Panzerschwein
member
Hey everyone, I am curious if anyone has tested or seen tested defense loads in .357 magnum fired out of 6" .357 magnum revolvers. I often here great things about the 125 gr. SJHP and JHP from many manufacturers but these seem optimized for 4" barreled guns.
The reason I'm writing this is because I've recently acquired a Ruger GP-100 with a 6" tube. It is serving as primarily a range gun but also for home defense. I am concerned that some loads such as the 4" friendly 125's might overexpand/fragment when coming out of the longer 6" barrel. My load of choice right now is Speer's 125 grain Gold Dot .357 magnum, not the 135 grain "short barrel" load but the full power ones. My rational is the bonded Gold Dot might hold together better even if the bullet is going to be pushed too fast out of that long barrel.
Do you guys have any thoughts or opinions on this? What would you consider to be an ideal "full power" .357 magnum defense load for a 6" revolver?
Thank you!
The reason I'm writing this is because I've recently acquired a Ruger GP-100 with a 6" tube. It is serving as primarily a range gun but also for home defense. I am concerned that some loads such as the 4" friendly 125's might overexpand/fragment when coming out of the longer 6" barrel. My load of choice right now is Speer's 125 grain Gold Dot .357 magnum, not the 135 grain "short barrel" load but the full power ones. My rational is the bonded Gold Dot might hold together better even if the bullet is going to be pushed too fast out of that long barrel.
Do you guys have any thoughts or opinions on this? What would you consider to be an ideal "full power" .357 magnum defense load for a 6" revolver?
Thank you!
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