Coonan is once again manufacturing the Coonan .357 Magnum pistol. I have a few questions.
- I want a rimmed cartridge in a semi-automatic pistol with a box magazine why?
- When I can get the same ballistics in a rimless 9mm+P+ or .357 SIG?
- Which are shorter cartridges that will give the gun a smaller grip and/or more capacity?
- Will this new offering be able to shoot cheaper, lower-recoil .38 Special without the special springs and magazine spacers the previous model required?
- Do you realize that’s part of the appeal of a .357 Magnum revolver?
- Which is available for less money?
- And without a 12-16 week wait time?
- You’re probably saying “But what if the customer wants a 1911?”
- So I have to ask if this a 1911 or is it just shaped like a 1911?
- As in “how many of the parts are interchangeable?”
Hat tip to Uncle.
May 30, 2011 update: I shot a Coonan 1911 in .357 at the LuckyGunner shoot. Here’s the video:
It ran fine through three magazines and was controllable. The trigger was extremely nice. If a 1911 in .357 Magnum is your thing, it’s a good one.
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10 very good questions.
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Why? In the great American tradition — because we can.
It’s blocky and the handle looks like it was made in France. It’s sure not Steampunk.
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Why, this is so awesome I’m stunned that no one has undertaken the task of developing a rimless .357 magnum cartridge just for autoloaders……It is interesting engineering, though. Then again, so is the S&W 52.
Very little actually interchanges; it’s definitely more “1911-shaped” than an actual 1911.
They have a tiny-but-rabid cult-like following that is willing to pay crazy prices for a dumb gun that doesn’t work all that well. Kinda like the Desert Eagle, Bren Ten, or AMT Automag. (Actually, that’s not really fair: The original .357 Deagle was a paragon of reliability compared to these things…)
I guess somebody saw the four-figure pricing that originals were fetching on Gunbroker and figured that they wanted a piece of that action.
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It’s a 1911 in the way it functions, but the size and shape of the cartridge makes it fairly unique. I’ve held one, never shot one. The grip is very large to accommodate the .357, and the whole thing just made me ask “Why?”.
I suspect most, if not all, the folks here making negative comments about the Coonan have never owned one or even shot one.
If you fall into either category, you simply don’t know what you’re missing.
And yes, I own S&W model 52s as well.
I do own and have fired the Model “B”. The pistol handles well, very accurate, and tremendous fun. It’s only weak point is it does need cleaned frequently and relubricated, otherwise jamming will become a problem. Also a bit finicky on which manufacturer’s ammunition you use.
I have many 357s from the 357 derringer and a S&W J frame all the way up 8 shot 357 revolvers and several Carbines. I cant think of any other round that is so readily available in so many different kinds of gun.
I collect 357s because its the round I feel most confident with and I all ready have about 7000-8000 rounds of it in my home. If I where to buy a 45 or a 9mm I would have to buy more ammo.
Having a 357 in a semi automatic (other than the Desert Eagle which I think is ugly) would be very cool because it would be unique.
If you are going to compare the amount of ammo it holds it should be compared to rounds that have roughly the same power and in a similar platform such as the 45 1911 or the 10mm 1911. After all the Coonan was built to resemble and function like the 1911. As far as the number of rounds it holds it is very comparable to 45 and 10mm 1911s. I even have 1 magazine that holds 8 rounds instead of the typical 7.
Wow how many of u own guns???? Im a army ranger with over 14mons combat experience and I don’t understand where people get there gun facts from? The coonan is a great idea I’ve never owned one but I own a desert eagle and in Alaska with f*cking bears in the woods and moose a desert eagle 50ae is the king only to a shot gun… U can put it in a sholder holster and ferget u have it on??? I’ve seen a bear get hit by 45acp 9mm 40sw.. Those punk guns where made to kill man if u whant to kill a dear for dinner and u left ur rifle in the truck nothing is better then a desert eagle… Guns have a purpes and the coonan is the idea of a small pistol that u can pertect ur self and take real game in the woods. I can play with ur revolver all day long but a bear only gives u a moment auto loaders give u that extra shoot if u miss… But a rifle is always king!!!
I own a Coonan Model B and I haven’t had much jams from it. the .357 rounds I think have more variety, you can get some smokin’ hot rounds that I don’t hear about in .357 Sig. Now the Coonan vs revolver has advantages too. Higher velocity for the same round/barrel length,because no loss between cylinder and barrel. Also more rounds than 6 in the mag, plus one in the chamber optional. And less recoil vs. my Security 6 revolver. And if you REALLY wanted to, you could mount a supressor on the Coonan, no good on a revolver with the previously mentioned loss at the cylinder gap causing plenty noise itself.
And it’s not heavy like the Desert Eagle, in case you aren’t in bear country!
I got mine used for under $500 in nice shape. It’s my favorite piece.
Forgot to menion, not all weapons can handle a +P+ round.
How much does the coonan .357 cost and how hard is it to get one.
I have fired several of the Original guns and all of them seems to be “ammo sensitive” unlike ‘most’ revolvers.
The S&W Model 52 is much less ‘sensitive’ but it won’t allow the use of anything but Target loads except for the first shot.
With a ‘Heavy Target’ load using a reversed HBWC I have seen effective results using the Model 52 and other .38 Special guns. NOT as effective as a .357 Magnum but still effective “ENOUGH” on the two legged varmints types within the correct Ranges.
This is an ‘interesting idea’ but I’m not sure it will make it in the current market. UNLESS, it proves to be 100% with any ammo and doesn’t need to be stripped and cleaned after every three magazines.
MK
It would be nice if the questions were actually questions. Don’t you think? Revolvers don’t dance quite the same but they don’t ever jam and they stay on target far better if they have a barrel at least four inches long. If a security six is jumping more than a Coonan I bet the shooter is either using the small stock grips on the Ruger, has less than a four inch barrel, or who has large hands that demand a larger grip to control the recoil. The Coonan is very good looking up close and will demand respect but it is just a little too big for most hands.
The answers to most of these questions are on the coonaninc.com website. As for it being too big — Coonan’s teenage daughters seem to be able to shoot it without problems.
9mm +P+ or 357Sig? Since neither can shoot a 158gr bullet 1200-1400fps the answer is no.
A revolver is cheaper, get a few. However, after shooting them you will see the draw of having 357mag in a semi-auto.
It’s true that any semi auto will “prefer” one type of ammo over another, mine loved the 125 grain white box that I can’t find anymore. (Now it’s all that “Winclean” stuff which costs more unfortunately.) But what it eats well is what I buy, and recoil spring mods can make it handle however hot or weak a round, or whatever grain weight you want. My Coonan was set up for a hot yet inexpensive round, and performed well.
As for interchangability, it would be interesting to know just how interchangable a S & W 1911 would be with, lets say a Colt or other maker. Close probably, but needing a little smithing? And if so, how much?
The Coonan doesn’t have interchangability with the traditional 1911.
The grip is big to accomodate the longer round, but I am a big guy and like the feel of a substantial grip. Not a ladies gun, the Coonan. Unless she can palm a basketball.
Hmmmm….lots of Coonan haters on this board. Well, let’s see here. I once owned a Taurus .357 magnum revolver. Good gun. Never had any problems with it and I love the .357 magnum round. I currently have a Glock 32 in .357 sig. There’s a lot of debate about .357 magnum vs. .357 sig. Well, let me tell you that the .357 sig is every bit the EQUAL of the .357 magnum…in 125 grain bullets, provided you use a proper load like Double Tap or CorBon. 125 grain ONLY. So, the thought of a true .357 magnum round in a semi-auto is something to be desired. There’s a reason the U.S. military and every other military around the world uses semi-autos and not revolvers and I think that’s what this discussion is really about below the surface. I plan on buying a Coonan .357. I also plan on buying one of the S&W “Eight Times.” They all have their applications. As far as combat time, once to Afghanistan, four to Iraq….the RIFLE is King.
Wow, lol. Okie Doke, Coonans are a cool idea, if you like it great, if not that’s fine too. It has a practical application for anyone interested in carrying a proven semi-auto design with a proven round. Being another veteran with a little trigger time, I can state in confidence that the military is not a good example of an act to follow, by the way (9mm and 5.56 nato are both jokes for man killing purposes when one is issued cheap, weak, government spec ammo). Ranger, from one grunt to another, take it down a notch brother, it’ll be all right. By the way, I would use my 45-70 guide gun in big bear country with 420 loads, but once again, to each their own.
Coonans are cool if you have big hands or can handle a big grip (teenage girls shooting them doesn’t mean it’s the best choice for those girls to carry).
Another vet who spent time in the sandbox,
Airborne
No way in hell can you get the same ballistics as .357 in the coonan. You get 300-800fps gain on factory ammo. More with reloads. In fact the 3.5″ model delivers at the muzzle what a 6″ smith does at 25yards.
Concerning interchangeable parts between 1911 and Coonan .357, this is cut from the coonan website:
Obviously, the rimmed .357 Mag cartridge, and the associated pressures, require a lot of modifications from a standard 1911, but there are still quite a few interchangeable parts, including:
Hammer & Pin
Hammer Strut & Pin
Sear, & Pin
Sear Spring
Disconnector & Pin
Thumb Safety
Plunger Tube, Pins (Front & Rear), and Spring
Barrel Bushing
Recoil Plug
Grip Screws
Grip Bushings
Full article is here:
http://www.coonaninc.com/news19.php
The 357s from a Coonan go significantly faster than they do from a revolver with the same barrel length.
My Model A gets typically 200-300 more FPS than my Colt with the same 5 in barrel. I think the gap between the cylinder and the barrel causes the ammo to lose some power.
I would guess that a very hot 357 (such as buffalo bore) from a Coonan would out perform a very hot 10mm from any semi auto with a 5 inch barrel.
Original poster is not very knowledgeable about guns and ammo.
Neither 9mm nor 357Sig rounds of any type can compete with the kinds of loads that are possible in 357Mag.
The Coonan is a great idea for many reasons.
I am getting one of the coonan 357 what ammo name brands does it like to shoot
I have an early mod B Coonan. Feels better in my hands than my Ruger GP100, S&W Highway Patrolman or Colt Trooper & can shoot it more accurately.
I use a 18# recoil spring to shoot midrange cast bullet loads & 22# for full power.
I was lucky enough to get three magazines custom made by the former head Coonan gunsmith. He came up with a better designed magazine that didn’t require the tab on the barrel hood to chamber reliably.
This led to the Coonan going back into production recently.
In the past, I’ve owned a 357 Desert Eagle but was too bulky and heavy. I shoot the Coonan every chance I get.
I would like to buy one. If you know someone that is selling one tell them to cantact me. I would like to find one under 700. Rowdycan@yahoo.com