There's others who I trust who also say it's the better caliber.
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As long as you are sure they know what they are talking about. Remember to be careful with folks like Massad Ayoob and the various gun rag writers as well. Many of them just repeat info coming from Marshall and Sanow. The sources I am quoting use good scientific principles, meaning their test results are always repeatable and then they often correlate the gel test performance to that witnessed on the street. In order to get good scientific data (which terminal ballistics is a science), make sure your sources have an understanding of and actually apply solid scientific principles.
The .357mag would have, I would think, just as modern bullet designs as the .357Sig.
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Yes and no. There are several .357 magnum loads out there that use more modern bullets, but take a look at a couple of them. You can get a 125 gr version of the Remington Golden Saber and Speer Gold Dot. But these aren't full power .357 loads, rather the "mid-velocity" offering. Since the 9mm, .40, and .45 have more or less taken over as the standard law enforcement cartridges, little testing is done on the .357 anymore. In fact, I can't find any tests on the .357 magnum that were performed in the past 5-7 years. Therefore we simply do not know if the newer loads will be adequate performers or not. While the Gold Dot tends to be a good performer in other loads, we can't say for sure it will be the same in this caliber. For example, the .45 ACP 230 gr Gold Dot is an excellent performer. But the 200 gr + P Gold Dot absolutely sux. Testing is the only way to determine potential and we can't just assume a similar bullet will perform well. That's where cartridges like 9mm shine, as they get lots of testing and we have a good idea what they will do before we ever have to use to use them in a life or death situation.
Too many cop reports on shooting show the 147 was/is way too weak for good effectiveness. I'm sure there's a bit of variables on those.
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Which 147 gr bullet are you speaking of? Remember, we can't make the generalization that all 147 gr bullets perform the same because they clearly do not. Most of the poor performing 147 gr loads were the Winchester Subsonics. Again, this was just a poor bullet design and that's why it wasn't effective in many cases. It had nothing to do with it's weight. The Winchester 147 gr Ranger on the other hand is a fine bullet that has been refined to the point of near perfection. Older styles of the bullet did at times suffer because it would fail to expand through layers of clothing, but the latest version does well in bare gel, 4 layers of denim and perps. Dr. Roberts has reported that his findings in gel have been consistent with the results of various California police agencies involved in actual shootings. The 147 gr Ranger is not your father's 147 gr Subsonic! LOL.
It's ultimately up to each of us to choose what we carry and why. I am not trying to argue with you, but rather steer you toward new information that might help you form an opinion. I use to be a big fan of powerful cartridges as well because I thought energy was what was important. Little did I know at the time that energy was a non-factor when it comes to rapid incapacitation. Far more important is shot placement, how deep the bullet penetrates, how much it expands and what it hits.
Now I know I am gonna catch a lot of flak here for stating that energy isn't important, but I will back this up with a simple experiment you can try at home to prove it. If energy transfer is really important, then shouldn't a target "absorbing" all that energy be moved? Get yourself a big box sometime and fill it with packed, wet newspapers. Make sure it is thick enough to stop the bullet. You might also then dampen the box itself. Sit it out in front of you and blast away at it. Note what happens. The box and newspapers if properly prepared will absorb the full amount of energy of that bullet yet it barely moves, if at all. This proves energy transfer is a myth. People are not "knocked down" from bullet hits. They either fall because they are dying or as a psychological response (conditioned) to do so. The psychological response can be removed by shooting the type of objects I mentioned so you only see what the actual energy can do.
If you still aren't convinced, try it on a side of beef sometime. Or dig up that video where the guy shoots his business partner while testing a new ballistic vest. One guy is wearing the new armor while his partner shoots him with a .308 at point blank range. The bullet was stopped and the energy was transferred to the target, yet it didn't even slightly knock the guy off balance. While this was a very stupid stunt, it does illustrate the point that energy isn't what stops a threat. Again, if energy transfer is really a component to rapid stops, then why does the energy have no effect on the object shot? Because energy transfer is another useless figure thrust upon us by those who don't know any better. So when choosing defensive ammunition, get one that penetrates to at least 12", expands robustly, is accurate and works reliably in your weapon. That is far more important than energy.
-Charging Handle