Author Topic: 357Mag VS 40S&W for field use. (Read 1256 times)

tjf76 · « **on:** March 27, 2004, 10:38:29 AM »

was wondering what everyone thought about this and why.

williamlayton · « **Reply #1 on:** March 28, 2004, 02:05:25 PM »

.357 before the .40 but the general concensus is a .10 before a .357.
Blessings

Badnews Bob · « **Reply #2 on:** March 28, 2004, 04:46:38 PM »

In a pinch you can find .357s anywhere, the .40 not as easy to find, The 10mm can be a bear to find sometimes. The .357 was the most powerful handgun in the world for a long time they work and work well.

Mikey · « **Reply #3 on:** March 29, 2004, 04:44:36 AM »

tjf76: No contest for a field piece. The 357 ousthines the 40 by a long shot and I would not advocate the 40 S&W for field carry any more than I would advocate the 9mm for field carry. Oh yeah, you might get lucky and it might do the job but the 357 flat-out does the job without worry.

Both the 9mm and the 40 S&W at almost to max pressures for the case and cartridge with factory loadings and I wouldn't use either for field work. The 357 can be loaded to be so much more effective that the comparison is not worth another thought (in my opinion). Get yourself a nice packin' length 357 (usually 4" is best) and stoke it with anything you want, and it will do better for you than the 40. HTH. Mikey.

tjf76 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 30, 2004, 03:27:39 AM »

How about thw issue of double the mag capacity with my glock 23 over my sp101, I can get 14 rounds in my glock and only 5 in the ruger. wouldnt the glock be better? :?

Mikey · « **Reply #5 on:** March 30, 2004, 04:08:49 AM »

tjf76 - is the Glock 23 a 40 S&W or a 10mm? Just a question there because I'm not familiar with the Glock designations. The emphasis on the 357 over the 40 S&W was generic to the calibers, not the shooter.

OK, you have 14-15 rounds of Glock 23 stuff vs the 5 rounds in the revolver which certainly gives you a firepower advantage, especially if you can handle that 23 in a close quarters situation with a fast moving predator. Howsoever, I'm not aware of a Black Bear attack on a human in NYS - most often they shy away from us and would not attack us if we were fishing their favorite Salmon stream the way a Grizzly or Brown Bear would but, sometimes they get whizzed off at us and that may call for a, umm, defensive shooting situation. If it is up close and personal and you have your 23 loaded for Bear, so to speak, you should be able to extricate yourself from the situation without harm to you (increased heartbeat rates are OK in that situation) and possibly a new rug.

If you are going to stick with your G23, I would recommend heavy soft nosed or hard cast square shouldered bullets that could penetrate and break bone. 180 - 200 gns is a good weight range for that 400 bore. You may wish to (as in 'should') avoid hollow-points in favor of penetration. Also, I would practice for the possibilities - Bear do not stand on their hind feet and talk at ya before they decide to chew your azz (LOL), except in Hollywood - they come in low and fast like a dog or a hog, bowl you right over and rip you apart. I don't know too many guys who can stand up to a low fast charge by a bruin weighing 3-400 lbs, which is why I suggested the 357 with heavier loads for its penetration.

OK, I've flapped off enough but I do wish you good luck and hope you don't ever find yourself in a position to prove the point. Mikey.

Old Griz · « **Reply #6 on:** March 30, 2004, 09:45:56 AM »

:cb2: Why do you need 14 rounds in the woods? What are you planning to wage war against? No one said you were trying to defend against Griz. If that were the case I wouldn't want either. But just for a woods gun that will handle most 4 legged critters you will come up against, and all 2 legged critters, I'd sure go with the .357.

Jerry Lester · « **Reply #7 on:** March 30, 2004, 10:50:10 AM »

First, like most of the others have said, I'd choose a revolver over a semi-auto any day if it's for carrying in the field(fishing, hunting or such).

When it comes to a field revolver, the 357 is tops period in my book. Well, that's assuming you're not in big bear country, and still, I'd a whole lot rather have my 357 Blackhawk in big bear country than any semi-auto I could think of.

The 357 has become severely under rated since the bigger caliber hand guns have came out. I think if people would try out a 357 revolver before they run out and buy a 44, 454, or any of the other huge calibers, they'd respect the lowly 357 a lot more.

tjf76 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 30, 2004, 12:44:27 PM »

All the feedback is great! I love having all the different points of view to think about. I do agree the 357 wheel gun is hard to beat. I am going to think this one over for a while. I just like semi's better the the wheel gun.
BUT in this case of bear defense I might have to become a wheel gun fan.
thanks for the words of wisdom.
tjf76 :?

williamlayton · « **Reply #9 on:** March 30, 2004, 01:15:23 PM »

If ya like the semi-auto your goin to spend more than your allowance to get a reliable one---an reliable is what your going to need.
Dan Wesson has a new 10mm in a 1911--since your going to want a trail gun do not get 9mm or .40.
Read the post here an some other places to see what tha boys go thru to get em reliable.
Blessings

Sixgun · « **Reply #10 on:** March 31, 2004, 04:17:03 AM »

tjf76,

It says that you live in western Montana. There is a chance that you will encounter Mr. Silvertip while you are out there messing around. I have never had a run in with a griz but I have had several with black bears and I live just a little farther west, in Idaho.

The first one was when a friend and I were out searching for a wrecked airplane that our boss wanted to salvage. I had a 22 revolver and that was the only gun I had at the time.(back in my college days) We walked around a corner in a trail and a B Bear cub ran up a tree just squelaing his lungs out. We were only 5 feet from the tree and I had that 22 revolver out and we had no idea which way to go. Ma Bear didn't show up and we pussy footed it out of there but right then and there I decided that I would never only carry a 22 again.

I got a 357 shortly after that and carried it for 20 years. I killed lots of grouse with it and even two mule deer. I saw lots of bears but they were always running away so the 357 seemed big enough.

About 15 years ago I started to notice that most of the Black Bears I was running into were not running away anymore. I had about ten Boy Scouts and there dads on a 50 mile hike in the Sawtooths and one old bore was setting in the middle of the trail and didn't want to move. We ended up going way around him. It was no small feat for me cause I was leading the pack string and I hate weaving through trees with a pack string. We didn't have any wrecks and got around ok but that old bore decided to follow us, at times only about 50' behind. He followed us for about 5 miles, never being agressive, but always there. It was a real worry and again, I was the only one with a gun. He finally dissapeared but showed up at camp that night and several other times throughout the trip. He was a big bear and would have gone over 6 feet. I have to admit that even though I was loaded to the max with 180gr laser cast with a reel stout charge of W296, I was afraid that if I had to shoot that bear, he may still get to one of the boys.

After that incident I bought a ruger SBH with a 5.5" barrel. It carries nice whether I am in the saddle or walking. I have hunted Black Bear with this rig and use a 310gr Lee hard cast with max of H110 or 296 to push it along. It has killed two nice black bears and put both down with authority.

Now to answer your question. If a forty is all you have, take it. If you are buying something to carry around in the field around the Western Montana area, get at least a 44 mag. It is the minimum for a Griz and where you live you may need it for one. If you stay away from the longer barrels, it is easy to carry and will not get in your way. The Griz in the Idaho Panhandle are about the same size as the Black Bear in that area but you can run into some pretty good sized Black Bears. I assume they are about the same in your neck of the woods.

Too much gun is only a problem if you are not carrying it when you need it. Not enough gun is always a problem.

Sixgun

Dragon31 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 31, 2004, 05:44:45 AM »

I too favor the .357 with heavy cast bullets for general walking in the woods stuff. If you really want an auto loader, shop around and find yourself a Coonan stainless in .357. They are a little pricey next to a revolver but have what can be considered some advantages. First no cylinder gap gets you some increases velocity. Second, they are flat sided and make for easy carrying. Third, get a holster with and extra magazine attached and you are ready with 14 rounds (why you need that many I wouldn't know...but). Four, they have good sights. Five, triggers are easy to adjust. Six, you can have the best of both worlds.
Have a good time making your choice.

papajohn428 · « **Reply #12 on:** April 03, 2004, 07:42:48 AM »

Whether you prefer semiautos or not, the versatility of ANY revolver beats the semi, hands down. For a woods bum, you can carry a variety of heavy loads, light stuff for smaller game, and even shotshells for grouse or whatever. The revolver is just as easy to pack, likely more accurate, and if it goes click, just pull the trigger again to bring up a fresh round. No contest, revolvers rule on the trail! :wink:
PJ

Black Jaque Janaviac · « **Reply #13 on:** April 05, 2004, 06:55:16 AM »

For what it's worth, the old .357 is enjoying some benefits of modern technology. Visit Buffalo Bore's website and they have some very impressive loadings for the .357, including a 180 grain hard cast that runs some 1500+ fps. And this is at standard .357 pressures - so any .357 will handle it.

Coincidentally, .357 handloaders are raving about the performance of Hodgdon's Lil' Gun. Some have suggested that is the secret ingredient in Buffalo Bore's loads.

I'm suprised no one clued in on your mention of the SP101. How does that thing handle with heavy loads? I always think of the SP101 as a compromised .357 to make it easier for urban concealed carry where the worst threat walks on 2 legs. The .357 doesn't throw particularly heavy slugs compared to the .44s and .45s so a little more velocity helps to compensate (provided the bullet is designed to handle this).

Generically the .357 has the versatility for rural carry. But an SP101 specifically vs. a .40S&W?

Good question. I would get some loads for each that would be suitable for the intent, then take an afternoon at the range to compare how I did with each gun - THEN make my decision.

Most people here seemed to assume generically - as if you were wonder which gun to buy. But it appears to me you aren't shopping for a gun, you are just wondering which of the two you already have.

tjf76 · « **Reply #14 on:** April 06, 2004, 02:56:26 AM »

Black Jaque,

After shooting both at the range the lock in 40s&w just handles heavy loads better. Im not a reloader so I shot the heaviest factory loads out there. the sp101 being small {3" barrel} would snap my wrist making a fast follow up shot pretty difficult. the glock 23 was a bit snappy too,
between the two with heavy factory loads I would have to choose the glock. Fits my hand better, will out shoot my sp101 hands down and
IF NEEDED- I have 14 rds vs 5 rds.