A good choice for full power .357Mag
Originally published at VolkStudio Blog. You can comment here or there.
People recommend training as you would fight, yet many train with 38Spl and carry with 357Mag. That’s because full-power 357 ammo hurts to shoot in all but the largest revolvers. Coonan automatic weighs the same as a 45ACP 1911 and makes even high-velocity 158gr ammunition quite pleasant to fire (other than the noise of the report). That’s why I like my Coonan and shoot it far more often than the 4″ S&W 686 I also have.
While the velocity loss due to the cylinder gap isn’t great (50fps or so), the escaping gas adds to the noise of the report. That’s especially evident with revolving long guns or longer barreled revolvers. Flame cutting when firing from retention is also a concern.
Reloading is also a bit faster with the automatic. Speed loaders help, but lining up the bullets with the chambers is a finer motor skill than guiding a magazine into a chamfered grip opening.
Revolvers have certain advantages, such as nearly automatic dealing with misfires (just pull the trigger again). But they are more sensitive to high primers, have more openings for ingress of dirt, and there’s a reason why they’ve passed from military and police use. I shoot revolvers for fun and training, but would prefer my Coonan when firing for effect. Your preferences may differ, but I have fun explaining mine.
PS: I just noticed that my photos of Coonan pistols are now on their web site. So is my high-speed video showing 7500 frame/second experience of firing their pistol.