The .357 Magnum has become one of the most ubiquitous cartridges in the United States if not the world.  There are rifles chambered for it, semiautomatic pistols, and of course, revolvers.  Some 65 years after its introduction, it remains the pre-eminent medium bore handgun round on the market.  Indeed, despite more powerful cartridges being available, there are few, if any, that match the .357's versatility and broad spectrum appeal.  As with many classic firearms designs, the .357 can trace its roots back to a free market and its responses to consumer demand.

Velocity?  We don' need no steenkin' velocity!
In the early part of the 20th century, American firearms companies placed little import  on increasing handgun cartridge muzzle velocity.  Indeed, the early smokeless powder cartridges, such as the .44 WCF and the .45 Long Colt were designed to mimic the performance of their progenitor black powder loads.  As late as 1929 only one American handgun cartridge was being produced with a velocity in excess of 1,000 feet per second (fps).  This was the Colt .38 Automatic round, and it had remained in comparative obscurity since its introduction in 1904.  This was in no small part due to the fact that the only firearms offered by Colt chambered for the .38 Automatic were the old "parallel ruler" style pistols that dated to before the turn of the century.  The round was a good one though, developing some 1,150 fps in muzzle velocity with a 130 grain bullet, and capable of very good accuracy at long ranges.

Bulletproof Vests and Bad Guys
During World War One, a number of products were marketed as "bullet proof vests," and tested by military authorities.  As it turned out, these were unsuited for use by soldiers as they were heavy and cumbersome, and vulnerable against rifle fire.  However, in the post-war "gangster" era, these vests became very popular with the        underworld when it was realized that the would effectively stop a handgun bullet not exceeding 900 fps velocity.  This worked out very well for the criminals for a while, as the police at that time were dedicating Government Model .45 autos to "serious business," and the big, slow, .45 ACP was easily stopped by the vests then in use.  Eventually one of the criminals unsuccessfully tried to stop a round with his forehead, and the secret was out.  Many tests were conducted with the same result:  Currently available police equipment could not defeat the vests.  The problem was then turned over to Colt for further study.  Colt found that the vest would stop every round from every gun, to include the Goverment Model and the Peacemaker. . . except for the virtually forgotten .38 Automatic.  The .38 Automatic punched a neat little hole right throught the vest.  To increase the round's efficacy, Colt increased the muzzle velocity to 1,300 fps.  From these efforts was born the .38 Super Automatic cartridge.  The new cartridge was adopted by many police agencies, to include the FBI, and performed well not only on armored vests but on automobiles as well.

Smith & Wesson Reacts
As may well be suspected, the Smith & Wesson corporation was not happy to see its regular police customers leaving!  Previously, the K frame Smith & Wesson revolver chambered for the .38 S&W Special had been a very popular police sidearm, but its ammunition simply couldn't punch holes in the armored vests and automobiles.  Finally, in 1933, S&W vice president Douglas B. Wesson decided to do something about it.  A comparison was made between the .38 Special and the .38 Super Automatic.  Bullet diameters were similar, the .38 Super Automatic measuring .359" and the .38 Special .357."  Bullet weights were 130 grains for the .38 Super Automatic and 158 for the .38 Special.  The .38 Super Automatic had a muzzle velocity of 1,300 fps, and a muzzle energy of 487 foot pounds, to compare to the 847 fps and 252 foot pounds of the .38 Special.  So far, things were not coming up roses for Smith & Wesson.

However, there was an area where there was room to grow.  The .38 Super Automatic cartridge had a length of 1.27" while the .38 Special measured 1.55."  While this was due in part to the .38 Special's larger bullet, there was still a substantial amount of space available for additional powder stowage in the .38 Special.  The .38 Super Automatic, on the other  hand was packed to capacity.  Experimentation demonstrated that additional powder could be safely added to the .38 Special case.  In deference to the new cartridge's increased recoil and increased pressure, a new revolver was developed for it by mating a .44 caliber frame with a cylinder and barrel bored for the .38.  Smith & Wesson designated this gun the ".38/44 Heavy Duty Revolver," and the ammunition for it was designated .38/44, so as to differentiate it from the standard .38 Special loading.  Ballistically, the new cartridge was a success, coming within a few feet per second and a few foot pounds of the .38 Super Automatic, and slicing through armor and automobiles with equal ease.

Enter Elmer Keith
Smith & Wesson didn't rest on its laurels with respect to the .38/44.  While the .38/44 "held the fort" with respect to market share, the company set out to settle the issue with the .38 Super Automatic once and for all.  With Mr. Keith's assistance, the experiments with the .38 Special and the .38/44 continued.  The powder charge was consistently increased until a cartridge was developed that would launch the 158 grain bullet at some 1,515 fps muzzle velocity and 807 foot pounds of muzzle energy.  The tests demonstrated that while the heat-treated cylinders would withstand the new round's great presssure, recoil would again prove to be a problem.  The solution was to design yet another new revolver.  The final product retained the general lines of the .44 caliber frame while adding metal to various portions of the gun, and restoring the top rib to the barrel, which had not been seen on large frame S&W guns since the .44 Russian Model.  With an 8 3/4 barrel, the weight of the new gun came in at 47 ounces - a figure that had not been equalled since the days of the Colt Dragoon!  The new model was named the "Magnum," to indicate its unparalleled status, and was chambered so as to allow the shooter to use standard .38 Special, .38/44, or .357 Magnum ammunition.  However, in order to avoid the rather unpleasant consequences if the new ammunition were used in an ordinary .38 Special, the case was lengthened about 1/8" so as to prevent a .38 Special cylinder closing on the Magnum cartridge.

The .357 Magnum is proof that "necessity is the mother of invention."  Threatened by a Colt product, S&W replied with not one but two products.  One, the .38/44 paralleled the Colt cartridge, and the other, the .357 Magnum, far surpassed it.  Put another way, the .357 Magnum is the product of free and open economic competition.  If Adam Smith, wherever he is now, carries a revolver, it is likely a .357!

Note:  Data for this month's trivia page was gathered from:

McHenry, Roy C. and Walter F. Roper, Smith & Wesson Hand Guns, Standard Publications Incorporated (Huntington, West Virginia, 1945)

Note - this is an old and out of print volume.  Check with your internet or local rare/used bookseller to inquire about obtaining a copy.
 
 

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