LOL first I only used solid bullets at the target range and for a self defense load out I use hollow point bullets, Next no one is going to be hit by 22 357 rounds and keep fighting. Charging 500 pound black bears had been put down with a few 357 rounds. see google searches for more details.
Still trumpeting your absolutes, eh? You sure about that? 22 hits with a law-enforcement grade .357 Sig delivers about the same amount of ballistic energy as a law-enforcement grade .357 revolver load. In fact, the .357 Sig was designed specifically to enable police self-loaders to match the power of the old revolver loads. Not surprised you don't know that of course. Proper shot placement required, even on a smaller bear like a black bear. There's at least one documented case of a .40 caliber dropping a grizzly with a single lucky shot fired... but generally it needs a heavier bullet that doesn't expand to reliably stop a bear. You use a load appropriate for bear on a person and it will zip right through them without the person even being aware they've been shot unless you hit the spine or the brain.
Yep, just because there a round is a .357 doesn’t impart magical powers it, making it suitable for every application. There is a lot of variation of .357 ammo. Shooting a walking or stationary Grizzly at 25 yards with a .357 is far different than one charging you under 10 yards, or even a .44mag, or... even a .480 Ruger Redhawk with one charging you at 10 yards... that defines a pucker for life experience... I’ve had that experience and fortunately didn’t have to shoot and didn’t end up as bear scat, but the pucker lasted for quite a while... and I felt massively under gunned.
And that's a mistake, when it comes to self defense you should always practice with the same ammo you will use when you carry.
In three pages of comments it might already have been mentioned but a revolver can handle neglect a lot better than any automatic can. If you want something to tuck away somewhere and never use unless there's an emergency you're going to want a gun that will probably spend many years being neglected. That is where a revolver will become much more dependable than any automatic.
That is probably some of the most foolish advise I have ever seen provided, if one has a firearm for "emergency" leaving it tucked away and neglected is asking for trouble.
I used to have a revolver. It stayed in my gun safe for about a year before I took it again to the range. Didn't miss a beat. Shot perfectly fine.
Well.. perhaps I have a solution for all of ya' .. have pistols everywhere! Have a tiny semi-auto in my front shirt pocket, suffers all sorts of trash and such, I shoot it every now and then to see if it's Reliable , it is; have a 357 revolver under the desk at work, one of my cowboy guns; and I have a 45 semi-auto in the bedstand, I most never look at it, BUT there was that one evening I was awaken from a sound sleep by a loud strange noise, I was wide awake and armed in under 3 freakin' seconds (very proud of my self too!). In every case, my firearm is readily accessible and usable, and if they don't work when delivering hits to the torso, then head shots are called for.
Totally untrue, I would never proffer that if someone wish's to avoid maintaining a firearm, all they need is a revolver and actually as an instructor stating such could get me sued.
Florida and are you assuming some people don't live in areas of excessive humidity, of near the ocean?
It takes some research and experimentation, but I've managed to find inexpensive practice ammo with approximately the same felt recoil and POA/POI as my defensive load. I tested my defensive load in my sidearm extensively to make sure it feeds properly, and I rotate my carry ammo regularly, throwing the old loads into an ammo can I then use for training fodder.
It depends on where you live, I suppose. A friend of mine who lives in southwest Louisiana has to clean and lubricate his firearms at least once a month or they will quickly become nonfunctional due to rust and corrosion. Leave the firearms loaded for long periods of time and the ammo itself can corrode into the chambers. My carry gun gets wiped down every night and cleaned once a week whether I've shot it or not; though I do try to hit the range at least once a week for basic fundamentals work. The rest of my defensive guns get cleaned and oiled once a month. Collectibles and family heirlooms are cleaned and coated with grease for storage; they get taken out once a year for maintenance.
I am quite sure it can be done, if one has the time and skills. However as an instructor I cannot assume everyone has those skills or even understands why, so my advise always is buy your carry ammo in bulk and run training only with that ammo.
I'm not suggesting people not maintain their guns. What I am saying is there are some people out in our world who own guns and don't maintain them properly. Further if I had a revolver and a pistol and both had not been serviced in the past 10 years and I had to pick one up to save my life I would take the revolver. Your selection might differ. That's why they make vanilla and chocolate.
Nonsense as the recoil and every other aspect of the bullets ballistic behaviors is the same as far as I had found with countless rounds fired over the years until it hit a target between a solid or a hollow point round. If there is any difference at all between those types of rounds it is so small that I can not tell the difference.
You know we are talking about handgun engagement ranges of 25 or less yards not a rifle target at 600 yards so there is little time for any small difference in ballistic behaviors to show up.
That's not what I have found, even with tips of the same grain rating, I have come across defense rounds that are noticeably different than box ammo.
Of the ‘problem’ guns brought to me for repair, I find many are brought because of complaints of FTF, FTE, 3pt lockup’s, etc. experienced on the range when someone gets around to testing a newly acquired media (often advertised) lauded magic SD cartridge. While much of my work is on 1911s because of my rep with them, I see everything from .22s through .45s. A small percentage, 10-20%, are related to operator issues (poor maintenance, limp wristing), some (like Kahn’s...still need breakin) and many related to minor (tunable) issues that can be mitigated such as using different mags, spring changes, reliability tuning, etc. Often, I hear people saying their gun shoots FMJ ok, but not HPs or a particular ammo. In the later case, sometimes just a change in ammo gives up little in defensive capability, but sometimes I see people using FMJ as practice ammo on the range to minimize problems (and because of lower cost) then return to carrying ‘problem’ ammo because of their belief it will somehow protect them better than the ‘reliable’ FMJs...strange thinking that. With .45 acps, FMJs are still excellent, battle test SD rounds, but others, 25acp and even 9mm, are not the best choices. Like you, I advocate thoroughly, testing an EDC gun with ammo that will be EDC’d. For me, I accept, no less than 100% reliability with my ammo, gun, and mag combination to make my EDC rotation. Any, repeatable issues on the range require inspection and resolution before a piece will make the EDC rotation again. Aside from reliability proofing, one of the things I advocate when advising shooters is to shoot in the mode you are likely to do in an SD scenario. For instance, if you have a DA or DA/SA piece, always spend a good deal of time practicing in DA or (with DA/SA guns), starting in DA for the first shot and master your ability to shoot in DA, rather than, as I often see, practicing in SA (because you are more accurate) and just expecting you will be ok when the balloon goes up and you have to shoot in DA when defending your life. The same can be said for your method of carry...an SD situation where you are caught unaware with gun in hand like at the range, is almost non existent. Many people carry in all sorts of configurations, often altering their method of carry, and never practice the draw. Being consistent and practicing your draw from concealment is as important as your gun’s reliability...that doesn’t mean you have to be a quick draw artist, but knowing your speed and your limitations is important. Then too, I can’t stress enough, learning failure resolution drills with any gun, until they are as natural as as acquiring your target, including New Yorking it, if if you have a backup, if needed. This is where, having a good instructor can be of value, where they can, intermittently, induce failures, requiring you to resolve it in training. (Just an aside, an instructor or another knowledgeable observer, can also help with many other issues like flinching, grip, stance, etc.). I have shot guns all my life and every now and then I will still have someone observe and comment on me... had an old WWII fellow a couple more years ago watch me shooting my scoped browning during a sight - in that made a suggestion, remembered from his experience, that helped me improve my LD shooting. The learning, experimenting never ends. Train with the equipment, configuration, and methods you are likely to use in an SD scenario. Nothing spikes the adrenaline to unmanageable panic levels like being in the **** and things don’t go smoothly.