Is the .357 Magnum obsolete?

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hdrk1111

Bearcat
Joined
Apr 29, 2012
Messages
54
Plus one with Enigma. I have many many handguns, 50% being 1911s the rest an equal number of glocks and revolvers of which are Colts, Rugers and Smith and Wesson. . Have 5 Dillon Square Deals to cover the calibers. It does appear that the most commonly used is the .357/38spl the most comply fired hand guns are the old model bh 357. The s&w 686 and the s&w model 36 3" barrel. It's just little cooler than an auto and I'm getting to dam old to chase after the brass.
 

GunnyGene

Hawkeye
Joined
Nov 23, 2013
Messages
9,283
Location
Monroe County, MS
leejack said:
Re: Is the .357 Magnum obsolete?

No it isn't.

I love shooting .38 special but it's nice to send a few maggies down range as well.

Plenty of love left for the .357 magnum and the revolvers chambered for them...

In point of fact, there are NO "obsolete" weapons. Some just aren't as popular or available as they used to be. Rocks aren't real popular now, but a well placed one is still effective. Not to mention anything that can poke a hole in you or otherwise end your existence. :wink:

Einstein had something to say about this: "I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
 

jimd441

Blackhawk
Joined
Feb 28, 2009
Messages
684
Location
NC
Hey Gunny Gene,

I thought I heard all the classic Einstein quotes, But I hadn't heard the one you quoted. Thanks for sharing.

Jim
 

Flyover_Country

Bearcat
Joined
Jan 2, 2018
Messages
62
Nope, far from obsolete. Behind the .22 rimfire, the .357 is the second most popular revolver chambering. It works well in medium-sized revolvers and is about the smallest round that is generally considered usable for deer hunting with a handgun. It's slightly less powerful than a 10 mm Auto but not by a bunch, and the 10 mm Auto is the most powerful round routinely chambered in semi-automatic handguns. Just because the military, police, and mall ninjas don't use it, doesn't mean it's worthless. I'd much rather have a .357 wheel gun than a 9 mm semi-auto, the .357 is notably more powerful and likely coming out of a much more accurate weapon. Ditto with the "obsolete" .30-06 from a bolt gun vs. the current cartridge-du-jour 5.56x45 mm from an AR. No contest.
 
Joined
Nov 30, 2004
Messages
3,208
Location
Alabama, in the bend of the Tennessee River
Yes, totally obselete and should all be thrown in the nearest river, starting with this 1954 S&W.
413671594.jpg
 

hdrk1111

Bearcat
Joined
Apr 29, 2012
Messages
54
Great picture, I look forward to using mine on blackmail costal deer next year. Hopefully if my skill set is good to go.
 

Flyover_Country

Bearcat
Joined
Jan 2, 2018
Messages
62
Doug.38PR said:
No way is it obsolete! The Revolver is just as relevant as it was 80 years ago. Semi-Automatics and even High Capacity Semi-Automatics are nothing new. Six For Sure and the powerful .357 Magnum are still top notch.

The revolver is probably more relevant than it was 80 years ago as revolvers have seen much more development with regards to cartridges and firearms compared to semi-automatics. The only semi-auto cartridge invented in the last 100 years to gain widespread usage is the .40 S&W, which is slightly more powerful than the .45 ACP and 9 mm. We're still shooting semi-automatics based on late-1800s to 1920s era cartridges- .22 LR, .25/.32 ACP, .380 ACP, 9 mm Luger, .38 ACP/.38 Super, .45 ACP, and then the newer .40 S&W which is the one exception to the pre-1920s rule. Also, one of the most popular semi-auto pistols is the 107 year old M1911.

Most of the revolver rounds we shoot today are much newer. Yes, the .38 Special is old. But the .357 Magnum was invented in 1935, the .38 Special +P spec is newer than that. All of the other magnum revolver cartridges in wide usage were invented after WWII. The .44 Magnum, which is grossly more powerful than any rimless semi-auto pistol cartridge, was invented in 1955. the .41 Magnum, which is still more powerful than any of the rimless semi-auto pistol cartridges, was invented in the '60s. The larger magnum and supermagnum revolver cartridges were invented in the 1970s or later. Most of the revolver designs we shoot today hail from the 1970s or later.
 

Doug.38PR

Single-Sixer
Joined
Oct 10, 2007
Messages
195
Location
Somewhere between El Paso TX and Charleston SC
people can be on the firing line shooting 9mms, .38 Spl., .40S&W and .45 ACP and people just talk and chat away. Somebody fires off a .357 Magnum on the line and all talking stops and everyone instinctively takes a step back....any Magnum gun will get your attention with the noise, shockwave and ground shaking
 

Doug.38PR

Single-Sixer
Joined
Oct 10, 2007
Messages
195
Location
Somewhere between El Paso TX and Charleston SC
Flyover_Country said:
Doug.38PR said:
No way is it obsolete! The Revolver is just as relevant as it was 80 years ago. Semi-Automatics and even High Capacity Semi-Automatics are nothing new. Six For Sure and the powerful .357 Magnum are still top notch.

The revolver is probably more relevant than it was 80 years ago as revolvers have seen much more development with regards to cartridges and firearms compared to semi-automatics. The only semi-auto cartridge invented in the last 100 years to gain widespread usage is the .40 S&W, which is slightly more powerful than the .45 ACP and 9 mm. We're still shooting semi-automatics based on late-1800s to 1920s era cartridges- .22 LR, .25/.32 ACP, .380 ACP, 9 mm Luger, .38 ACP/.38 Super, .45 ACP, and then the newer .40 S&W which is the one exception to the pre-1920s rule. Also, one of the most popular semi-auto pistols is the 107 year old M1911.

Most of the revolver rounds we shoot today are much newer. Yes, the .38 Special is old. But the .357 Magnum was invented in 1935, the .38 Special +P spec is newer than that. All of the other magnum revolver cartridges in wide usage were invented after WWII. The .44 Magnum, which is grossly more powerful than any rimless semi-auto pistol cartridge, was invented in 1955. the .41 Magnum, which is still more powerful than any of the rimless semi-auto pistol cartridges, was invented in the '60s. The larger magnum and supermagnum revolver cartridges were invented in the 1970s or later. Most of the revolver designs we shoot today hail from the 1970s or later.

Even the .40 S&W is an intermediary round that is beginning to retard as police and citizens drift back to 9mm. 9mm and .45 ACP have made vast improvements over the past few decades.
The .357 magnum has gone well beyond the LSWC 158 gr bullet that it originally fired. The hotter and faster abd better expanding 125 gr SJHP or JHP or XTP bullets are king as defense rounds.
 

Rodfac

Blackhawk
Joined
Mar 11, 2009
Messages
691
Location
Kentucky
But for folks that actually spend time in the woods, the .357 remains a great choice,.... and even in the fore mentioned social settings, a .357 revolver is every bit as useful as it ever was.
Great quote, eh Komrads...'bout says it all. Power in a compact package (can you say S&W M19, or a Ruger Flat Top 4-5/8"), with enough oomph to satisfy most needs that a handgun can help with, and recoil that's robust but manageable for the majority of us...as well as store bought ammunition (mouse fart to moose clobber) in the 'way back yonder' reaches of this fair country; well the .357 has it pegged, sort of a 'do-it-all' caliber, donchaknow? Skeeter had it right forty years ago: a 5"er (still hoping to find one in a custom "K" frame Smith) with a set of grips that work for you, and a good leather holster that won't stick up in your ribs on any seated conveyance is the answer. It's the handgun equivalent of the old saw, "there are few things on God's Green Earth, that a good man can't fix with $700 or a .30-06". Rod
 

z1r

Single-Sixer
Joined
Feb 11, 2016
Messages
121
Typically I prefer a .44 special with 265 loaded at about 1000 fps.

However, my 4" Security Six is about as good as it gets. Lightweight, and capable of packing a considerable wallop!
 

Armybrat

Buckeye
Joined
Feb 22, 2007
Messages
1,525
Location
Round Rock, Texas
This SS .357 will be serving my descendants long after any of my plastic guns...
Guns082.jpg


Same for my NV .357:
2621_AA13_C1_A6_4_CAF_AD89_E1_BD48939194.jpg


My kids & grandkids all love shooting the .357 along with the .22 & .45ACP handguns that we own.
 
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