44 Magnum vs 357 Magnum
- Thread starter WhitetailKiller
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Phaedrus/69
Member
I would rather have the .44 Mag in a carbine than a .357 Mag. Partly because the heaviest bullets are much heavier and you get more KE. But another reason is that you'll probably want to sight it in and practice with it, too. A .44 bullet makes a bigger hole in paper that's a lot easier to see. Plus I just really like big bore carbines! That's just my own opinion though. If you're just shooting deer it probably won't matter much.
Hooda Thunkit
Member
It's just funny; even though the OP specifically stated "... for deer season in Ohio...", somehow these threads always seem to drift into
BEAR !!!
IT WON'T WORK FOR BEAR !!!!
OMG, WHAT HAPPENS IF BEAR !!!
I've been hunting around Okie-land for close to 30 years. I've never seen a bear. I've seen evidence of bear, but nothing in the flesh. Even in the east and southeast of Okra-homa, where there are definitely bears about.
I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of deer hunters in Ohio can say the same.
BEAR !!!
IT WON'T WORK FOR BEAR !!!!
OMG, WHAT HAPPENS IF BEAR !!!
I've been hunting around Okie-land for close to 30 years. I've never seen a bear. I've seen evidence of bear, but nothing in the flesh. Even in the east and southeast of Okra-homa, where there are definitely bears about.
I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of deer hunters in Ohio can say the same.
someguy2800
Member
The OP said right in his post “and black bear aswell”.
danez71
Member
Well.... there could be a reason for that beside bear paranoia.
The very next sentence in th OP after ' for dear season is...
"I will also use this rifle around home for deer and black bear as well"
Charlie Martinez
Member
If you only have a 357 Mag handgun get the 357 Mag carbine. If you only have a 44 Mag handgun get a 44 Mag carbine.
If you have handguns in both calibers I recommend the 44 Mag carbine. My personal choice
If you have handguns in both calibers I recommend the 44 Mag carbine. My personal choice
Hooda Thunkit
Member
Oh my.... I hang my head in shame. I am guilty of skimming whilst reading.
My apologies to all involved, I was/am mistaken in my post. Mea culpa.
Mr_Flintstone
Member
A couple years ago I went the route of a Henry .357 Magnum Big Boy. It’s an excellent gun and quite versatile, but.... it has its limitations. For average size deer alone, inside 100 yards, it is well suited using a heavy bullet. As a ranch rifle and for home defense it is also well suited. For black bear, I’m not as confident. Years without a proper bear season around here have produced some large 500 lb+ black bears. For that reason, I’ve been contemplating a good old fashion 30-30 for deer. If I were choosing between .357 and .44 for hunting, I’d choose the 44 Magnum.
cdb1
Member
I’ve never heard that. I’ve heard something similar about shotgun barrel length though.
Did you kill the deer in Alabama?
Every time I read a thread like this it makes me feel lucky to live in a state where the only firearms you can’t hunt deer with are full-auto, rimfire and punt guns. I just looked at some recoil tables and indeed .357 Magnum rifles do kick a lot less than .44 Magnum rifles and .44 Magnum and 30-30 have roughly equivalent recoil. I almost never remember to look at recoil velocity but this time I did and all three are roughly the same. I believe recoil velocity impacts felt recoil. Though I’m not a fan of recoil, since .44 Magnum and 30-30 are equivalent, recoil would not be a reason for me to pick a .357 Magnum over a .44. In this particular scenario I’d go with a .44 Magnum.
Mr_Flintstone
Member
Per “Ballistics by the Inch”, some tested ammunition lost velocity between 16” and 17”, but all but one measured round gained velocity at 18” over 16”. It would probably be safe to say that optimum barrel length would be somewhere between 16” and 20”, but that would vary by weapon and ammo.
Coyote3855
Member
I'm 75 years old, slight build, and somewhat recoil sensitive. I have a Marlin 1894 in .44 Magnum and find the recoil acceptable.
Speedo66
Member
These figures were taken from Buffalo Bore's .357 ammo site, they are pretty darn close to .30-30 figures. Might negate the need of a .30-30. Not that there's anything wrong with buying another rifle.
➤ 18.5-inch Marlin 1894
a. Item 19A/20-180gr. Hard Cast = 1851 fps
b. Item 19B/20-170gr. JHC = 1860 fps
c. Item 19C/20-158gr. Jacketed Hollow Point = 2153 fps
d. Item 19D/20-125gr. Jacketed Hollow Point = 2298 fps
Mr_Flintstone
Member
I saw this earlier this year, and it is quite impressive. The only problem is that it's $1.65 per round plus shipping, and I can't replicate it by hand loading. Buying a few boxes of this would pay for a Marlin 336. Granted 30-30 is expensive too, but I can find it virtually anywhere, and I can hand load as light or heavy as I want.
Speedo66
Member
Agreed, it's a luxury item, but for the owner of a .357 rifle, especially in a straight wall state, they're pretty amazing. For use strictly as hunting ammo, I think they're within reason.
Charlie Martinez
Member
My 1982 Hornady reloading handbook lists a maximum velocity of 2200 fps for a 158 grain JHP 357 bullet out of a Marlin 336 in 35 Remington with a 20" barrel.
Taking into account that the 35 Rem case has almost double the capacity of a 357 Magnum case it's amazing & a huge plus in favor of the 357 Magnum if it can achieve nearly equal performance of a 35 Rem w/a similar barrel length.
Taking into account that the 35 Rem case has almost double the capacity of a 357 Magnum case it's amazing & a huge plus in favor of the 357 Magnum if it can achieve nearly equal performance of a 35 Rem w/a similar barrel length.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
The .357 is fine for deer if you choose your shots wisely but the .44 will have a far greater range of capability, a broader margin for error and will do the job with greater authority.
I've been shooting .44 carbines over 20yrs and always found them pleasant to shoot, even compared to .30-30 carbines.
I've been shooting .44 carbines over 20yrs and always found them pleasant to shoot, even compared to .30-30 carbines.
earlthegoat2
Member
I agree. I find 30-30s recoil much harder than 44s. Still tame but at least for me, significantly more compared to the 44 rifles.
I also find comparing the recoil between 357s and 44s in a long gun somewhat trite. Especially since even if a 357 recoils less, it still recoils less than not much to begin with compared to the 44.
Regardless though, for deer they will both get it done. Either of them have to be used within their limitations of which there are many for both.
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