.357 Mag VS .44 Mag Soft Point Ballistic Test 

For those of you who keep telling me I am muzzle swiping my fingers, I am not. Here is the explanation: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-r8C4NQjjjD8.html

Too much fun. I could watch 357 , 10mm and 44 magnum tests with different ammunition all day. Especially love the flames from the 44.

Good to see the Jug or not and the flying bologna monster make an appearance. 👍👍 Nice fireball's from that .44.

Thank you! These are the 2 cartridges that I've wanted to be tested for a long time! You are reading my mind! Great stuff!

*Shoutout to Sam* for doing the science the rest of us are too lazy to carry out. Thanks man.

Over the years I've fount the Remington green and white box stuff to be surprisingly warm. Even when it was cheap.

This channel is a treasure. Keep it up Sam, love the videos

Thank you Sam for using logic in your video. After you shot the first .44 Magnum into the gel block, I was thinking "Put a water jug behind the gel! Put a water jug behind the gel!".... and you did. There are other lazy-bones youtubers that would not have done so.

That was a incredible display of power. Obviously the .44 was more powerful and the flash was crazy fun, but I’m with you I’d chose the .357 magnum it’s plenty powerful to do the job. Thank you for suffering the Jug-or-not mess, but it really was fun to watch.

By far my favorite go to channel for ammunition testing. You do an excellent job with no BS. Thanks for all you do, I know these videos have to take a lot of time from start to finish.

Sam, seems like you know your process. Good videos. I've enjoyed your steps more now that you added the clear ballistics gel.

Going to use this exact set up for my sidearm this year deer hunting. Always loves the 180jsp

Sam, I appreciate your videos and your approachable, friendly character so much! I watch a lot of firearm & ballistic videos on RU-vid, you are by far my favorite person to watch, thank you for being who you are!

Glad to see ammo prices dropping. Just bought 200 rds Magtech 38 spl for fifty cent a round plus shpg.

This is my new favorite channel! I love watching those FPS readings he does! Keep up the great videos Sam!

👍 you are good with your 357 and improving with the 44 your first shots are 🎯 good video 👍

Always enjoy your testing.

Gun Sam_Revolver Aficionado_ Your channel continues to impress. In my opinion you are performing some of the most important Terminal Ballistics Testing since Dr Martin Fackler began his testing in the late 1980's at the request of the FBI after the 1986 Miami incident. Your test methods are even more "real world" based than Dr Fackler's and for that reason are advancing Terminal Ballistics research in a better direction. You and Paul Harrell are THE guys to go to in my opinion, when looking at Terminal Ballistics Evaluation because both of you are totally "Real World" based and 100% practical and it doesn't get any better than that! GREATLY appreciate everything you do here.

AND your content is high quality and fantastic, thanks!

Holy muzzle blast Batman!

Always a interesting video. Good distance shooting. Take care.

The 44 in slo-mo on the JON made the flash very visible. That's probably what flubbed the chrono, like you said. I know it's trying to your nerves. I'm glad you got one good read.

thanks a lot for the video. I learned a lot of new things.

The return of the baloney pack 🎉🎉 I've missed it more than I thought I would.

Sam done broke out the meat and potatoes I love it I use to fuss when locals were out of hp and we had to settle for sjsp green n white box. But hey if the muzzle blast is gonna give m a shave and a hair cut it probably don’t matter if it’s hp or not! Remington use to make a box of 20 rounds 240 gr sp in 44 mag came in two rows of ten in a styrofoam holder green n white or green yellow box. 2 or 3 rounds would loosen the handles on a 6 inch ss 629 every time those were mean . Currently running 200 gr gold dots around 1200 FPS and that’s a little easier on the old hands. Thanks for all the work put in to this enjoy every minute!!!

LOTs of damage, just a wee bit more overall penetration than I want for most SD situations. Though it might be really good for some wild hogs (or deer for those of you whose deer are substantial ... locally a 100 pound deer is "a bug'un." ;) But, pass through or not, if one were restricted to using these for SD (whether by local law or local supply) they'll definitely do the job!

Either one would do, the 44mag just more, I'd like to see .45 colt .41 mag and .38 in the running, ive been a fan of the .41 mag for hunting. Also rerun the entire thing with hp's. Good job though.

I watched your channel grow and I really enjoy it I love revolvers myself I only own one I used to own several 22 revolvers then I got into competitive pistol shooting and traded a lot of them in on a gun I no longer own. But I plan on getting myself a reissue Colt Navy in 45 Colt and a 44 mag at some point and both 626 and 629 S&m. The first video I put out on my youtube channel TheCheapShot was going over the quality of my Taurus 627 ss4 and shooting some full House hand loads

Great video sam. My dad use carry winchester soft point in his 357mag while deer hunting as back up or just if got a doe with in pistol range.

I have a ruger blackhawk in 357 that I hunt deer with. I use the Remington htp 158gr soft point and it does the job on deer. Haven't shot one at 75 yards but have had no trouble at 25 to 40 yds usually out of a ground blind. Thanks for the video 👍👍

As always, excellent video. I was surprised the JSP bullets did not expand more. JHP for self defense is stays. ;)

Definitely learned why we don't do a thumb forward grip with that 44.

.357mag=Man stopper. .44mag=Bear stopper. Great video as always!

Nice video bud 👍🏼

Nice vid! Enjoyed this :)

HELL OF A SHOT FROM 75

Fun video. I'm not much on using handguns for hunting. I also understand that some states require a minimum 6" barrel length for hunting game. I would get a 44 or 357 lever gun and have deer steaks just about every time from that range. Loved seeing the jug-or-not box again.

Those 44mag rounds were definitely loaded for longer barrel. Flame front was probably 30" long. Poor chrono was getting blasted

.great video. Nice shooting. I have both calibers in 4 inch and liked the comparison. My picks would be the .357 for defense and the.44 for hunting.

Great test and great to have the Jug or Not box back! Looked like Niagara falls with the water gushing out. This is would be a good hunting round but I would not want to use this has a self defense round unless my attacker was REALLY big or I wanted to take out a second bad guy standing behind him at the same time.

Gun Sam from Pennsylvania buddy Jeff. Awsome. Video. I love you channel. God bless. 😊

Yeah, the Jug or Not Box.

I love those Rem/UMC 180gr. 44 Mag loads! They're really hunting rounds, and work beautifully for that. When I occasionally fire them at an indoor range, everyone stops and looks my way to see what the heck just went off...😊 You should see what it does out of a carbine! They get right up around 2000 fps.

Those Remington 180gr .44mags are excellent for fireballs! I have a few 4” 44mags and it’s great fun shooting the 180’s!!! Hahaha!!!

Another really cool video and the jugger is always fun to watch. That 44 loaf had some serious muzzle flash that was fun to watch. A question I know you had a 629 for a while I curious if you prefer the 69 over the 629? I've got short fingers and have been looking hard at the 69

both would obviously be easier to control with longer barrels, but especially the 44. it just wasn't designed for short barrel use. and both are crazy fun and effective out of a lever

Man that .44 hits hard! I personally don't care to use it for personal defense but it'd be great for hunting, especially with a heavy longer barrel gun. Thanks

That level of energy is impressive. From a lever action it’s absolutely devastating. It’s a good idea to keep a stash nearby.

Glad to see the Jug-or-Not back. That 44 looks like it will take down a grizly!

My Marlin model 1894 in 44 Magnum is an awesome, smooth shooter I wouldn't feel under gunned with it anywhere I would travel!

I was looking for this exact .357 ammo test just to say those 125 gr JSP are probably the snappiest rounds you can get in 125 gr besides Underwood, DT, BB. I believe they only make this one variation if I'm not mistaken.

Those soft points are really made for carbines. I use the UMC 125 grain hollow points in my 5" Ruger GP100 and get great results.

Not sure there's a jacketed soft point in either caliber that would be suitable for defense, even in their light-for-caliber options. A hollow point just brings the parachute needed to stop it. With shorter than 4" barrels in these JSP, the expansion would probably be even less. That 44 would be good in a carbine, with all the flash I'm guessing there's a good bit of unburned powder happening.

The Remington load works great in a rifle.

I’ve said it before but it’s the combat magnum’s light weight that is making the difference in your videos.

My 629 loves Black Hills 300gr XTP. Shot silver dollar size groups at 25yds. Only 1110 fps out of my 6 inch barrel though.

The "Channel" needs a double gun revolver holster gun belt like Yosemite Sam.

That muzzle blast 💥 on the 44 mag look’s like a flame thrower

Great video. Just wondering, why are some shells difficult to extract from the cylinder after firing? Thank You!

I won a SP101 3" on GB. I'll have to see how it shoots compared to my 4" GP100. I'll try 38+p and 357mag.

180s got a lot of unused powder, even out of my 6.5 inch 629 they poot out massive fireballs, but they work really well for me out of a 20 inch Henry barrel.

Great video, as usual. The main lesson here seems to be that these particular SJSP bullets don't work very well at magnum velocities - very little expansion and significant over-penetration.

Any time I see .44 Magnum in the title, I'm grabbing popcorn!

The UMC 180gr JSP 44 Magnum is what started to induce me to flinch with my 629. It also is why I got into hand loading. The ammo was insanely priced at nearly $20/50!!! LOL. My initial load, which was very mild but dirty, was a 240gr LSWC over 6gr of Unique. I don't think that was enough powder to expand the brass to pressure seal the chambers. On the plus side, full length resizing wasn't required! ha ha.

Probably a much stronger round when shot out of a lever action for both caliber

Maybe there would be better expansion in a carbine length barrel.

Great video.

.41 mag/hot 10mm seems to be about the strongest stuff that recoil isn't too to much for those w good recoil management for 2 legged defense as far as slower split times/accuracy w quick follow up shots. Any more than that really seems to be more than needed for 2 legged w the negatives...though I suppose a usp with .45 Super would prob handle it about as well....

I'm speculating that because the .44 is heavier the board is less relevant than in the .357 as the .44 thumps through so it may be similar to how it goes into the gel without the board hence the similar penetration with and without?

Both of those JSP's would probably be great SD rounds out of a lever action rifle

I like my 44mag for hunting I can use the 8" barrel heavy barrel or light barrel. Backup it has 4" light for 44spl.

Interesting. I have 357m in 158g jsp. American eagle. This helps give me some reference. Good shooting

Nice test. The thought occurs to me that the 44 might be useful for bear defense in AK and such places. Certainly it is at least a little more powerful than the same weight 10mm loads which are so much in vogue in AK now. I think the bullets are tough enough to penetrate a bear skull. A 158 gr 357, like the American Eagle, might work too. Perhaps on the light side, but a tough bullet. And Ruger just happens to make that handy 2.75" Redhawk in an 8 shot 357.......

Would definitely like to see those out of a carbine. Should be a barn burner.

Gun Sam. Totaly awsome video. I love my 44 mag ruger and henry. We eat alot of Pennsylvania deer meat. Thanks to 44 mag. Ide not be afraid to hunt grizzly with my 44,s. I already took a grizzly in 1996 when i lived in Alaska. I used a 45-70 then. 😊

Very impressive recoil & muzzle flash w/the .44 magnum. I can see why that’s the caliber protection from a bear.

I wish we could get .357 wheel gun cartridges in a semi in the quantity of 13 or so. I dot know of many except Desert Eagles. Anyone know of others?

Ty

I like/shoot both calibers in both revolver and level action rifles. Also I use more 38/44 special ammo than the magnum loads..Who knew?

I paly around shooting all sorts of stuff... we had some cars and vans to shot at. HP ammo is not ideal for that. Cast bullets for 44 mag in the 250-280 range do massive damage even when hitting braces My 32 auto (lol) will go through the sides of a van if they are not HP ammo. Pro tip.... hide behind a U.S. mailbox that is an older version. it is rare that even a 44 mag will go through both sides... Hey.... told ya I shot at a lot of stuff. Oh.... DO NOT SHOOT AT STEEL WHEELS.

Thanks

Sorry I'm late, phone problem's. I would love to see both round's out of a 20 inch lever action rifles. I bet that would be awsome, have a great night my friend!

Gun Sam. My rugers are heavy and have long barrel.7". With a solid steel barrel strap. And came with scope mounts. I shoot open sights. And my gun is shooting top loads. Its not a light revolver. And i garentee the recoil is milder than a light 44. Believe me my revolver is all the more i care to shoot. But it gets it done. I use only for practice and hunting. . God bless😊

Loved the vid G.S. At 75 yards with the 44 Mag what was your P.O.A.

I understand the idea of a hollow point and energy transfer, but with the JSP rounds (for self-defense), I think having organ tissue exiting the body is (if not more effective) probably as effective as a fully-expanded hollow point in terms of devastation. Either way, a .357 is going to cause a serious regret in anyone sadly on the receiving end of such destruction. I'd imagine the realization that your rendered spleen is sprayed across the street behind you would encourage retreat and/or reflection.

But would you prefer .327 fed mag to .357 mag for your bed table?

I think these would do great in a rifle. Try some different .357 and .44 threw a longer barrel.

After my experience shooting the Model 69, extraction, even with stock grips, is not uniform. the Cylinder does not swing fully clear of the grip for the rounds to fully extract, making stress reloads a definite challenge in a defensive application. using it in a 4-legged defense scenario with sticking extraction would seem like a burdon i would never want to face

Great video! I am a new shooter. Does 125 gr .357 have more recoil than a 158 gr .357 magnum? Thanks for the video!

I get 2300 fps in my 44 mag rifle with the 180 grain remington factory load

Sometimes I, we all, just have to laugh at oneself, & I've found when I do It's usually hilarious - case in point 1:06 ...I'm sure you meant ''Cross-sectional density'' not that *_other_* type 😂

Wish those clear Ballistics gel blocks didn't cost 100 bucks each just for shipping up here

Those .44 mags look spicy!!

Yeah, I wouldn't take advice from a guy claiming .44mag has too much recoil to handle. Those guys also say the S&W M329PD hurts the hand, but that too is a lie. I wonder why people lie all the time... BTW, I would pick .357mag for practical use as well. My .44mag is a trail gun for the rare chance of being attacked by a bear.

OK Sam that's more like it the FBI Spec "Ballistic Baloney" is back!!!!! That's what I come to see, LOL!!!!! I just picked up a pack of the .44 Mag 180Gr JSP not to long ago. It'd be interest to swap out the SP with say a Sierra HP of the same weight just to gauge the difference. But two things I've been told about JSP handgun ammo in general is a waste of money, for without the cavity of a HP to allow the hydraulic effect of the liquid to cause deformation, it's a useless exercise unless you can get the bullet to 2000+ FPS. That said it'd be interesting if you could shoot both loads from the above test out of a 16"+ barreled carbine either lever or bolt action (2,300 FPS has been reported out of the .44 180 Gr JSP's ) , and see if expansion gets better, and with less penetration. But how about a simple "what the hell experiment" like making a simple 1/16" notch in the face of the soft lead portion to see if the old trick with cast lead bullets would work with JSP's. One side or the other will peel and then crack off, just to cause the bullet to tumble while going through flesh, and it wouldn't qualify as a HP in most states. Simple to do with a hacksaw blade, and it'd interesting to see the results or lack of same.

Oh cool, hunting rounds, nice. Love that bologna damage!! Thanks!

Can you show your tests with thiese rounds in rifles?

What I've seen in this 44 mag is great out of a rifle for deer.

Your 44 magnum is it smith wession model 69

Well the 357 pmc may not be the 1st choice for home defense but it's better than a 9mm or 38 spl.