona....from Mt.Lions to Pot Growers in the forest.
No, the .357 still lives in MY world.
REASON: I can carry a jframe ALL DAY in comfort, even in Arizona shorts/t-shirt, and IF I have to use it and there's a malfunction...I can simply (and immediatly) just pull the trigger again. No Failure to feed drills, etc. And, this can all be done while STILL in my sweatshirt pocket...if absolutely necessary. I can also carry it with 200grainers as a fine Wildlife Photography (backup protection) gun that should handle (pretty well) close range protection against most anything in Northern Arizona....from Mt.Lions to Pot Growers in the forest.
No, the .357 still lives in MY world.
Furdog
Member
I guess I will stop using my 3" 65 357 as a woods gun. Then I guess I will use my Ruger Vaquero 38-40, oh no! I guess it is obsolete too! I am sorry to have to quit hunting with my 30-30s and 250 savage and 25-35 and 38-55! Wow, I am out of touch! (But I do have a modern 40 S&W, the extra cylinder for the 38-40). My autos are 45s. Obsolete 1911s!
BillyWayne
Member
Oh no! This makes me sad. I did not know........now what do I do with all my 357s? I thought I saw some this weekend at the store....must have been something else.
fry
Member
in the woods for defence against humans i like .223. when jeeping in the low cascades i take an ar15. (usually a 20" service rilfe with a 1/7 fn/colt pencil barrel and a match trigger).
when walking around the woods (not hunting season) i carry a model 24V Savage (over and under rifle) in 20g and ......357 magnum.
when walking around the woods (not hunting season) i carry a model 24V Savage (over and under rifle) in 20g and ......357 magnum.
Match10
Member
My S&W Model 66 would be my "go to" gun, or that of my last stand. Pull trigger, it goes bang. ...and with such a wide and varying number of loadings, it's going to continue to be versatile.
florida1098
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I think the OP was merely trying to bring up a topic for thought and discussion. He probably knows by now that this is not the place for it.
DOEBOY1
Member
if you were to use it on big bear always remember to "FILE THE FRONT SITE"
rpg0123
Member
I think whoever said 357 mag is obsolete is a nutcase. I can't think of another single round that is so useful in so many instances. 44 mag may be better in the woods, and 40 S&W may be just as good in defense, but the 357 mag can handle both with the right load and the right barrel length. That's what you call versatility.
RPM2DAY
Member
The internal combustion engine is even older, but still gets the job done. I'll keep my .357 and my V8, thank you.
Im older than the .357 mag by several years, and Have carried and used it in about every conceivable way. I still have a few, with the mod 19 S&W my goto and carry.
Long live the wheel gun and the .357 mag, It will last longer than I will!
Long live the wheel gun and the .357 mag, It will last longer than I will!
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smousefam5
Member
I was going to reply but decided my time was better spent elsewhere.
flop-shank
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Slight thread drift, but Slider, are you a WWII vet?
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Well, anyone is free to argue anything that person wishes to argue, but about 40 years ago, after much debate and hand-wringing, it was decided by a few knowledgeable gun writers that if you could only have one handgun the 4 inch, medium frame, .357 Magnum would be the one to have.
Small enough to carry concealed, big enough to get good hits at long distance, full power ammo for certain jobs, less power for other jobs, wadcutters for practice, etc.
Even back then, the 1911 may well have made more sense as a strictly defense weapon, but the question posed was a "one gun for everything" question, and not just "what was best for defense."
The 1911 excelled at defense, and if tuned properly, at sports. On the other hand, it was not ideal for game animals. I don't see anything vastly different today that would make a duty size 9mm, .40 or .45 any better as a "one gun for everything" option.
Thus, while the M&P may very well be better for defense, it is still not the ideal hunting handgun.
And, while a 44 Magnum can be loaded to distinct power levels, the platform from which it is launched is just too big for concealed carry, in my opinion.
Therefore, after a great deal of consideration, if I could only have one, it would still be a .357 Magnum, 4 inch, medium frame.
Make mine a 686 Plus Mountain Gun, which carries like a Model 66, has a round butt for concealment, and has one more shot. Here we are 40 years on, and the answer is the same as it was in 1974.
Small enough to carry concealed, big enough to get good hits at long distance, full power ammo for certain jobs, less power for other jobs, wadcutters for practice, etc.
Even back then, the 1911 may well have made more sense as a strictly defense weapon, but the question posed was a "one gun for everything" question, and not just "what was best for defense."
The 1911 excelled at defense, and if tuned properly, at sports. On the other hand, it was not ideal for game animals. I don't see anything vastly different today that would make a duty size 9mm, .40 or .45 any better as a "one gun for everything" option.
Thus, while the M&P may very well be better for defense, it is still not the ideal hunting handgun.
And, while a 44 Magnum can be loaded to distinct power levels, the platform from which it is launched is just too big for concealed carry, in my opinion.
Therefore, after a great deal of consideration, if I could only have one, it would still be a .357 Magnum, 4 inch, medium frame.
Make mine a 686 Plus Mountain Gun, which carries like a Model 66, has a round butt for concealment, and has one more shot. Here we are 40 years on, and the answer is the same as it was in 1974.
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Beat me to it......... LOL...just saw how old this thread is..... he beat me by over 4 years....
Lots of rounds out there that will do a better job on a specific target than the .357........ but like a concealed carry gun......you have to have it with you when you need it....... all day every day......
So ya, the .357 might be a compromise...... but I will have my 3" 66 or 3" 60-10 on me if I ever need it.......
If I want a little more how about a 4" round butt 686 will handle any .357 load w/o a problem and not a problem to carry all day......want even more power from a .357 how about a Winchester Trapper in .357 or Ruger 77/357.
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.44
Anyone price .44 magnum ammo lately?
Yep. 25 cents a round from my re-loader.lead, powder, primer and cases which I already have.
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