We know that the 9mm vs 45 acp debate is endless, but there seems to be little disagreement that the .357 magnum round is a highly effective self defense choice. Yet very few semi autos have been made to handle this caliber. A few more take .357 Sig, but not the revolver based .357 Magnum round. I'm certainly no expert on calibers or guns in general and was curious about this. I admit that my one .357 Mag revolver is hardly ever used to shoot that round, prefering the less expensive, and lower recoil of .38 Special instead.
Why so few semi autos made to fire .357magnum?
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Simple answer. The rim. The edge hanging off the back makes feeding from a magazine tougher to design for.
The Coonan .357 Magnum was in production for quite a few years, so it obviously can be done. I guess the general reason we don't see more .357 mag auto pistols is economic; there apparently isn't enough demand, at whatever price it currently takes to manufacture them.
I would guess that a lot of folks that want that kind of power end up buying a .357 SIG or a 10mm (or maybe just a .400 Cor-Bon barrel for their 1911 ;>).
Edit: You can also get pretty dang close with a .40 S&W - for example, Underwood's 40 cal 135gr @ 1400fps, vs Federal's .357 mag 125gr @ 1450fps.
I would guess that a lot of folks that want that kind of power end up buying a .357 SIG or a 10mm (or maybe just a .400 Cor-Bon barrel for their 1911 ;>).
Edit: You can also get pretty dang close with a .40 S&W - for example, Underwood's 40 cal 135gr @ 1400fps, vs Federal's .357 mag 125gr @ 1450fps.
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IraIII
Bearcat
Length of the 357 Magnum makes the grip circumference large, too much for many shooters, also 357 Magnum being mostly used in revolvers is a rimmed case which does not feed as well in a magazine as a non-rimmed case.
This. Plus the fact that the .357 is a long cartridge, making for a large grip that's somewhere between awkward and impossible for many shooters.
If you want .357 Mag ballistics in a semiauto, there are several practical ways to go about it.
The unwieldy Desert Eagle also comes to mind. I feel like I'm shooting using a bowler's finger tip grip with one of those.
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I bought a Desert Eagle .357 mag magazine because I thought it would be a good way to carry a reload for a revolver.
Even the magazine by itself is massive.
Even the magazine by itself is massive.
My start at being a 'gun enthusiast' began with the 357 magnum and revolvers.... it is what I coveted when young and thought was the best choice... after a year or two I realized at least with practice .357 magnum in 125 grain is just not fun to shoot.... 158 grain is much better ... but 38 special one can shoot all day..... 357 is part of my forum name here as well as my email address..... but I inherited a 9mm semi-auto pistol from my late brother in law (Ruger P95) and discovered I really liked semi-autos better.... at least once I figure out how to shoot them.... I actually lost count of the number of P95's I've bought over the years.... then a couple of years ago I got kind of aggravated with Ruger for going to striker fired pistols and at the same time had been carrying the best looking semi-auto ever made... a Sig Sauer P230... in .380. I kept getting the information that Sigs were a bit better than Rugers and one day had too much money in the bank and dropped by a local gun store to just brows and there was a Sig P226 begging me to buy it..... I did and never turned back... but the one thing that bothered me was I had switched to 9mm and my email address and forum name was still '357'. then once day I had an epiphany ..... just switch to .357 sig.... the round is not quite up to the same as 357 magnum but close enough for my standards... I've actually bought at least two Sig P239 pistols from guys who could not shoot that round... too much for them in a medium sized pistol. 40 S&W, 357 sig and 10mm were all developed for one reason... to stop a bad guy. I went to a local gun range a week ago with a fellow from my church and he was telling me about working in a prison and it is not unusual for the prisoners to show and brag about the 9mm scares they have. Seems there was no one showing or bragging about their '357' holes.
Bob Wright
Hawkeye
The .357 Magnum revolver cartridge was designed back in the 'Thirties as a police revolver cartridge. Automobiles were just coming into use by the crooks of the day, and a more powerful cartridge was sought after to penetrate automobile bodies. However, the cartridge/revolver combination soon found its way into outdoorsman's hands. The .357 Magnum offered high velocity/flat trajectory with sufficient killing power to use on game animals. Hence, it became the tool of the sportsman.
Now its ballistics performance has been nearly equaled by the short pistol cartridges, if not exceeded. This means they can be used in more or less conventional auto loading pistols. Adapting the .357 Mag. requires extraordinary design of any pistol so chambered. So the sportsman will cling to the revolver, while the para military/self defense crowd will gravitate toward the conventional pistol designs.
And.......................most pistoleros don't like their handguns to toss out their precious brass so nonchalantly!
Bob Wright
Now its ballistics performance has been nearly equaled by the short pistol cartridges, if not exceeded. This means they can be used in more or less conventional auto loading pistols. Adapting the .357 Mag. requires extraordinary design of any pistol so chambered. So the sportsman will cling to the revolver, while the para military/self defense crowd will gravitate toward the conventional pistol designs.
And.......................most pistoleros don't like their handguns to toss out their precious brass so nonchalantly!
Bob Wright
I appreciate the information presented. I hadn't thought about the challenge of a rimmed cartridge in a semi magazine.
contender
Ruger Guru
Pretty well covered above.
Hard to get reliable function from a rimmed cartridge, and the size of the case making the size of the gun grip too big for most.
Hard to get reliable function from a rimmed cartridge, and the size of the case making the size of the gun grip too big for most.
Yeah the Coonan has dominated the market for a reason. Feeding rimmed cartridges from a magazine only works with an extreme slope so the rims don't hang up.The Coonan .357 Magnum was in production for quite a few years, so it obviously can be done. I guess the general reason we don't see more .357 mag auto pistols is economic; there apparently isn't enough demand, at whatever price it currently takes to manufacture them.
I would guess that a lot of folks that want that kind of power end up buying a .357 SIG or a 10mm (or maybe just a .400 Cor-Bon barrel for their 1911 ;>).
Edit: You can also get pretty dang close with a .40 S&W - for example, Underwood's 40 cal 135gr @ 1400fps, vs Federal's .357 mag 125gr @ 1450fps.
protoolman
Service-Sixer
.38 Super in a 1911 is the answer. Used to be popular in Mexico because civilians couldn't own .45s as they were a prohibited military caliber.
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I bought a Desert Eagle in .41 mag because it could also use a .44 mag upper. Was never able to find a .44 mag upper to go with it or they were priced way to high for me. Should of got the .357 while I was at it. Back in the day our local Walmart had the Desert Eagles in stock.
Large firearms and no lead ammo only jacketed.
Large firearms and no lead ammo only jacketed.
Pps1980
Single-Sixer
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The several folks I have known with 357mag auto loaders had two main issues as I recall: grip dimensions were less than ideal for normal size hands and reliable feeding was a common problem.
beentheredone
Single-Sixer
I'll tell you what -- you try designing a semiauto that will reliably, stake-your-life-on-it, feed fire eject a .357 Mag round. Then, report back to us, as I am sure you will have some significant findings...
What idiot thinks it's a good idea to run revolver rounds in a Semi Auto???
Maybe I should demand a 12ga pocket semi auto like a LCP.
Maybe I should demand a 12ga pocket semi auto like a LCP.
This. If one wants .357 level performance in an autoloader 10 mm firearms and ammunition are commonly available. 10mm has actually been gaining in popularity the last few years. More manufacturers are producing a wider variety of handguns chambered for it.The Coonan .357 Magnum was in production for quite a few years, so it obviously can be done. I guess the general reason we don't see more .357 mag auto pistols is economic; there apparently isn't enough demand, at whatever price it currently takes to manufacture them.
I would guess that a lot of folks that want that kind of power end up buying a .357 SIG or a 10mm (or maybe just a .400 Cor-Bon barrel for their 1911 ;>).
Edit: You can also get pretty dang close with a .40 S&W - for example, Underwood's 40 cal 135gr @ 1400fps, vs Federal's .357 mag 125gr @ 1450fps.
Your .357 Sig can be changed to shoot .40cal - Barrel change! Or Visa-Versa
