.357 Magnum. Does it deserve its reputation?

[okie]

I've known several older cops who say how great .357 magnum was from a service revolver. Some say it was the 125 gr SJHP load, others because of earlier 158 gr loads.

My contention is its SJHP performance at the time was usually being compared with .38 special SWC, LRN, and SWCHP but also 9mm ball and .45 ball.

I also think that the sound and blast had a slight psychological effect on the person shot or shot at.

And compared to those others I mentioned it probably be would slightly more effective in some scenarios.

But does it deserve the reputation it has among many who witnessed its performance in the past?

.357 is highly dependent on barrel length. From a 6 inch barrel, it's serious business. From a snubnose, you're better off with almost anything else. The recoil to terminal performance ratio just isn't there.

If you're bound and determined to have a revolver, 357 kind of makes sense. But 10mm is still pretty superior in almost every way. I think the main appeal of revolvers in most of the last century has always been that they can deliver more powerful rounds than automatics, so in my mind the only really logical reason to choose a revolver is if you want more power than what a practical semi auto can deliver, so .44 mag makes more sense to me.