In these days of mega-magnum handguns like the 454 Casull, 475 Linebaugh, 500 Smith & Wesson and 480 Ruger, the .357 Magnum seems like a weak sister to a lot of folks. Why get a .357 when you can get a .41 or .44 Magnum? There are plenty of reasons for going with the .357, and in fact if I could have only one gun, it would be a .357.
The .357 Magnum is now almost 90 years old, having come to fruition in 1935, right in the middle of the Great Depression. Even at the then exorbitant price of $60, Smith & Wesson sold every one they made. At the time, each one was handmade and could be ordered with pretty much any option the customer wanted.
The cartridge itself is an extended .38 Special case, stretched out an extra 1/10”. This was to prevent the hot-loaded round from accidentally being chambered in the weaker .38 Special Military & Police model. The new .357 Magnum was chambered in the N-frame size gun, as it was believed that only the larger framed gun could handle the pressures of the new powerhouse, which were upwards of 47.000 psi. It was, at the time, the most powerful factory handgun round available.
Handgun authorities of the time, including Elmer Keith, Phil Sharpe, and Douglas Wesson, were quick to extol the virtues of the round. In fact, Doug Wesson used the new handgun and cartridge to take many heads of game, including antelope, elk, moose, and grizzly bear, to prove its superiority to any other factory round available. The head of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, then authorized it for carry by his agents.
Fast-forward 20 years to 1955. A Border Patrolman named Bill Jordan liked the .357 Magnum cartridge but didn’t like carrying the weight of the heavy N-frame. He asked Carl Hellstrom, then president of Smith & Wesson if it would be possible to package the power of the .357 round in a revolver the size of the K-frame Military & Police. This resulted in the creation of the .357 Combat Magnum, later to be known as the Model 19. At 35 ounces with a 4” barrel, Jordan called it ‘the peace officer’s dream,’ combining portability and power.
One f the biggest fans of the .357 Magnum round, and one of my top three favorite gun writers, was Charles A. “Skeeter” Skelton. He wrote many articles praising the .357, and his use of the Lyman bullet mold #358156, a gas-checked 158-grain semi-wadcutter bullet available as either a solid point or hollowpoint, has made that particular bullet a classic along the same lines as Elmer Keith made the Lyman #429421 250-grain bullet famous for the .44 Magnum. Skeeter used it for just about everything, proving the usefulness of the .357 Magnum round.
Another big fan of the .357 Magnum, especially when it’s loaded with heavier-than-normal bullets, is Frank “Paco” Kelly. A former federal lawman, inventor, and gun writer, Paco has been one of my big influences in working with the .357 even more, especially with bullets heavier than 170 grains. His experiments with 180-grain and heavier bullets from Cast Performance, Hornady, and Remington, along with my subsequent individual testing, have made me a believer in the power of the .357 Magnum round for just about anything one would need it for, from mice to moose, and with less muzzle blast and recoil that would scare off many new and inexperienced shooters.
I have two .357 revolvers that I normally use, a Smith & Wesson Model 19 with 4” barrel, and a Ruger Blackhawk single-action revolver with a 6.5” barrel. The Model 19 is a favorite for defense and field use. I have a set of Herrett’s Roper-style grips on it, made to fit my hand perfectly. They are not too terribly expensive, running about $100. They are worth the money, as good-fitting grips are worth their weight in gold.
One of my favorite loads for this sixgun is a hand load of the Oregon Trail Bullet Company 158-grain semi-wadcutter bullet, with 7.5grs of Unique. This gives me around 1,200 fps or so, which is adequate for most of what I use it for. It is powerful enough for lighter, thin-skinned critters, and I can load up a pile of them to shoot and practice with on a regular basis. Getting out and shooting is the only way you’re going to get good with a pistol. I also use the Hornady 158-grain XTP jacketed hollowpoint and 14.5 grains of Alliant 2400. Here in Missouri, one is required to use an expanding-type bullet for hunting, and the Hornady bullet is my go-to bullet for the Smith & Wesson when I take it to the woods.
I carry this sixgun in one of two holsters, depending on what I’m doing. For concealed carry, I’ll use a Range Master Holster from Rob Leahy at Simply Rugged. It pulls the gun butt in close, yet allows a speedy draw. I’ll carry extra ammo in a belt carrier on my left-hand side.
For field carry, where concealment isn’t a concern, I use a tanker-style holster I picked up at Cabela’s Bargain Cave for $12. It is made for the 4” K frame and is slung from the right shoulder to the left hip. It also has a canvas cartridge slide on it for holding 12 extra rounds. It is extremely comfortable, and it is reassuring to have the extra ammo where it is easy to get to.
Ruger’s Go-To Gun: The Blackhawk
The Ruger Blackhawk .357 Magnum single-action revolver has been in production since 1955, with a few improvements along the way. They are just about indestructible and are offered in blue or stainless steel. Mine was picked up new in 2007 and has been toted around quite a bit in the time since. It’s also my favorite hunting revolver with the heavy loads I mentioned above. With the 6.5” barrel, it balances nicely for long-range shooting but is not ungainly like some guns with longer barrels. It wears a set of Ruger synthetic ivory grips, which give it a little bit of personality, along with a Belt Mountain #5 base pin for the cylinder. Patterned after an Elmer Keith design that he had on his #5 revolver, hence the name, it is a tighter fit than the factory part, and reduces the wobble in the cylinder, giving a little bit tighter lock up. It also lends a touch of class to the gun.
It is usually carried in another holster made by Simply Rugged, a #120 with an extra-long retention strap. The holster rides on a 2.5” cartridge belt with 28 cartridge loops, and the whole thing is carved in a floral pattern. It’s a beautiful rig, made for showing off or heavy work. It is quick to draw from, should the need arise, and keeps the gun safe and secure. I asked Rob to make me one just like Skeeter Skelton’s, and he came through! If I want to carry it concealed, I have a Simply Rugged Pancake holster for it. It’s a big gun, but under a cold weather parka or rain jacket, it’s doable.
Favorite Loads
Normal shooting loads are made up of the Cast Performance Bullet Company 180-grain Lead Flat Nose-Gas Check bullet with 14.5 grains of Alliant 2400 powder behind it for the Blackhawk. This is one of my favorite bullets for this gun and caliber. The same charge is used with the 180-grain Hornady XTP hollowpoint, as well. This is a very stout load, even for the super-strong Blackhawk, yet I’ve had no issues with extraction, nor have I seen any other signs of overpressure. (NOTE: These loads are for use only in a handgun the size and strength of the Blackhawk. Do NOT try these in small-frame revolvers! Use them at your own risk!)
Sighted in at 50 yards, I am entirely confident in either of them to do whatever I need it to. For a light practice load, the above-mentioned Laser Cast 158-grain semi-wadcutter bullet and three grains of Bullseye in .38 Special cases fill the bill. I can use the same .357 cases, though, with Speer’s 158-grain lead hollowpoint and four grains of IMR Trail Boss, and get the same results, along with having a pretty good varmint load.
Even with its heaviest loadings, the .357 Magnum is still much easier to shoot than its larger siblings. The Blackhawk is the best value in a hunting handgun today and will last forever if cared for properly. For someone who is doubtful of their ability to handle the bigger calibers, the .357 is still effective on nearly everything four-legged in the lower 48, except that bullet placement is a little more critical. We owe this to any game animal we shoot, anyway.
The Smith & Wesson Model 19 is a classic sixgun and is lightweight to carry while still being easy to shoot. One can carry it all day, and not be tired or sore when the sun goes down. Six rounds of .357 are still pretty potent, and I’ve never felt under-gunned by having “only” six rounds.
So, don’t be ashamed of having a .357 Magnum; embrace it, make it your own, live with it, and shoot it every day. You’ll be far better off than your friends who have their bigger toys, but can’t hit the broad side of the proverbial barn!
