Early Smith & Wesson ads for the .357 revolvers contained the warning "Not for men of small stature" due to the recoil. It was pure marketing genius, as every small built guy ran out to buy one.
@@mikemerrill175 because someone said "Gurns! They for little men with little dicks who're afraid of big men with big dicks! Basically gun advertising since for ever."
@@aironnoles5588 id rather get shot with a red rider than a 22 lol. i wouldnt wanna get shot with one of those hi power pellet guns 1500fps and a 10grain bullet would hurt like hell
"However, because of donations to the Patreon account -- thank you, everybody -- this S&W Model 686-6 .357 Magnum with a 6-inch barrel has literally just appeared in my pocket."
I only have 2 .357’s, a Ruger SS blackhawk, and a S&W mod 19, read somewhere that shooting Magnum loads in the S&W regularly is not recommended, however since I’m 78 it’s a bit stout for me anyway so I usually stick with .38.
I agree totally. Back when the FBI decided to test 10mm against 9mm and .45ACP, they had already decided that all loads needed to have muzzle velocities of 950fps, as a scientific experimental control. This was easy with 9mm, a real stretch with .45, and at the time it was basically impossible with 10mm. This caliber was loaded to achieve 1200 and 1300fps back then. So the FBI had to pull 10mm bullets and download them artificially to make them "fair" against the other calibers. Even then, the 10mm still beat the others, so given that superior performance despite the handicap, the FBI officially chose 10mm as their issue ammo caliber for the next few years. But they never went past the "fair" test. They never got to testing and issuing "realistic" hot 10mm loads. So it was rather silly.
I really enjoyed this video. Such a thorough test and I’m sure it took some time. I’ve been wanting to pit these two against each other in some gel for a while. Now I may have to haha! Great work!
You called making it as Fair as possible 44 Magnum a 44 Magnum in a 357 Magnum is a 357 Magnum a larger-diameter and smaller diameter 180 grain 357 is the heavy bullet for the 357 Magnum 320 grain is heavy bullet for the 44 Magnum that would be a fair comparison
Both utterly inadequate for home defence in Tokyo, where all of these loads will just ping off the hide of a rampaging Godzilla. Perhaps a future video could cover this.
Vote Republican like your life depends on it because it does.DEMONRATS are commies.If another virus comes out of China,three should go in.Seal the southern border with mines,gun towers and troops!Ole'!
@@Grunt49 wow, you're a special kind of stupid. You want to introduce more viruses that don't have vaccines to the entire world? Beervirus took less than a week before it was everywhere in the world, you think a military virus wouldn't do the same?
Paul is the only one who I've seen do a great informative non biased gun channel. Talks at my level and speed of thought, covers all the what ifs, howevers, and buts as I am thinking them. No nonsense, and very clear. Also, as I'm sure it is with many others, the selection of guns and ammo are the same I have or would go with. Paul, Sir, Thank you!!
@@Justanotherconsumer He and his crony do a lot of shooting on their _In Range_ channel, including lots of 2- and 3-gun matches, historic guns, including SMGs, machine guns, artillery pieces, mud tests, etc, etc.
Agreed. His perspective is very refreshing. It makes his videos highly watchable. And his tests reduce unknown factors to raw data, eliminating unpredictable variables. Excellent work.
Oh No! He is biased as the day is long! But not in his videos! He believes in his rights! He believes we should stand up, or stand down! But in no way does he sell out!
I'm not what you'd call a "gun nut", but do enjoy popping off a few rounds now and again. I found Mr. Harrel to be nonprejudicial, informative and a damn good shot. Thank sir. Well done!
Good point about the 38 Special. I have used my 357 with 38 Special wadcutter target ammo to give new shooters a virtually recoil-free introduction to shooting a handgun.
Underwood has two loads worth considering. #1- .38 spcl 158gr LSWCHP +P (472 ft lbs) #2- .44 spcl 190gr LSWCHP (558 ft lbs) These two loads are also good for self defense.
Pimple-Faced Cashier At Grocery Store : "Find everything you're looking for today?" Paul Harrell With 10 Bags Of Oranges And 50 Pounds Of Pork Ribs: "Yes."
i really appriciate your content paul, no annoying musics while shooting the guns, no edgy slow motions, always to the point and considering different possibilities, just perfect
This is the video that finally convinced me to become a “patreon” of Paul’s. This man consistently delivers. I know my money will be well spent and I take pride that it will contribute to the distribution of quality firearm education for possibly millions of Americans on the youtubes.
Trying to figure out if Paul is actually a professional magician considering he can pull 100 rds and two 6"+ barrelled revolvers out of seemingly empty coat pockets LOL
No no no my friend... you need to watch more Paul because that jacket he's wearing is somewhere between 40 and 50 years old and was originally sold by Sears Roebuck as he stated in another video. If Paul's wife asked him what he wants for Christmas, his reply would probably be more like "Winchester White Boxes, no need to waste money on that specialty crap"
I only wish he would have looked downrange when he did that. It is probably more than 99.9999% chance that nothing was there, but there was that minuscule chance that a deer, dog, or even person had run to his shooting area. I've seen a rabbit once running right behind the targets. It came and went in about 3 seconds.
My wife and I are looking for a pistol and a shotgun for personal and home defense. This just happened to be the first video I clicked on to get information on 357. The gun I believe we will start off with. Boy was I happy to find this video. Incredible information and present in a way even a neophyte can understand. Now I will click on Paul’s top 5 guns for home defense.
357 is not a beginner's weapon. The recoil and blast could cause you to develop flinching and anticipation. Start out with a 9mm or .22lr pistol and learn to hit your target with that first. Also 9mm or .22 won't blow out your eardrums if you have to fire inside a house.
You’re like this genius madman. You provide so much incredibly detailed and accurate data, then you just whip out a veritable arsenal of weapons out of no where. On a more serious note thank you for all of the effort you put into your videos, they’re very informative and helpful. “Not only that” *casual conversation discharge* “its a 7 round 6 shooter.”
Shit i just use a snub nose 38 SPL hollow point for home invaders. A .44 mag is for something catastrophic like a surprise invasion by Russia and China, or terrorists taking hostages. Maybe even an invasion space aliens or zombie apocalypse if you want to cosplay Rick Grimes for some reason. Most videos I've seen with .44 mags, anything the bullet hits explodes. I don't think most body armor would stop it.
Fantastic video, I’ve never owned a 357 but own the same 6 inch 44 magnum, my friend got a 357 and asked me what the difference was and all I knew was that it depends on ammo but the 44 was generally speaking more powerful. Great in depth video seriously
Yeah, I feel like Paul shooting. The 44 magnum is a little unfair. Just because he can do it better than 99% of people. The average person is going to struggle a lot more.
I've been messing with guns for over 46 years and learn so much from Mr. Harrell. If you haven't looked at all his videos you are missing out for sure. Thank you Sir!
Maybe before another 46 go by you can learn enough from "educational" RU-vid videos to do something useful with them rather than just "mess with" them. Just make sure to match the "educational" videos to the guns you've been "messing with" for over 46 years. You probably don''t have to get completely specific. Just narrow it down to the basic "type" of gun. For example, are you "messing with" paintball guns, airsoft guns, airguns, water guns, rubber band guns or just random "gun-like objects" you find around the house while Mom and Dad are at work? I gotta figure that since even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then, if they were REAL GUNS and just laying around for you to "mess with" you'd have gotten a visit from "Darwin" by now and long, long ago being the "mess with guns" type and all.
Once again just an excellent video! Paul I can not think of another combo you could have put together to get your point across. That had to be a lot of work. Thanks for the extra effort on this one. :)
m.blacktree All I was thinking is that Dirty Harry was a fraud. Harry loved to say how his S&W 29 was "the most powerful handgun in the world". In one of the movies, I think it was the second, Harry told a young cop he loads his gun with .44 Special, not .44 Magnum. So turns out it never was the most powerful handgun, at least not in Harry's hands.
Once again, a 29 minute Paul Harrell video seemed to be shorter than most others 10 minute videos. Very enjoyable and very informative. Looking forward to part 2.
This video was 29 minutes long? I thought I was here for like 10 minutes. This was truly hypnotizing. He doesn't have any fluff or wasted words, I really got hypnotized watching this. Great stuff.
And he fit like a billion x they info in as well , most this gun channels can ramble on for 45 min and give you one piece of advice . And even then it's iffy advice .
you know i don't really care about firearms but you explanation, use of logic, formatting everything for understanding variables, not just in the form of a fact sheet but to make gauging everything in something like an like an educated guess, is very impressive. then you sum it all up with perspective coupled with leaving things unbiased. you should be mandatory viewing for school teachers.
One of my favorite quotes (I think from Thomas Jefferson) is *The Beauty of the 2nd Amendment is that it's meaningless until it's needed.* By memory.......so if off. Sorry
Yep ! Fully concur as most school teachers have boring presentations and also make them more boring by not applying any logic or reasoning to the material !
great information I can always rely on Mr. Harrell for facts and data. I personally would take a .357 over a .44, choice of caliber should always be chosen based on how efficient you are with it. don't care how powerful a bullet is if you can't stay on target.
Easily one of the best made, arms/ ammo videos I've ever seen. So well thought out and executed (the video production and the test itself), no identifiable bias or dogma's injected from the maker. Well done Paul.
Paul's amazing. So clear, informative and such an expert. He looks restrained, but I can tell he's enjoying the firearms. Best firearm reviewer bare none
This presentation still shows that Elmer Keith's .44 Magnum dream is still the 'populist' king of the magnums. It is far more managable and affordable than the hyper .460, .480 or .500 magnums. You be the judge.
Actually I have never scene anyone who owns the higher calibers over the 44 magnum carry these for personal protection but if those owners wish to carry something more than the 357 they do carry the 44 magnum 🔫🔫 There is another side to carrying that is Not discuss often and that is the tactical reasons why not to carry or should I say use those higher calibers and also if you do happen to use those much higher calibers hopefully you and your lawyer can explain ( Why ) in court no matter how legal it is ⚖⚖⚖ Bragging rights are great when you win in court on these issues not just walking around with something such as the 500 or 460 😃😃
@@MichaelWilliams-nu6lv Also, im sure there is some exceptions, but you seem to lose a round of capacity if you go bigger than .44 mag in just about every revolver ive ever seen. Most full size .44 mag revolvers have a capacity of six. And anything bigger, you are usually down to 5.
S&W's 460 seems like a fair contender for 'King'. 1) It accepts 45 Schofield, 45 Colt, 454 Casull, 460 magnum rounds. This offers a range of energies from below average 44 mag levels to nearly the 500 Magnum's max. 2) The 460 is heavier & has a compensator = less recoil for same energy levels
@@gregparrott you assume someone would find and have a reason to use 45 Schofield. A 460 S and W would be too big to confortably use 45 Lc,it would be like having a BFR in 22lr,unless you are going for Ruger only loads,as a kind of "weaker than 44 mag "magnum. It still have that feeling of "not enough",if i had to go through the trouble of buying a very big magnum revolver,buy expensive ammo,learn to use it ,buy a chest rig,learn to carry it and so on,i would go for the biggest option available. Why go through all this and stopping short of the top of the mountain?
Extremely good comparison of the .357 mag and the .44 mag. With the difference you pointed out I'm always going with my .357 mag mostly that I have one and it is very accurate.
This was the best comparison of those two calibers I've ever heard... and I've heard a lot! Paul's final remarks are what I start off with when the topic arises.
To do a riff on Mony Python's "how to defend yourself from a man armed with fruit," it is now "How to defend yourself from a man armed with a cinder block."
That's racist. Not all cinder blocks commit crimes. Sure there are a lot of cinder blocks in prisons across America, but plenty of cinder blocks can be found holding positions at government buildings across the nation.
Paul, my favorite part is when you say, "There are some caveats...." Different weapons, different ammo, different shooters, even different weather produces different results. "What is best for YOU." Words to live by.
Thank you for all this information! I know this video was very well thought out and no doubt took you and your crew a long time. All your hard work is very much appreciated! Thanks again for all you do. God bless you and yours :-D
@timmybmn: I could not agree more: every second is fact rich, every word is precisely selected, and every opinion/thought/fact is unambiguous, coherent, articulate and compelling. Paul Harrell may be an even better teacher than he is a firearms expert . . . and that says a GREAT deal. If someone were to develop an instructional effectiveness ratio - for example, time consumed to facts presented and key points made - Paul would be the global “standard of comparison.” BZ, good sir.
Well a 22 LR to the head will kill just takes precision whereas a shotgun 12 gauge with 00 buckshot guarantees 6 shots wherever you shoot and use a choke blow a hole the size of silver dollar.
Mr. Harrell you are the most common sense realistic tester and mentor for shooting out of anybody out their, and although I am not an expert, I have put a lot of rounds down range from a lot of different guns. You explore and answer the questions many of us have and have thought about. You are the man !
As someone who has NO real interest in (or access to) firearms, I would just like to compliment you on this excellent presentation... I watched it & thoroughly enjoyed it, looking through my "engineering background" eyes . Virtually every single word was "necessary" no waffling-on or OT-speak. You make a good teacher Paul...🤗 You can also shoot !! 😉 From the Emerald Isle 😎👍☘
Same here not sure why it came up in my feed, but for some reason I watched and found myself glued to the screen. What I was wondering though was, what happened to those ribs afterwards :D
As always, outstanding work! However, one important consideration for lots of people is bear defense. If that’s important in the area you live in, the balance changes totally. You can get 300 grain “Bear Loads” for the .44 that are super powerful to break the massive bones of bears, and, as far as I know, nothing like it exists for the .357.
your premise is ridiculous. bears don't need defense. they're large powerful predators. Deer need defense. The relevant question is which caliber is better for that.
Refreshing, clear, detailed video full of useful, sensible test comparisons. Calm, well spoken, intelligent narrative. I wish more firearm videos were this well done. Thanks!!
The stats consistently show that the .357 Magnum 125 grain JHP may be one of the best (if not the best) anti-personnel round ever created. This was a terrific presentation, Paul.
As do I on a Night shift as a college porter in the UK & if Paul has a new video then My night is 100% better regardless of content , this episode just topped the bill .
It is the most incredible sound and thrilling event in ones life when it happens in real life. It will wake you up at night in a sweat. I forget who quoted it and I do paraphrase. "There is no other thrill in life like being shot at and missed".
What I've taken away from this, is: the 357 does not loose enough power or "Lethality " to really be a downgrade from the 44. Seeing as 357 comes in a vast variety of handguns and that the lighter, tamer .38 spl can be used in the revolvers along with the lighter recoil makes it a much more attractive choice for simple versatility. Hunting, defense, and plinking can all be accomplished with the 357 in a effective manner. So for most, the deciding factor between these two calibers comes down to personal choice as both rounds can do the same thing well enough that you won't loose much by going with the "less powerful" one. Unlike many other rounds which have large trade offs between them, one example being 9mm vs .45. This was a highly engaging, entertaining, and more importantly, instructive video.
Yeah, but a .357 Magnum will kill a deer, but the .44 Magnum bullet will completely pierce through it. What if I'm coming out of a gas station bathroom, and I see a deer stealing some things, and then it comes at me? Well, I could shoot it with a .357, but deer never travel alone. There's got to be at least 2 of them. I won't have the chance to get many shots off and land them before the deer overtake me. I would need the extra penetration of the .44 Magnum round to kill both deer in one shot.
Do not forget that .44 Specials can be fired from the .44 magnum for less punishing practice. The Special is at its best for that purpose for the reloader. It's one of the most versatile rounds still in existence for the 'heavy' shooting revolver enthusiast.
The .44 can be loaded with specials, with 180 gr bullets at 700 ft/sec, which rival .38 wadcutters to anyone that weighs at least 90 lbs...; at the top end, with the .44 with 180 gr JHP at 1600 fps, 240 gr JHP at 1400 fps...well, it has a wider range in the power spectrum. (But, agree the .357 is quite good, however)
Get a 4" 357, then turn right around and pick up a 6" 44. The following week, go grab a couple lever-action 20" carbines for both cartridges. If 357 or 44 isn't enough in a handgun, don't worry, they both pick up about 300-400 FPS in the carbine.
Sir, you do such a fine job of explaining what is being tested, how it is being tested, the reasons behind every action involved, that I often listen to your videos while working, or driving. I don't need to see the results myself first hand, since you do.
This is the best learning tool. I love how paul pays attention to detail and you get see things about guns and ammo that most shooter's hunters assume.
This is the best gun channel on RU-vid for ballistics EXPLAINING pistols, rifles, and shotguns. He is absolutely clean, concise, although he he is self deprecating, he is still a wealth of knowledge. And the meat target is an absolute treasure........which....I would like to eat. Thanks Paul. You are amazing at everything you do sir. Take car, Jack from PA,
I love the way you went through a thorough analysis, how much power the gun itself produces, what is logically used, simple and complicated explanations, calculating the amount of energy and the physical experimentation
Why have I not found this informative channel before. My gun friends need to start recommending this kind of content. Why was this apples to oranges test, that weren't cheap, done? Because someone simply asked for it to be done. Bravo Sir, Bravo.
Great Video and test of both calibers. I'm a .357 magnum and 10mm guy. The 44 magnum is a great gun and round, but for overall protection from 2 legged and 4 legged threats, I feel the .357 caliber will get the job done :)
This guy reminds of a 1980s PBS show host lol. Very informative, easy to listen to and knows his stuff. Not to mention one hell of a shooter. I am a .357 guy here, but always have to respect that big ol .44.
@@smithwesson1896 book of manuals sounds like a reloading manual, which always starts off with the actual diameter of the bullet that goes with the cartridge. Only about half are 0.429 inches in diameter. None are true .440.
@Paul Harrell, gotta say, your vids and style really brought me to a firearm awareness and respect that even when in the Army I wasn't aware of. Much gratitude! Keep 'em rolling!
