Good defensive .357 ammo

Speer loads the same 135 grain Gold Dot bullet in .38 spl+P and .357 mag ammo, so the bullet should expand well and hold together at the intermediate velocity you'll get from a relatively long 6" barrel. The reduced muzzle blast and recoil you'll get from .38+P ammo and a 6" barrel makes the Gold Dots sound like a great ammo choice for either a home-defense or carry gun (if you can carry a 6" L-frame).

The 135 gr Gold Dots aren't cheap and I'm not sure if you can get them in boxes of 50, but as far as I'm concerned those are all secondary considerations to ballistic performance - stick with the Gold Dots.

Doubletap 125 gr. Gold Dot

Check out the Doubletap 125 gr. Gold Dots here:

http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_27&products_id=48

Gold Dots are arguably the gold stadard of bonded hollow points.

125 gr. hollowpoints are the projectiles that gave the the .357 magnum it's well deserved reputation.

Doubletap is the "hottest" .357 ammo around with more than enough juice to assure full opening up of of the Gold Dots.

They use "low flash" powders. I have niticed no excess flame or smoke from my gun. I use a 340 M&P snubbie. Shooting full house .357 125 gr. at 1400 fps from a 1 and 7/8" barrel with no flash is saying saying a lot for these powders.

I have observed no "crimp jump" even from a 13oz. gun.

The kick is stout to say the least. I no longer use them as my primary round because of slower repeat shots. I now use a lower recoil round in the Corbon DPX format. They are $1.50 per round - exactly the kind of money you are trying to stay away from.

I practice with 125 gr. hollow point reloads from Mastercast at around $13.00 for 50 (much cheaper when I send brass in with the order - as per their site prices). They shoot close to the point of aim as the DPX do. You only have to buy one box of the good stuff. Mastercast are good folks and can be checked out here:

http://www.mastercast.net/amo.htm

Unless you are shooting a very, very light gun like I am though, I'd get the Doubletap's rather than the more expensive lower recoil DPX's. The DPX's give me a little under 1100 fps from the snubbie. That's at least a third to a half again more energy than the Speer .38+p's.

With the 125 gr. Doubletaps, you get 100% of the capability of your .357 magnum. I really enjoy shooting them, even though I no longer carry them daily. I usually keep a few around for those times when someone asks to shoot my .357 snubbie. I really enjoy those very special times.

They run around $30 for 50 rounds at the site given.

That's my input, anyway.

MARV

Any HP

By the way, if you stay with .38+p's, try here:

http://www.streichers.com/ProductDetail.aspx?Catalog=Guns and Ammo&Category=AMMO_DHAND&Prod=CCI-38GD

$26 for 50 is as good as it gets for these rounds. You have the choice of the "short barrel 135's" or otherwise - be sure of your choice before an placing order.

I've purchased from them before and no problems.

MARV

There's still none better for defense in the .357 mag than the full power 125gr JHP's by Remington and Federal. They're rip snorters but if you have to take a guy down they've historically been the round to do it with near 100% effectiveness assuming of course a center mass hit. Out of your 6" barrel they're going to be running over 1,500 fps. Muzzle blast and recoil will be pronounced but when you or your families life is on the line those things are insigificant.

One last post _ maybe!

Doubletap 125's have a user verified speed of over 1700 fps from a 6 " barrel.

The 1400 fps figure was from a 1 and 7/8" barrel.

By the way, to save anyone checking with them - Mastercast uses a S&W 686 with 6" barrel to figure the speeds on all of their .38 and .357 magnum reloaded ammo - both with cast bullets and the jacketed hollowpoints that I shoot.

Georgia Arms rates theirs at 1400 FPS:

http://georgia-arms.com/new357mag125grgolddothollowpoint50pk.aspx

"Marvin you were seconds too late!"

No problem - I don't work on commission.

+1 on both mastercast and doubletap! I have shot over 3000 rounds of mastercast ammo in the following calibers: .38, .357, .380, 9mm, .40 and .45. It is excellent quality reloaded ammo at very reasonable prices...especially when you send them your brass!

I have DT ammo loaded is ALL of the guns I carry. MY 2.75" Ruger Security six is loaded with DT's 125gr gold donts and my S&W M-36 is loaded with their 125gr +p .38 gold dots.

Anything that begins with "Corbon" and ends with "DPX"

I'm on fire

Click to expand...

quick, Stop, drop, and roll!

sorry

Good choice, hopefully you never have to use them on anything other then paper, but if you do, hit center of mass and you should be good to go.

DrG

+1 Georgia Arms
I have carried it for years and chrony them on a regular basis.
Speed as advertised and they load Gold Dots.

Glad to make you chuckle, on other fourms I am known as Distorted Humor for such...

Anyways, let me know what shoots well for you, as I have a 4'' revolver that I will need .38 spc. +p to buy for, and most who makes .38 specials makes .357

Add 100 to 150 fps on to the 4" velocity and that will be close to what you'll get from a 6". There's enough variability in different firearms that unless you actually chrono the velocity you are just making an educated guess.