9mm pistol vs 357 mag revolver - Page 4

pblanc · February 20, 2017, 01:11 PM

Ditto what Glenn just said. In addition, not everyone shoots revolvers as well as autoloaders, although some shoot them better.

I have been shooting for a good many years now and regularly shoot .22lr, 9mm Luger, .40 S&W, 357 SIG, and .45 ACP pistols, as well as a Ruger GP100 in 38 Special/357 Magnum.

I am still impressed by how much more easily I can control the recoil of autoloaders even in the larger calibers and higher velocities, compared to shooting full 357 Magnum loads, even out of the big GP100. Despite years of trying, I simply can't shoot 357 Magnum as well as I would like to.

If you are absolutely convinced that you can shoot 357 Magnum as quickly and accurately as 9mm Luger, than looking at the relative terminal ballistics and capacity makes sense., otherwise those considerations are irrelevant.

seeker_two · February 20, 2017, 09:33 PM

So.....the answer is for a person to choose to carry what he/she can shoot well and not get caught up in what other people think is the bee's knees?......

Doc Holliday 1950 · February 20, 2017, 09:45 PM

Ye Gods Man,
I think you hit a home run with your
answer. Well said & thank you.

Doc Holliday 1950 · February 20, 2017, 10:05 PM

I think we all had a good run on this
question. Since 1970, I've only had
357 mags. until recently when I bought
my first Semi. I thought I was a damn
Good shot, accurate & fast.This changed
when I got my Glock. I am a better shot
And more accurate and moreover
quicker. The expert quotes on Ammo
speed, penetration & "stopping"
power we're important. But the most
important answer was "What do you
Shoot the best.It really
is as simple as this. I went to my range
and timed my shots at 5,7 & 10 yds.
First with my SP 101 2.5" 357, then
my GP 100 4" 357 and finally my
9mm Glock. I did this on 3 different
days. The Glock was best on all 3 days.

Cosmodragoon · February 21, 2017, 02:01 AM

Quote:

About the 357 Sig - this is a point made before by me and others. You need to see how well you shoot the round.

Anecdote: In an intensive handgun class, a person had a new Glock in 357 Sig, having read the stopping power prose. Had a heck of a time shooting at small steel plates in a timed drill. Slow and misses.

The person was given a 9mm Glock and performance increased dramatically. Now, one anecdote isn't quite the reseach design but basing decisions on the stopping power physics without trying and practicing is common among the gun conversations but not as useful as practice.

While "new" is certainly a factor in that case, it would only be exaggerating the basic effect. Guns that kick harder tend to be harder to control. The shooter in Glenn's anecdote might have had similar results with .40 S&W versus 9mm, .357 magnum versus .38 special, or even 9mm versus .22 LR. We can train to mitigate the effect of recoil but it will always be there. It comes down to finding the right balance for the individual. I think trying out these different options and 'seeing how well we shoot them' is more than just sound advice. It's a lot of fun!

Doc Holliday 1950 · February 23, 2017, 07:26 PM

Thanks everyone. This was a great post and very very informative. So, you can get reams of info but it always comes down to using this knowledge properly and do your best to not do anything stupid.

b.thomas · February 24, 2017, 03:02 AM

9mm or .357 mag..............don't really matter which.............as long as you place the bullet where it belongs!

CDW4ME · February 25, 2017, 08:28 AM

Lets try to objectively quantify recoil, same size pistol Glock 19/23/32
Valid comparison because same pistol just different caliber and equivalent factory ammo and data from my chrono.
Handy online calculator: http://www.shooterscalculator.com/recoil-calculator.php
Powder charges assigned by using values from Accurate Load manual
Pistol weight 1.5 Lb
9mm Glock 19
Federal HST 124 gr. +P @ 1,210 fps (assigned 7.9 gr powder) = recoil energy 7.6
357 Sig Glock 32
Federal HST 125 gr. @ 1,358 fps (assigned 9.2 gr powder) = recoil energy 9.84 (23% increase over 9mm)
40 S&W Glock 23
Federal HST 180 gr. @ 1003 fps (assigned 8.5 gr powder) = recoil energy 10.52 (28% increase over 9mm)

Edit to add: someone practicing (shooting a course, taking a class) with FMJ 9mm range ammo is not likely getting the same level of recoil as they would with defensive ammo, whereas with 357 Sig its likely about the same level of power.

Overkill777 · February 27, 2017, 11:56 AM

I own both and enjoy both 357 magnum revolvers and 9mm glocks.

The way I look at it is they are both pistol calibers. The difference between the terminal ballistics is not very significant. The biggest difference is in penetration of the heavy 357 magnum loads.

I carry the 9mm glock most of the time because it penetrates effectively for self defense, has great capacity, and carries easily. I may choose the 357 magnum revolver when penetration is more important than capacity, such as woods carry.

I shoot both calibers with about equal accuracy but it's easier to shoot the 9mm faster obviously.

February 20, 2017, 09:33 PM	#77
seeker_two Senior Member Join Date: August 31, 2002 Location: Deep in the Heart of the Lone Star State (TX) Posts: 2,169	So.....the answer is for a person to choose to carry what he/she can shoot well and not get caught up in what other people think is the bee's knees?...... __________________ Proud member of Gun Culture 2.0......

February 20, 2017, 09:45 PM	#78
Doc Holliday 1950 Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2014 Location: Bout as south as it gets Posts: 1,238	Ye Gods Man, I think you hit a home run with your answer. Well said & thank you. __________________ Shoot well and be Accurate, Doc

February 20, 2017, 10:05 PM	#79
Doc Holliday 1950 Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2014 Location: Bout as south as it gets Posts: 1,238	I think we all had a good run on this question. Since 1970, I've only had 357 mags. until recently when I bought my first Semi. I thought I was a damn Good shot, accurate & fast.This changed when I got my Glock. I am a better shot And more accurate and moreover quicker. The expert quotes on Ammo speed, penetration & "stopping" power we're important. But the most important answer was "What do you Shoot the best.It really is as simple as this. I went to my range and timed my shots at 5,7 & 10 yds. First with my SP 101 2.5" 357, then my GP 100 4" 357 and finally my 9mm Glock. I did this on 3 different days. The Glock was best on all 3 days. __________________ Shoot well and be Accurate, Doc

February 23, 2017, 07:26 PM	#81
Doc Holliday 1950 Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2014 Location: Bout as south as it gets Posts: 1,238	Thanks everyone. This was a great post and very very informative. So, you can get reams of info but it always comes down to using this knowledge properly and do your best to not do anything stupid. __________________ Shoot well and be Accurate, Doc

February 25, 2017, 08:28 AM	#83
CDW4ME Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2009 Posts: 1,321	Lets try to objectively quantify recoil, same size pistol Glock 19/23/32 Valid comparison because same pistol just different caliber and equivalent factory ammo and data from my chrono. Handy online calculator: http://www.shooterscalculator.com/recoil-calculator.php Powder charges assigned by using values from Accurate Load manual Pistol weight 1.5 Lb 9mm Glock 19 Federal HST 124 gr. +P @ 1,210 fps (assigned 7.9 gr powder) = recoil energy 7.6 357 Sig Glock 32 Federal HST 125 gr. @ 1,358 fps (assigned 9.2 gr powder) = recoil energy 9.84 (23% increase over 9mm) 40 S&W Glock 23 Federal HST 180 gr. @ 1003 fps (assigned 8.5 gr powder) = recoil energy 10.52 (28% increase over 9mm) Edit to add: someone practicing (shooting a course, taking a class) with FMJ 9mm range ammo is not likely getting the same level of recoil as they would with defensive ammo, whereas with 357 Sig its likely about the same level of power. __________________ Strive to carry the handgun you would want anywhere, everywhere; forget that good area bullcrap. "Wouldn't want to / Nobody volunteer to" get shot by _____ is not indicative of quickly incapacitating.

February 20, 2017, 01:11 PM	#76
pblanc Senior Member Join Date: March 23, 2008 Location: Indiana Posts: 697	Ditto what Glenn just said. In addition, not everyone shoots revolvers as well as autoloaders, although some shoot them better. I have been shooting for a good many years now and regularly shoot .22lr, 9mm Luger, .40 S&W, 357 SIG, and .45 ACP pistols, as well as a Ruger GP100 in 38 Special/357 Magnum. I am still impressed by how much more easily I can control the recoil of autoloaders even in the larger calibers and higher velocities, compared to shooting full 357 Magnum loads, even out of the big GP100. Despite years of trying, I simply can't shoot 357 Magnum as well as I would like to. If you are absolutely convinced that you can shoot 357 Magnum as quickly and accurately as 9mm Luger, than looking at the relative terminal ballistics and capacity makes sense., otherwise those considerations are irrelevant.

February 24, 2017, 03:02 AM	#82
b.thomas Senior Member Join Date: October 8, 2006 Posts: 461	9mm or .357 mag..............don't really matter which.............as long as you place the bullet where it belongs!

February 27, 2017, 11:56 AM	#84
Overkill777 Senior Member Join Date: January 4, 2015 Posts: 267	I own both and enjoy both 357 magnum revolvers and 9mm glocks. The way I look at it is they are both pistol calibers. The difference between the terminal ballistics is not very significant. The biggest difference is in penetration of the heavy 357 magnum loads. I carry the 9mm glock most of the time because it penetrates effectively for self defense, has great capacity, and carries easily. I may choose the 357 magnum revolver when penetration is more important than capacity, such as woods carry. I shoot both calibers with about equal accuracy but it's easier to shoot the 9mm faster obviously.