.357 vs .44 Magnum for Ranch Hand Wilderness Carry

onetwentyish

onetwentyish

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I am looking very strongly at which of these rounds would be best suited to my needs. I would like to purchase a Rossi Ranch Hand for wilderness carry (one on the belt/thigh is better then two in the tent).

I am torn between the .357/.38 special model and the .44 magnum model because I really like the economics for target practice of the .38 special, but I am concerned how much stopping power I would be giving up to have the economics of .38 special. Am I over concerned about the difference?

I have no experience with either cartridge, and I am not currently set up to handload/reload, nor will I be in the near future.

Note: this is not going to be a replacement for the the 12g or the 30-30, but rather an additional firearm that CAN be holstered and caried when the bulk of a larger gun would typically be left behind there for rendering it useless.

(Insert "Bear Defense threads are soposed to be on Monday" comments below) I'm a day late ok! :p
 
Get both if you can afford it.

The .44 would probably be better for a charging bear but .357 will handle a little easier with less recoil and is nothing to sneeze at.
 
I vote .44 for power. Recoil is not an issue, the gun is pretty heavy.
IF you start reloading, the cost with lead bullets will be close for both calibers.

You might also find out that the RH is not really a handy gun to shoot... should I say awkward?

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It's not hard to add a full stock which makes it far less awkward.
I haven't tried nuclear .44's but standard .44mag is doable for me off hand aiming but the .357 is quite tame and noticeably easier to handle as far as aimed off hand recoil.

The chances of you ever needing the full power .44mag in a wilderness situation are very low in my opinion and for the rest of your shooting .357 is easier on the body, easier on the wallet and easier for your kids or woman to shoot.
 
Actually, if you reload with cast bullets, the 44 is quite inexpensive, almost the same as 38/357. A few grains of powder and a few tenths of a cent for the bullets. The 44 is quite easy to handle, and is much more powerful for stopping critters. Also, the extra room in the 44 case wil allow you to load some shot shells (horrible pattern, but...) to use for small game if you want.
 
My intent would be to leave the "way to short to be souldered like a rifle" stock on it as I intend to holster it. Think of it as a work around of an ATC since "the average joe is clearly not capable of safe pistol handling in the wilderness".

I know how awkward they can be, I handled one at the LGS this past summer.
 
Don't settle for the 357. The 44 can be loaded to the max or lightly for plinking. Now's the time to start reloading. Recoil is a non issue in the 44.
 
Without a full stock a RH is very hard to shot accurately, the 44 mag is really the more versatile caliber and with a full stock that 12 inch barrel give decent accuracy... JP.
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They are awkward little buggers in holsters too. I tried walking around for a bit with mine holstered for a day. No. So it got a full stock, and my holster became more of a scabbard. By the way get one of Coho's holsters. Beautiful pieces.
 
I have a 38/357 RH and once you get used to it they are very accurate. I am a lot more consistent with my groups than with my pistol . . . do not try to shoulder it - just shoot at arms length one handed or two
 
Given the choice between those two, I'd go with the .44, for all the reasons already mentioned. I have a .44 Ranch Hand, and it is huge fun...as a toy. I've also carried it a couple of days while deer hunting, although I've never actually gotten set up perfectly for a shot at one yet. Having said that, if I were buying a gun today, for the intended use you've outlined, I'd get a 14-inch 12-gauge pump shotgun. I have a couple of these as well. They're at least as fast out of a scabbard as the Ranch Hand is out of a hip/thigh "holster", far more effective for your purposes. Relatively cheap to shoot, versatile enough (shot or slugs), easier to mount a red dot if you want one, and still lots of fun to shoot. For hunting, I suppose the argument could be made that the Ranch Hand can be drawn from a thigh holster while maintaining a lower profile, less conspicuous outline. Raising your hand over your shoulder to pull a shotgun from a scabbard is a more conspicuous motion, but IMHO the shotgun is superior in every other aspect.
 
Alaska Fish & Wildlife put out a pamphlet quite some time ago, re effectiveness of various cartridges for bear protection. 44 magnum was the only handgun cartridge suggested for bear protection and it was considered a poor second to the various rifle and shotgun choices tested. Incidentally the heaviest cartridges were not necessarily the best choice because the guns were often carried by relatively inexperienced people and their accuracy was mediocre because of recoil and flinching. If my memory is correct, a 30-06 was considered the best all round choice because people were less afraid of its recoil

cheers mooncoon
 
For my money go 44 mag. You can download for plinking and then load some "romper stomper" rounds for convincing bears not to eat you.
In a full stock rifle even full power 44 mags are no big deal to shoot. I would love to try a ranch hand with a full stock. I have only fired 44 mags in a marlin lever gun.
 
I have a rossi 16' carbine in 44 and have also owned an a henry mares leg is 22 - the mares leg even ended up with a full stock on it but it still was just not my thing so it was sold the 16' carbine now has a swivel studs on it and goes on my shoulder - I would rather have it slung than on my hip - the erganomics of the carbine wins over the ranch hand IMO and the extra 4' on the barrel makes for a better sight plane for me.
 
.44Mag and then get into reloading even if it's with the most minimal single stage setup. Reloading your own .357Mag is around 18 to 19 cents a round. Reloading .44Mag is around 25 to 28 cents a round. 7 to 8 cents of the difference is the added cost of the heavier bullets. The rest is the couple of cents for the added powder when you're loading up to max power rounds and using something like H110.

If you buy either factory loads they'll quickly put you in the poor house. If you are shooting even a couple of hundred rounds a year it's worth getting at least the most simplistic reloading setup. Even the most rudimentary setup will let you load 100 rounds an hour or more.

Besides you'll want to take out a Ranch Hand and get in a lot of practice. It's neither a proper rifle nor a proper handgun. And the only one I ever handled seemed really awkward to lift and get a fast accurate sight picture. And the wrists were at a really awkward angle to try to hold back a lot of recoil. The only way to work around these issues is through lots of practice at lifting from low, sight and shoot all in the blink of an eye. And that'll cost you a goodly bit of ammo to become decent at it with these things.
 
Sold my last .357... have .44's in Handi rifle X2, Ruger 77/44 and Henry Big Boy... also Ruger Blackhawk X2... love .44 Mag.
 
I've got one in .44mag and can shoot a couple inch group at 25 yards. It has no stock modifications. As someone pointed out, the .44 mag is the choice of handgun cartridges for bears.
 
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