357 Magnum Ammunition

History of 357 Magnum Ammunition

The .357 Magnum was the first and remains the most popular of the magnum handgun calibers. Introduced in 1935 as a step up from the .38 Special, the .357 Magnum was developed by the legendary Elmer Keith, Col. D.B. Wesson of Smith and Wesson and Winchester firearms and Phil Sharpe, a prominent gun writer of the time. This project used a case almost identical to the .38 Special with one major exception; the case was 0.125” longer. Sharpe developed a charge that pushed the 158 grain bullet used in the .38 Special beyond the 1,500 foot per second mark using an 8 ¾” barrel using a Smith and Wesson .38/44 Outdoorsman revolver. From this work came what would be known as the Smith and Wesson Model 27.

Besides the S&W Model 27, there have been a plethora of revolvers built to handle the .357 Magnum cartridge. The popularity among law enforcement and civilians alike has kept demand for the .357 Magnum high since its introduction. All the major firearms and commercial ammo manufacturers have firearms or make ammo for the .357 Magnum.

Along with many Law Enforcement agencies, U.S. military personnel used the .357 Magnum from World War II to the Vietnam Conflict. One particularly notable user of this caliber was General George S. Patton. He carried an ivory, not pearl, handled S&W .357 along with his single action .45 Colt.

One of the interesting facts about the .357 Magnum is that while most commonly found in revolvers, other types of firearms use this caliber as well. Marlin, Henry and other major manufacturers build lever action rifles chambered for the .357 Magnum. Israeli Military Industries and Coonan both manufacture semi auto pistols that shoot the .357 Magnum and Ruger has introduced a .357 Magnum bolt action rifle. Consider that there are also several single shot and even pump action rifles to be had, and the idea of the perfect rifle and pistol combination in .357 Magnum is not a far fetched one.

The .357 Magnum, while not among the popular choices among police agencies due to the advantages offered by semi auto pistols, is still a very valid hunting and personal defense cartridge. Hornady makes their famous LEVERevoution ammo in .357 that is very popular among medium and even large North American game hunters. Magtech offers their First Defense, solid copper bullet, self defense ammunition in .357 Magnum. The versatility of the .357 Magnum and the multitude of platforms that it comes in work together to ensure that the first Magnum will remain among one of the most popular magnums on the market.