There is nothing wrong with using a .357 Magnum for Self Defense. Most Self Defense shootings involve between 1 and 3 shots fired. (Actually the majority do not even involve the gun discharging as its presence is usually enough to deter an aggressor.) A .357 Magnum will carry between 5 and 8 rounds. Now, I've spent a lot more time training, practicing, etc than I have doing math, but I'm pretty sure 5 is greater than 1, 2, 3, or 0.
There is the fear of over-penetration, which while not an illegitimate fear is given hundreds of times more emphasis than it is due. A bullet penetrating an aggressor first has to hit a second person a statistical unlikely given that they must be in a direct line from the barrel, and through the assailant. It is also unlikely that a .357 Magnum using hollowpoint ammunition would retain enough energy upon exiting the first target to do any meaningful harm to a second person.
A FAR greater risk than over-penetrating is missing who/what you are shooting at, and thus hitting a bystander with the errant shot.
Most of those who say ".357 Magnum" is poor for self-defense fall into one or more of 3 camps.
Camp-1) Military and Law Enforcement THE JOB OF WHOM IS NOT SELF DEFENSE. These individuals who must often go looking for trouble, and then either kill or subdue said trouble (rather than evade or deter it) prefer having superior capacity as befits their mission.
Camp-2) Doesn't know a lot about anything, but bases their decisions off of what is utilized by military and law enforcement despite the fact that neither of those two are primarily concerned with self-defense, and will thus carry whatever they can that is identical to or mimics that of Mil/LEO.
Camp-3) Per Colion Noir (Paraphrased) Have capacity envy, and live in mortal terror of running out of ammo, envisioning that any possible situation will be an all-out gunfight to the last man standing, wherein a one or two round fight does not exist.
TL:DR - .357 Magnum is fine for self-defense provided you put in the time and practice to be proficient with it (as is true for any caliber). Statements to the contrary are generally based on unfounded, uninformed, ignorant, or incompatible reasoning.
Edited by Whistler
Is the reason for not using .357 Magnums for adequate self-defense speed-based? I personally use a Ruger GP-100 and have found no problems as far as recoil or speed. For the record, I'm 18 at the time I'm writing this and I received the revolver as a Birthday present from my father when I was 15. Also, for speed again, that should be the same problem for most revolvers regardless of recoil unless it's overwhelmingly powerful. What difference does it make for the lighter-caliber revolvers?
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