357 caliber: description, manufacturer, performance characteristics, design and firing range of Magnum

In the 30s of the last century, the United States still had the so-called prohibition, prohibiting the sale and production of alcohol. In this regard, the level of organized crime in the country has increased several times. After the First World War, the first body armor began to appear, which was actively used by members of gang bootleggers. To successfully hit such targets, the power of the main .38 Special pistol munition used at that time was not enough. A new, more powerful S&W .357 Magnum 357 caliber was replaced.

Predecessor

In those years, the .38 Special was the only pistol cartridge in the arsenal of the U.S. police and with enough power to punch through car doors and just the bulletproof vests that appeared. According to tests, these bulletproof vests held back the bullets of the ammunition, the initial velocity of which was below 310 m / s. The bullet from the .38 Special exceeded this bar, unlike its other "brothers."

The main contribution to the creation of this cartridge was made by Elmer Kate - a famous American shooter and gunsmith, as well as an avid hunter. But his work to increase the power of the .38 Special cartridge filling (9.65-9.67 mm bullet) might not have begun if Smith & Wesson hadn’t launched the .38-44 Heavy Duty pistol in April 1930 His model is Outdoorsman.

Enormous work was done on this .44 caliber weapon, as a result of which it became possible to use smaller caliber cartridges: .38 Special with an enhanced powder charge. Hence their designation: ".38-44."

Development of a 357 caliber cartridge

A similar weapon with a .38-44 cartridge gained great popularity among US police and hunters, and the company Smith & Wesson, already known to you, began developing an even more powerful cartridge based on the .38 Special. Also, the incentive for this was the emergence in criminal circles of newer and protected body armor, which the .38-44 could no longer cope with.

When developing the new cartridge, Smith & Wesson and Winchester Corporation had the task of increasing its capacity, taking into account the safety problem that arises. It was decided to simply extend the sleeve by 3.2 mm without changing the caliber.

In order not to confuse the new ammunition with the existing .38 Special, he was given another name - .357 Magnum. There is a legend that the name for the new cartridge was proposed by Douglas Wesson himself - the head of S & W. Douglas was very fond of French champagne, and especially in bottles of the Magnum type (1.5 liters). At one of the meetings, he suggested: "I like champagne in bottles of magnum, because they are bigger and better, so let's call the cartridge .357 Magnum."

The new cartridge gave the 10.7-gram bullet an initial speed of 375-385 m / s with an energy in the barrel of the revolver 730 J. The same .38 Special bullet with the same weight accelerated to only 230 m / s. With a reduced bullet weight, the .357 Magnum can achieve even more impressive results.

Revolver Magnum

In 1935, the same company introduced the first revolver under a new cartridge. This gun was designed on the basis of a frame of size N, on which a new drum and barrel from .38-44 were mounted. He was given a similar name: .357 Magnum. The first such Magnum 357 caliber revolver was issued to FBI Director Edgar Hoover on April 8, 1935.

Smith & Wesson produced about 6,600 copies of this weapon, after which, as a result of the outbreak of World War II and an increase in army orders, production was suspended in 1941 until 1948. In 1957, the revolver was given a new name: Model 27. And in 1954, the cheaper Model 28 Highway Patrolman appeared on the market, which quickly gained popularity among the traffic police and other units. This revolver was in production until 1986.

Model 19 - lightness and comfort

The revolvers that I mentioned earlier were undeniably very good. But any good thing can be done even better, which is what the same corporation, Smith & Wesson, did. The experiments with various types of steel and heat treatment processes lasted a whole year, the purpose of which was to increase the structural strength of the revolver without losing its lightness and ease of shooting. As a result, on November 15, 1955, the new brainchild of Smith & Wesson - the .357 Combat Magnum was born, which was later renamed Model 19. This pistol received a lighter and more compact, but at the same time strong frame. Also, for even greater comfort in shooting, the cheeks of the revolver handle were enlarged. This model is still produced by some arms manufacturers in the United States.

Modern realities

Nowadays, cartridges of this caliber are equipped with bullets weighing from 7.1 to 11.7 g. Light expansive bullets are usually used by civilians for self-defense, and heavier ones are popular among hunting lovers. Cartridges of 357 caliber are, in principle, very versatile, they are used in almost all areas, be it hunting or sport shooting, both in short-barreled pistols and in light rifles.

Revolvers of this caliber in the US police have been replaced by modern self-loading weapons, but many police officers now prefer to take reliable "old men" on duty. In civil society, such weapons are still very popular and, probably, even after more than a dozen years, interest in them will still not disappear.

The best revolvers for .357 Magnum

The best 357 caliber revolvers under the Magnum cartridge are universally recognized as three specimens of different “nationalities”: the French MR 73, the German Korth and the American Colt Python.

In the early 70s, French law enforcement agencies needed a newer and more modern firearm, as a result of which the government announced a competition for the best revolver model, suitable for all the required characteristics. The 1973 development model MR 73 was proposed by the arms company Manurhin, which subsequently took a leading position. It was their pistol that the experts recognized as the best among the contestants, due to its high quality and excellent combat characteristics.

The performance characteristics of the revolver are presented in the table below.

Well-known German gunsmith Willy Kort began to design his own revolver back in 1950, when the production of short-barreled weapons was under the strictest ban. That is why Kort was initially involved in the development of noise and gas revolvers, distinguished by excellent quality and original design. Only by the end of the 1960s, when the corresponding changes took place in the arms legislation of the Federal Republic of Germany, did Willy Court launch the production of already complete revolvers.

In the second half of the 70s, a modern design of pistols of this brand was formed. Now Korth produces three types of weapons, one of which is a combat "Korth Combat", and the other two are designed for sports shooting and differ only in the type of handle. A distinctive feature of this revolver is its excellent accuracy.

Pay attention to the tactical and technical indicators of weapons, reflected in the table.

The sale of the first Python revolvers began in 1955 by Colt. The very first copies were produced with trunks six inches long, but later modifications from 2.5 to 8 inches appeared. Even now, Python pistols of those years are highly appreciated by gun lovers for their reliability and excellent workmanship.

At present, it is very difficult to get revolvers of this model, since their release is carried out individually and only by individual orders by the masters of the Colt Custom Shop.

The table shows the tactical and technical indicators of the revolver.

There are many other great pistols of 357 caliber, but these three are considered standards.

Superior .357 SIG

The development of the already famous Magnum 357 caliber was continued by the Swiss company SIG Sauer, and in 1994, together with the American company Federal Cartridge, it released a new cartridge, which received the designation .357 SIG. The creators were required to combine in their brainchild all the best qualities .357 Magnum, including tremendous power and high breakdown action, and at the same time make it more compact and with adequate returns. And they did it.

At the base of the design lay a cylindrical sleeve .40 S&W, which was simply upgraded to a new nine-millimeter bullet. Also reinforced and the sleeve itself. The result of this work was, firstly, the increased speed of the bullet during departure in comparison with 40 S&W, and secondly, the ability to use these cartridges in pistols, originally intended for the fortieth caliber. All that was needed was to replace the barrel, and everything else could be left in place. With all of these benefits, the .357 SIG was enjoyed not only by many police officers, but also by the civilian population.

The following are tactical and technical indicators .357 SIG.

In our country, the .357 Magnum cartridge was certified for production in November 2012 as ammunition for hunting and sporting weapons. It is produced at the Tula Cartridge Plant.