357 magnum

[bucky]

Hey guys...been out of the gun scene for quite awhile but i want a 357 snubby for personal use.
Any recommendations from some that have one? Are Rossi's worth a shit? I would like to keep it <$350.

[Kart21]

Smith and Wessin, is the bessin

[J&M Ford Racing]

The Rossi is made by Taurus-I have owned, used several Taurus, and find their quality to be better than average. I do not see how you could go wrong with the Rossi, and Academy has them for very good prices.

[GT98SVO]

Not going to get a new S&W new for <350$, maybe not even used.

Try Taurus or Rossi.

Ruger makes a cheap magnum, but not a snubby.

.38 Special +P are pretty potent.

[Trip McNeely]

Cant go wrong with Smith and Wesson.

Check out Dan Wesson as well. Tony will back me up on that. :D

[Kojak]

Rossi is junk. I wouldn't bet my life on the $50 you might save.

Taurus isn't bad...but wouldn't be my first choice.

S&W would be the way to go IMO. For about $350 you can get a new Model 642, even a little less for a used one. They are nice and light (15 oz. empty) and can easily fit in a pocket. The 642 is a .38 Spec. +P though, not a .357.

Not sure why you want a .357 snub - In all honesty, unless you just like to have fireballs coming out the front of the gun, there really isn't much of an advantage to going with a .357 magnum over a .38 Spec. +P when you're dealing with a 1-7/8" to 2" barrel. You aren't going to develop much more velocity (if any) with a magnum round. You'll just burn that much more powder outside the barrel.

[J&M Ford Racing]

stupid question...what does the "+p" mean after .38? no I am not being a smart ass, I have never known what that meant...

[Trip McNeely]

stupid question...what does the "+p" mean after .38? no I am not being a smart ass, I have never known what that meant...
extra pressure. Hotter loads.

[J&M Ford Racing]

alrighty..thank you

[GT98SVO]

+P and +P+ are for loads that are higher than standard pressure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%2BP

You can find +P ammo in several calibers.

http://www.gunsandammomag.com has a nice reference for loads of various cartridges.


BULLET BARREL
LENGTH VELOCITY (fps) ENERGY 30 yd.
MIDRANGE
CARTRIDGE WT. TYPE MFG (INCHES) MUZZ. 50 YDS. MUZZ. 50 YDS. TRAIL


38 Special +P
158 FMJ+P (C) V4 900 852 278 255 1.4
158 LSW+P (S) V4 890 855 278 257 1.4

.357 Magnum
180 JHP (F) V4 1090 980 475 385 1.0
180 JHP (F) V4 1250 1160 675 535 0.8
200 L (CB) N/A 1200 1106 640 544 0.8

[Trip McNeely]

alrighty..thank you
lol you still sound confused. It just means that the rounds been modified with a heavier load for more pressure. It makes the muzzle velocity greater. In a nutshell, its better for a self defense round.

[GT98SVO]

Its arguable if it makes a better self defense round.

[That_Is_My_El_Camino]

Dan Wesson makes a good gun, kind of on the heavy side, though.

[ThreeFingerPete]

I have a Ruger SP101 that i've always been pretty fond of. There are better revolvers though.

[flied_lice]

I've got a S&W M60 with 2& 1/8 " barrel. Wasn't <350, but hell you get what you pay for.

Nice little gun. Very concealable and shoots straight. Only problem is it's small for my hand and kicks like a fuggn mule with .357 rounds. Will put a blister on my hand after 25 rounds.

Not a bad back up gun, but I wouldn't feel comfortable with it as my primary carry weapon.