By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
So, I’m looking at this post on social media asking “Which wheelgun are you carrying today?”
The post includes an image of a Model 19 Smith & Wesson—one of the most popular revolvers in law enforcement back in the 80s and even 90s before the “great transition” to semiautomatics—and a Performance Center revolver, both chambered for the .357 Magnum cartridge. And guess what? I’m not packing either, at least for the moment.
Doesn’t mean there isn’t a Model 19 nearby; I packed a 2 ½-inch Model 19 for some years, or a 6-incher with a Patridge front sight. But it’s October, fer cryin’ out loud, a month for the N-frame, discussed at length in our last installment, chambered for the potent .41 Magnum cartridge.
The Shot That Was Never Supposed to Happen
Not to diminish the Model 19 or the .357 Magnum—I could never do that considering my personal history with both—but the .357 ain’t a .41 or most assuredly a .44 Magnum!
I know of or have read about people who have stopped pretty much every big game animal in North America with a .357 Magnum, and a couple of people who have stopped other people.
The .357 Magnum is a magnificent round. One of General George Patton’s two ivory-handled revolvers was a Registered Magnum in .357, purchased back in, I believe, 1935 when the gun first came out, according to some biographies I’ve perused.
Early in my career, I knew some sheriff’s deputies who carried the big N-frame sixguns chambered for the .357 Magnum, and Washington State troopers all carried them with 6-inch barrels in cross-draw holsters.
The .357 Magnum is a round which seems to have been “born for reloaders.” It is one of the most versatile calibers, and in the hands of a skilled handgunner, it is capable of long-range accuracy which might astonish some flatlanders. Close-up, it’s been known to stop black and even grizzly bears, along with elk, deer, an abundance of coyotes, mountain lions, a caribou here and there, and assorted small game. It shoots flat, hits hard with the right propellant and bullet combination, and recoil—depending upon the specific wheelgun—is easily manageable, except maybe for the timid.
The Colt Python has always been chambered for the .357 Magnum, and S&W has probably produced more revolvers in this caliber than any of the other guys, although Colt and Ruger haven’t been shy about cranking out .357s in single- or double-action models as well.
My personal favorite propellants for reloading the .357 Magnum have included Hercules 2400 and nowadays Alliant 2400 (same stuff, different owners), Hodgdon’s H110, and Accurate #9. I’ve tried other powders, but these three top the list for consistency and ballistics, in my humble opinion.
My favorite bullets have been 125-grain JHPs (Nosler, Speer, Hornady and Sierra), 158-grain Hornady XTPs and a 158-grain cast lead semi-wadcutter, the origin of which I cannot recall. I got a bunch of them once many years ago, since I have avoided casting my own—so I’m lazy, so what?—and when they were gone, I just stuck with jacketed bullets.
With the right powder, it’s possible to get muzzle velocities exceeding 1,550 fps with the 158-grain pills, while a 125-grainer can literally warp out at better than 1,800 fps according to some loading data I’ve seen, although I personally wouldn’t load my own rounds that hot. Others may disagree, but in my experience, “hotter” doesn’t necessarily translate to “better.”
As Wyatt Earp allegedly observed, “Fast is fine but accuracy is final.”
Of course, the .357 Magnum doesn’t launch the biggest bullet, but when that bullet hits something, it does get undivided attention. I’ve hit targets at better than a hundred yards, and I’ve watched other guys whack targets at much greater distance. My personal best was hitting a steel plate six out of six at 200 yards with my Colt Python, fired single-action, using 125-grain JHP handloads off a sandbag rest, in front of witnesses. I’m pretty sure the gods were smiling at me that afternoon, or maybe they were just yanking my chain a bit.
One thing which can be said about the .357 Magnum which cannot be disputed is that it is an American cartridge. Created by Phillip Sharpe, Douglas B. Wesson and the legendary Elmer Keith, it is based on the .38 Special, with a slightly longer case length at 1.29 inches (so it couldn’t be used in any .38 Special revolver) and overall cartridge length of 1.59 inches.
Believe it or not, I’ve met some folks who have become handgunners without ever handling a revolver, which I think is part comedy and part tragedy. You really haven’t experienced shooting a handgun until you’ve banged away with a wheelgun, and the .357 Magnum, especially touched off at dusk, is just one very impressive experience. It’s a combination of muzzle blast, muzzle flash, recoil and “Hot-diggety-damn” one will talk about for a very long time!
