357 vs. the 45

What is your opinion on which is a better self defense caliber. Which has the highest stopping power, or kill power? Which is the most expensive, which is the best for main carry, not back up? Which would be the gun you wished you would have in a conflict?

The 45 has about the same stopping power as the 357

You will notice that the 357 will have a brighter mussel flash sometimes to much.

In most cases the choice depends on if you like a semi-auto or wheel gun.

Allmost all 45s are semiautos and allmost all 357s are wheel guns.

I will stick with my 1911 and ten rounds over a 357 and 6 rounds.

yea but they say that guy that shot the priest, his 45 locked up after the fourth round, or the third. I don't want anything jamming, I almost wonder if it was one of those hi point guns?

I am a long time fan of the 1911. for me the question isn't even close. I love my 45.

I've got 2 .357 7 shot revolvers and a .357 lever action rifle, so you can guess what my preference is.

My first handgun was a Walther PPK/S which ended up being a total POS which in turn soured me on semi-auto handguns in a self defense, life or death situation. Yeah I know there are plenty of good reliable semis out there, but if someone wakes me up at 4am I don't want to be thinking if I have a round chambered or if there is a safety on when I go to pull the trigger.
You can get a good used Smith and Wesson or Taurus .357 for about $250. A reliable .45 will cost you more and there are a lot of semis that I would never trust in an emergency.

Either caliber will stop an intruder effectively.

eb

reply to post by Plasma applicator


well it is modern looking, I love the way they feel in your hand, I just don't want to hope for more than six rounds and get stuck with three or four with a jam

wow , what was wrong with the walther?

Originally posted by backyard guru
wow , what was wrong with the walther?

It would misfire about every other round. It put a dent in the primer but not enough pressure to fire. When it did fire the extractor would fail half the time catching the shell when the slide returned. I took it back to the dealer/gunsmith a few times for repairs before finally returning it to him and ordering the Taurus 617.

I might have just got a bad one, but it was enough of a pain in the as$ to make me stick with revolvers.

eb

when i look at the 357 bullet itself it looks really mean, the fourty five looks less mean,but when looking down the barrel of a 45 it looks like a fricken canon, I mean huge. I held a xd 4o at the gun store a couple days ago and it felt so right, the sights were super clear , held 17 rounds, can you believe it ? I might even go that way, also if a 357 is only twofifty, I might just get both!

reply to post by Razmear23


i seriously never would of guessed that a walther would function so poorly, they are cool looking guns, james bond carries one and all, but the things you described , it wouldnt have made it back to the store with me, it would of got thrown under a bus...

The taurus is actually the 357 ive been looking at, but everyone keeps telling me that they blow apart from some shells. I would buy stainless of course maybe that would last longer...

You would not want to be looking down the barrel of this either:



This is the other .357 I have (someone elses pic, but same model).
The S&W 686-P (P stands for Plus as in 7 shots instead of 6) is both intimidating and extremely reliable.

eb

what i wonder , and it probally sounds stupid , but why cant they make a ten shot or twelve shot revolver now, they could stagger the cylinders like they do the magazines in glocks...

Originally posted by backyard guru
reply to post by Razmear23

 

i seriously never would of guessed that a walther would function so poorly, they are cool looking guns, james bond carries one and all, but the things you described , it wouldnt have made it back to the store with me, it would of got thrown under a bus...

The taurus is actually the 357 ive been looking at, but everyone keeps telling me that they blow apart from some shells. I would buy stainless of course maybe that would last longer...

Stainless steel is actually weaker than 'blue' steel, but neither is likely to blow apart on you unless you are making some seriously overpowered hand loads.
Taurus (and most other gun manufacturers) state that firing hand loads will void their warranty just because they can't control what type of 'hot load' some idiot might try to fire, but any factory load will work fine and your risk of blowing up a Taurus is just about non-existant.

eb

No one really seems to have any selling points yet for the 45 , so as of this point I am convinced that the 357 is the better of the two, You actually gave good reason why it is better, they just said they love em, Ive loved alot of things cause they cost alot of money. One way or another tomarow I will have paid for one or the other. Right now it looks like the wheel gun.
Thanks for the advice...

Originally posted by backyard guru
what i wonder , and it probally sounds stupid , but why cant they make a ten shot or twelve shot revolver now, they could stagger the cylinders like they do the magazines in glocks...

Taurus makes a 9 shot .22 revolver.
There really isn't a way to double stack a cylinder so you are limited by cylinder size and wall thickness requirements. I can reload in about 5 seconds with a quick loader, with a bit of practice you could probably get close to the speed of swapping clips in a semi. Also you can modify the cylinder to use half moon clips if you want to reload even faster.

eb

would nine rounds of 22 even hurt someone ? I have heard stories of 22 in the brain and the guy still lived and killed, I have heard shot placement is king, but even a single shot from a magnum would have to do worse? I wouldnt mind having that nine shot for the range though. I have never been shot so maybe anygun is a better answer than no gun.

Originally posted by backyard guru
What is your opinion on which is a better self defense caliber. Which has the highest stopping power, or kill power? Which is the most expensive, which is the best for main carry, not back up? Which would be the gun you wished you would have in a conflict?

The .357 Magnum has the Greater Stopping Power by far, while the .45 Generally has a Greater Carry Capacity.

Typically, .357 Magnum Revolvers do not hold more than 6 Rounds, though you can find Monsters that carry 8 Rounds.

In terms of the .45, at least in regards to the fabled Colt M1911, there exists a Carry Capacity of 7 Rounds in the Magazine, +1 in the Chamber.


The advantages to the .357 Magnum are:

-Revolvers are the most reliable firearms available.
-You can carry it through water, and abuse it, and it will still function as intended.
-You can also fire .38 Special Rounds from this Firearm, and thus it becomes a perfectly suited Home Defense Tool.
-You can load a Revolver of this Chambering to a Hot Degree, with Heavy Hitting Hunting rounds capable of taking on even Large Bears.
-This round will Penetrate an Engine Block, and even Certain Forms of Armor.


The advantages to the .45 are:

-Greater Carry Capacity.
-Autoloaders generally allow for quicker reloading through Magazine Swaps.
-You have extra Safeties on Autoloaders.
-Might be easier to carry concealed (Depends upon factors).
-Not as much Recoil.
-Very Good Stopping Power as well.


In my personal experience, I prefer the 9mm and .357 Magnum, with the reason being that I have the Urban Carry Capacity with a 9mm, while with the .357 Magnum I have a Well suited Wilderness Sidearm.

BTW, Glock makes a Model 21 Chambered in .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) which holds 13 Rounds (+1 In the Chamber).

The Glock 17, chambered in 9mm, holds 16 Rounds (+1 In the Chamber).

Let me know if you have anymore questions, I hope that I was able to help you out

[edit on 3-11-2009 by TheAgentNineteen]

Originally posted by backyard guru
would nine rounds of 22 even hurt someone ? I have heard stories of 22 in the brain and the guy still lived and killed, I have heard shot placement is king, but even a single shot from a magnum would have to do worse? I wouldnt mind having that nine shot for the range though. I have never been shot so maybe anygun is a better answer than no gun.

A .22 Caliber weapon can penetrate more so than a slower moving round. It most certainly has its purposes in both General Firearms use, and Warfare. Never underestimate any Firearm, and treat them all with the same due Respect

Well this isn't a .357 or a .45, but I was checking out the Taurus site for the first time in a couple of years and I started drooling a bit when I saw this one, and The Judge.

www.taurususa.com...

Anyone have any experience with the Taurus 24/7 line?

btw, another one with a high drool factor, even if it's not as concealable.
www.taurususa.com...

eb

If I may add my two cents worth , I have or have had many of the weapons mentioned in this thread . Most are very well and good .
I would like to mention that I am very close to my Charter Arms pug revolver .44 sp . It is lite , balanced , dependable , easy to maintain and clean . After over a 1000 rounds it is just like new .
The thing I like most about it is that I can conceal it easily on my side ,lower back and even around my ankle when I'm riding .