What Is It About The 357 Mag. In a rifle?

[cshold]

Is the .357 mag. The only round that
as many say “really comes alive in a rifle”?
Are there any other rounds that have as good or
better ballistic increases out of a rifle?

[Terry Murbach]

NO, IT IS NOT THE ONLY HANDGUN CARTRIDGE THAT "COMES ALIVE" FROM CARBINE BARRELS. THE 41MAG AND THE 44MAG DO JUST ABOUT AS WELL PERCENTAGE WISE. THE 45COLT WITH HEAVY LOADS PERFORMS AS WELL AS THE REST. DO NOTE THE GEOMETRICAL SYMMETRY OF THEM ALL.

[TedH]

No, it's not the only one. Similar ballistic improvements can be found with the 44 Mag and 45 Colt rounds as well. If you look at stout loads of 45 Colt in a levergun, they can run a 300 gr. cast bullet near 1600 fps. You're right there with the old 45-90 loads.

[brucew44guns]

For decades I was a hunter using the .348. Anything not in that league was a "pee wee" cartridge to me. I could only see red when my friends hunted deer with a 30-30 or such. When I learned of the 45-70 and what a big bullet really was all about, I wanted that too and did get several. But at 62 years old, a couple years back, I got a 45 Colt and .44 Mag in the 1894 Marlin rifles. I was amazed at the power, the obvious lethalness, the heft, of these neat rifles. My shoulder told me that the .44 especially would be excellent on deer sized game. I hunt in brush and thick woods, don't need a long range caliber at all. So, I can't wait now to get a .357, it's on my list of needed and necessarry rifles. A .357 rifle has got to be a lot of fun.

[Old Ironsights]

NO, IT IS NOT THE ONLY HANDGUN CARTRIDGE THAT "COMES ALIVE" FROM CARBINE BARRELS. THE 41MAG AND THE 44MAG DO JUST ABOUT AS WELL PERCENTAGE WISE. THE 45COLT WITH HEAVY LOADS PERFORMS AS WELL AS THE REST. DO NOTE THE GEOMETRICAL SYMMETRY OF THEM ALL.

One of these days I'm going to have to Geek the Data on that...

I know all of the cartridges you mention improve significantly in a carbine, but IIRC the hard numbers show that the .357 shifts out of all proportion - well above the gains in anything in the "forty" range... Dunno why....

SOmthing else to do in my (inverse) copius spare time....

[AJMD429]

EABCO offers a 9mm Luger barrel for the Encore Rifle - I'd like to see what THAT round does from a 24" barrel with hot loads (surely nowhere near the .357 Mag, but interesting nonetheless).

[Old Ironsights]

All pistol calibers show increases up to 16" (+/-) but from what I've seen, the .357 is somthing out of the ordinary there.

Maybe it has somthing to do with Sectional Density... I dunno.

All I know is that I'm a such a Tease...

Hey JB/2ndovc...



I should have these final-lubed this week and ship on Mon Feb 9.

[Old Savage]

Terry is right.

[Jaguarundi]

Ballistics by the Inch http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/.Notice that semiautomatic pistol cartridges(with small case capacities) can not really compete with volumetric case capacities of the revolver cartridges.Nothing new to me.

[Buffboy]

http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... y+the+inch

I posted this a little while ago. The cartridges that gained big in a rifle barrel were all magnum revolvers and to a lesser extent the 45colt(though the corbon load jumped quite a bit). The only auto cartridge that show similar gains was the 357Sig.

edit: I see Jaguarundi beat me to it.

[Old Ironsights]

When I was re-evaluating my Pistol/Rifle Kit Gun setup a few years ago, it was Paco's articles that, by in large, steered me away from the .45/.454 combo to the .38/.357 combo.

It seemed (then and now) that, while not optmal for AK., the .38/.358 setup in a Rifle was better enough in both performance and in minimizing expendables over the .45/.454 that I went with the .357.

Now I'm a .357 Zealot, but then, before coming here/reading Paco's stuff, I could have gone either way.

[rjohns94]

OI< what article by Paco? - I am a recent convert to the .357 pistol,rifle, kit gun. I use to be a huge fan of the .429

[gundownunder]

I've got a Marlin 1894 cowboy with a 20" barrel and while it picks up a truck load of extra power and velocity it does give up a fair bit of accuracy in the process, although this is far more noticable with cast bullets than jacketed. Cant speak for the .44, as there are few, if any of them at our club, but the .45 seems to pick up some grunt without sacrificing accuracy.

[TedH]

OI< what article by Paco? - I am a recent convert to the .357 pistol,rifle, kit gun. I use to be a huge fan of the .429

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/ ... rature.htm

[ByronG]

I've got a Marlin 1894 cowboy with a 20" barrel and while it picks up a truck load of extra power and velocity it does give up a fair bit of accuracy in the process, although this is far more noticable with cast bullets than jacketed. Cant speak for the .44, as there are few, if any of them at our club, but the .45 seems to pick up some grunt without sacrificing accuracy.

In comparison too what, I wonder?

[cshold]

Good discussion guys, thanks

“Old Ironsights” nice pictures of levergunners dope.
Ya can never get or have enough of it.

[Rexster]

Based on Paco's article, and posts here, especially by ScottT, in October '08 I bought myself a .357 mag Marlin 1984C, and layawayed an 1894CB, also .357, which I paid out a few days ago. I had a little extra cash from OT worked during and after Hurricane Ike, and when everyone else was buying black rifles, I bought blue ones. Life is good.

[Old Savage]

Good idea in my book.

[cshold]

I’m sure chomping at the bit to get this one in my hands.

[shdwlkr]

I just this week put a winchester model 92 in 357 mag on layaway that has a 24 inch barrel and made in Japan. I don't care where it was made this is an ideal platform for this cartridge as I had a model 94 in 357 and hated it traded in on a model 86.
I wanted a rifle that would shoot the same thing as a few of my pistols and no have one well in a couple months I will have one.

[cshold]

I just this week put a winchester model 92 in 357 mag on layaway that has a 24 inch barrel and made in Japan. I don't care where it was made this is an ideal platform for this cartridge as I had a model 94 in 357 and hated it traded in on a model 86.
I wanted a rifle that would shoot the same thing as a few of my pistols and no have one well in a couple months I will have one.

I was unaware they were made with a 24” barrel.

[cshold]

OI< what article by Paco? - I am a recent convert to the .357 pistol,rifle, kit gun. I use to be a huge fan of the .429

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/ ... rature.htm

200 grain RN cast in 38 special+p cases 16/296 just over 1870 fps (52,000psi) for my strong 92s only... they are cast hard, left for 24 hours, then lubed .358 and then placed in a pan of water up to the leading edge and then the noses are de-tempered with a butain torch... it allows the nose to be soft and expand and the body to stay hard and resist fouling.... I use small rifle primers usually Federal.

WOW

[cshold]

And another big WOW
And I thought I paid way to much a couple of months ago.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIt ... =121264727

[shdwlkr]

casastahle
This is the first one I have actually had my grimy mitts on and I was not about to let it get away. I thought something was strange when I saw it with a lot of other 20 inch barrel levers and then I made the mistake of picking it up and it was all over. I also make the mistake of telling my dealer what I am looking for at times and it seems real funny that in a few months if I walk in on the right day that there sits what I was looking for but this time he did a double mistake as there is also a 1886 just like the one I have in the same condition and very close serial number wise to the one I have and I told them they should put it in the back room and in two months when the one I have on layaway is paid that one will go there next. They laughed and said I just might be able to pick it up if it is only two months. Man with a dealer like that how is a guy going to get over leveritis diease and be cured??

[Coldfingers]

OI...Even here in Interior AK, I consider the little magnum to be just about perfect for my uses. In a good year I "might" shoot the 45-70 a couple times at a moose or bear. Most of the year, the 357 does all the meat hunting for small game, varmints etc, and has proven itself on black bear. Penetration tests on fresh moose quarters leave me with no doubt as to the ability of a 180gr cast boolit to provide enough penetration for a clean kill on moose should I stumble upon one while gathering grouse for the winter. As long as I don't make it a point to poke fun at the humpbacked bears, the .357 will do most anything I need to do in a pinch and do it on a tight budget. All things considered, a very handy little unit with a heap of fun factor as a bonus.

I have started to dribble old wheelweights into little metal blocks for projectile production...another diversion from a workaday world. Only regret is that I did not start years ago.

A very busy time of year for me but sure love to sneak in and read up on what you fellers are up to.

My best,

Scotty

[brionic]

And another big WOW
And I thought I paid way to much a couple of months ago.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIt ... =121264727

This one seems like it was a better deal for some crafty rascal: http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.a ... =121374697

[rjohns94]

OI or TedH, I will gladly take you up on the offer the use your mold to pour some of these babies. If your serious, I can PM my snail mail and I will pay for the shipping to me when I ship it back. Thanks so much.

[cshold]

And another big WOW
And I thought I paid way to much a couple of months ago.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIt ... =121264727

This one seems like it was a better deal for some crafty rascal: http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.a ... =121374697

If you'r that crafty rascal, (I wont tell )
congadulations that’s a fine lookin rifle.