New to revolvers

kidrice · May 29, 2009

hey everyone,

i'm going to be acquiring a revolver (357 mganum) soon. i have pistols, but this will be my first revolver. so when i comes to any questions, i turn to the great masses here.

my question is about ammo. for my 45, i practice with 230 grain fmj and for HD, i keep 200 grain jhp. for my 9mm, i practice with 115 grain fmj and keep 124 grain jhp for defense.

i was hoping that someone could share what type of ammo you would recommend to practice with and to keep as defense.

i would be looking for both 38 and 357.

also, has anyone heard of a push button speedloader?

thanks

rcmodel · May 29, 2009

The 125 grain JHP is the defining defense/police load in the .357 Mag.

Practice with what you carry. At least enough to know what to expect with recoil recovery and blast.
.38 Special can be used for less stress & lower cost.

Speed-Loaders:
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/catsearch.aspx?k=speed-loaders&ps=10&si=True

rc

edelbrock · May 29, 2009

Agreed. You should practice with what you carry to some extent. A .357 is a great relvolver to acquire since you have the bonus of shooting .38's in it. Use .357 loads for defense and .38 for plinking.

9mmepiphany · May 29, 2009

in .357mag the 125gr JHP really is the default defense load

my personal choice is the Speer 140gr JHP, but it's mostly because i think the faster rifling of my Colt stabalises it better.

for plinking i used either 158gr SWC or 148gr HBWC for more accurate work...both out of a .38 spl case

r3volv3r · May 31, 2009

the 125's are for people,

but how do you guys compare 158gr vs 180gr? bigger number = more penetration = bigger animals?

9mmepiphany · May 31, 2009

the 158gr is the standard loading the .357mag was designed to shoot...it's also the bullet weight that most fixed sighted guns are regulated to. the S&W's rifling stabalise this bullet weight very well.

the 180gr slug is more a hunting round and should give more penetration. i don't like them because of the increased recoil that comes with pushing them up to speed...i think it's harder on the gun too.

if i wanted to shoot alot of full speed 180gr bullets, i'd use a Ruger Blackhawk or a Freedom Arms

Travis Bickle · May 31, 2009

AMMUNITION FOR THE SELF-DEFENSE FIREARM

9mmepiphany · May 31, 2009

that article is an interesting read, but bear in mind that it is dated.

read the forword. it was updated in 2006

kmrcstintn · May 31, 2009

for serious social work in .357 mag...it seems the 125gr hollowpoints are highly recommended; these set the standard when the technology used was semijacketed hollowpoints which are less expensive than today's high tech fully jacketed hollowpoints; the older technology not only expanded at an incredible rate but often fragmented when they reached the pinnacle of their energy transfer from projectile to soft tissue; the newer hollowpoints are designed to remain intact while yielding a balance between penetration and expansion

the barrel length and overall weight of the revolver you choose will have a profound effect upon terminal ballistics and your ability to withstand recoil and properly place followup shots; as an example it seems alot of folks get talked into buying a .357 mag snub-barreled, small frame revolver for carry and self protection only to get a severe wakeup that shooting full house .357 mag defense loads causes pain, discomfort, erodes confidence, and many end up selling them off at a loss;

there is nothing deficinet with a quality .38 spl or .38 spl +p defense load out of a smaller snub nosed handgun; here's a few examples for you to research and select from...

.38 spl: Federal Nyclad 125gr lhp; Winchester Silvertip 110gr jhp; Federal HydraShok 110gr jhp; Remington 110gr sjhp; Hornady Critical Defense 110gr polymer-tipped jhp

.38 spl +p: Remington or Winchester 158gr lswchp (Winchester's is harder lead due to antimony & tin content...Remington's is softer and promotes expansion easier); Speer Gold Dot 135gr 'short barrel' jhp; Federal HydraShok 129gr jhp; Hornady Critital Defense 110gr polymer-tipped jhp; Remington Golden Sabre 125gr jhp; Winchester SXT 130gr jhp; CorBon DPX 110gr full copper hp; Winchester's 130gr new bonded jhp, etc...

Mr. Stephen Camp is a great resource... http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/OtherHandguns.htm

buck460XVR · May 31, 2009

I always use what shoots the best for me. Ya gotta hit 'em where you aim..... first and foremost. Since I practice with 158s and I hunt with 158s outta the .357, That is what is in it on the nightstand. Only difference is I hunt with JSPs, practice with SJHPs and on the nightstand it's loaded with GDs. I doubt like 'ell if the guy I shoot breakin' into my house is gonna read Chuck Hawks first.

9mmepiphany · May 31, 2009

it makes alot of sense if you use another weight for other uses...believe me HD will be the least common use (thankfully)

i carried the 125gr JHP in a 4" Colt Python as a duty load because it was departmental issue, until i found that the 140gr JHP hit pretty close to the POI to the 148gr HBWC i practiced with for PPC. i mostly reserve my 158gr loads for use in my 8.375" M-27 and my Marlin 20" carbine

for my J-frame snubby, i'm using the Speer 135gr Gold Dot which was optimised for the shorter barrel (<2")

bestseller92 · May 31, 2009

125 grain JHPs in a 4" GP100 are the bomb.

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