What ever happened to the ,357 Mag?

[M118LR]

I would like a pair to go with my .44s

We are talking revolver/carbine combo right? (just couldn't resist, excuse me.)

 

[M118LR]

One would think that a straight walled cartridge (.357 Mag case) that can be reloaded with hand dies in two distinct power levels would garnish enough interest from survivalists to keep it a relevant cartridge?

 

[bakron1]

I loved the 357 Mag and used it for hunting deer in Michigan and one of my favorite carry guns was a Lew Horton Pocket Rocket 357 mag with a 2 1/2 maga ported barrel.

I sold it years ago to the owner of our local gun shop and have been looking for a used one for years, just too expensive now that Lew Horton is no longer around.

357 Mag is a great caliber, but unfortunately when most law enforcement agencies converted to 9mm and 40 caliber, it lost its appeal.

 

[M118LR]

Sometimes following LEO lead ain't what it's cracked up to be. (I.E. FBI 10mm, which became .40 S&W, which became Glocks biggest failure. Which now has the FBI piddling with 9 mm, which the Military uses as NATO standard. Which led to most Service Members being issued carbines instead of sidearms.) The caliber issue with semiautomatic pistols is like a dog chasing it's own tail. The only semiautomatic caliber that has proven worthy across the board is the .45 ACP! So I 'll just hold on to my Glock 21SF until all the LE Agencies and Uncle Sam come to their senses and the .45 ACP becomes what the .38 Special was in the revolver world. That's just my opinion. By then the .357 Mag will go the way of the other Dinos.

 

[ccc]

Sometimes following LEO lead ain't what it's cracked up to be. (I.E. FBI 10mm, which became .40 S&W, which became Glocks biggest failure. Which now has the FBI piddling with 9 mm, which the Military uses as NATO standard. Which led to most Service Members being issued carbines instead of sidearms.) The caliber issue with semiautomatic pistols is like a dog chasing it's own tail. The only semiautomatic caliber that has proven worthy across the board is the .45 ACP! So I 'll just hold on to my Glock 21SF until all the LE Agencies and Uncle Sam come to their senses and the .45 ACP becomes what the .38 Special was in the revolver world. That's just my opinion. By then the .357 Mag will go the way of the other Dinos.

I find fault in statements like these “No disrespect”. How many people have died from a .9mm ? While the .45 is a beast as far as kinetic energy at 10’ the fact is just like the .22 has killed a butt load of people and animals I would think overwhelmingly whether it is good guy against bad or bad guy against bad, more people have grass as a blanket right now compliments of a .9mm. So the one stop shot is really not a factor, dead is dead. The .357 is a deadly round, as is the .38, the .10 mm, the .45, and many others. Pretty sure none of us want to be shot by any of them. But at the end of the day there is a reason the .9mm is the dominate round for folks good and bad to carry.

 

[bohica762]

I don't know about the rest of ya'll but the .357 mag is a go to round for me. I carry at least one every day, plus my woods walking gun is a old model 3 screw in that caliber. When on horseback or in the pickup I have a Rossi m-92 in it. It's till going strong in this neck of the woods.

 

[M118LR]

Now we do realize just how many countries don't allow civilians to use Military Cartridges like the 9 mm? Not to mention that the .40 S&W is probably more dominant for PD & other LEO use at present in America. But a lot of departments allow Officers to choose from an authorized list which usually includes 9 mm, 40 S&W, and .45 ACP. Unless strictly by department issue only, in which case there is no selection/choice.

 

[G-rat]

Sometimes following LEO lead ain't what it's cracked up to be. (I.E. FBI 10mm, which became .40 S&W, which became Glocks biggest failure. Which now has the FBI piddling with 9 mm, which the Military uses as NATO standard. Which led to most Service Members being issued carbines instead of sidearms.) The caliber issue with semiautomatic pistols is like a dog chasing it's own tail. The only semiautomatic caliber that has proven worthy across the board is the .45 ACP! So I 'll just hold on to my Glock 21SF until all the LE Agencies and Uncle Sam come to their senses and the .45 ACP becomes what the .38 Special was in the revolver world. That's just my opinion. By then the .357 Mag will go the way of the other Dinos.

Pot officially stirred...

 

[M118LR]

Well, at least this time I guess the stir stick was at least in the hands of the OP. Guess it was inevitable with all the references to LE Agencies semiauto's? Hope the caldron doesn't boil over. Okay?

 

[850guns]

I still stock .38 and 357. Rifle and pistols. Use 38 snub for snake duties.

 

[M118LR]

Okay then, let's begin with the start of the demise of the .357. Along came the S&W Model 39, and then some high octane Navy Boy's adapted it to a double stack mag, and suddenly the LEO Arms Race was on. It wasn't until a certain Bank Robbery that the FBI determined that the 9 mm in a double stacked sidearm wasn't good enough. Enter the 10 mm (although not a Bren). But it seems that all this tail chasing is circling back to the Original 9 mm Double Stack used by those High Octane Navy Boy's. Then Uncle Sam stepped in with more bean counters and HK got the High Octane contract and MK 23's appeared. To large, to cumbersome, not worthy. Let's turn to Sig, in the mean time Big Green is taking on the Beretta, and all the Academy Folks in ACU's are getting issued AR's in pistol Calibers. Needless to say that Special Ops needs a .45 ACP sidearm, so Uncle Sam once again diverges from America's LE Agencies. But the good folks in Georgia, (Home of American Glocks) determine that their PD needs the Glock Model 21SF. Need I say more Let the good times roll. History, JMHO. Probably not that far from actual occurrences since I lived it. But YMMV. (Wish SAWMAN was still with US. bet a lot of youngsters are banging their goggle buttons trying to keep up!). Sometimes the Old and experienced have an edge on the young bucks. LOL.

 

[850guns]

Now, I also have a love affair with my S&W wonder 9's, not just revolvers.

 

[M118LR]

Now, I also have a love affair with my S&W wonder 9's, not just revolvers.

Perhaps it's time to take a look at the 1986 Miami Bank Robbery? I think that ended the love affairs of both S&W .357 revolvers and 9 mm 459 Double Stack semiautomatics. All those agents got their sixes handed to them by a perp or two with a Mini-14. The rest is LE Agency History.

 

[jettjon]

What happened?

(1) Modern 9MM / 40SW ammunition / JHP loads increased their effectiveness.
(2) 357 Mag ammo went to $1/rd.
(3) LEOs don't carry revolvers anymore.

Still a fan of 357Mag but don't shoot it often.

Great answer, nailed it. You CAN still have your .357 (Ruger GP100, I'm looking at you) but there are many equal or superior choice out there now

 

[bakron1]

I have always liked how history has played a huge role in the evolution of the caliber wars, as I said, I killed a few deer with a 357 Colt Python back in the day before moving to 41 Mag. I wish I still had my Colt Python, but that’s a different story and we all wished we hadn’t sold a gun or two we had in the past.

 

[capt.joe]

If i could just find a ruger blackhawk in 357 max to match my rifle..

 

[bakron1]

If i could just find a ruger blackhawk in 357 max to match my rifle..

That was another great gun for deer hunting, I knew several folks who used them for hunting back in the day.

 

[Bay Ranger]

I carry a Taurus .357 in stainless when I'm up at the deer camp. First 2 to come around are .38 snake/rat shot. then a .38, finally 2 .357. I've gotten several pics on the trail cameras of 3 dogs wandering around and don't want to take the chance with them. I like the flexability of different loads in the .357.

 

[fl57caveman]

If i could just find a ruger blackhawk in 357 max to match my rifle..

did you get the mortgage paid off yet from the first box of ammo?

 

[FLT]

While I know it’s not hip and cool these days , I don’t feel the least bit under gunned when I’m carrying a model 66 S&W revolver . But in answer to the original question, the 357 is alive and well around my place.