.357 magnum

[chud333]

I heart .357 Magnum.

Could'nt have said it better than Hillbilly
And Oldbear hits it right on the head as
well. When i am shooting at my local outdoor
range if someone shows interest and is polite
i too will offer to let them shoot a cylinder full
thru one of my .357's. I've had a couple of takers
including a gent and his wife who we're shooting
a Saiga 7.62x39 rifle at the nearby 50 yard range.
I like to share the great feel and actions on my
old Smiths. Most people really enjoy them once
they shoot them.
I also don't believe the .357 mag loading to be
un-manageable at all. A fairly mid-range recoil
thats not at all hard to handle.

Chuck

 

[jaymoore]

Having been on a .44 lead bullet load development binge over the past few months, the .357s I shot out of a 686 last week seemed like a whole lot of nothing! If it weren't for the racket, it would have been like shooting a .22. Fortunately, it's an outdoor range that is very little used on weekday mornings where most of the trigger pulling is done. Haven't shot closer than 25 yards much at all this year, mostly because it encourages expenditures of way too much ammo...

Old photo, but it's a favorite spot!

 

[Gyrene6891]

I love the sound of a Magnum in the morning...

 

[clubleaf206]

I was at an indoor range once with my 2 1/2" Model 19, we were given Lane 1 to use, which is all the way to the left, against the wall of the range. After we were done shooting the guy that I was sharing the lane with told me that while I was firing the Model 19 he noticed the other shooters stopping and looking our direction with a "What the heck is that guy shooting?!?" look on their faces. I replied "Yeah, these short barreled magnums have a thump to them." Which to me, for the first and only time, naming a firearm, I now refer to it as 'Thumper'.

 

[silentflyer]

I can relate to the 20 something year old's reaction. When I take my long barrel"obstolete" revolvers to the range, and start sitting up "gong" targets at 100 yards, it gets a few looks from the springs and plastic gang. When I start shooting and ringing them it gets a lot more looks. A few have ask if they can try my hand cannons, and I let them have a go at it. A couple now have purchased "old" guns and are getting better every time I see them shoot.

 

[sac-gunslinger]

LOL I would not fire a .357 in the house and prefer hot .38+Ps for HD. We are musicians and value our hearing.

I keep a set of electronic ear muffs by my bed stocked with fresh batteries. If I feel the need to get the gun from the safe I put the muffs on. I am not a musician but I still value my hearing. And the gun is loaded with standard pressure 38s. I have shot inside enough to know that even the 38s will blow your eardrums out.

 

[Deformlux]

I got put on a lane recently next to a group of young ladies getting familiar with firearms handling. Everyone was shooting .22 LR. No one complained after a box of 9mm through a 6906. Nor was anything said after a box of .38 through the little J frame. But after one cylinder of .44 mag through the PC 629 UDR, the range master hollered 'cease fire'. I looked around and had about 8 women glaring at me like I had just kicked a puppy.

 

[Kadonny]

You guys are killing me. I sold my snub .357 years ago and have missed it ever since. I've been looking for a quality Model 19 snub to snap up, but have yet to find one at a reasonable price. Love the .357.

 

[MR.G]

I was shooting some Federal 357B .357 Magnums from a S&W 686 2.5" at a local indoor range. The guy in the lane next to me came over, tapped me on the shoulder, and said that I was hurting his ears. I recommended that he ask for a lane further down. He packed up his stuff and went out to talk to the rangemaster, then left. When I was done shooting the rangemaster told me that the guy came to him and said my gun was too loud and he would have to leave if I continued shooting it in there. He told the guy that the gun was supposed to be loud, it is a .357 Magnum. Been shooting .357 Magnums since the early 70's and just can't stop.

 

[Rahjerz]

Last time I was at an indoor range I took my model 19 and my model 29. The model 19 didn't draw too much attention, but the model 29 had them all wondering what I was shooting.

 

[Kilibreaux]

You all know that ammunition has been hard to come by lately, especially .357 magnum, but I was lucky enough to get a couple of boxes of 158 gr/sjhp rounds a couple of weeks ago after having them backordered for what seemed an eternity.

I don't have time to get to the range often, but today I had a day off and brought my 686-1 so it could taste some magnums for a change. After shooting a box of .38 special, I decided to splurge with half a box of .357. Happy to say, I was getting 3" groupings.

To my amazement, after shooting a couple of cylinders, I turned around an saw a group of 20 somethings with their mouths hanging open. "What was that?" they said. ".357 magnum," I replied.

The .357 magnum is serious business! We're currently in a "1911 craze" based on nothing but history and hype....the .357 mag was chosen by the FBI way back in 1935 for a reason!

A .357 with the right loads is light-years ahead of present!

 

[Texas40]

.38/.357 ammo is on of the ones that even during the recent availability crunch was pretty much "on the shelf" in my area. Until about a month ago I didnt own a 38/357 now I have added one to the herd I have picked up a couple boxes of target in 38 for it and a box of defensive in 357 to keep in it JIC I need it....

I have always been a 38/357 fan and true nothing quite like the BOOM of a large bore magnum on the range to turn a few heads.

 

[Fox4Alpha]

I do find it puzzling to read on the net about the terrible recoil of the 357 mag, even in service sized revolvers.
When I owned a 2.5" Model 19, I shot it all the time with magnas and a T-grip...no problem.
Yesterday, I was shooting my 3" GP100. For a while, I watched another club member shoot a 6" Model 28 at 7yds...he was using his range bag for a rest off the bench and was complaining that his shots were all over the paper from the recoil. As I watched him shoot, I noticed his grip...he was holding the grip at least an inch down from the recoil shoulder at the top of the frame, the barrel was really flipping!
I didn't know him, so I didn't give him any pointers. Meanwhile, I was shooting smaller groups, standing offhand at 25yds with my fixed sight 3" Ruger! Even at 7yds, rapid fire DA, I did better.
I have 38's to shoot, my 357 will rarely see any. I really like shooting it.

Today's generation. You just don't build up wrist strength on a video controller. Next they will be saying the .380 has too much recoil! Shoot that .357 Magnum, but be warned, it's habit forming.

 

[Kadonny]

I have always been a 38/357 fan and true nothing quite like the BOOM of a large bore magnum on the range to turn a few heads.

I'm a fan of the 38/357 also, but I wouldn't call it a "large" bore.

Now the 44 magnum, that's a large bore!

 

[David LaPell]

Makes me really miss my Model 27. When I carried that like now in colder weather the guys in the locker room who were "oohing" and "aahing" their polymer framed wonders would all see me take that beast out of its holster and put it in the locker. I recall a few of the newer guys who would give me the "you only have six rounds" to which I would often replied "With the .357 Magnum, that's five more than I should need."

 

[les strat]

I get the same reaction when I shoot my 686 or 629 at the range. They look at you like you pulled out an RPG.

 

[Texas40]

I'm a fan of the 38/357 also, but I wouldn't call it a "large" bore.

Now the 44 magnum, that's a large bore!

True I guess large bore is a stretch. But still they are fun. 44 is definitely a large one.

 

[Kadonny]

Well, I think I just finally found my .357 I've been seeking. A 66-3 that I got here on the classified's. Wow, who would have thought it.

 

[wheelyfun66]

I've owned model 66 snubs, but fed those mostly .38+p ammo.

Just bought a 686-6 (with IL removed and plugged) and am eager to keep it on a steady diet of .357 magnum.

I am a rookie reloader, am will keep my recipe somewhere "middling" for the most part.

Never fired a 686......hoping that the full underlug and heavier frame make it "better" for magnums than my old 66's?

 

[jfp357]

Years ago....in a land far away. I worked hard fitting in Springfield,Ma at S&W. I saw all kinds of revolvers. The model 27 .357mag stuck with me. It was my first handgun when I became licensed to carry. When jackets are required to keep warm here in Massachusetts. The .357 is my carry gun.