Chambered in a rifle with a 20" barrel, how do these rounds compare?
I don’t know off the top of my head but you should just be able to look at standard ballistics charts to find out all you want to know. They are both handgun rounds with fast burning powder so longer barrel length doesn’t get you much after a certain point. They do make some rifle versions of them but they aren’t really rifle rounds. An 8" barrel should be roughly the same as a 20" inch barrel for both of them except for other factors like accuracy (rifles are generally more accurate).
The .44 is clearly the more powerful of the two out of the barrel but the .357 is no slacker. For specific uses, you may want to look at velocity and energy retention at whatever range you are curious about.
Both rounds vary a bit. There isn’t just one .44 mag and one .357 mag. Each comes in a variety of bullet weights and different powder charges, and other slight variations.
On average, the .44 mag is heavier (200 to 340 gr depending on manufacturer and type compared to 125 to 200 gr for the .357, according to wikipedia). Both rounds are roughly equal in velocity when fired out of a shorter barrel. This means that the .44 mag will have more energy just due to the mass difference.
The .44 mag is designed to be fired from either a handgun or a longer barreled rifle. The .357 is designed specifically for handguns. I’m not sure how well the .357 would perform out of a longer barrel. If tweaking the round a bit is permitted, you could load a .357 round with slower burning powder to optimize it for the longer barrel. In either case, the .44 still has more energy because of its greater mass. Depending on the powder used, the energy difference may be even greater if the .357 burns too quickly in the 20 inch barrel.
Accuracy-wise, I would expect them both to perform fairly similarly.
In equivalent loads, the .44 magnum will always be more powerful than the .357 magnum. That is to say, we are not comparing a light target load in the .44 to a hunting load in the .357. The factory loads you are likely to encounter for either are concocted with use in handguns in mind. The major ammo-makers also take into account the possibility of use in old or shoddy guns. SAAMI ammo specs, which they adhere to, tend to be rather conservative in the interest of safety. If you get into hand loading or want to seek out cartridges from one of the boutique ammo makers, like Buffalo Bore, carbine-optimized loads are available.
Which one you should use depends on what it is you have in mind. .44 magnum is generally the superior hunting round on anything larger than medium game. .357 magnum is generally the superior defensive round due to controlability and pistols of a more convenient size/weight.
.357 is a pussycat coming out of this gun. Got one and I love it.
Kinda assume that’s what you talk about when you mention the 20" barrel.
It is also legal for deer hunting in (northern) Minnesota and Wisconsin, but I have not used it for that.
Those Marlin .357 carbines are pretty sweet. My dad used one for years that I bought him back in the 1980’s. A couple years ago he decided he was too old for hunting and sold off his long guns. Wish he had given me first chance on that one.
From the Winchester catalog I have handy:
(values @ 100 yards)
.357, 158 grain
velocity: 1427 fps energy: 715 (Super X)
velocity: 1160 fps energy: 538 (Supreme Elite)
.44 Magnum, 240 or 250 grain
velocity: 1362 fps energy: 988 (Super X)
velocity: 1475 fps energy: 1208 (Supreme Elite)
As my question will probably show, I know virtually nothing about firearms. So, pardon my ignorance (and the hijack).
Do 357 magnum handguns only come as revolvers? Looking at various gun sites, it seems to be that way. So, if not exclusively available as revolvers, it sure looks like 357 magnums are (at least) mostly available as revolvers. Why is that?
Thanks.
The Desert Eagle comes/came in .357, but as you say they’re uncommon. The rimmed case is problematic for a typical handgun’s magazine; most autoloading handgun cartridges don’t have a protruding rim.
I indeed have a Marlin 1894 chambered for .44. I ask the question as I can pick up an 1894, chambered for 357, which is in real nice shape, for a good price. Don’t really need it, but if there is a significant difference I’d probably do it. Doesn’t appear as there is. However, and like horsepower, you’ll always have less than you want, but more than you need.
When I said it was a pussycat, I meant it was a real pleasure to shoot. I’ve had people shoot it and my 6" barrel revolver just to see the difference and they’ve been universally surprised how smooth, relatively quiet and low-kick it is. Especially the people who flinch at the blast from the revolver.
I got lucky with mine. I’d decided to buy one about 15 years ago and went to one gun shop and inquired. They didn’t have any, pulled out the catalog and said they could get me one for about $600. Later that day I stopped by a second gun shop closer to home and was looking at pistols when I looked up and saw the 1894 in the rack. I checked it out and it was in perfect shape, not a scratch on it. I asked, and they said they were selling it on consignment for $380. I walked out with it and have never regretted it. It is a beautiful gun.