Do You Really need a .357 Magnum for Self Defense?

[Mr.W.]

We should start a separate thread to debate .22's and defense, folks are getting chippy.

This may be a sound suggestion, especially in light of those who seem to post mainly to court conflict and contention.

 

[Ezekiel 25:17]

If, one has never actually used a weapon for self defense one is limited to making choices dependant upon other methods. These can include testing in ballistic mediums by yourself, or other persons, then analyzing the results, post shooting results on cadavers, and shooting statistics analysis by various agencies.

If one studies these they might be surprised at just how little difference there is in ALL handgun rounds when it comes to number of rounds to stop an assailant.

Well said, Sid.

 

[Ezekiel 25:17]

The OP's premise was 'do you need'... the obvious answer is no... I love my Dan Wesson .357 and at one time in history a good .357 was perhaps the best option for carrying; that time has past due to advances in gun technology, ammo and carry tech.

We should start a separate thread to debate .22's and defense, folks are getting chippy.

By your interpretation of the premise from this thread's OP, the answer to any cartridge would be "No". Clearly, this question begs subjective answers and even "Harsh Language" would be a valid alternative to the 357 Magnum.

 

[Ezekiel 25:17]

This may be a sound suggestion, especially in light of those who seem to post mainly to court conflict and contention.

Oh, my, was that a "Get off my lawn!" moment?

 

[Ezekiel 25:17]

You are aware you quoted me, right? Kinda hard to believe the question was t directed at me—kinda like when Sid quoted you, he wasn’t asking me for a response.

You are aware how these forums work, right?

Your reply to me (post #53 in this thread) tagged as HansGruber. Was this not you? If so, then I must mirror your most recent reply to me by asking "You are aware how these forums work, right?"

 

[Ezekiel 25:17]

Thought this might be a good link on this subject…….

An Alternate Look at Handgun Stopping Power | Buckeye Firearms Association

by Greg Ellifritz I've been interested in firearm stopping power for a very long time. I remember reading Handguns magazine back in the late 1980s when Evan Marshall was writing articles about his stopping power studies. When Marshall's first book came out in 1992, I ordered it immediately...

www.buckeyefirearms.org

Annihilator, thanks for bringing Greg's American Handgunner article in to the discussion. It really is a good read.

It is an interesting, but unscientific, attempt by Greg Ellifritz to present an alternative to the prevalent and widely accepted research on pistol cartridge effectiveness. He even admits that his non-scientific research may present misleading conclusions. He was so concerned that he wrote a follow-up piece which I have linked below.

Using the .22 for Self Defense by Greg Ellifritz

"Since my...study was published...I've received several questions from readers about my data. I expected to be castigated by all the big bullet aficionados for reporting honest data about the "mouse gun" calibers. That wasn't what I received.", "All the email that I got was from .22 advocates telling me that I misinterpreted my data and that the .22 is the best defensive cartridge ever invented. Really?", "But take a look at the third column in the table above…", "That's the statistic that most .22 advocates choose to ignore. It’s the percentage of people who were not physically incapacitated after any number of rounds. It's roughly three times higher with the .22 as compared to the service caliber (38SPC, 9MM, 40S&W, 357RM) cartridges." - Greg Ellifritz

 

[Ezekiel 25:17]

You are new to all this aren't you.

Humor? No...

 

[Ezekiel 25:17]

However, you'd do well to remember that oftentimes excess force introduces additional difficulties. In most scenarios, it isn't required.

Excessive force generally applies to the method of defense employed, not the cartridge used if a firearm is employed.

So, based on your two replies, it certainly seems as though you are suggesting that any cartridge in excess of a 22LR is unnecessary and that the primary consideration in firearms self-defense should be using the least powerful cartridge to avoid the possibility of an "excessive force" charge.

I wonder, do you advocate for carrying a can of pepper-spray over a firearm for home and self-defense?

OK, thanks. We're done here. Move on . . .

So, your answer to the question is "OK". Thanks for being honest. I respect that.

 

[Ezekiel 25:17]

I am not sure you have read the entire thread. The OP never mentioned the .22 lr. His entire thread was about the merits of the .357 magnum and the .38 special.

Might wish to read the thread from the start if you plan on chiming in.

Yeah, the post was in reply to Mr.W's statements about the "excessive force" merits of using a 22LR over a 357RM (or any larger caliber), but I thank you for the advice, Sid!

 

[Ezekiel 25:17]

Do You Really need a .357 Magnum for Self Defense?

I don't think a lot of people replying to me understand that Talyn was linking to a Travis Pike article of the same name from http://gatdaily.com . I was commenting on the points brought up by the author of the linked article which Talyn posted here for discussion. It's a good read and i recommend a view if you are interested in the subject.