Taurus .357 or .44

[ordnance]

On reloads the only failures i have seen at the range, some potentially dangerous were with reloads, most firearms manufactures will not cover warranty if reloads are used.

[Dorset_shooter]

Running costs?

Anything else to consider without spending a fortune??

reload.

44 brass - £27 x 100. bullets - £42 x 500. powder - bullseye £40 - 5-6 depending on load
so it will cost roughly 3p in powder, and 8p in lead, giving 12p per reload after buying the brass or 39p a pop buying brass each time.
you will get roughly 1200 shots from a bottle of powder.
so initial lot of 100 rnds inc brass is £40 after that £12

100 rnds of 44spl factory Magtech cowboy £52 or 44mag factory PPU £56

357 brass - £22 x 100. bullets - £36 x 500. powder - bullseye £40 - 3.5-4.5 depending on load. price on 4gr
so it will cost roughly 2p in powder, and 7p in lead giving 9p per reload after buying the brass or 32p a pop buying brass each time.
you will get roughly 1700 shots from a bottle of powder
so initial lot of 100 rnds inc brass is £32 after that £9

100 rnds of 38spl factory Magtech cowboy £30 £36 or 357mag factory PPU £48


add to that the cost of dies (£40) and a press kit (£200-400), then it's how much you value your time. 150 rounds in an hour is pretty easy to do.

Thanks!

I think loading my own is a fair way off but is a thing to start at some point!

Brings the cost under control though!

[Dorset_shooter]

Or even leave the buntline at it's full size, I've got a 44 buntline that's not too heavy, saying that I haven't used it for ages

The buntlines from memory are quite a bit cheaper than the Taurus too (if they're not I'm sure I'll be corrected ) and are quite good to shoot.

I love the look of it, the barrel is so long it's turned pretty!

How is it to shoot? They offer to cut the barrel and add the brace for £100?

Kind of implies it should be done to make it usable ??

[ovenpaa]

The .357 is incredibly easy to load for and reloading for yourself is great fun and very satisfying.

[Matt]

Or even leave the buntline at it's full size, I've got a 44 buntline that's not too heavy, saying that I haven't used it for ages

The buntlines from memory are quite a bit cheaper than the Taurus too (if they're not I'm sure I'll be corrected ) and are quite good to shoot.

I love the look of it, the barrel is so long it's turned pretty!

How is it to shoot? They offer to cut the barrel and add the brace for £100?

Kind of implies it should be done to make it usable ??

I know what you mean about the looks, still makes me chuckle, I think it looses its appeal (if you like them that is) if they get cut down.

The long barrelled Rugers were too heavy without being cut down, these in my opinion are ok to use at full length as the weight is not too bad. Wouldn't be any good for any comps where you need to speed load but for general shooting they are fine.

[HALODIN]

Yep fully agree with this and if the OP wasn't considering an underlever, he should!

It also depends on whether you intend getting an underlever rifle at some point... makes sense to have them in the same caliber..

[HALODIN]

I have a Taurus LBR in .44, I love it, but I'd recommend the .357 because the ammo is slightly easier to get and you get an extra round in the cylinder. The joy of an LBR or an underlever in either .357 or .44 MAG, is you can also chose the more mellow .38SPL or .44SPL rounds as well. It offers some flexibility for indoor shooting where range velocities might be lower.

[Gazoo]

What is this about must have been reloads???
I have never seen a gun explode in 40 yrs and I have rarely shot with people using factory ammo. Most people I shoot with (shot with for pistols) reloaded because it is cost effective, satisfying and to your own quality control.
Don't show a Taurus (good enough copies of S&Ws) which is blown up and assume that the gun is at fault or that guns blow up if you use reloads.
To get a gun to do that, usually some daft t**t has to try pretty hard.
I vote 44 btw

[Daryll]

The point about reloads is that if something like that happens, its a 99% probability that there was a problem with the load.

I'm sure we all know someone who is a little "cavalier" in their reloading practices... and you wouldn't want to use their ammo through your guns.

Factory ammo is generally loaded on the safe side for pressures, as the manufacturers don't want to risk a lawsuit for blowing up and injuring, or worse, someone.

[Mikaveli]

For looks and pose value, 44 every time... (why most opt for the calibre). A better reason is some comps only let you load or shoot 6 (and the 357 holds 7).

The 357 is easier to come by, generally easier to find ammo for (which can be significantly cheaper than 44 mag - but not by much if you reload).