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Revolvers built for self-defense are chambered in a wide variety of calibers. From mousey 22 LR and 22 Magnum rimfire (pass on these puny calibers) and oddball calibers like 327 Federal Magnum on up to the old standbys, 38 Special, and 357 Magnum. Other hairline, hand-bone fracturing magnums like the 41 and 44 magnums are way too much caliber for an EDC gun. They’re better suited for places with no coffee shop chains, sidewalks, or big box stores.
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Keep those magnums for rural areas where four-legged predators look at you like you’re lunch. Two old-time calibers deserve mention. The 44 Special and 45 Long Colt. There are also semi-automatic pistol calibers, but I am just concerned with calibers designed for revolvers.
So what is the best revolver caliber? Wait for it…the 357 Magnum is the best revolver caliber for concealed carry because of its versatility. Let’s take a look at popular revolver calibers and put them into perspective by looking at bullet weight, energy, and felt recoil.
357 Magnum: Best Revolver Defense Caliber
The most common bullet weights for this caliber range from 110 up to 180. There are still lighter and heavier loads but they aren’t for right now. For self defense 125-grain and 158-grain are the sweet spot. There are loads specially designed for short-barrel pistols. A load with factory data using a 4- or 6-inch barrel will not perform the same through a 2-inch tube. Speer Gold Dot in 357 Magnum loaded with a 135-grain bullet is a good example of a 357 Magnum caliber load tweaked for shorter barrels.
It produces a muzzle velocity of 990 fps and 294 ft-lbs of muzzle energy. In a Smith & Wesson Model 360 PD J-frame with a Scandium frame. And it weighs all of 11.8 ounces unloaded and produces 25.7 ft-lb of recoil energy. That 26 pounds of energy hits your palm like a ball peen hammer. The same load in a S&W Model 66 L-frame, which weighs 34.19 ounces, produces 8.84 ft-lb of energy. The size and weight of your revolver will influence the amount of felt recoil to your hand. The velocity of the 357 Magnum is what makes it such a great defense caliber. The trade-off for that speed is more felt recoil.
I’m an advocate for training, but shooting a lot of hot 357 Magnum loads in a gun like the Model 360 PD is not a lot of fun. You can shoot 38 Special and 38 Special +P through a 357 Magnum revolver, so I train with 38 Special ammo.
38 Special and 38 Special +P: Good and Better Performance
The second most popular revolver caliber for self-defense is the 38 Special. This round has been in existence since 1902 and is a proven performer for self-defense. It offers a great balance of power, accuracy, and mild recoil. Again psychics apply and light-weight revolvers will produce more felt recoil. It was law enforcement’s go-to caliber for decades. Bullet weights of 110-, 125-, and 158 grains are the 38 Special’s sweet spot though there are a ton of other bullet weights available from 84 grains up to 158.
Part of the beauty of the 38 Special is that there are many factory loads available. It is as common as additional charges on your cell phone bill. Federal Premium Personal Defense 38 Special ammo loaded with 110-grain Hydra-Shok bullets generates 980 fps and 235 ft-lb of energy from a 4-inch barrel, from a shorter barrel revolver it will be less.
If you want more velocity and energy, 38 Special +P ammo should be on your shortlist. Remington HTP 38 Special +P ammo is loaded with a 158-grain hollow point and has a velocity of 890 fps and 278 ft-lb of energy. Buffalo Bore loads a 110-grain solid hollow point in 38 Special +P to a muzzle velocity that screams out of a 2-inch barrel at over 1,110 fps with muzzle energy that approaches 300 ft-lb.
327 Federal Magnum: Sleeper Concealed Carry Caliber
This is a relatively new caliber compared to the other calibers on this list. It was introduced in 2008 with the intent to provide 357 Magnum power in small, compact, 6-round snub nose revolvers that would normally hold 5 rounds of 38 Special or 357 Magnum. The nice thing about this caliber is that the recoil is less than 357 Magnum. Federal Personal Defense ammo loads an 85-grain jacketed hollow point with a muzzle velocity of 1,400 fps and 370 ft-lb of energy. Those ballistic approach 357 Magnum territory and do it with more round capacity and less felt recoil. Ammo is easy to find but not as easy as 38 Special and 357 Magnum.
45 Long Colt: Cowboy EDC
Back in the old west the 45 Long Colt, also known as the 45 Colt, was the de facto personal defense caliber when the common mode of transportation was horseback. This round is mostly chambered in single-action revolvers, by revolvers like the Taurus Judge which fires either 45 Colt or 410 shells breathed new life into this round. The most popular bullet weight is either 225- or 250-grains. Winchester Defender ammo loads a 225-grain bonded jacketed hollow point to a muzzle velocity of 850 fps and 361 ft-lb of energy.
44 Special: Old School Defense Caliber
The caliber first appeared in 1907 and it is still around today. That’s staying power. This is another defense caliber with a large diameter and heavy bullet that leaves a large hole behind. A 200-grain bullet is its sweet spot, but loads range from 110- to 260-grains. My favorite is Hornady Critical Defense loaded with a 165-grain FTX bullet. It offers a muzzle velocity of 900 fps and muzzle energy of 297 ft-lb.
READ MORE: What Is The 327 Federal Magnum Good For?
There are not a lot of new revolvers chambered for this round, but that doesn’t matter because perhaps the best 44 Special Defense revolver is the 5-shot Charter Arms Bulldog. I prefer the 3-inch barrel model. It weighs 20 ounces unloaded and is easy to carry. This round offers nearly twice the energy as a 38 Special. It has a bit of kick, but very manageable.
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I would be very comfortable using any of my 38/357 revolvers if i had to defend myself ! And Speer gold dot is what they are loaded with !
To Irish Geezer,
I could not have said it better. Example: my brother in law was being attacked by a large man. My BIL drew his NAA 2 inch 22 magnum and warned the attacker not to do anything else. He still advanced and was shot directly through the beastbone, went through the heart, and lodged in the spine. Not an immediate death but he didn’t last 10 seconds and stopped the attack completely. My BIL is an experienced shooter and knows about shot placement instinctively so you are correct. The ammo was CCI 22 mag stinger. One shot. BIL was found not guilty at the trial.
Should never have been a trial if he was defending himself from an attack.
The .357 magnum does a fine job, 158 grain hollow points deliver. I’ve fired the round with every barrel length from 6 to 2 inches. “Performance specs” are essentially useless, you want a weapon that will put maximum damage, on target, every time. The .357 will do that. In a pinch, you can fire .38 Spl. from the same weapon; the .45 Colt and .44 Spl. are single-calibre weapons, and quite a bit more expensive to feed. Ammo supply can be a problem itself.
Anyone who has been involved with pistols for self-defense should be aware that shot placement trumps caliber, every time. A well-placed .22 Magnum beats a poorly placed .357 Magnum, every time. There is no “best caliber for concealed carry.” If someone can’t put .357 Magnum rounds where they need to go because of recoil, it is the worse caliber for them. For those with various issues (age, disabilities) a .22 LR might be the best. In most self-defense situations, the fact that the bad guy hears you shooting back has him heading for the hills. They tend to be cowards.
Calling the .327 magnum an odd ball, is a real stretch . I have been shooting and using firearms for over 50 years. I have and use all the the ones listed the 357 and 38 are one of my favorites. I find the versatility of the 327 ,useful as a woods gun and self Defence. 22 power to Magnum. Being able to shoot 32 short,32 longs,32 acp,32 H&R,327 Mag..I also have a 327 in Henry Lever .
I have not used it for deer hunting, But The old 32-20 was a great cartridge. The bullets wont bounce off a deer ,if they are under 3000 ft sec. There are a lot of arm chair theorist ,That will say if it is not at ,whiz bang speed and two ton of muzzle energy that its worthless.I Love all the new stuff,but a man can do well, with a 30-30 or a 30-06,and still get the job done. .
I have used six different calibers in my .327 Federal so far and might be able to use a seventh. Granted, some are common, others are rare, and all are much less powerful than the .327 Fed, but they all functioned fine. .327 Federal chambered revolvers also offer at least one additional round in the cylinder compared to the .357/.38 models in the same frame and the power level of it, while maybe less than .357 Mag in a snub nose, is no joke, and trounces any .38 Special available or otherwise…..so perhaps a more in depth comparison is in order.
Another revolver “expert” .
Another revolver “expert” .
I’ve been very pleased with my Ruger LCR in .327 Federal Magnum. Thank you, Robert, for an excellent article. Greg