[tlhelmer]

.357 Magnum load out of a 4" bbl for self defense?

[DeltaElite]

125gr Gold Dots :D

[Brian Williams]

158gr LSWC pushed by way to much 2400 in PMC cases with Win primers.

[Mike Irwin]

125-gr. Golden Sabres.

[Kahr carrier]

Corbon.:)

[Albert Shear]

IMHO the best self defense round is the 125gr in either Federal or Winchester.
Al

[Hal]

125 gr JHP, made by (fill in the blank)______.

IMHO, there's so little difference between 125 gr .357 loads it boils down to whatever is the best deal.

[Lone Star]

I use 158 grain Hydra-Shoks. Good initial expansion, but enough weight and bullet integrity for deep penetration on large dogs and other dangerous animals and hefty humans. Also, less wear to the gun. (See the thread here on K-frame vs. N-frame guins.)

Lone Star

[Quantrill]

168gr LSWC by Keith (Lyman 358429) with 13gr of 2400. The Classic load recomended by Elmer hisself was 13.5gr of 2400. But I understand the newer (Aliant) 2400 is just a smidgeon faster.
Quantrill

[PALongbow]

I like the Hornady 158 grain XTP, but alot of guys here perfer a 125 grain bullet better for defense purposes. I have to ask the question. Why? I would think that the heavier 158 grain bullet would penetrate better and add more kinetic and stopping energy. I'm certainly no expert on defense ballistics and such so bare with me on this.

Ron

[Rob96]

I actually have two loads I like out of my 4" Ruger GP, Federal 125gr HiShok and 110gr Winchester JHP. The Winchester load shoots extremely tight groups.

[Neal Bloom]

Another vote for the 125 gr. Golden Sabres.

[tlhelmer]

The only leading brand of 125 gr. ammunition I could find on Sat. was the Golden Sabers for 17.69 per box of 25.

[cratz2]

My 4" 357 Magnum is loaded with 4 blue Glasers and 2 158 Gr LSCWs for what I call, 'skull damage' if needbe.

If I loaded the gun with all of the same traditional round, I'm sure I would go with a 125 Gr loading - probably Gold Dots, Golden Sabers or CorBons.

[Jason Demond]

158gr Speer Gold Dot's.

[Kahr carrier]

Is the 125 grain Federal 357 Mag round ,the one that had the nick name "Death Ray " because of the muzzle flash?

[Poohgyrr]

Well, the 125's are usually noticable more accurate for me, and they work well, so that's my first choice, unless something special is going on that suggests a different load.:D

[bpisler]

It depends on the gun,out of my 3" M- 60 i like cor-bons 110gr,3" M-65 125gr golden sabres and in my 6" M-28 i like 145gr silvertips or 150gr star fires.I tried several brands thru each gun and these round work best for me.

[charleym3]

Remington Gold Dot 125 gr (.38 Special Version) loaded with enough V V 340 to achieve 1100 FPS. Pretty light for a .357 but well above .38 Special. Low flash and easier on the ears.

[PaulS]

tlhelmer,
The load that I use for ALL my 357 mag shooting is a Speer 140 grain JHP in front of 17.3 grains of H110 and touched off with a CCI550 primer. It duplicates the factory "lawman" ammo and is more accurate in my weapon.

PaulS

[tbeb]

I like the Winchester Silvertip 145 gr. JHP because it gives very good expansion and penetration.

[Mark IV Series 80]

What is your favorite ....

.357 Magnum load out of a 4" bbl for self defense? It's not a .357 Magnum..... It's a .38 Special +P, 158 grain, LSWCHP.

I use this load in my .357 Magnum and .38 Special revolvers for defense.

[trapshooter]

I like the Hornady XTP's. Any weight, any caliber. But heck, I'll shoot what I got. Hydrashocks, Golden Sabers, Silvertips, wadcutters.. They'll all work if you do you part. Whatever I reload, I try to get the same velocity/trajectory/point of aim. K.I.S.S. But at 'real' self-defense range, there isn't enough variation to worry about, so wadcutters will fly, too.

[Woodchuck]

Winchester 145Grain silvertips.. 1290 fps at 535 ft. lbs. I just bought some the other day at Wallmart for $20/box of 50. They had all their handgun ammo on sale. I don't know if it's nationwide or just my local Wallmart. The usual wallmart price is $24.37+tax. A good buy.