In the 30s of the last century, the so-called dry law was still in force in the United States, 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 bulletproof vests began to appear, which were actively used by members of bootlegging gangs. To successfully hit such targets, the power of the main.38 Special pistol ammunition used at that time was not enough. It was replaced by a new, more powerful S&W.357 Magnum.357 caliber.
Precursor
In those years, the.38 Special was the only pistol cartridge in service with the US police and with enough power to pierce car doors and newly appeared bulletproof vests. According to the tests, these bulletproof vests held back the bullets of those ammunition,whose initial speed was below 310 m/s. The.38 Special bullet exceeded this bar, unlike its other "brothers".
The main contribution to the creation of this cartridge was made by Elmer Keith, a famous American shooter and gunsmith, as well as an avid hunter. But his work to increase the power of filling the.38 Special cartridge (9, 65-9, 67 mm bullet) could not have begun if Smith & Wesson Corporation had not launched the.38-44 Heavy Duty pistol in April 1930 and his outdoorsman model.
This.44 caliber weapon has been given a huge amount of work, resulting in the possibility of using smaller caliber cartridges:.38 Special with a reinforced powder charge. Hence their designation: ".38-44".
Development of the.357 cartridge
Similar weapons chambered in.38-44 have become very popular with US police and hunters, and Smith & Wesson, already known to you, began developing an even more powerful cartridge based on.38 Special. This was also spurred by the appearance in criminal circles of newer and more secure body armor, which the.38-44 could no longer cope with.
When developing a new cartridge, the Smith & Wesson and Winchester Corporation had the task of increasing its power, taking into account the safety concerns that arise. It was decided to simply lengthen the sleeve by 3.2 mm without changing the caliber.
Not to be confused newammunition with the existing.38 Special, it was given a different 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 magnum bottles (1.5 liters). At one of the meetings, he suggested: "I like champagne in magnum bottles because they are bigger and better, so let's call the cartridge.357 Magnum."
The new cartridge gave a 10.7-gram bullet an initial velocity of 375-385 m/s with an energy in the muzzle of a revolver of 730 J. The same.38 Special bullet with the same weight accelerated only up to 230 m/s. By reducing the weight of the bullet, even more impressive results can be achieved with the.357 Magnum.
Magnum revolver
In 1935, the same company introduced the first revolver chambered for the new cartridge. This pistol was designed around an N-size frame fitted with a new.38-44 drum and barrel. It was given a similar name:.357 Magnum. The first such.357 Magnum revolver was issued to FBI Director Edgar Hoover on April 8, 1935.
Smith & Wesson produced about 6600 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 traffic police and others.divisions. This revolver was in production until 1986.
Model 19 - lightweight and comfortable
The revolvers mentioned earlier were undeniably very good. But any good thing can be done even better, which is what the same corporation, Smith & Wesson, did. For a whole year, experiments with various types of steel and heat treatment processes continued, the purpose of which was to increase the strength of the revolver's design without losing its lightness and ease of shooting. As a result, on November 15, 1955, a new brainchild of Smith & Wesson, the.357 Combat Magnum, was born, which was later renamed the 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 US arms factories.
Modern realities
In our time, this caliber cartridges are loaded with bullets weighing from 7.1 to 11.7 g. 357 caliber cartridges are basically very versatile, they are used in almost all areas, whether hunting or sport shooting, both in short pistols and in light rifles.
Revolvers of this caliber in US police units have been replacedmodern self-loading weapons, but many police officers still prefer to take reliable "old men" with them 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.
Best revolvers for.357 Magnum
The best 357 Magnum revolvers are generally recognized to be three copies of different "nationalities": the French MR 73, the German Korth and the American Colt Python.
In the early 70s, French law enforcement agencies needed newer and more modern firearms, as a result of which the government announced a competition for the best model of a revolver that meets all the required characteristics. The Manurhin arms company offered its MR 73 model of 1973 development, which subsequently took a leading position. It was their pistol that experts recognized as the best among the contestants, thanks to its high quality and excellent combat characteristics.
Tactical and technical indicators of the revolver are presented in the table below.
| Caliber | 357 |
| Chuck type | 357 Magnum |
| Pistol length | 180mm; 205mm |
| Barrel length | 64mm; 76mm |
| Ammo | 6 rounds |
| Weight without ammunition | 880g; 910g |
| Gun Height | 141mm |
| Speed of a bullet at departure | 265 m/s |
| Effective Range | 50 m |
| Production country | France |
The famous German gunsmith Willy Kort started designing his own revolver back in 1950, when the production of handguns was under the strictest ban. That is why Kort was initially engaged in the development of noise and gas revolvers, distinguished by their excellent quality and original design. Only by the end of the 1960s, when appropriate changes took place in the German gun legislation, Willy Kort launched the production of full-fledged revolvers.
In the second half of the 70s, the modern design of pistols of this brand was formed. Now Korth produces three types of weapons, one of which is the 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 shooting accuracy.
Pay attention to the tactical and technical indicators of weapons reflected in the table.
| Caliber | .357 Magnum;.38 Special |
| Pistol length | 238.8mm (with barrel length 101.5mm) |
| Stem length | 101.5mm; 133.5mm; 152.3mm |
| Weight without ammunition | 1100g (with barrel length 101.5mm) |
| Ammo | 6 rounds |
| Effective Range | 60-70 m |
| Production country | Germany |
The sale of the first revolvers of the Python series began in 1955 by Colt. The very first copies were produced with 6-inch barrels, but later modifications from 2.5 to 8 inches appeared. Even now, pistols of the Python brand of those years are highly appreciated by gun lovers for their reliability and excellent workmanship.
Currently, revolvers of this model are very difficult to get, as they are produced individually and only by individual orders by the masters of Colt Custom Shop.
The table shows the tactical and technical indicators of the revolver.
| Caliber | .357 Magnum |
| USM | double action |
| Pistol length | 240mm |
| Stem length | 65; 103; 154; 204mm |
| Weight without ammunition | 1100g |
| Ammo | 6 rounds |
| Effective Range | 50-60 m |
| Production country | USA |
There are plenty of other great.357 pistols out there, but these three are the benchmarks.
Improved.357 SIG
The development of the already famous Magnum 357 caliber was continued by the Swiss company SIG Sauer, and in 1994, together withby the American firm Federal Cartridge, she released a new cartridge, designated.357 SIG. The creators were required to combine in their offspring all the best qualities of the.357 Magnum, including huge power and high penetrating action, and at the same time make it more compact and with adequate recoil. And they did it.
The design was based on a.40 S&W cylindrical case, which was simply upgraded for a new 9mm bullet. Also strengthened the sleeve itself. The result of this work was, firstly, the increased speed of the bullet at departure in comparison with 40 S&W, and secondly, the ability to use these cartridges in pistols originally intended for the fortieth caliber. It was only necessary to replace the barrel, and everything else could be left in place. Thanks to all these advantages, the.357 SIG is not only enjoyed by many police officers, but also by the civilian population.
Below are the performance data of.357 SIG.
| Caliber | .357 SIG |
| Total chuck length | 28, 96 mm |
| Sleeve length | 21, 97 mm |
| Bullet diameter | 9.03mm |
| Case neck diameter | 9, 68mm |
| Base diameter | 10, 77mm |
| Flange diameter | 10, 77mm |
| Rim diameter | 10, 77 mm |
| Rim thickness | 1, 40 mm |
| Bullet weight | 3, 8-9, 4g |
| Speed of a bullet at departure | 375-781 m/s |
| Energy at the muzzle of a revolver | 679-1049 J |
| Max pressure | 275, 8 MPa |
In our country, the.357 Magnum cartridge was certified for production in November 2012 as an ammunition for hunting and sporting weapons. It is produced at the Tula Cartridge Plant.
