The .357 Magnum for Survival: You Can’t Do Better

alloutdoor.com ^ | 5/13/2015 | Pat Cascio

[rktman]

As a martial arts/firearms’ instructor, I’m often asked what constitutes the “best” gun for a survival situation. My stock answer is, “A good .357 Magnum stainless steel revolver with a 4-inch barrel.” However, when asked this question at other times, I’ll simply tell the person that the gun they are carrying is the “best” because it’s what they are carrying at the time they might need it.

But really, when it comes to the .357 Magnum, there isn’t a better gun/ammo combination anyone could ask for in an all-around “best” gun set-up. I don’t make this statement lightly, either. The .357 Magnum round in a good, solid, stainless steel revolver can put meat on the table or save your bacon if need be.

[riverrunner]

I guess those billons of .22RF rounds have just turned into dust and are not available to their owners any more.

[Abathar]

I have the stainless Delta Elite in the Gold Cup version, a standard DE as well.

Love those things, the GC can be tricky and only feeds good ammo, the other one handles just about anything, for a while.

[riverrunner]

Or maybe your just deaf.

[painter]

WOW!!

I didn't know they have gotten that high!

No wonder Rick on "Walking Dead" is so protective of it (sarc).

[21twelve]

I asked advice of a client about purchasing a handgun. It had never come up - but he seemed like the type.

“So Sam - I’m thinking of buying a handgun and was wondering what stores might be good - and you seem like you may have a gun or two.”

“Oh yeah - I’ve got 108. I just need one more.”

I have a feeling he is always saying “I just need one more”!

[Big Red Badger]

Hypocrite

[SampleMan]

Clearly you can’t take what you dish out. Starting the insults and then crying foul when your behavior is tersely called out.

To my discredit, I allowed myself the simple brevity of a succinct vernacular descriptor that broke FR etiquette; no doubt, exactly what you were fishing for. Yet, having been removed for posterity, we both know just how fitting it was.

The fact remains that you offered nothing meaningful to what was a straight forward discussion of pros and cons, where I would have welcomed alternative opinions based on differing concepts of what a survival situation would look like to different people. Instead you opted to take on the tactics of a churlish child and got a blunt assessment of your behavior in return.

[SampleMan]

The .357 outperforms the .30 carbine across the board. I’ve often wondered why the Army chose the old Pederson device cartridge as the jump off for its new carbine.

The .38 Super and .357 both existed at the time, and a rimless .357 would have substantially increased the potency of the M1 Carbine, with negligible increases to overall weight and magazine length.

[Myrddin]

The Taurus M92 in .357mag is a decent rifle. Just right for harvesting mule deer.

[Roos_Girl]

Haha, that’s great! I keep telling my husband how lucky he is to have a wife that would only encourage I’m to buy more. :)

[Myrddin]

I recently checked out a 1911 in 38Super. It was a pretty nice build. I deferred the urge to purchase it until I had time to check ammo availability. No dice. I opted for a 9mm. My wife has a matching rifle for 9mm. Plenty of ammo on the shelf at reasonable prices. Too bad about the 1911. It was an EAA Tanfoglio Witness Steel Frame in 38Super.

[SampleMan]

I have two Star Modelo B’s in 9x19. Very nice pistols to shoot. 1911-ish without the grip safety, but scaled down slightly instead of simply converting the 1911 to a 9x19.

I had a Modelo A in 9x23 Largo, but sold it because of the ammo issue. Handloading 9x23 Winchester cases to Largo pressures was the only realistic option.

Its too bad that the 9x23 Winchester never caught on. It is essentially a rimless .357 (in ballistics, not case length).

[Myrddin]

I was weighing the Browning Hi-Power in 9mm vs Beretta M9A1. I chose the Beretta. My one regret is the A1 model rail makes it very hard to get a holster. Ammo availability was a prime concern. I really hate chasing brass. Most of my range time is revolvers. No brass to chase. Straight wall brass with a rim, so headspacing is easy on reload. My 4" 686+ has well over 20,000 rds through it.

I reload all my center fire cartridges. That was a great strategy at the range in San Diego. The indoor range in Idaho insists on selling me factory ammo to shoot on their facility. That's going to put a limit of frequency of patronage. The outdoor range has no limits, but wind and muddy roads play a factor.

In 1999, my wife and I were renting various firearms at the range to identify what we liked best. I liked the Springfield 1911 in 9mm, but my wife was doing the limp-wrist/stove pipe act. She eventually improved her technique and shoots everything from 17M2 to 500 S&W Magnum.