XdamagedX 248 Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Besides more power in the .44 is there any real advantages of one or the other? Whats generally cheaper? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Twinsen 86 Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 If you're only gonna get one, get the .357. .44 special is a lot more expensive than .38 special, and .38 special is fun as hell with NO recoil. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
THE_HUNTER 2 Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 .44mag is the shiza for big game. For man sized animals and target, go .357 unless you can reload .44 cheaply. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jrance@iacwds.com 716 Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 Come on guys! Quit screwin' around and get something fun! Which is cheaper doesn't matter, what matters is "Are we having fun yet?". I took a 650 lb. Waterbuck Antelope at 100 yards with iron sights with the above pistol............if you need, I'll add a pic of it hanging on the wall. I hope that doesn't offend anybody especially since the pistol is based on John Moses Browning's 1911. How the heck this ever got onto the Saiga Board is beyond me. (L.A.R. Grizzly .45 Win Mag) 1911 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Twinsen 86 Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 I know a friend that has one of those, he swears that kicks the living shit out of desert eagles. Considering it fits the hand like a 1911, I have to agree. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GPalmer 1 Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 .44mag is the shiza for big game. For man sized animals and target, go .357 unless you can reload .44 cheaply. Yup, 44 magnum is overkill for humans unless there are a couple of them conveniently lined up in a row. If you might need something to tackle big, nasty creatures that might want to chew on you and can't take a rifle or shotgun the 44 magnum on up is usable. Folks have taken black bears with a .357 but then they've also taken bears with .22 calibers. Possible but not the best approach. So far as using it against humans... The 44 magnum is downloaded on defensive rounds to service pistol levels. It will have roughly the same power as a 9 mm / 40 S&W / 45 caliber but costs far more per round. As mentioned previously, the .357 can also shoot 38 specials which are pretty minimal in terms of felt recoil or you can go with something spicier if desired. The other thing with both the magnum rounds is that they tend to suffer more in short barrels since the barrel isn't long enough to fully burn the powder and take full advantage of the expanding gases. My 44 magnum has a 7 1/2" barrel and would be a tough carry weapon to conceal! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
XdamagedX 248 Posted July 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2008 will a desert eagle .357 shoot 38's? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GPalmer 1 Posted July 12, 2008 Report Share Posted July 12, 2008 will a desert eagle .357 shoot 38's? Interesting question. They should chamber but it's hard to say if they have enough pressure to cycle the bolt. I'd guess they do, shouldn't hurt to try them though it might be safest to call them first. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ML Roak 0 Posted July 13, 2008 Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 No question for me, I'd go for a 44 if you are set-up to reload, if stuck buying commercial ammo the 357 is a better choice. If I could only have one handgun it would be my Ruger 44mag (4 1/2" Vaquero). It will do anything I could ever ask a handgun to do, and it isn't too awfull to carry concealed, about like a full sized Glock (I would miss my Glock 26 though). If I WAS stuck to only one handgun, I would get a 3" barrel that I could swap back and forth. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Unknown Poster 5 Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 (edited) Thanks to Elmer Keith the godfather of handgun hunting the 357mag and 44mag has killed every north american game. I have both the 357mg and the 44mg. I was carring both in bear country at times before i purchased my 338winmag. after that i no longer need a handgun too. I reload my 38 special with semi wad cutters and my 44 special rounds with semi wad cutters too.(lead) We get a higher performance out of the shorter case with lead rounds. There a faster fpm in the shorter case over the longer cases. I save my 357mg and 44mg cases for jacketed bullets. As far as auto's go i like the 357SIG round. The 357 SIG 125gr JHP has the same ballastics as the 357mg 125 jhp. I have heard hospital stories about the 40cal doing wounds like seen in vietnam by one of the vet doctors who was there. I also have seen a guy gut shot with a 1911/45acp 5 times and live. So bigger is better. Edited July 16, 2008 by Unknown Poster Quote Link to post Share on other sites
macbeau 902 Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Besides more power in the .44 is there any real advantages of one or the other? You have to be kidding me (us)!.!.!.!.... Okay... The difference is like driving an '84 Toyota Corolla (.357) and then a "69 Hemi 'Cuda" (.44 mag) with blower, nitrious, and great transmission... I gave up on .357 mag when I figured out that there was nothing I couldn't do better with .44 Mag than a .357.... To that end, .44 mag is about the top end of what I can handle in a handgun cartridge in terms or power, recoil, "stopping power", reloading components, "carry-a-bility", "contolability" and overall function... your results may vary... Macbeau sends... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
buckandaquarterquarterstaff 5 Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 It really depends on what you want out of it. Just about all 44 mags are too large to carry, and there are many 357 mags that you can carry around with ease. If carry isn't part of the equation, and you do your own reloading, then the 44 is probably what I'd lean toward. Part of the reason is that a 44 mag cast lead bullet from wheel weights is still going to be very effective, whereas the same in 357 mag is not so much so. Then, you should consider the eventual lever gun companion and it's abilities. The 38/357 is a really nice lever gun for everything from deer to squirrels, but the 44 mag lever gun is much better for deer and bears (but probably too much for small game unless you really download and use cast bullets). Both of them have some real advantages over auto guns in that you can load them hot or mild without worrying about spring rates, and you really don't need to worry much about the bullet profiles and if they will chamber as you do in an auto. I'd call the 3 to 4 inch 357 mag the best all around gun for woods work, and the 44 mag as better if you live where mr griz lives. Personally, I like the fact that I can load 44 mag for my lever gun that can reach out to 200 yards with carbide dies at the rate of about 200 an hour on an inexpensive turret press. The same gun with cast bullets is good to around 150 yards, and the cost to load with wheel weight lead bullets is still very very cheap. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jrance@iacwds.com 716 Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 I've been lusting after the Smith & Wesson Bounty Hunter .44 Mag at Buds Gun Shop for $575.00. This thread is not helping me and if I cave somebodies gonna be in trouble. (Me for sure!) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Berzerker 0 Posted August 27, 2008 Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 (edited) Well I have both. I first bought a Taurus SS66 6" barrel .357 magnum. Nice shooter once I sighted it in. .38's are almost boring to shoot considering the lack of recoil. Then later I got a Taurus Tracker .44 magnum with a 4" compensated barrel. It's way over kill as a PDW against humans except for the occaisonal Sumo wrestler. They are both fine revolvers and reasonably priced. I guess it depends how you want to use them if you had to make a choice. If you fish in areas where bears might pop in on you, by all means get the .44. Heck they are both fun to own and shoot so I got both. I have not done any hunting but may at a later date. Edited August 27, 2008 by Berzerker Quote Link to post Share on other sites
THE_HUNTER 2 Posted August 28, 2008 Report Share Posted August 28, 2008 Yeah, I have 2 .357's and 2 .44mags. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rd99fxdl 17 Posted August 28, 2008 Report Share Posted August 28, 2008 will a desert eagle .357 shoot 38's? Interesting question. They should chamber but it's hard to say if they have enough pressure to cycle the bolt. I'd guess they do, shouldn't hurt to try them though it might be safest to call them first. I had the same question a long time ago and I was sent this link for it, http://www.recguns.com/Sources/IIIB4.html Should still work,havent checked it in a while I have .357 and .44 mag and have a blast with them both.Ammo is of course the big money spent on them,I use .38 special to play but .357 when I shoot more serious. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
quinci956 1 Posted August 28, 2008 Report Share Posted August 28, 2008 I have several Smith & Wesson revolvers including those chambered for .357 and 44. The .357 is a little more controlable and the 38 in easy to shoot and cheap. The 44 barks loud and there is no doubt that it will cause damage to whatever target it comes in contact with. What is the gun to be used for? That makes a huge difference in the decision making. For myself, I would probably be using that type of handgun for home defense and shooting for fun. In that case I prefer the .45 LC. It is a big slower moving round that is also fairly cheap to reload. It is also very easy on the shooter and depending on the load very accurate. I shoot 45LC Smith twice as much as either of the other two. I'll have to admit that even my 45LC has not been getting near as much range time since I brought home my 4" 500 Smith. The 500 is an extremely loud, hard recoiling handgun that conceal carries like a cinder block only heavier. Each trigger pull cost $3.00 and it only hold 5 rounds (thats $15.00 worth) and holsters are almost impossible to find. God I love that gun. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vultite 57 Posted October 13, 2008 Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/...leitemid=485587 good old 200grain monsters for the .357 mag also try the 180 grain JHP rounds Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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