.357 Magnum

   

The .357 Magnum revolver cartridge is produced by the firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson. Based upon their earlier .38 Special revolver cartridge, the .357 Magnum cartridge was introduced in 1934 and its use has since become widespread.

.357 Magnum ammo. On the left is JSP round, on the right is JHP.
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.357 Magnum ammo. On the left is JSP round, on the right is JHP.

Design

The .357 Magnum was designed for police, self-defense use and hunting. The objective was to create a handgun cartridge that combined good penetration, a flat trajectory and good range.

The .357 Magnum started the Magnum era of high velocity handgun ammunition.

A .357 Magnum revolver will generally accept both .357 Magnum and .38 Special ammunition, but a weapon designed for .38 Special will only accept those rounds, due to the longer overall length of a .357 Magnum cartridge.

Performance

Muzzle velocity

  • 8.1 g (125 Gr) Full Metal Jacket: 442 m/s : 1450 ft/s
  • 10.2 g (158 Gr) Full Metal Jacket: 376 m/s : 1235 ft/s

Synonyms

  • .357
  • .357 S&W Magnum

See Also


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