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Post by lscg on Jan 27, 2016 2:11:07 GMT -5
that was a great story Dick! shortly after his time in the Marines my dad became a lawman here in Blanco county. first as a deputy sheriff and then moving to the anti drug task force based out of Austin. I hadn't come along yet so he was free to buy or trade for all kinds of different guns. among the various 41, 44 and 45 caliber handguns he acquired was a stainless 4" security six. he didn't particularly like the 357, partially because it was loud but mostly because as he got older he settled on the 44 Mag as his go to handgun. but he liked the little sixgun and since he could get free ammo from the department it didn't hurt having it around. on my 10th birthday he handed me the Ruger and an ammo can full of 38 spl. from then till I turned 18 it was my only handgun, I ate with it, slept with it, dry fired it daily and shot it every chance I could. before long it felt like part of my arm. funny thing is after 16 years of it being in my care I never once fired a 357 Mag through it. that all changed three weeks ago. I was digging through some storage bins and found about a dozen CCI 357's that were probably older than I am. took them out to a dirt mound and fired them off. even with hearing protection I noticed it was louder than most of my other guns but it sure did bring a smile to my face. I do believe i'm going to have to find some 357 brass now.  |
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Post by BigBore44 on Jan 27, 2016 7:55:38 GMT -5
Awesome! What a great start to my day, having a Cup O Joe and reading two fine stories from Dick... Wish I was there with you to see it!!! Thank you, Dick... BigBore44 book, Book, BOOK  |
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Post by bulasteve on Jan 27, 2016 10:43:03 GMT -5
We all can pretty much figure out why the 357 has faded. LE has gone from revolvers to pistols. A large percentage of the civilian market too. The military never had much interest in the 357 except for some pilots that could choose their own sidearms and a SEAL team that played with them for an in/outta the water gun. Hunting ? We can all answer that'n too. Yes, we can now say its a classic and I know a number of 50+ yr old LE folks that fondly remember packing the 357, and still load and shoot their personal ones. It will still do what it's always done, but for any use you can think of, it's just too easy to find arguements for other, newer choices. I do not wish for it to go away, I just cannot imagine buying a new one to fill any niche that I have here. I do load rds for one here, and a couple of friends that have SP101's for fishing guns. Reality intrudes.
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Post by Encore64 on Jan 27, 2016 10:46:45 GMT -5
Well..... Maybe.....
I think the fact that the Times have never been better for revolver lovers.
When I started buying revolvers in 1979, there wasn't that much to choose from.
There are so many excellent revolvers these days, some of the old standards are bound to be moved to the back burner.
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Post by brobertson on Jan 27, 2016 11:51:16 GMT -5
Great post, sums up my feelings on the .357!!
Bob
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Post by brobertson on Jan 27, 2016 11:55:46 GMT -5
Sorry for the double post!! |
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awp101
.401 Bobcat
They call me…Andrew
Posts: 2,757
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Post by awp101 on Jan 27, 2016 20:44:34 GMT -5
I have plans for my next 2 revolvers to be .45 convertibles (a long barrel and a short barrel) but if a clean 6.5"+ .357 Blackhawk runs across my path one of those .45s might just get pushed back...
Like others I have problems with the muzzle blast so heavy .38s will probably be the order of the day. For some reason the pressure wave bothers my sinus cavities and I have the same problem with the .327 and .30 Carbine in a revolver. Put the .357 or .30 in a carbine like my Marlin or M1 Carbine and I can shoot them all day long.
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Post by hoover on Jan 30, 2016 21:21:24 GMT -5
Dick, you need to tell your Mt. Lion story with your model 27.
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Post by sixshot on Jan 31, 2016 16:33:03 GMT -5
Jeff, isn't there some way to go back on the Ruger Forum & copy that old story. I'm not very smart on these computers. I wrote that a long time ago!
Dick
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Post by hoover on Jan 31, 2016 18:11:37 GMT -5
As told by Dick! Frankie, I shot this lion in 1977 or 78, we had jumped him off of a muley buck he had killed, the dogs ran him a short distance & he treed on top of a broken cedar tree, it was short enough they could almost reach him, he bailed out, had a short fight (blood in the snow) & took off up into the most rugged country he could find. We were on snow shoes, my buddy was able to walk on top of the snow, me, being heavier kept breaking through & sinking in the deep snow. Twice more the dogs treed him but he was gone when we arrived, it took 11 hours to finish the job. When we first arrived both of us went up a tree on each side of him, he about went nuts, one of us had to go down & build a fire while the other stayed in the tree & took pictures. It was very cold, maybe around zero, I was wearing a wool shirt & a down vest, I was sweating & the sweat would drip off my face & freeze on the front of my vest, my buddies beard was frozen solid. We took pictures for about an hour, checked the dogs feet, had a little snack & I went back up the tree about 40 feet & rested my 8 3/8's model 27 S&W (nickel) on a limb & told myself to bust him right behind the shoulder, the distance was about 5 feet. My load was 13.5 grs of 2400 & the Keith bullet in 38 special cases. I had intended to shoot him & then give him a second shot double action but at the first shot he bailed out of the tree & hit the ground before I could even first a fast second shot. Everything seemed in slow motion, he made one huge leap & crumpled in mid air. After I calmed down I realized how dumb I had been to get so close, they are lightning quick & he could have ripped my lips off before I could have even blinked! Maybe my most memorable hunt ever. Here he is mounted about my desk at about the same distance I shot him.   |
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Post by leftysixgun on Jan 31, 2016 22:26:25 GMT -5
I really like the .357 magnum, i own two. One of them is for IDPA competiton and is only fed .38spl, slightly modified Lyman 358-311 with CLAYS powder. Its a S&W 686 SSR that Ive done a lot of work to get the DAO trigger pull as smooth and light as i could.
My other is my 4" GP100 that I normally carry as a side arm when Im hunting. Its kinda my work horse hot rod. Its fun with powder puff .38s and heavy 187gr WFN with H110.
I like my .357s, I guess my next step is a SA .357
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Post by Alaskan454 on Feb 7, 2016 17:51:41 GMT -5
I use my 357s for two things, very light loads in SASS and IDPA or heftier loads for defensive guns. One of my favorite packing pistols is a 3" 357. I burn a lot of powder in 357 and 38 cases every year but it's always the center fire equivalent on the 22 in a lot of minds, I'll never stop shooting mine though.
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Post by chantico on Feb 17, 2016 12:12:09 GMT -5
Wonderful thread. Thank you for sharing some great stories.
I just traded into a .357 Ruger 50th Anniversary Flattop (is that one word or two?) and am waiting for it to arrive. I shoot a lot of 158gr LSWC 38's, and will probably shoot them in this one too, but keep some .357 158gr JSPs on hand JIC.
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Post by ezekiel38 on Mar 6, 2016 9:32:43 GMT -5
Have a Model 66-1 2.5" that is a nice clean shooter! I worked 10 years in LE and carried 357s before I switched to a 29-2 4" with the old Remington 44Mag midrange load. But learned to like the 357 even with the blast. Carried a 28 Smith as a uniform carry gun and a Model 19 2.5" as an off duty piece. Always dreaded the thought that I might have to use that 357 for SD in a house or trailer house, never had to but a buddy of mine had to and he's still stone deaf. Spent another 23 years behind a badge and eventually gravitated to a 45LW Commander and a Colt 38 Cobra as a back up! Still have a use all of these weapons but 38/357s are my favorites.
My favorite 357 today is a GP100 3" with adjustable sights, and a front night sight. It carries and uses the same load as my Ruger 77/357.
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Post by 2 Dogs on Apr 5, 2016 20:51:04 GMT -5
Over the years, I have gotten into a couple of heated discussions when some have complained the 357 was too loud, or didn't have enough caliber or what have you. As I have said many times, I came LATE to the 32 calibers. A lot of the reason why was because I am a bit slow to change and was and am still invested very heavily in the 357 magnum. I own a bunch of them. I really think a lot of the "useful" of a given caliber has to do with where a guy stomps around when outdoors. For me, here in S. Texas, the 357 really shines. Flat and fast, very accurate, easy to shoot well, available in almost every platform imaginable, barrel lengths and stocks galore, the caliber is a buffet of options. Now I will admit the 32 magnums have captured my fancy for many years now and I don't see that changing anytime soon. But believe me when I say the 357 magnum has a great deal going for it. I still have all of mine except the FA97 which just did not fit my hands and a Flattop that I gave Ray. My older brother has one built for him by Alan Harton that has a long custom cylinder and while I have not spent a lot of time with that particular sixgun I am betting it would cut deep into 41 magnum territory. My personal favorite has to be my old Colt Trooper with a 6" barrel.
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