[finnfur]

I have been looking for a .357 but unable to find one at reasonable price . I seem to find .44s everywhere and at decent pricing . A friend that reloads and has a .44 revolver says to buy a .44 it will do everything and more that the .357 will do. My primary use will be plinking [ kids and wife ] , varmint and thicker woods cover whitetails [ when not using 336 30-30 ] .I plan to add a pistol of same caliber as rifle for the same purpose. He says cost to reload are about same . In all my research on this very informative forum I seemed to get the impression that if plinking is a primary function the 357 would be better because to decrease bullet weight , to reduce recoil , you lose accuracy with the 44. I believe this was because of the 1:38" rh twist in the .44 vs the 1:16 rh twist in the 357.
This gun will also be my year around farm vehicle carry rifle for things that need to be dispatched.
Maybe I missed something so can ya'll input on this debate.
Thanks , Tom , who is still looking.

 

[Guest]

The only thing I can say is the .357 MIGHT be more user friendly for wife and kids. Factory ammo is a bit cheaper and a bit easier to locate in certain stores. I have a .357 but havent had it very long, so far I love it. I paid a bit more for it than I wanted to, if I had been more patient a couple came up on Gunbroker at better prices not long after I bought mine. But no complaints. I am using mine exactly as you plan to use yours, general purpose everyday around the property and housegun at night.

I would love to and probably will have a .44 some day. I imagine you will get plenty of responses both ways.

 

[oic0]

Summary
.357 is cheaper to shoot
.44 is more powerful


Pick which of those traits you would rather have. If you are finding the .44s for cheaper it would depend on how much you plan to shoot. If you shoot a whole lot the .357 might eventually make up the price difference with the cheaper ammo. If you are an occasional shooter, probably not.

 

[avodah]

I have both - given the variety of uses you're describing I'd go with the .357. I ended up putting a limbsaver on my .44 so my younger boys could shoot it more comfortably ... recoil not a problem w/ the .357. I can't recall without pulling both guns out, but I believe my .44 has a 20" barrel as opposed to the .357 18.5" ... I use the .357 predominantly as a truck/farm gun. For my purposes, I can't think of a better farm gun for dispatching predators or deer inside 100 yards, and a respectable show of force for problem visitors to your farm.

I bought the .44 for deer hunting when I'm in bear country - and I have a Blackhawk .44 as a sidekick. It has it's purpose & I'm glad I have it.

 

[ClemY]

Consider getting both. The .44first if it is more easily available, then the .357 when it becomes available. I have both. The .44 certainly has more power, but in factory equivalent loads, it will beat on your wife. The .357 is pretty tame, but with the right loads will handle deer ok to 125 yds. or so.

 

[Tedak]

Oh no, another .44 vs. 357 thread! This could be the thread that pushes me beyond temptation, and I'll have to get the .44 too (which I can't afford)! ;D

I have the '94C and love it!! I picked it up at the end of Nov, and have over 1,000 rds through it. With .38's, you could forget you hearing protection at home, and still be able to shoot.

You won't go wrong with either one.

 

[biku324]

Oh no, another .44 vs. 357 thread! This could be the thread that pushes me beyond temptation, and I'll have to get the .44 too (which I can't afford)! ;D

I have the '94C and love it!! I picked it up at the end of Nov, and have over 1,000 rds through it. With .38's, you could forget you hearing protection at home, and still be able to shoot.

You won't go wrong with either one.

Amen, Deacon Tedak!

 

[bls7213]

The .357 will shoot the 38 special also, which is one of the best target rounds around and has no recoil. It's like shooting a .22 but with more power.

I have the 357 and love it. I have shot my friend's 44 mag and it 44 kicks like a 30-30. It you want it for home defense and plinking for your wife and kids I'd recommend the 357.

Sheriff Jim Wilson, the retired county sheriff now gun writer, had this to say about the Marlin 1894c:

"The Marlin Model 1894 I fired for this report is one from my personal collection. It is chambered for the .357 Magnum cartridge, which really shines in a carbine—you can generally get 200 to 350 fps more velocity, and the bullet performance is really good. While I really prefer the .44 Magnum for a strictly gunfighting proposition, the .357 Magnum carbine has become my home defense/ranch rifle of choice."

This is an excerpt from his article in Shooting Times magazine about the Marlin 1894c in 357 mag.

 

[EdinCT]

I have the 44 and it is a great all round rifle. You can load 200 gr with 8 gr of unique and get a get plinking load that is about like a 44/40. Or load a 240 gr soft Point with 24 gr Win 296 or H110 and you have a Very good deer load.
My youngest son started shooting the 44 when he was 46 lbs and no issues with the regular stock and I think it is a little more of a boom than a crack with the plinking loads.
I would like the 357 so day also but I have a little trouble justifying the cost right now,

 

[Consultant]

I have the SS .44 and just posted about my first range trip since getting the action tuned up. I love mine and reload both .44 and .357. With full factory mags the .44 was hitting a 12" gong offhand repeatably at 100 yds and I couldn't ask for a better fun rifle. I do plan to also pick up a stainless .357 one of these days. Since I reload, there isn't a big difference in costs between 100 .44mag and 100 .357 but if you are constrained to buying factory ammo, the .357 with 38 Specials would definitely be cheaper.

 

[finnfur]

OK - Thanks for all the great input. I will continue my search for a .357 but if a steal of a deal on .44 comes up i am going for it.
Need an excuse to buy two anyway LOL

 

[swany]

I would seek a CB version of it. On that thought if you got real lucky and found a deal on a CBC in .38 Special that would really give you a nice Levergun for most general purpose and pleasant with a lot of over the counter ammo including +P+ defense loads that would take a deer easily.

Then you find an antique S&W .38 Target you would have a set the wife and kids have to get their own. ;D ;D

Good luck on your quest hold out for a good deal on a .357 I've owned both and have the .357 yet, .44 was easy to give up when your .357 is a Cowboy with 24 inch bbl. ;D

 

[jpickar]

I have 2 357's and 2 44 mags. The 44 mags have noticably more recoil. I like both and can't decide if I should sell one of each or just one of 1 caliber!!???

OH heck, I'll just keep all 4.

My opinion is 357 is a lot easier recoil for wife and especially kids.

John

 

[drjjpdc]

OK - Thanks for all the great input. I will continue my search for a .357 but if a steal of a deal on .44 comes up i am going for it.
Need an excuse to buy two anyway LOL

Finnfur
Here is something worthy of a bid. Go to this website.

http://www.auctionarms.com/search/displayitem.cfm?itemnum=9566752&oh=216543

 

[McCain]

I've got the '94C in .357. If you want to hunt with either .357 or .44, both these shine in the 100 yard and under range where the great majority of action occurs. For home protection, .357 will knock down anything without doubt and the carbine is so quick to the hip or shoulder being only 36" OAL and with the 18.5" barrel. I topped mine off with the WWG loop lever, happy trigger and XS ghost ring sights. All are vast improvements on a great handling and balanced rifle. In my area, .357 is about 1/2 the price of .44 but still packs a hell of a wallop.

 

[IN1894SS]

Keep on your quest for the 357; the 44 can be finicky about getting it to group depending on the particular rifle.

 

[finnfur]

Swany
Being a Tinhorn I ask does CBC stand for CowBoy Carbine ?
drjjpdc
Thanks for the link. Will follow. Have two gun shows before it closes.
Thanks to all for the great input .

 

[bhk]

Everyone keeps talking about the .44s increased recoil, yet the OP is planning on reloading. I reload .44 specials for use in my 1894 when plinking. No recoil at all. The mags are for hunting, the specials for playing. Can't lose.

 

[oic0]

Keep on your quest for the 357; the 44 can be finicky about getting it to group depending on the particular rifle.

I forgot about that, they say the 44 has a slower twist rate than is ideal. They say the bigger bullets don't shoot well out of it. I don't own one though so I wouldn't know. Then again, even the smaller bullets are bigger than .357 ones.

 

[Coldfingers]

The darn 357's are scarce as hen's teeth it seems. Wonder why that is

I just flat out find that my 94C is as handy as a pocketknife.

If I need much more than that, I simply switch to the 45/70

I just do not own a 44Mag. I feel like such a putz though... ;D

Since you are looking to match with a handgun of same caliber, what are you looking for long term.

Consider that I am getting old, cranky, and frail so am somewhat biased in my opinion. Anymore these days, if I cannot get close enough to kill it with the .357's or if is is too big to be killed with the .357, I am gonna just leave it alone!

I believe that the bottom line is that if you are looking to mainly plink and pop varmints and occasional deer, you will probably be most happy with the .357 on any platform you find.

If you intend to focus on big game and take the occasional pot sized critter or plink, snag up one of the 44Mags

I have read some pretty strong opinions on both sides of this fence and the jury is a mite cornfused ???

I wish you luck on your decision and more luck should you decide to hunt down the elusive .357 (it took me YEARS to find a blued one locally and am still on the quest for a stainless one)