Best .357 Revolvers - 5 Best .357 Magnum Cartridges, 5 Minutes Explained: One of the most durable pistol calibers of the last hundred years, the .357 Magnum (9x33mmR) cartridge was the most powerful cartridge on the market for decades. Invented in 1934, the cartridge was developed by leading firearms executives and quickly became the round of choice for revolver enthusiasts, law enforcement and military forces around the world.

The .357 Magnum was originally developed in the .38 Special cartridge and was the first "magnum" cartridge invented. Although the two circles are the same size, there are clear differences between the two. The .357 Magnum cartridge is longer than the .38 Special cartridge, which prevents the cartridge from being chambered in the cylinders of more powerful revolvers. .

Best .357 Revolvers

Best .357 Revolvers

The .357 Magnum is significantly more powerful than its parent, the .38 Special. The full-metal cased .38 Special cartridge produces an impact force of 189 pounds per square foot at a subsonic muzzle velocity of 810 feet per second. A similar .357 Magnum cartridge hits 575 pounds per second at 1,440 feet per second. Doubling the power and increasing the speed - over the top - was actually a significant achievement with the same cartridge. Here are five of the best .357 Magnum handguns.

Best .357 Magnum Revolvers For Self Defense

Smith & Wesson was one of the first gun manufacturers to sell a revolver in the .357 Magnum caliber, and was one of the original design teams for this round. The Model 27 debuted in 1935, and despite being born in the midst of the Great Depression, the average wait time for customers to get their hands on a revolver ballooned to four years.

Eighty-three years later, the Model 27 is still in production. Smith & Wesson produced the Model 27 in a variety of barrel lengths, from four inches to eighteen to fifteen inches, but the rest of the revolver remained mostly the same. . 27 hex barrel, overall length 9.3 inches, weight 42 ounces. It is made of blue carbon steel.

The Model 27 is a double-action revolver in which one pull of the trigger will lower the hammer, advance the cylinder and release the hammer to fire the weapon. This differentiates it from older revolver designs that required manual cocking of the firing point.

The Winchester 1873 "Pistol that Won the West" is probably the most famous of the blade action rifles popular in 19th century America. Winchester still makes various actions like the 1873 Sporter in .357 Magnum. The Sporter has a satin-finish walnut stock, a twenty-four inch octagon barrel, and a solid receiver sleeve. The rifle retains its 1873 design for long range shooting paired with gold dot front sights. The rifle is loaded from a port on the right side and can hold up to fourteen rounds in a tube magazine that runs under the .357 Magnum barrel. (Unfortunately, this is probably against gun laws, especially California's gun laws.)

The Top 10 Best 357 Magnum Handguns

The Magnum Scout Desert Eagle is one of the most popular pistols available today. While the Desert Eagle is popularly chambered in .50 Action Express and .44 Magnum, there is also a .357 Magnum version.

The .357 Magnum Desert Eagle utilizes the Desert Eagle's internal recoil reduction system and is the smoothest .357 Magnum firearm. The downside is the Desert Eagle's gas piston, rotary bolt operating system similar to that used in the AK-47. As one popular gun reviewer put it: "Firing this .357 Magnum is no worse than pulling the trigger on a Glock 19." Comparing the .357 Magnum to a 9mm pistol is pretty convincing.

The .357 Magnum Desert Eagle comes standard with a 6-inch barrel and an overall length of 10.75 inches. Because the gun's barrel, frame and slide are made of carbon steel, the Desert Eagle weighs 4.5 pounds. The gun accepts a nine-round magazine.

Best .357 Revolvers

The Ruger LCR was introduced in 2009 as a concealed carry, personal defense pistol. The LCR was originally chambered in .38 Special and the light weight and short barrel made it difficult to shoot. In 2010, Ruger followed up with a larger LCR chambered in .357 Magnum. The LCR 357 features a 1.87-inch barrel, five-round cylinder, and original black finish. The overall length is also the same.

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Unlike the LCR's original aluminum frame, the LCR 357 magnum is made of 400-series stainless steel to withstand the higher pressures of the wheel. This adds a quarter of a pound to the revolver's weight. The double-action LCR has no hammer, so it can only be fired in double-action mode. The lack of a retractable hammer makes it easier to pull under clothes.

Colt Single Action Army revolvers, one of the most popular pistols from the Old West era, are a staple of cowboy and western movies. Dubbed the Peacemaker, the revolver sits high in the hand, and Colt's offering today is largely unchanged from the versions made a hundred years ago. Available in .357 Magnum, the Single Action Army has a 5.5-inch barrel, a six-round cylinder, a trigger trigger (reminiscent of cowboy boots), a colored barrel, and a colored stock. The .357 Magnum version weighs around two pounds and three pounds loaded.

Unlike modern revolvers, the Single Action Army is a single-action revolver: this means that the firing point must be between the bullets to accommodate the new, untreated cartridge and firing point of the cylinder. This slows the shot, but the trigger is significantly lighter and shorter than double-action rounds.

Kyle Mizokami is a San Francisco-based defense and national security writer for The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Boredom, and the Daily Beast. In 2009, he founded the Japan Defense Security Surveillance and Security Blog. You can follow him on Twitter:

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Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national security writer based in San Francisco. His work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Esquire, The National Interest, Car & Driver, Men's Health, and more. He is the founder and editor of the blogs Japan Security Watch, Asia Security Watch, and War Boredom. We may earn a commission when you purchase from links on our site. Learn more.

If you're looking to buy a .357 revolver, you're in luck. We've rounded up the best .357 Magnum revolvers on the market and provided you with a buyer's guide to help you make an informed buying decision.

The .357 Magnum cartridge is the most popular cartridge for combat shooters. You can also use a shotgun for protection or carry a larger gun for target shooting, hunting, and hiking. It is also an ideal handgun for those who like to reload, as the .357 is one of the easiest cartridges to load.

Best .357 Revolvers

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Ruger® Lcr® Double Action Revolver Model 5450

In the 1930s, robbers roamed the countryside robbing and destroying banks. During this period of American history, automobiles were growing in popularity and affordability. It became the vehicle of choice, making it compact and difficult for thieves to stop.

The round service converter is a four-inch .38 Special. It comes with a round nose lead bullet around 800 fd and doesn't cut it. Sometimes the only way to stop a gang is to shoot at their car and hope to incapacitate the driver. The old .38 couldn't do that reliably.

In 1929, Colt introduced an enlarged .38 auto cartridge called the .38 Super. It was the first cartridge designed for a semi-automatic pistol to approach the velocity of a magnum. Additionally, FMJ round nose bullets were better at penetrating thin metal and glass. But the revolver was still the weapon of choice for law enforcement officers.

The .357 Magnum cartridge was developed under the guidance of some of the most creative minds of its time. It began in 1934, during the pirate renaissance. The cartridge was designed by Elmer Keith and Smith & Wesson to meet the needs of law enforcement and gang members who wanted a firearm with high ballistic potential.

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An improved inflatable that can go through early bulletproof vests and car hoods. The caliber is often reported as the first Magnum cartridge developed. Since its inception, the .357 has been ranked among the top 5 best-selling cartridges in the world.

The power of the .357, the former .38 Special. It fires at 810 feet per second and can produce a square impact force

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