help me choose ammo for my new nightstand gun

[tango3065]

I bought a new ruger sp101 357 magnum a few weeks ago and finally got to shoot it this week to check function ability and now it is going to be taking the place of my g19 for my nightstand gun. I have lots of 357 and 38 loads already but most are target loads but I have 2 choices in my safe that will fill the need for defense ammo, so help me choose between these two choices that I already have.


R357M1 Remington Express
357 Magnum 125GR SJHP
Velocity (ft/sec) - Muzzle 1450
Energy (ft-lbs) - 583

OR

USA38JHP Winchester USA
38 SPL+P 125GR JHP
Velocity (ft/sec) - Muzzle 945
Energy (ft-lbs) - 248



I first loaded it with the rem 357 but then I got to thinking of muzzle flash and deafness but in a adrenaline filled situation neither may matter, also both are accurate in this gun and I don't have any problems with rapid fire or follow ups with the magnums.

 

[Bill_G]

i like 38+p. your right....357 has too much flash and noise for me to get quick follow up shots.

go with the 38+p

Bill

 

[jensdbarclay]

Speer makes a 38 +p load just for short barrels. It's a 135 gr. Gold Dot. This is the load that I use in my Taurus 85UL. It is accurate and controlable. Take a look.

 

[doc540]

.357 will shoot thru YOUR bedroom walls, thru everyone ELSE'S bedroom walls and into you NEIGHBOR's house.

Speer Gold Dot .38 +P

 

[1 LT MPC]

Buffalo Bore 158 gr. LSWC with the +P power curve.

 

[tango3065]

Yes with children in the house and neighbors next door my 38's would probably be the best choice and I did use the same load to put a car struck deer down a couple years ago so I know they perform.

 

[takhtakaal]

Whoa.

OP -- you got ammo in your safe?

Dunno if I'd store it in an over-tight metal box designed to seal up under heat. Sounds like a recipe for shrapnel.

Didn't mean to go all OT, but still ...

Please resume ...

 

[tango3065]

Lol, where do you store yours under the house .

 

[takhtakaal]

location, location, location ...

Loonie;

I sell safes, and I'm gonna tell you do not store your ammo in a safe. If for any reason the ammo should ignite, the safe will become a bomb. If you don't like the ammo can idea, get a sheet metal, or plastic, shelved storage cabinet & use that. Most of them have a provision to lock. What's more important, they won't contain the gases of ammo burning & raise the internal pressure into bomb status.

900F

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=213449

FWIW, I like the Hornady .38 Special 140 Gr. JHP/XTP.

 

[22-rimfire]

I agree with the ammo storage item. I keep mine in several places as my metal shelves are strong enough to hold 100 lbs of ammo on one shelf. None gets stored in a safe. Almost all of it is in GI metal ammo cans although I have a few plastic "ammo cans" that I am trying out for 22 ammo.

I would suggest 38spl +P for your SP101. I doubt you'll ever need to use it, so any 125 gr HP stuff should be just fine. I use Remington from Wally World. It is not something I'm particularly hung up about. I use a 3" GP100 for a house gun. Keep you powder dry.

 

[Stainz]

To me, the best SD load is the old 'FBI load', the +P 158gr LHPSWC - like the softer lead Remington R38S12 ~$30/50. I practice with the ballistically equivalent Georgia Arms #G38E rounds. They are reloads, listed as +P 158gr LSWC - but are HPs. They run $17/100 + s/h. Those folks are nice - and make a super product. Both run 835-850 fps from my 642 and 2" 10 - plenty for proper opening, particularly the softer lead Remingtons. Even target-type full wadcutters (148gr) can be effective.

Folks get the wrong impression about .357Ms. Perhaps history has an answer here. The .357 Magnum followed the .38/44, a +P+ .38 Special, in an attempt to pierce the car doors of fleeing felons for the FBI. You simply don't need that for a bg facing you - in the home or on the street. Remember, you are responsible for wherever your round goes when you launch it - collateral damage or not. Lite a <125gr 'hot' .357M off in a small room without hearing protection and you will need to learn to read lips, too.

Stainz

PS As Doug Wesson proved back in 1935-6, you can hunt just about anything on this continent with a .357M.

 

[elchiwi]

357 Magnum ammo questions

HI, ANYBODY HAVE AN IDEA OF THE VELOCITY OF THE NEXT ROUNDS FIRED FROM 3 INCHES BARREL REVOLVER?, ONLY FROM 3 INCHES.

*125 GRAIN WINCHESTER JACKETED SOFT POINT "WINCLEAN".
*158 GRAIN MAGTECH SEMIJACKETED SOFT POINT.
*158 GRAIN FEDERAL HYDRA-SHOK.
*158 GRAIN PMC SEMIJACKETED SOFT POINT.

If I were you, i will use Federal Hydra-shok.

 

[Gunsnrovers]

All the house guns here are revolvers and all are loaded with .38 158gr LHPSWC +P. I still have a large stash of Federal Nyclads I use, but there are other brands of the similar loads to switch too when the Nyclads run out.

 

[mavracer]

If I had to choose between those two for HD I'd use the 38+p would rather use 125 357 golden sabers or speer Short bbl or FBI load I use the golden sabers as they are much cheaper then speer and = performance

 

[Hikingman]

Another vote for:

38 SPL+P

 

[BikerRN]

I load my .357 Magnums with Remington 125 Grain SJHP's for self defensive purposes. No, not the 38 Special rounds but the .357 Magnum ones. Go to the range and run a quick test. 5 Shots, at 5 Yards in 5 Seconds, keeping a 5 Inch or less group. If you can do that you are good to go.

.357 will shoot thru YOUR bedroom walls, thru everyone ELSE'S bedroom walls and into you NEIGHBOR's house.

The above comment was made by a "misinformed" person. Hollowpoint rounds are designed to stay in the body of the one that is shot and the Remington round the OP has is a good self defensive round. In fact it's what I load my .357 Magnums with when I carry a .357 Magnum Off-Duty.

There is a lot of "misinformation" about the various self defensive calibers and rounds out there, this is just one example. The .357 Magnum 125 Grain JHP by Federal or the SJHP by Remington is still the round that all other self defensive rounds are compared to. I doubt we would be holding it up as the "benchmark" if it was so overpenatrative.

As far as recoil and muzzleblast, in a real life encounter you will not see the muzzle blast nor hear the hear the bang.

Biker

 

[shane638]

CorBon 110 DPX or GD 135 .38+P

 

[Feanaro]

.357 will shoot thru YOUR bedroom walls, thru everyone ELSE'S bedroom walls and into you NEIGHBOR's house.

But if you whack 300 FPS off the same load, it's totally safe?

There is no effective round that won't go through the walls in your house if you miss. Thems the breaks. Over-pentration is overblown, IMO, but a light, quickly expanding JHP can be less likely to over over-penetrate than a slower load that doesn't bloom fast enough.

I use 38's in my 38 and 357's in my 357.