Something I've always been curious about...

2743 Views 17 Replies 9 Participants Last post by JT, Feb 27, 2005

Euclidean

Discussion Starter · Feb 26, 2005

http://www.glock.com/_357.htm

These offerings from Glock have always made me wonder something.

Why can't I get a nice semiautomatic, besides these, chambered in .357 Magnum? Do the gun gods hate me?

I mean yes I do realize that it's a long catridge and would be prone to jamming, but it would be so sweet to not have to stock up on 9mm.

I own 3 handguns and have to stock 3 different calibers. It's quite annoying. The only consolation is that one of those handguns uses two of those calibers, so I can keep my stocks of .357 mercifully low. That stuff's expensive.

Why don't they make some more semi-automatics that use my familiar and well known revolver calibers that I've been shooting for years? I'd love a semiautomatic in .357 Magnum.

I realize that with a semiautomatic the length of the cartridge matters a lot and I wouldn't have the interchangeability of a revolver, but I'd love to be able to stock just 2 calibers and have access to both formats.

But when I look at semiautomatics, I'm forced to go with a different caliber. At least if you're going from semis to wheelguns you can find 9mm, .40S&W, .45 ACP, and 10mm revolvers from different makers.

Someone told me once it was because of ballistics, but according to Speer's website their 155 grain .40 S&W catridges have a muzzle velocity of 1200 feet per second, and their 158 grain .357's come out at 1235 feet per second.

Seems about the same to me from the gun's point of view. I see no reason they can't make such a thing. Glock already does. I wonder why no one else bothers?

1 - 18 of 18 Posts

The Tourist

· #2 · Feb 26, 2005

There is a .357 Magnum automatic, I owned one.

It's called the Coonan, and it's a big, stainless 1911.

Personally, I'd get a Glock 23 or a 27 and buy the 357 SIG barrel to go with it.

SIG cartridges are common now, and have the energy of a Federal 125 grain .357 Magnum. The Federal cartridge is universally known as the best one shot stopper against human targets.

KC135

· #3 · Feb 26, 2005

.357 Sig.

No demand for autos in the .357 Mag revolver cartridge. The only company making one is out of business I think.

Euclidean

Discussion Starter · #4 · Feb 26, 2005

I hate .357 Sig. Why? The freaking clerks at the gun and sporting good stores try to pass it off as .357 Magnum.

It's a freakish little caliber like the .17 HMR that I just see no use for.

JT

· #5 · Feb 26, 2005

Euclidean said:
http://www.glock.com/_357.htm

These offerings from Glock have always made me wonder something.

Why can't I get a nice semiautomatic, besides these, chambered in .357 Magnum? Do the gun gods hate me?

Those Glocks are not chambered in 357 magnum. They are 357 Sig. Glock doesn’t use the “Sig” part, just like they don’t use the “S&W” in 40 S&W anymore.

And as for the 357 Sig, it is a real good cartridge. Do a little research on it and you will find that is the case. It is also real fun to shoot.

QKShooter

· #6 · Feb 26, 2005 (Edited)

Sorry About The Oversize Page

You can still find a Coonan on Gunbroker in new or like new condition.
Expect to pay over 100 bucks per extra magazine though.
Swiped off the web:

See less See more

Euclidean

Discussion Starter · #7 · Feb 26, 2005 (Edited)

JT said:
Those Glocks are not chambered in 357 magnum. They are 357 Sig. Glock doesn’t use the “Sig” part, just like they don’t use the “S&W” in 40 S&W anymore.

And as for the 357 Sig, it is a real good cartridge. Do a little research on it and you will find that is the case. It is also real fun to shoot.

Wow you wouldn't know it from their site, especially with the word "Magnum" right there on the page. You would think Glock would realize that's misleading! I figured they made them for foreign markets where military calibers are illegal for private citizens. I've also heard Glock makes .380s for foreign countries, so I naturally assumed they marketed both these calibers in other parts of the world.

I've yet to actually see any of those models in a gun store. I assumed they were for the foreign market like the .380 models. Can you actually buy them in the U.S.?

Is QK's find what you were talking about Tourist? I had no idea such a thing existed.

I'll be content to stay with .38, .357, and 9mm. If I ever go insane and want a fourth handgun caliber, I'll investiage either .40 S&W or .45 ACP, or perhaps .44 Special because it's just cool.

Man you guys are all over this one. Who knew?

Bud White

· #8 · Feb 26, 2005

the later glocks are 357 sigs everyone tried to play the sig off as a 357 mag it aint and wont ever be ive had both ...

Deserteagle still makes a 357 mag autoloader i think little hard to conceal though...

Problem with the 357 41 44 mags even 45 colt and 454 casuall ..(i know speeling sucks it was tough day) is that its a rimmed cartridge and is hard to get to function in a autoloader properly

Also becuse of the pressure curve and the way it peaks it has to be a hefty handgun in a auto plus it just makes a huge grip to hand onto...

Amt automags used to come in 357 mag also but very limited

acparmed

· #9 · Feb 26, 2005

QKShooter is right about the Coonan it's one great gun, IF you can find one. If you can find one it will probably be on www.gunbroker.com or www.gunsamerica.com
A friend of mine has 3 of these and swears by them.

I had a Desert Eagle in 357 mag and it was entirely unreliable. I experienced jam after jam with it, and finally had to get rid of it. I think it had to do with a design flaw in dealing with the long narrow 357 mag cartridge. When it did fire, as a consequence of the weight, recoil was very pleasant.

If you insist on a 357 mag auto find a Coonan.

rocky

· #10 · Feb 26, 2005

Better just to go to all auto loaders. I really like having 2 atos in .40 S&W . Makes reloading nice too. Also If I am carrying both .40's the ammo is interchangable. If Glocks fit me better i would have a 27 and a 23 so the mags would work too.

The Tourist

· #11 · Feb 27, 2005

Euc,

Yes, that's the Coonan I had, in about 1985 as I recall.

I like to use cast bullets, and the Coonan needed quite a stiff load to work the action. With hot 125 grain loads it worked like a clock, but any down-size load and it suffered stoppages.

About the same year I also bought a Bren Ten, a 4-inch Special Forces model in light finish. That pistol did cycle cast bullets (and everything else), and I sold the Coonan to a friend who didn't reload. He shot hot magnums and loved the gun.

The accuracy wasn't as tight as a SW 19, but he liked firing three shots so fast it sounded like a machine pistol.

The quality on mine was perfect, it just wasn't 'my gun.' I don't miss it.

acparmed

· #12 · Feb 27, 2005

The Tourist said:
Euc,

About the same year I also bought a Bren Ten, a 4-inch Special Forces model in light finish.

You wouldn't happen to still have that Bren would you? I have longed for one of those for many years.

I had a chance to buy one when they first came out but I passed on the deal, have regretted it ever since.

KC135

· #13 · Feb 27, 2005

DE .357 needed the HOTTEST 158 gr jacketed ammo made and lots of break free, in order to run.

The Tourist

· #14 · Feb 27, 2005

Acparmed,

Nope, the Bren is long gone. Here's the deal.

I bought mine for 450 bucks, and got two new magazines. I also made the acquaintence of 'Harlene' the customer sevice person a Dornaus & Dixon. She got me free manuals, spare grips, spare take down levers and slide latches, screws and a spare firing pin.

Don Johnson used 'my pistol' that year on 'Miami Vice.' It caused quite a stir. By then, Bren Tens were backlogged, the clients were angry and news stories reported that Don had two of them! (He actually had two .45 ACP models because blanks had to be that size. Harlene told me that his pistols were made out of scrap parts and hardchromed. His were actually 5-inch models.) Anyway, the price of Brens went up--because of a magazine issue, and I had two mags.

I happened to meet a collector in a Sun Prairie gunshop who knew I had the Bren and had seen me fire it at a local range. He asked when I was going to sell it.

I told him that the most I had ever seen pistols go for was 2,500 bucks. I had seen Pasadena A-Model .44 Automags go for that price, and the Bren was listed at only 1,000 dollars.

He offered me 4,500 in cash for the pistol and all of Harlene's parts.

Bren Ten, serial number 000313, went home with him.

They have NOT held their value.

See less See more

acparmed

· #15 · Feb 27, 2005

I can't say I blame you for selling it for that price! If I'd had it I would have sold it too and I've always wanted one.

Good sell.

QKShooter

· #16 · Feb 27, 2005

Coonan

The Coonan DID get the function "bugs" worked out of cranking "Rimmed Revolver Ammo" through an autoloader.
If I remember correctly it did not take kindly to most handloaded .357 ammo. Once you found the factory load that it "liked" ~ then it was awesome & reliable.
Since there was no loss of oomph out of a revolver "cylinder gap" .357 Mag velocity was a bit higher in the Coonan.
The PROBLEM with buying a "Like New or Mint Condition" Coonan NOW is the general rarity of the Coonan magazines. Expect to pay BIG bucks for spare mags "if & when" they pop up.

rfurtkamp

· #17 · Feb 27, 2005

The other thing on the .357 mag in an autoloader is trying to put your fist around one if you're an average sized shooter. I have no problem with a Desert Eagle, but for a gun that big and bulky, I want a bigger boom.

They're conceable with effort but the biggest problem in that area is lack of holsters - I ended up having to make my own.

JT

· #18 · Feb 27, 2005

Euclidean said:
Wow you wouldn't know it from their site, especially with the word "Magnum" right there on the page. You would think Glock would realize that's misleading! I figured they made them for foreign markets where military calibers are illegal for private citizens. I've also heard Glock makes .380s for foreign countries, so I naturally assumed they marketed both these calibers in other parts of the world.

I've yet to actually see any of those models in a gun store. I assumed they were for the foreign market like the .380 models. Can you actually buy them in the U.S.??

Yea, it is miss-leading.

Were you asking if the 380s were available here, or the 357 Sigs? The 380s are not because they don’t have enough “import points” on the BATF grading scale to get in. The 357 Sigs are sold here, in fact I have one. I bought it, and then a 40 caliber barrel so I can shoot either round.

I think it is a bad move for Glock to drop the traditional name of the caliber if it contains the name of another company. It can lead to confusion. They even changed the 45 ACP to “45 Auto”. I’m not certain but I think the practice started when the S&W Sigma came out and Glock sued them for copyright infringment. Around that time they started referring to their guns chambered for 40 S&W as “40 Auto”. My model 23 pre-dates this practice, so it actually says “40 S&W” on the slide.

1 - 18 of 18 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.