This isn't a thread about 357mag vs 44mag vs etc. but rather a comparison of similarly performing platforms and calibers.  
Many consider a 6" bbl 357mag revolver such as either a Ruger GP100 vs S&W 686 to be a fine platform who's size, weight, and firepower allows them to perform well as general field sidearms.  I agree that either one is adequate for most field situations up to bears.  What I'd like to do here is to compare these popular 357Mag revolvers' specifications, performance, and capabilities with my Glock G20L's.
Measured Data:
Brand and Model . Caliber . Barrel . Empty Weight . Capacity . Loaded Weight . Bullet Weight . Muzzle Velocity . Muzzle Energy
Ruger GP100 . . . 357Mag . . 6" . . . . 45 oz . . . . . . 6 rds . . . . . 48.5 oz . . . . . 180 grns . . . .  .1425fps . . . . . . 811lb/ft
S&W 686 . . . . . . 357Mag . . 6" . . . . 44 oz . . . . . . 6 rds . . . . . 47.5 oz . . . . . 180 grns . . . . 1420fps . . . . . . 806lb/ft
Glock G20L.  . . . . . 10MM . . . 6" . . . . 33 oz . . . . . 18 rds . . . . . 47.5 oz . . . . . 180 grns . . . . 1423fps . . . . . . 809lb/ft
Muzzle Velocity Data From:
357mag Performance Data - Double Tap Website for 180grn Hard Cast ammo in 6" barrels and S&W 686 6" barrel.
10mm Performance Data - My Chrono results of my 180grn reloads using 10rd strings on a 74° day at 6,100ft asl.

Evaluations:  
1. The 180grn 357Mag and 180grn 10MM performance data is comparable (within 1/3 of 1%) in velocity and muzzle energy.  The differences between each are negligible.
2. All three platforms loaded weight is within a single ounce (within 2%) of each other.  (Note: the Glock has the magwell removed for field use.)  The difference between each are negligible.
3. The Glock has 18rds on-board while the revolvers have only 6rds.  This is a three fold increase in on-board ammo which is enormously significant, especially if confronting a larger animal where multiple shots are necessary to subdue it.
Conclusions:  
The 10MM Glock G20L is a better field sidearm choice than either of the 357Mag revolvers because all 3 platforms are nearly the same size and weight, both calibers produce very similar performance data, so the only significant difference between them is the Glock's three fold higher ammo capacity.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 


 

I carry a G29 just about every day and love that gun.

I have a G20, as well, and its a cannon. Go w/the 3x greater round count before reloading.

You know that G20 will work when you need it.

BTW: Considered LWD barrels (better chamber support) and SS guide rods/springs?

My G20L was developed using a custom KKM Precision 45-10MM conversion barrel and SS guide rod with an ISMI 22lb spring among many, many other custom features.





My primary reason I posted this was to demonstrate that the 10mm's performance is equal to that of the 357Mag when both
are shot through a 6" barrel.  In addition, it shows that the Glock can be loaded
with 3 times the ammo and still weigh the same as the revolvers.





For field use some may be
satisfied with only 6 rounds if one were to meet a bear, however, I think that many would
agree that a 357Mag isn't adequate for a bear sized animal. So, having
3 times the rounds on board will help to make up for it being
underpowered.





I also believe that everyone would agree that having too many rounds available is vastly superior to having too few.
 
 

I wouldn't feel under-armed with any of your choices.  You are far more likely to run into two legged threats in the outdoors, so .357/10mm power levels should be more than adequate.  I would probably choose the Glock simply on ammunition capacity.  The pistol and a couple of extra magazines would be a welcome companion on back country expeditions.  

To me in that comparison I would choose the G20L hands down, based on lighter weight and higher capacity.

I'm thinking of getting a G20sf just for when I go camping/hiking.  That or a Ruger 357mag.

Your comparisions SUCK...

Revolvers  compared to an AUTO....10mm to boot.


make it fair...


throw in some other 10mm's and another poll.

I'd take the Ruger revolver.  But 4", not 6".

 

Don't forget to load with Double Tap Equalizers...two bullets (135 FMJ and 95 ball) per round so your 17+1 is really 36 shots/holes.

Pretty freakin amazing.

What are you loading behind that 180gr to get 1423fps?

When examined from a purely objective lens, the 10mm Glock 20 is a hard sidearm to beat. In addition to all the previously mentioned raw data, the simple fact that having 15/16/17 rounds of that caliber within arms reach on your hip should allow for a more offensive mentality to take over. This is what makes me, subjectively of course, more favorable toward the Glock. If you know your handgun can punch through all sorts of physical and environmental challenges, yet still retain enough energy to maximize an energy-dump of insane proportions...hell...I am sold.

What I am getting at is this: If I were in a situation were I have only a sidearm and multiple hostile entities (animal or whatever),  I would feel very comfortable with the properties of the Glock 20 over the other choices.

I own various makes of revolvers and semi-autos...the Glock 20 is simply the pinnacle of handgun evolution. It combines the ballistic knowledge and avant-garde of Jeff Cooper with reliability and accuracy rivaled only by....well....its a Glock....

I am bewildered as to what the hell the FBI was thinking when they dropped the 10mm. I mean...they must have had some real $&#%ing pussies as recruit trainees. My old man is 55 years old, weighs 135 lbs., and was commending the mild recoil of the G20.

I use Power Pistol and CCI 350 primers.  And remember, its a 6" barrel not a stock 4.5" one.



 

I hope you haven't really shot the loads you mention. Your 357 loads are so far off the scale as to be a grenade in either pistol you mention––over max by about 350 fps, and even that's with a 158 grain bullet. The only 180 grain 357 load that comes close is recommended only for a TC Contender, in an over-length round, and that's with faster powders than Power Pistol. If you have actually shot some of these, it might be time to trade in the gun.

My comparison Sucks?You think so?  Truth is, I'm giving the 357Mag a break using a 6" barrel in the comparison.  The FACT is that the 357Mag is still considered THE quintessential Man Stopper round in a pistol available.  
It's larger case can hold more powder than a 10mm so how is that unfair. It shoots a similar weight bullet and has been considered a powerhouse for 70 years.  By all accounts, it should be the 10mm that cries "Unfair."
Nevertheless, you want a comparison between a 4" 357mag and my G20L to be more fair?  Great.  Here it is. But you won't like the results because the 357Mag needs the extra barrel length to stay even with my G20L.  
In addition, I've added evaluation elements of the basic revolver design I purposely left off before because they put it in a poorer light compared to the Glock's design.  However, 'to be fair' I've now included them too.
The 4" GP100 weighs 5 oz (10%) less with a 4" barrel, HOWEVER, that isn't an advantage because the ballistic comparison and ergonomics go south dramatically with the loss of those 2" in barrel length.
Measured Data:
Brand and Model . Caliber . Barrel . Empty Weight . Capacity . Loaded Weight . Bullet Weight . Muzzle Velocity . Muzzle Energy
Ruger GP100 . . . 357Mag . . 4" . . . . 40 oz . . . . . . 6 rds . . . .
. 43.5 oz . . . . . 180 grns . . . . .1300fps . . . . . . 750lb/ft
Ruger GP100 . . . 357Mag . . 6" . . . . 45 oz . . . . . . 6 rds . . . .
. 48.5 oz . . . . . 180 grns . . . . .1425fps . . . . . . 811lb/ft
Glock G20L. . . . . . 10MM . . . 6" . . . . 33 oz . . . . . 18 rds . .
. . . 47.5 oz . . . . . 180 grns . . . . 1423fps . . . . . . 809lb/ft
Muzzle Velocity Data From:
357mag Performance Data - Double Tap Website for 180grn Hard Cast ammo in 6" and 4" barreled GP100.
10mm Performance Data - My Chrono results of my 180grn reloads using 10rd strings on a 74° day at 6,100ft asl.

Evaluations:  
1. The 180grn 357Mag and 180grn 10MM performance data in a 6" barrel is comparable (within 1/3 of 1%) in velocity and muzzle energy. However, the 357Mag performance data in a 4" barrel shows 10% lower performance.
2. The 6" Ruger's loaded weight is within a single ounce (within
2%) of my G20L while the 4" GP100 weighs 10% less.  This seems like an advantage but actually hurts the performance of the 357Mag and the ability of the shooter to employ it as discussed below.  
3. The 4" GP100 has a short 5.5" sight radius, the 6" GP100 has a 7.5" sight radius and my G20L has an 8.7" sight radius.  The longer the sight radius, the easier it is to aim more accurately.  This is important in a sidearm because or the relatively short sight radius compared to a rifle or carbine.
4. The Ruger revolver is designed with a significantly higher barrel axis (distance of the barrel above the grip) than the G20L.  This significantly higher axis results in considerably more muzzle flip because of the basic design of the revolver vs that of the Glock.  This makes followup shots with the revolver (regardless of barrel length) much harder with the 357Mag.
5. The 4" GP100 has the entire 5 oz of it lighter weight removed from the muzzle where it's mass can not longer aid in reducing muzzle flip.  This means that the 4" version has an even higher muzzle flip than it's 6" version.  The result is that the 4" GP100 is even more difficult to control which reduces the ability of the shooter to employ followup shots even more dramatically than the 6" version.
6. The Ruger revolver's frame is made of steel which doesn't flex like the Glock's frame does.  This results in the felt recoil in the Ruger to be considerably higher than in the Glock.  Coupled with the considerably higher bore axis, the stiff frame results in a weapon which is very hard to employ quickly while maintaining accuracy with 357Mag level loading.
7. The Glock has 18rds on-board while the revolvers have only 6rds.
This three fold increase in on-board ammo is enormously
significant, especially if confronting a larger animal where multiple
shots are necessary to subdue it.





Anecdotally, I had my hand and wrist crushed at 14 yrs old in a
accident and they remain weaker than normal. Years later I owned a
4" S&W 357mag revolver but was forced to sell it because after 4
rds I had pain and swelling in my wrist. The point?  
I can fire 200rds of ammo through my G20L in a range session and not
experience any pain or discomfort in my wrist or arm. Compare that to a
shooting session with 357Mag revolver. How many people will shoot a
range session with 200rds of full power 357Mag ammo in their revolver?
Conclusions:  
The 10MM Glock G20L is a better field sidearm choice than the 6" barreled GP100 revolver and a much better field sidearm than the 4" version.
Sorry, but remember, you asked for it.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ETA:  I agree with imcoltsguy that these hot DT 357Mag loads are hard on revolvers.  So hard on them I'd not recommend them as a steady diet.  





Not so with my G20L loads.  I've shot over 9,500 rds of 10mm hot loads through my G20L (plus about 14,500rds of hot 45acp) and its as tight today as it was when I first made it.






 
 

What did I miss? You're listing 357 Magnum loads with 180 grain bullets at 1420 and 1425 fps.
And whoever published these 357 loads (Double Tap?? whoever that is?) is nuts.
Since you mention it, the 10 MM loads are about 150 fps over max too, but it's your gun, not mine.

Actually, he's a very well respected ammunition maker.  All his ammo is at or under SAAMI spec.  He has a wider variety of offerings than Buffalo Bore and you should click on that link and learn something.



 

It's your gun and your body. Shoot 'em if you want to.  Double Tap claims to have rewritten the laws of physics when all the other ammumnition companies can't, but if those were attainable velocities in a 6" 357 revolver, attainable without risking blowing up the gun and losing hands and eyes, don't you think everybody would be doing it?

Actually, high end ammo makers like Double Tap use custom multi-based powders not available to us normal reloaders.  Before you get too carried away, check out Buffalo Bore Ammo's site and now Hornady's site.  Buffalo Bore also specializes in high performance ammo and Hornady has recently announced their Superformance™ Ammo.



Truth is, Double Tap, Buffalo Bore, and Hornady know a hell of a lot more about making high performance ammo than you do.

I don't worry so much about the numbers...

Except the number of projectiles...and those DT Equalizers, with two projectiles hitting the target about 2" apart at 50' is shock and awe.

Actually I do know a fair bit about the Hornady line, which is partially why I question DT––who I hadn't heard of––and BB––who I had––and their published 357 claims of 200 fps faster than Hornady's custom loaded ammo, and with a 180 grain bullet versus a 158 for Hornady, which I will again say is nuts. Anyway, let's go shooting sometime. You bring the guns and ammo. I'll bring the medical supplies.

And don't ever offer to sell me one of your guns.

Double Tap ammo...  bringing dinner home to the table.   180gr hollow point advertised at 1350fps.



This was a 10mm and it entered where you see in the neck and traveled most of the way down through the body cavity.     I didn't find it but I know it almost came out the rear end due to the damage to the internal organs.

The fact that you don't know is really at the heart of the discussion.  You don't know about progressive propellants.  You don't know about custom blended powders.  You don't know a lot of things about custom ammo.  The bottom line is you don't know and Double Tap, Buffalo Bore, and Hornady do.



BTW, Don't flatter yourself.  I wouldn't even let you touch them.





 

What a wonderful gift it must be, to have the ability to immediately discern what someone knows who you know nothing about, and to be so sure of it too. Since you do, obviously, know all this––and everything else too––why are you even on here asking for basic advice about basic gun selection???  Or were you not really asking, but making a pronouncement based on your vast knowledge and extensive research? But before you take all your loading expertise and go off to instruct the less informed,  tell us how much Power Pistol you're using to get a 180 grain bullet up to an average of 1423 fps? At 6,100 feet elevation, no less. Patiently waiting....

Do you need to brush up on your basic reading skills, have you forgotten what my original post said already, or didn't you understand what you read?  No matter, if you re-read my original post you'll plainly see that I'm not, "on here asking for basic advice about basic gun selection."  
Rather I'm providing a point of view on the better choice for field use and providing data and observations to back it up.  That is a reasoned approach to demonstrating my point.  Something your responses have failed to do up to now.
As for giving you a powder recipe, based upon your 'skills' noted above, I'd be remiss to provide them to you. However, I've been posting that performance data out of my 6" Glock for years here on ARFCOM.  Buffalo Bore's data, while a bit slower, is from a 5" barrel and Double Tap's is from a 4.5" barrel.  





Both these results support my data from my 6" barrel.  In fact, extrapolating their data to performance in my 6" barrel suggests that their ammo would clock higher than 1423fps in my Glock.  






 
 
 
 

So you're merely here to impress everyone with your expertise, with results superior to those who actually make the powder you use,  without backing it up with your own load data. I see.

Steve, you know the answer to this....  10mm....  

Idiot!!!



 

Who the fuck are you?

I do know who COSteve is...............he's one of the most helpful contributors to this forum..............very knowledgeable, and alot of technical experience with Glocks in various forms.

Again, who the fuck are YOU?

This party really died.

Steve
Don't waste your time on this guy.
Great post by the way, short of big bears I'm very happy with a G20 on my side being able to 'do the job'.