woman vs. .50 cal handgun

[Eric]

Holy recoil!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFJja...eature=related

[chiph]

Yeah, if you don't have good wrist/forearm strength, the .50 Action Express is not for you.

The Desert Eagle in .357 Magnum, on the other hand, has essentially no recoil. It's very much a point-n-click weapon.


BTW, I would never depend on one to save my life. They just aren't reliable enough. Fun to shoot? Hell yes. Reliable? Uhhh, no.

Chip H.

[Eric]

Yeah, if you don't have good wrist/forearm strength, the .50 Action Express is not for you.

The Desert Eagle in .357 Magnum, on the other hand, has essentially no recoil. It's very much a point-n-click weapon.


BTW, I would never depend on one to save my life. They just aren't reliable enough. Fun to shoot? Hell yes. Reliable? Uhhh, no.

Chip H.

I never understood the rationale for either cartridge as a self-defense round.
Lack of reliability/hard to control/over-penetration, etc.

My "operating assumption" with hanguns used for self-defense in a civilian context is the situation will be relatively close quarters and what you want is controllability and plenty of stopping power. This is why I like the .45 ACP or even a .38 in +P....

[chiph]

Well, the .357 Magnum is a rimmed cartridge, designed for revolvers. Same with a .44 Magnum. That Magnum Research was able to get either to function at all in a gas-operated semi-auto is an achievement. It's just that -- it's still not as reliable as a 1911 or a Glock.

Chip H.

[Eric]

Well, the .357 Magnum is a rimmed cartridge, designed for revolvers. Same with a .44 Magnum. That Magnum Research was able to get either to function at all in a gas-operated semi-auto is an achievement. It's just that -- it's still not as reliable as a 1911 or a Glock.

Chip H.

But isn't the .357 Magnum a very high velocity round that, like a rifle bullet, stands a good chance of going where you might not want it to if, say, fired inside a house?

[chiph]

It's a Magnum round, which means you've got a danger of overpenetration. Even if you hit your target. You'd have the same problem with a 10mm Auto, and some of the hotter .45 ACP rounds.

For more info on ammunition penetration, see some of the tests at:
http://www.theboxotruth.com/

The interesting thing about the Desert Eagle in .357 Magnum is that the MINIMUM bullet weight you can fire in it is 158gr. Anything smaller and there won't be enough gas pressure to cycle the slide.

Chip H.
*

[Eric]

It's a Magnum round, which means you've got a danger of overpenetration. Even if you hit your target. You'd have the same problem with a 10mm Auto, and some of the hotter .45 ACP rounds.

For more info on ammunition penetration, see some of the tests at:
http://www.theboxotruth.com/

The interesting thing about the Desert Eagle in .357 Magnum is that the MINIMUM bullet weight you can fire in it is 158gr. Anything smaller and there won't be enough gas pressure to cycle the slide.

Chip H.
*

Good stuff, Chip - thanks!

PS: I considered the .357 Sig but went with the .45 because I figure if I ever need to use the thing, I want to cause big-time damage to the target, not what's behind it!