.357 concealed carry

[eagledax]

So I am new to the forum so I do apologize if this question has been asked before. I have noticed that most people carry a 45, 40, or 9mm as a daily carry, does anyone carry a .357 for daily use? If so, why or why not. As of right now I carry a 45 S&W M&P, but not sure if I want to add a 40 or a 357 to the mix. Any advice would be appreciated.

[zombieslayer]

I have guns in virtually every popular cartridge, but I'd have a .357 snub if I only had a few guns. Its a lot of firepower in a very handy, reliable, carry-able package. I'd suggest you look into a Smith J-frame. My favorite is the 640. No hammer to snag, and its all stainless. Feels solid and shoots well.

[SwampYankee]

Well, I'm not sure you can generalize about "most people". In the Northeast, "most people" carry .380 or 9 mm, or at least that is what the sales figures would lead you to believe. I love the .357 Magnum, I have at least half a dozen. That being said, I will not carry one in a package smaller than a Speed/Service/Security Six. People certainly do but in a self defense situation I feel a .38 Special +p is a better option and a lot more manageable for followup shots.

[krunchnik]

I switched from carrying the semi auto 1911 to carrying a Ruger SP101 in .357,I sold a Springer EMP 40 to buy my Ruger and am not regretting the switch a bit.I got tired of worrying about the pistol working when I really need it.I carry a speed strip with 6 extra rounds in my off side pocket,that puts it a 11 total rounds of Hornady Critical Defense,I think I am well enough armed.The pistol is semi light and very easy to conceal.

[silvercorvette]

These are the 2 of the 3 guns I carry most often, A S&W 1911, a S&W 8 shot snubbie .357, and a Colt 3 inch "New Agent" that I don't have a picture of.

Sometimes I carry the 1911 with the .357 as a back up and sometimes I carry just one of the 3. I have a few different guns but these three are the handguns I carry most often

The only reason I can give for my choice is the 1911 and revolver are reliable and accurate. When my hands get stiff and I have trouble moving my fingers I like the revolver because it is easier to handle a malfunction by just pulling the trigger again with a revolver than it is to rack the slide on a semi auto.

[sakeneko]

My usual carry gun is an S&W Model 60-10, a 5-shot .357 revolver. It's a fairly large concealed carry gun; any larger would be too large for most people to conceal without a trenchcoat. It's also about as small as a .357 revolver gets if you want something that isn't positively painful/uncomfortable to shoot as a .357. That might account for it being a bit less popular as a concealed gun than some of the semiautomatic calibers that you mention.

[silvercorvette]

t's also about as small as a .357 revolver gets if you want something that isn't positively painful/uncomfortable to shoot as a .357.

The S&W model 327 is very large for a snubbie but the 8 shots make it worth it it. Mine was uncomfortable to shoot until I switched grips.

[Rich Miranda]

I have noticed that most people carry a 45, 40, or 9mm as a daily carry, does anyone carry a .357 for daily use? If so, why or why not. As of right now I carry a 45 S&W M&P, but not sure if I want to add a 40 or a 357 to the mix. Any advice would be appreciated.

eagledax, I'm not sure if I'm reading too much into your post, but the calibers you mentioned first are all for semi-auto guns. .357 is for a revolver. I don't know what percentage of folks carry semi-auto versus revolver, but I think most folks pick the type of gun first, then choose caliber. For example, if you like revolvers, you can go with .38 Spl or .357 Mag., etc. My advice on this is to find the gun and caliber you like best and practice, practice, practice.

As for who carries a .357, I do. I actually alternate between a Ruger SP101 (.357) and a Ruger SR9c (9mm). I like both but the .357 gives me more of a warm and fuzzy feeling.

[silvercorvette]

eagledax, I'm not sure if I'm reading too much into your post, but the calibers you mentioned first are all for semi-auto guns. .357 is for a revolver.

It an understandable mistake to make because .357 semi autos are very rare and most people don't know about them. At one time I thought it would be impossible to make one because of the long case and the case has a rim which would cause problems designing an extractor. But 1911s chambered in .357 magnums do exist and if I ever find one for sale I want to buy one.

[8shot357]

silvercorvette

It an understandable mistake to make because .357 semi autos are very rare and most people don't know about them.

You write like Russian.

But 1911s chambered in .357 magnums do exist and if I ever find one for sale I want to buy one.

Why not a 460 Roland conversion for 1911.

[billnourse]

My wife carrys a .357 Mag Lady Smith, and I sometimes carry a Model 60 Smith .357 mag with a 3" bbl. I don't worry about high capacity as stats indicate that most self defense gun fights expend about 3.5 rounds total.

Bill

[Lokpyrite]

Check out the new Rhino by Chiappa, I haven't fired one yet but it looks good.

[Jimmy10mm]

What Swamp Yankee said exactly reflects my experience. I carried a S&W 640 and it was too heavy. Switched to a S&W 340PD and pocket carried it for 7 years. Light but bulky and as SY said, difficult with follow up shots when using 357 so I carried it with 38+P.

I've been carrying either a Kahr MK40, a Kahr P380 or a Sig P238 depending on my mood for some months now and I'm happy with the change. I picked up a 386PD 357 2 1/2" with 7 shot cylinder in the interim and it is a great shooter even with magnum loads but too large for easy concealment though it is comfortable in terms of weight. Buy a 38 or a 357 shubbie and try it. You can't have too many guns.

[MLeake]

SilverCorvette,

You can order a new one on the Coonan website, $1300 range. Not sure about wait times.

[egor20]

My wife carries her Ladysmith Model 60 with a 3" bbl and an extra speedloader in a Gun Tote'N Mamas Large Hobo Concealed Carry Holster Handbag

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct...tnumber=353323

No one has ever taken a second glance at it

[paknheat]

I carried a Ruger Speed-Six in a Don Hume IWB holster for years. I never had any problem concealing it. My usual carry positions for this particular set-up was rt hip at about the 4 o'clock position or aiwb. I have since upgraded to an auto pistol, But i still have and use the revolver and holster when the mood strikes me.

[Straightshooter629]

Fo the past 4 years or so, my daily carry weapon has been a Rossi 462 (2" SS .357). I prefer a revolver for the reliability and simplicity and I prefer the .357 for it's undenialbe and reliable stopping power. I have always been partial to Federal Hydra-shoks. I have fired over 2000 rounds of various ammo through this gun without any breakage or malfunctions.

[silvercorvette]

I heard that Coonan was going to start making them again but I hadn't heard any details in a while. Someone that posts under the name kurmudgon on the 1911 forum was the first person I have ever heard of that has one. The topic comes up from time to time and I have made up my mind to eventually.

I am going check the Coonan web site for more info, I wasn't aware if the had started production or if they were taking pre orders

========================================

I just checked the site the $1,199 price is for fixed sites and one mag. Mags are listed at $60.

I am going to wait until they have been in production for a while to see if the are any problems with this new production run.

I wish I could hold one of these guns to see how they feel, The .357 cartridge makes a very large grip.

[Chesster]

About 30 years ago I carried either a Ruger Speed 6 or 3" M13 Smith with 125gr JHP ammo, either Win or Fed, the RP had too much flash for night shooting. Both were and still are good to go for CCW.

[silvercorvette]

Not interested in the 460 Roland, there is something about the .357 the intrigues me. I like shooting the .357 magnum in my S&W model 327 8 shot revolver.

You give good compliment to my writing style yes?

[jackpine]

I carry a S&W 28 4" most of the time. When it came down to brass tacks I have two fine S&W revolvers that I like more than the rest of my handguns I used to have so now it's the 28 or a thunder 380 cause thats all there is on the shelf

[Hal]

But 1911s chambered in .357 magnums do exist and if I ever find one for sale I want to buy one.

IIRC, it's called the .38Super ...

Although that may not be 100% accurate.

The .357mag may have been an attempt to copy the .38Super load in a revolver, not the other way around..

[Webleymkv]

To which .357 cartridge are you referring? There are at least three that I know of: .357 Magnum, .357 Maximum, and .357 Sig.

I do use a .357 Magnum for carry, a S&W Model 66-2 with a 2 1/2" barrel loaded with Remington 158grn JHP. I prefer this gun for a variety of reasons: I prefer a revolver over a semi-automatic, I like the extra penetration that a 158grn .357 Magnum offers, and the .357 Magnum is the most powerful cartridge I can get in a revolver of similar size.

[silvercorvette]

Hal one of us or both of us are not understanding each other, I am not talking about the .38 super. The gun is a .357 magnum. the .38 super and .357 magnum are two completely different rounds they are not interchangeable. The 1911 I want to buy eventually is a 1911 chambered in .357 magnum. The .38 super 1911 is fairly common compared to a .357 1911

[silvercorvette]

To which .357 cartridge are you referring? There are at least three that I know of: .357 Magnum, .357 Maximum, and .357 Sig.

I do use a .357 Magnum for carry, a S&W Model 66-2 with a 2 1/2" barrel loaded with Remington 158grn JHP. I prefer this gun for a variety of reasons: I prefer a revolver over a semi-automatic, I like the extra penetration that a 158grn .357 Magnum offers, and the .357 Magnum is the most powerful cartridge I can get in a revolver of similar size.

I am not familiar with the .357 Maximun, I am going to have to look it up.

The cartridge I am referring to is .357 Magnum revolver cartridge created by Elmer Keith, I thought I was pretty clear about the 1911 I want to eventually get is chambered in the .357 caliber created by Elmer Keith

PSI posted pictures of of the two .357 revolvers I own in another thread somewhere and I like the cartridge enough to want a semi auto chambered in the same round.