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I've been looking for a hammerless 357 for CC. Any thoughts as to where I might find some to look at, pros and cons of the various models available? Seems to be a rare item in my area, A few 38s but nothing in 357.

Are you looking for a snubby or something larger. Snubbys are not even a little fun to shoot in .357 mag. But it’s a heck of a round if you can put them on target. I use a ruger LCR but that’s 38+p. I love the smithy M&P 340PD but I have only dry fired it. I absolutely love my 686 plus but that has a hammer.

I know Mr. Cannon will be along shortly but my feeling is that there is nothing that my 642 smith in 38+P cannot do in a carry situation. Except for the built in flash bang grenade detonation of the magnum…

Fire a +P in a snub through a chronograph. The fire a 57 load through the chrony. That'll tell you the real difference. It will be "not nuch".

Next, do a rapid fire at a close target, and see how fast you can do a followup shot.

You might decide you actually have more firepower with the 38. A 38 +P will have better velocity if you shoot it in a 38 chamber than in a 357 chamber.

Of course if you shoot the 357 and miss with the bullet, you might set the bad guy's hair on fire...

Dick Unger wrote:Of course if you shoot the 357 and miss with the bullet, you might set the bad guy's hair on fire...

Makes it kinda fun ehh?

I'm going to agree with the previous posters, you don't get much more velocity with a 357 out of a barrel that short.
I would much rather have the faster follow up shot. I suggest you fire both models through a chronograph first, then decide if it's really worth it.

There are a BUNCH of people around here who carry either hammerless or "hammered" Smith Airweights, and the 38 +P round is definitely the way to go. If you buy a .357 then you can always choose any 38 or .357 load you want, or handload something at the exact level you want. Obviously, for pocket carry you don't want the gun to snag on your booger rag on the way out of the pocket, unless you have such horrific boogers that the sight of those will scare the perp off without having to fire the gun.

I think the other factor that might be important here is hand size and strength. I have humongous hands that can fully wrap around the frame of a DE 50 with finger groove grips perfectly, and I couldn't grab an Airweight gun grip that small and get it right the first time if my life depended on it. There are a lot of women out there who have VERY strong hands (and have shot my 50 GI and Smith 500 to prove it!!), and some guys who also have small hands. In that situation, you would probably want to keep your .357 option open by buying that gun rather than a 38.

I think it would take an expert (and a hugely built one at that) to place a controlled pair well, out of a .357 snubbie. Am too old to do that effectively, and am content to shoot my 1911's. They make controlled pairs a piece of cake. Efficient controlled pairs should be your goal with a self defense weapon.

He really didn’t say snubby. We might be assuming too much.

I was looking at snubbys., Now you guys have me thinking, a little more research needed. The S&W and the Taurus are both available here in 38+P. By the time Duluth PD gets my permit to purchase approved, I should know exactly which model I want.

Ruger SP101

I don't own one, but have heard good things about them for carry. I know Ruger revolvers are usually overbuilt.

Yep, here I am, Vlad!

Pagollum, there's a big variation in weight between snubbies: my 2.25" Ruger SP101 weighs about 23 oz., while there's alloy models that weigh 12. So, that tradeoff of carry comfort vs. shooting comfort makes for a big, big difference between models that might look pretty similar at a glance. Definitely try both ends of the spectrum if you can. Shooting the scandium guns feels like a cherrybomb exploding in your hand, but some guys are OK with that. Tougher guys than me! Also the heavier, real-steel guns, tend to be cheaper, so that's what the smart guys buy.

My gun's the heaviest in its class that I know of (though I know there's a Taurus that weighs about the same). I'd definitely recommend it. BTW, it comes in a 3" model too. I have the soft rubber Hogue Monogrip on mine, which is not the ideal for concealment, but lets me shoot the Magnum loads in comfort and hang onto the gun very securely.

I shot some of my .357 carry loads, a 125 gr Double Tap Gold Dot, through a chrono: they averaged 1207 fps. If there's a .38 +P that approaches that, somebody let me know. (Through a chrono with a real gun, not the advertised numbers.):


Oh, and it's purty.

Dick Unger wrote:Fire a +P in a snub through a chronograph. The fire a 57 load through the chrony. That'll tell you the real difference. It will be "not nuch".

Next, do a rapid fire at a close target, and see how fast you can do a followup shot.

You might decide you actually have more firepower with the 38. A 38 +P will have better velocity if you shoot it in a 38 chamber than in a 357 chamber.

Of course if you shoot the 357 and miss with the bullet, you might set the bad guy's hair on fire...

Well, hoo-raw. For once I get to agree with Mr. Unger. Yes, I too think the .357 in a snubbie is pretty much wasted energy, but I don't claim to know any of that based on my own research. I take the word of others.

Very amusing about setting the guy's hair on fire.

Wow! Somebody agreed with me! (That's a slippery slope. Pretty soon, you might be sneaking a peak at CNN when Fox is on commercial. After awhile you might feel a compulsion to vote for a Democrat.)

I've never tried, but apparently you also lose velocity when you shoot a 38 out of a 357 chamber. If that's the case you're better off with a 38 gun.

Pat, I knew there was a reason I liked you. I thought it was your avatar!
I too like my SP 101...