Someone was nice enough to send me an early Paratus gift the other day…a Priority Mail box full of fired .357 Mag brass. Much to my surprise, it turns out that while I have, literally, buckets of .38 Spl. brass I was a bit light on .357 brass. So, this was a very welcome gift and I am grateful to the person who sent it.
Although I like the .44 Mag as much as the next guy, and I carry a .44 when I’m in the woods, my preferred revolver cartridge for survivalist needs is the .357 Magnum. Bullet selection is absurdly large, I can shoot light, cheap, and pleasant .38 Spl. interchangeably, and the guns can be a tad smaller than the .44’s. Is it my first choice for things with teeth and claws? No..although it’ll suffice in a pinch. But it is my first revolver choice for things with language skills and lapses in respect for individual rights.
Although the ‘ideal’ is a 125 gr. JHP, I prefer a bit more bullet weight…I usually go with the standard 158~ gr. JHP. If I’m after penetration, I switch over to the 125 gr. Lyman #358093 cast from linotype. It’ll penetrate everything that isn’t from Krypton. Realistically, though, a good hard cast bullet of just about any shape will outperform a jacketed one in terms of penetration, assuming equal velocities for both.
As for the launching platform, I am a fan of the Ruger GP-100 for my .357 needs. This is based on a criteria that is heavily weighted towards durability and ruggedness. The GP is about the same frame size as a Colt Python or Smith L-frame (and I do love me some S&W 681) and, often, holsters and speedloaders between the three will interchange. The GP has a couple features that, in addition to its Ruger ruggedness, make it a winner for me….the easily swappable front sight inserts are sweet, and I like the modularity of the trigger group for disassembly.
Ruger’s SP-101 series of snubbies is also a winner if you’re willing to tote the weight of a five-shot snubby made out of stainless steel. But, for the end of the world, a little extra weight might be an acceptable tradeoff for a gun that is nigh unkillable.
Out of a carbine, like my lovely Marlin 1894, the .357 Mag picks up a bit of velocity and becomes a very zippy, very controllable carbine cartridge for less-than-intermediate range. Basically, any distance you’d be comfortable with open sights will work. For my needs, thats about 100 yards.
While I’d rather ride out Katrinaville with a Glock and an AR, I wouldnt’ feel terribly undergunned with a pistol/carbine combo in .357. And, of course, being chambered for one cartridge makes logistics a bit more streamlined.
Although I carry a Glock as a matter of routine, I do carry a revolver from time to time in my daily life. In a post-apocalyptic world, the revolver has a lot going for it in terms of ammunition flexibility, retention of empties for reloading, and ability to digest ammo that might choke an auto. The drawback, of course, is that when a revolver has an issue you pretty much have to have a gunsmith….with something like a Glock all you need is some drop-in spare parts.
But, I digress…..I likes me some .357, and I thank the thoughtful reader who sent me the brass (and winds up getting on my Paratus card list). There’s no such thing as ‘too much’ when it comes to reloadable pistol brass.
I love my 4″ N Frame Smith 627 because 8 shots of 357 is 33% more fun than 6 shots. And I’ll be darned if this gun isn’t mechanically more accurate than anything else I own. Fist size groups at 25 yards is no problem for it if you do your part.
Ive been very tempted to get Rugers 8-shot moon-clip .357 Redhawk, but I just have trouble being okay with he two-piece barrel theyve gone to.
What I’d really like is a .45 revolver in .45 Win Mag that can take .45 ACP or .45 Win Mag in moon clips. Bowen made a couple once but not as a regular catalog item.
Moon clips are awesome, with training I can now reload my 8 shot wheel gun as fast as an 8 shot 1911 but with 8 rounds of more potent .357 rounds vs. .45.
Back to 6 shot guns I love my Smith 610, 10mm with true full power loads is often thought of as a “41 Magnum”. This is another gun that can be loaded from moon clips and of course can run 40 Short & Weak through it if you want to.
.45 Super as well.
You could try to find the Dan Wesson Model 460 (blue0 or 7460 (SS) but good luck on finding one and then paying for it. It also takes. 45 ACP, .45 Auto Rim, .45 Super, and .460 Rowland.
As a guy who ran a commercial indoor shooting range with an extensive rental wall, we called that the destructive testing lab, I lost faith in Ruger revolvers. The Smith and Wesson guns seemed about as durable and, when required, easier to work on. The S&W triggers only got better but at a certain point in wear of the parts the Ruger’s kind of shit the bed. That said, those guns were all well used. They got more use in a year than most would see in two generations.
Speer used to make a 146 grain half-jacket SWC that had a swaged lead core; the softer lead deformed nicely into a classic mushroom and the thicker copper alloy jacket held it together. Superbly accurate, performed very well on thin-skinned game. No idea why they stopped making it. (There was also a 240 grain version in .429, just as good in 44 Mag as the 146 was in 357. No longer made, either, alas).
As for your Win Mag jonesing, take a look at Ruger’s 45ACP/45 Colt revolver. It will take ACP in moon clips or Colt without. Colt cases are 1.285, Win Mag is 1.198; SAAMI OAL Colt is 1.600, WM is 1.575. The single action 45 Colts from Ruger are notoriously tough and I’ve seen 250 grains at >44 Mag 240g velocities out of a number of them without ill effects, no idea if the 45/45 DA revolver is as tough, but if I had to carry a wheelgun that would be my choice with 265g hard cast large meplat +P Colt loaded and 230g +P HP ACP in moon clips for reloads. I had not considered WM as a reload option instead of ACP, I’ll have to look into that.
The half-jacekt bullets were prone to core separation in the bore if you didnt drive them fast enough. If you used too light a load, the jacket would stick in the bore, causing a bore obstruction, while the lead core would continue on its way.
I do love my GP100s, the 3 inch and the 4.2. I’m planning on getting a Ruger/Marlin lever gun to complement them.
I’ve got a Marlin .357 and two of the 627 8-shots, but I’m looking at a Ruger Match Champion .357 from a local private party as I’ve heard good things about them. I’ve got the Ranch Dog 125, 158 and 175 grain RNFP molds to feed them with. Gray Fox
I bought a Rossi lever action that shoots .38 & .357. Holds 11 rounds. It is a hoot to fire .38 with next to no kickback. With .357 it is a little bit worse. Accurate and I get lots of interest at the range. A good rifle for $650.
Got a 77/357. Good times.
Don’t forget that .44 specials fit your .44Mag revolvers, too.
They can be less expensive and have much milder recoil. 200gr LRN hits pretty hard too. At 50 feet.
I’m actually quite a fan of the .44 Special, actually. It’ll do anything the .45
AARPACP will do but with better bullets.I had a GP-100 the first year they came out. I used it in competition and fun shooting for 2yrs or so and sold it to a friend of mine. His son still has it and is using it as well. In my experience Rugers are, excuse the pun, bullet proof. I recently purchased a GP-100 in 10mm and it is great. My current .357 is a Colt King Cobra I bought right after selling that GP100 in 357. I have several Ruger revolvers and a few S&W’s even a few Alpha revolvers in .22/.22Mag and 9mm. I also have the carbines and lever guns to go with them. Now, sadly, being a Canadian I will no longer be able to buy handguns. Aah, to live in a free country again! TTFN
I agree! S&W 686 plus is my go to gun for my cabin here in the Appalachian woods. With a 4” barrel it’s not to big or heavy for all day carry. Seven rounds of 357 (loaded with the Double Tap 200 grain hardcast loads) doesn’t make me feel undergunned. I might rethink that if I lived out west.