.357 automag

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kyhunter

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I recently discovered a pistol in .357 automag.. my question is why is the .357 sig so popular yet the .357 automag is approaching its death? Im confused how two things that seem so similar could be so different?
 
The .357 Sig is a necked down .40 S&W that uses a .355 to .357 bullet that duplicates the ballistics of the .357 magnum when using 125 grain bullets. The .357 Sig uses a pistol platform the same size as .40 S&W caliber guns which are smaller than pistols chambered for .357 auto mag.

The .357 auto mag uses a custom case formed from .308 Winchester brass or .44 auto mag brass. Its velocities are equivalent to the .357 Maximum which is a lot higher than the .357 magnum. The auto mag pistols are very large and have little practical use except for hunting. Large semi auto's have never gathered much of a following since they offer no advantage over revolvers for hunting and are too heavy and large for reasonable carry as a self defense weapon.

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQXokffiA3nX42SJflVK5b8G2IwUP0DVYH7-pw9S4SyFCwHpTJWWg.jpg
 
oh wow. I didnt know they were loaded that hot, or not offered in a standard sized handgun. Learn something new every day. Thanks Steve
 
44amp_ammo.jpg
44amp.jpg
357sig_44amp.jpg

The bottom picture is my 229 sport (357 Sig) and my 44 Automag for comparison in size. The sig is a little gun for a little round while the Automag is a big gun for a big round (by comparison).

I have thought about getting a 357 Automag barrel for my Contender just for fun. Not sure why but the thought occasionally crosses my mind. Then I think of my 357 Maximum barrel I rarely shoot and it goes away.
 
kyhunter said:
I recently discovered a pistol in .357 automag
oh wow. I didnt know they were loaded that hot, or not offered in a standard sized handgun
Now, you've perked my curiosity.

Which gun did you discover that would have lead you to believe that it could be offered in a size other than what you saw?
 
Back before I was stupid enough to sell my .357AMP, my favorite loads were:

150 gr Sierra JHC at 1855 fps for metallic silhouette and small deer.

90 gr Sierra 9mm JHC at 2496 fps for jackrabbits and coyotes.

That's out of an 8 1/2" barrel.

357AMPFlash.jpg

I do have a .44AMP. It's no trouble getting 1400+ fps with a 240 gr JHP.

240at25yds.jpg

ETA:

Starline makes AMP brass. It's expensive!

The AutoMag is much more comfortable to shoot with hot loads than a revolver. The action soaks up a lot of the recoil and the grip won't bite you.

The AutoMag isn't designed for light loads. If you aren't running it at 45-50,000 CUP, it won't feed. Light bullets require high pressure, right at the top end of what the gun will handle. And that's saying something!!
 
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An LEO friend of mine has 2 for sale a .44 and a .357. I never actualy seen the pistols just the rounds he had laying out of his safe on a shekf. I didnt know anything about it so I used the ol google and posted here at the same time. \i see where the confusion came from 9mm. \my apologies
 
I've looong since got rid of all my automags as i didn't care for them at all... Still have die sets to make the brass and load it, if someone is interested...

DM
 
.44 AMP Loads

I had two loads that Ed Preswich in Utah made up to fire in my gun. A 180 grain JHP at 2100 F/S For self defense and MULE DEER in Colorado AND A 265 Grain JHP at 1475 F/S for Elk and 200 Yard/Meter? shots on the Rams. The gun ran great WO a malfunction for ten years until my second Daughter was born and the big pistol was sold for new baby cloths. Best deal I ever made, but with some regrets now, 36 years later.
 
The auto mag pistols are very large and have little practical use except for hunting. Large semi auto's have never gathered much of a following since they offer no advantage over revolvers for hunting...
While not as classy-looking as the Automag, I like using my "large semi auto" (Desert Eagle) for bowling pin competition. It has a greater ammo capacity, recoils much less than a revolver, and is faster for me on follow-up shots. I consider that imminently practical. :D
 
I was once a gunshop fixture (you know the guy sitting on the stool next to the soda machine eating peanut butter cheese crackers and spinning yarns) in a shop run by a husband and wife. He puttered about all day from one end of the shop to the other and occasionally let me over the counter and taught me useful stuff and actually let me do work on customer's guns under very close supervision. She perched at the register any time the doors were un locked.

One day I decided to change my lounging position.

This was after three guys cased the shop nd left for 15 minutes to build their courage and then came back. They left their forth in the car with the engine running. As it happened they left without much of an incident. The major reason being the wife pulled out her counter gun when things just barely started to break down.

A .44 Automag IS useful for something other than hunting. It is a great deterrent to folks behaving anti socially. However being on the far side of them and those huge 240 grain SJHPs that wanted to go very fast was not where I figured to be if she ever pulled that thing again!

BTW the morons drove across the street and parked in a fenced lot with only one exit where local LEOs rounded them up quite nicely with little fuss. Couple of felons in possession of firearms, parole violations and drugs all meant the car got left there until the Sheriff got around to having it towed.

Hunting indeed.

-kBob
 
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