Which under lever .44 or .357?

[Samul2692]

Like the title says just after your opinions really. Which is the better round .44mag or .357 and if it helps then I will be reloading either cartridge.

Main consideration for me is accuracy. Price will factor also so any idea on the cost to reload either round will help and I would like to take it outside to 100 possibly 200 yards as well as the indoor gallery range of course.

Many thanks in advance

Sam

[Mike357]

Personally, I shoot a 44 purely because it makes a bigger hole and that can be the difference between winning and not winning. Bigger round is also easier to handle when it's cold. The main consideration about cost is what powder you use.

[Individual]

Personally, I shoot a 44 purely because it makes a bigger hole and that can be the difference between winning and not winning..

In our club we 'size up' a .38 sized hole to a .44 hole if anyone is shooting the larger caliber in the comp. That effectively negates any advantage from the bigger .44 hole....is that just us? Damn - I thought everyone did it?

As for deciding which is best........its all been said before. I couldn't decide either so I got both.

If price is the major factor then .38/.357 is cheaper to reload just because the bullets have less lead so they cost less. I use a 158gr for .357 and a 240gr for .44 - thats quite a weight difference.

[Burner]

Well for a Yanks viewpoint on the matter.

If you are shooting at rifle ranges use a rifle round.

They are pistol rounds, but 100 yards, no problem.
Well either will work, for accuracy they may shoot 4-12 MOA depending on the firearm and loading.
200 yards? It may punchure the paper.
I would go with the least cost.
They make nice garden guns. 50m or less.

[John25]

My choice from the two would be the .44. (I shoot a .45)

Easier to load, better at the longer ranges.

More like a 'man's' gun!

[Watcher]

There is a view (I'm no expert) that most lever actions were designed for a larger cartridge and therefore will function better. I'm trying to make the same decision myself so will follow the OP with interest.

[dromia]

When I used to dabble in long range pistol I was a fan of the .41 Magnum.

If I was shooting underlever then my favourite cartridge would be the 30-30. Can be loaded for all ranges and good for 300yrds or more with decent sights.

If you are doing the practical type competitions then magazine capacity and quick reloaders might be a bit of an issue with the 30-30, but to me it is the underlever cartidge. The 44-40 is not to be sneezed at either so if I was going to try GR then that would be at the top of my list as another classic underlever cartridge.

[ronboy]

Hi I just traded in a .45 lc for a .44 mag. In my Marlins I use 4.3 gns Titegroup 158 grn Tc .38/.357 and get good results, with the .44 I shall be using Titegroup probably 4.5/ 4.7 gns 240 gns bullet so not much difference in powder weight. In gallery rifle the scoring is inward except if you shoot a max, then an outward rule applies as well,in case two or more shooters get the same score. The larger of the two bullets, in theory, could just give you an edge maybe more so at 50/ 100 yards or more. Check out the GR website. If you intend to shoot in comps, consider a tapered base and a scope that focuses down to 10 metres. Unfortunately last year I was unable to enter comps due to poor health, prior to that I have been taking part in GR comps since 2000 but who knows with the new rifle I hope to be inspired and have a go this year..

[Col]

Having had both I would go with the .44,their both fun. Not so sure about the accuracy tho.Based on the previous post,4.7 grns tightgroup firing a 240 grn bullet through a 20 inch barrel would produce about 900 fps MV, Zeroed at 50 yards the bullet would drop 10 inches as it passes the 100 yard mark. And drop 69 inches at the 200 yard mark. The point is if you want to shoot rifle distance get a rifle.Someone will come on here and say they hit 8 inch plates at all distances,but they dont tell you they were aiming at a passing 747 to achieve the distance

[willgrp]

For someone with questionable skill like myself I dont think it really makes much of a difference what calibre. The crack shots out there will probably disagree because the better you get the more you rely on subtle enhancements.

I went with .357 because that is what most people in my club shoot and therefore I could get advice easily about loads etc. There is no substitute for relevant face to face advice...