.357 mag self defense ammo

[Cosmoline]

One should always use 'enough' for protection.

But how can you know what "enough" is until it's too late? Nothing against .38 Special, but if your life is about to be snuffed out there is no such thing as "too much" this side of a howitzer. You want to end the threat absolutely, and immediately, so you don't die. To deliberately avoid .357 because you think it's "too powerful", which I would assume would rule out anything more potent than .357, is not a sound choice. Life or death is precisely that. And no time for compromise positions.

Of course, there comes a point when the weight of the handgun is so small that magnums are too difficult to use. That's where the .38 Special or 9mm comes into play. But increasing the weight of the handgun is probably the better choice if possible.

Too much, I feel, is actually worse than not enough as you can endanger others

You mean overpenetration? Any round powerful enough to kill, down to .25 ACP, will cut through most interior walls. You reduce the risk to others by stopping the threat with as few shots as possible and by not missing. That means one shot of .30'06 HP less of a risk to others than ten shots of 9x19. Every shot of ANY caliber is a roll of the dice. You want fewer rolls.

 

[royal barnes]

I carry a Smith M&P 340 loaded with Remington Golden Saber 125's. I practice with any number of .38 loads but the magnum rounds are for defense. The Remington load is a mid range one but still generates more velocity and foot pounds of energy than any .38 +p out of the same length barrel. The recoil is manageable and accuracy for quick follow up shots is very good. Much is made of the recoil, muzzle flash and noise of a magnum load especially when fired in close confines. My experience, and that of numerous officers I have interviewed who were involved in shootings, is that you don't hear the round go off, you don't feel the recoil and you don't know how many times you fired in real life. Accurate follow up shots are not hindered by these factors. I have never seen the muzzle flash in a real shooting situation or a training scenario. Temporary hearing impairment may happen but I have never seen any data that the number of rounds fired in the average shooting incident leads to permanent hearing loss. If .38+p's are what you can shoot accurately and feel the most comfortable with then, by all means, carry them. Magnum rounds from a snubby in the right hands are better.

 

[Craigman]

I had some old Smith &Wesson 125gn .357mag JHP that Chrony'd 1250fps out of my 2.25" SP101 (set up prob 15-20feet away) Still have half a box and feel completely comfortable carrying it

 

[Diamondback]

...lots of stuff works; for self-defense work I particularly like Remington 125 gr. Golden Saber BJHP, Winchester 145 gr. Silvertip HP, and for reduced recoil a good .38 Special +p158 gr. Lead HP (FBI load) like Remington or Buffalo Bore.

- regards

 

[Dee]

How about Remington 125 gr JHP's? I picked up a box of 100 for about $45.00 at Walmart, hope to try them out soon.

 

[Lovesbeer99]

I have to chime in. I tested rounds from an SP101 at 25 yards on 2 phone books that were tied together and soaked in water overnight. Kind of like the FBI used to do years ago. I used 110gr semi JHP for each load.

The 38 was unimpressive with no expansion.
The 38+P showed more penetration but didn't make it past the 1st book. The round was recovered and did expand a little.
The .357 blew a whole through both books the size of a fist and the bullet was not recovered. But as you turned the page of the books you can see how the bullet got bigger as it went through.
By the way, the 9mm did expand a little and went right threw both books but expansive was very little.


The .357 was way more powerful then the other loads. Learning how to manage the power takes some skill and practice but it's not impossible by any means. I plan to test this again but next time I'll take photos of the results.

 

[au01st]

Love to see those pics if you get some next time!

 

[OpelBlitz]

Love to see those pics if you get some next time!

Check out http://www.brassfetcher.com for some ballistics testing.

 

[Strykervet]

I understand that a snub nose revolver is best utilized with a lighter weight bullet and as much power as you can handle. The lighter bullets should still expand with reduced velocity.

For the penetration crowd, I understand that heavy wadcutters over a generous shot of powder does the trick best.

 

[gamestalker]

Well I know I'm going to get a lot of criticisim on this, but here I go. I load the 125 gr. Gold Dot or the 125 gr. XTPHP, both perform excellent. I use 20 grains of W296 or H110 with a good firm crimp. I'm getting velcoities through my chronograph from my 2 1/8" S&W and my Taurus snubby of average 1450s. I like these self defense loads and have practiced with them a lot. Do they produce a good deal of recoil? Of course. Is it painful to shoot? I don't have a problem, and I'm a 5' 5" 125 lb. man who knows how to hold my weapon, even one handed. I have an opinion about self defense in that, I don't want to have any problem stopping the perpetrator. If all I get is a leg shot, I want it to do excessive defensive damage to the extent that, the perp. will be stopped. I've tested these loads and lots of others, and have decided the 125s are the most effective because they will get the velocity needed to expand quickly, despite the anticipated critics who will respond to my opinion.

 

[XTrooper]

".357 mag as a load is worthless out of anything under 3" barrel IMHO."

I've been hearing statements like this for decades, mostly from people whose personal limitations or lack of resolve prohibit them from effectively handling .357 Magnum loads from their snubbies. However, the facts prove otherwise.

.357 Magnum loads ALWAYS provide a minimum of 200 fps to as much as 400+ fps greater muzzle velocities over their .38 Special +P counterparts when fired from 2"-3" barrel revolvers.

 

[firemanstrickland]

thanks for all the input and sides of the argument guys. I don't claim to be a gun smith but i do not see how it is physically possible for a .38+p to ever be stronger than a .357 mag, thats just my opinion.

 

[The_Shootist]

Consider the Blazer 158 gr JHP in .357. Seems to have a decent HP and (at least in my 3" bbl SP101) isn't so fierce that good follow-ups couldn't be made.

Cheap to practice with too!

 

[OldCavSoldier]

158 gr JHP pushed by 7.3 gr of Unique is quite the trick out of my 3-inch and 2 1/8 inch snubbies. Of course, if you miss your target with the bullet, the flame will BBQ it......

 

[OldCavSoldier]

I carry a Smith M&P 340 loaded with Remington Golden Saber 125's. I practice with any number of .38 loads but the magnum rounds are for defense. The Remington load is a mid range one but still generates more velocity and foot pounds of energy than any .38 +p out of the same length barrel. The recoil is manageable and accuracy for quick follow up shots is very good. Much is made of the recoil, muzzle flash and noise of a magnum load especially when fired in close confines. My experience, and that of numerous officers I have interviewed who were involved in shootings, is that you don't hear the round go off, you don't feel the recoil and you don't know how many times you fired in real life. Accurate follow up shots are not hindered by these factors. I have never seen the muzzle flash in a real shooting situation or a training scenario. Temporary hearing impairment may happen but I have never seen any data that the number of rounds fired in the average shooting incident leads to permanent hearing loss. If .38+p's are what you can shoot accurately and feel the most comfortable with then, by all means, carry them. Magnum rounds from a snubby in the right hands are better.

You number one, GI!!

 

[joneb]

.357 mag as a load is worthless out of anything under 3" barrel IMHO.

I couldn't disagree more.
I load a 158 and 180gr XTP's with max charges of Accurate #9, these things are rockin out a 2.75" Ruger Sec. Six.

 

[Dr_B]

The Hornady defense loads or Speer gold dots are fine for carry use. I practice mostly with .38's but include a few .357 FMJs as well. Just don't carry lead ball or FMJ for self defense.

Long barrels aren't necessary. They would allow for higher velocity and more foot-lbs but accuracy isn't really affected if you watch your grip and sight picture.

 

[Barkoff]

Here is a little more input, opinions appreciated regarding Hornady.

I shot the Buffalo Bore Low velocity, low recoil, low flash today, and then some "Critical Defense" by Hornady. The Hornady actually has less flash than the BB, they both felt pretty stout out of a 2.50 in barrel, but not too bad. But that being said, I have heard some negatives in regards to these Hornady rounds, lot's of reports of misfires and other quality issues...anyone else hearing this?

Afterward I shot some full power Buffalo Bore..boy howdy! Quite a difference from a 6" to a 2.50".

On a side note, I also shot a few snake loads out of my Model 66 2.50 (thinking this to be a new pack gun) and it printed a lot better than the 6". At about eight feet it gave me a tight softball size pattern. I think the shot is spinning a lot faster out of the 6".

 

[_N4Z_]

I don't claim to be a gun smith but i do not see how it is physically possible for a .38+p to ever be stronger than a .357 mag, thats just my opinion.

Has nothing to do with being a gunsmith..

It's physics. In simple terms, the .357 moves the slug (mass) at greater velocity, which translates to more potential damage on the recieving end. A .38, neither standard or +p, is rated to push a slug as fast as the .357.

 

[royal barnes]

A friend just gave me a partial box of Winchester 357 145 grain Silvertip to try in my M&P 340. I shot 5 and will admit, "I am a woos!!!". It just hurt. I didn't even want to drop the hammer on the last couple of rounds. I think I'll just stick with the Remington Golden Sabers I have been shooting or maybe try xtrooper's 110 grain recommendation.