DefensiveCarry Concealed Carry Forum - View Single Post

BikerRN · May 5th, 2008, 01:46 AM

Here's my $0.02:

I frequently carry a .357 Magnum off duty as I like Revolvers. I do not put my trust and faith in any firearm caliber, but I do like some more than others. While shot placement is most important, so is having a bullet that will do the job. When I carry one of my two 9mm's I pay more attention to my bullet selection than I do when carrying any of my other calibers.

I carry either a 45 ACP, both Revolver and "bottomfeeder, a 9mm or a .357 Magnum. As long as I have a good 185 Grain +P JHP or a 230 Grain JHP in the 45 ACP I don't much care what brand of bullet I'm using. In the .357 Magnum, any ol' 125 Grain hollow point will work for me, though I prefer either Black Hills or Remington.

Now we get to the 9mm. For me, I will only carry the gun off duty if I select the ammo, and I'm very picky in what I choose. From my current "stash" I have CorBon 115 Grain +P DPX JHP or Federal 115 Grain +P+ JHP's. That's it, no others need apply at this time. There are a couple of other good rounds out there, but no matter what it is, I'm much more "picky" with the 9mm than any other caliber, even 38 Special.

I would suggest that you run the "Test" to see if the .357 Magnum is the caliber for you. What I do is select the gun I want to carry, and the load. Place my Target at 5 Yards with 5 rounds in the gun. From the leather, or the "Low Ready" shoot the target five times in five seconds, keeping all shots in a 5" group. The gun you can do this with is the one you should carry, even if it's just a .22 LR.

Here's a little hint, if you practice doing this enough you can do this with any caliber you want to carry, within reason. It took me much more practice to be able to do this with the .357 Magnum than it did the 9mm, but since I can do this "from the leather" with the .357 Magnum, that's what I carry.

I do like and trust the ballistics of the .357 Magnum more than any other handgun caliber, and there is a reason it was dubbed the "King of the Street" by Ed Sanow years ago. Even today, all loads are compared to the Federal 125 Grain JHP load or the Remington 125 Grain SJHP loading.

The .357 Magnum does have it's drawbacks, "noise and flash" along with recoil being the chief reasons against it. Select your caliber based upon how you shoot, and what you shoot best but don't be suprised if you get better by practicing.

Biker

May 5th, 2008, 01:46 AM	#30
BikerRN Distinguished Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: State of Discombobulation Posts: 1,697	Here's my $0.02: I frequently carry a .357 Magnum off duty as I like Revolvers. I do not put my trust and faith in any firearm caliber, but I do like some more than others. While shot placement is most important, so is having a bullet that will do the job. When I carry one of my two 9mm's I pay more attention to my bullet selection than I do when carrying any of my other calibers. I carry either a 45 ACP, both Revolver and "bottomfeeder, a 9mm or a .357 Magnum. As long as I have a good 185 Grain +P JHP or a 230 Grain JHP in the 45 ACP I don't much care what brand of bullet I'm using. In the .357 Magnum, any ol' 125 Grain hollow point will work for me, though I prefer either Black Hills or Remington. Now we get to the 9mm. For me, I will only carry the gun off duty if I select the ammo, and I'm very picky in what I choose. From my current "stash" I have CorBon 115 Grain +P DPX JHP or Federal 115 Grain +P+ JHP's. That's it, no others need apply at this time. There are a couple of other good rounds out there, but no matter what it is, I'm much more "picky" with the 9mm than any other caliber, even 38 Special. I would suggest that you run the "Test" to see if the .357 Magnum is the caliber for you. What I do is select the gun I want to carry, and the load. Place my Target at 5 Yards with 5 rounds in the gun. From the leather, or the "Low Ready" shoot the target five times in five seconds, keeping all shots in a 5" group. The gun you can do this with is the one you should carry, even if it's just a .22 LR. Here's a little hint, if you practice doing this enough you can do this with any caliber you want to carry, within reason. It took me much more practice to be able to do this with the .357 Magnum than it did the 9mm, but since I can do this "from the leather" with the .357 Magnum, that's what I carry. I do like and trust the ballistics of the .357 Magnum more than any other handgun caliber, and there is a reason it was dubbed the "King of the Street" by Ed Sanow years ago. Even today, all loads are compared to the Federal 125 Grain JHP load or the Remington 125 Grain SJHP loading. The .357 Magnum does have it's drawbacks, "noise and flash" along with recoil being the chief reasons against it. Select your caliber based upon how you shoot, and what you shoot best but don't be suprised if you get better by practicing. Biker __________________ "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."