Best .357ammo for Light Snub

This thread would fit better in the revolver forum.

Anyway, to answer your question...
It depends.
When you're talking about lightweight snub nosed 357s "control" means using 38 Special +P ammo for most people. To shoot full power 357mag loads as fast and accurate as you can shoot 38+P takes A LOT of practice. Few people can really do that. The performance you get from full power 357mag loads in a 2" barrel aren't worth the cost of the recoil. You lose so much velocity with the short barrel that many 357 mag loads are only going around 1100-1200fps in 2" barrels.

Having said that, you have a few options; 38+P from the big manufacturers, 38+P from the small manufacturers, or low powered 357mag ammo.
In regards to 2" barrels, 38+P from the big manufacturers aren't very powerful compared to offerings from Buffalo Bore or Double Tap. The big companies usually load 125gr bullets at around 8-900 fps. Buffalo Bore and Double Tap's 125gr Gold Dot loads are around 1100fps.
IMO the short barreled 357mag loads are silly. Speer's Gold Dot Short Barrel 357mag is 135gr @ 990fps. You may as well use 38+P from the small companies because it's easier to eject the shorter cases.

My personal preference is Double Tap's 125gr Gold Dot 38+P but I would feel comfortable with the soft lead 38+P loads from Double Tap or Buffalo Bore.
I like Double Tap because it's $37/box of 50 vs Buffalo Bore at $26/box of 20.

That's all my opinion...

"What's the best .357 round coming out of a very short snub when you balance control with power?"

I would be so brazen as to say 38sp (non +P) in 2" barrels
38+P in 3 or 4 inch barrels
357 mag in not less than 4 inch barrels
muzzle blast is not the same as performance; noise is no substitute for bullet velocity, powder is no substitute for barrel length

(expect a lot of disagreement about that, but when the parsing and posturing is said and done, ask 'em - does that same load leave the muzzle faster out of longer barrel, is there less muzzle blast, and is the gun more controllable)

Speer's Gold Dot Short Barrel 357mag is 135gr @ 990fps.

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Never had problems with crimp jump in my 340SC with this, highly recommend it to milk a little more velocity out of the round vs. +P .38. No problems with noise, blast, or recoil as mentioned above, but YMMV.

Personally, I'll go as high as I can in caliber until recoil becomes prohibitive to putting rounds on target with speed and consistency.

Are we talking S&W 340 light, or just 22oz steel gun light?

HERE is what I've always considered. "THE .357 round" is the full power 125 grain loading (about 1400 fps to a little more), however in a short barrel you are going to lose velocity. In .38 +P, a 158 grain at 1000 fps is "THE round". In my snub nose I carry full load 158 grain .357 magnum, which out of the shorter barrel loose a couple hundred feet per second and wind up right around 1,000 fps.

From a STEEL snub nose .357 you can get the effectiveness of .38 +p in a 6" gun if you aren't recoil sensitive.

In an alloy .357, have fun? (if that's the word to use)

Golden Saber.

The Speer 135 gr. Gold Dots are available in both the aforementioned .357 'lite' and in a .38 +p and is engineered to compensate for the lower velocities of a short barreled gun. They're what I shoot in my 340pd; they're accurate, reliable (i.e. they don't pull out of their cases under the stress of uber-light-gun recoil) and, I'm confident, as effective as anything in the same recoil 'class'.

For what it is worth. I carry38special +p Speer Gold dot 135 jhp in my ruger sp101.

Most of us, me included, are better served shooting a 38 special +P in a 2” - 3” barreled .357. When I feel the need to use the .357 round I shoot the Speer 158Gr. J.H.P. It can be a handful. I find the force of the recoil pushes my arms straight back not lifting them vertically.

As for aimed fire and follow up shots with .357 ammo, at 25 feet, I fire one round per second keeping all my rounds in a 2-3” group center mass; that is a good as this old man needs.

Hello.

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/can_less_be_more.htm

Best.

I have used the Winchester USA 110gr JHP, and while the recoil and flash gets your attention, I was able to control it in a 2" Colt Lawman MKIII and 3" S&W 686. I do not know what kind of velocity I was getting, and there are many opinions against the effectiveness of the lightweight bullet, but I would guess that it can do everything the 38+p can do, and perhaps more.

The .38+P has a good record for stopping folks and is easier to control.

This link has comparisons of ammo at various barrel lengths:

http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/357mag.html

Looking at that and Stephen A Camp's link, it looks like a 3" barrel will cost a person around 150-200 ft/sec compared to longer barrels (5-6"). That's around 15-20% less velocity, or squaring it gives a 30-35% reduction.

This link gives a good side-by-side comparison using a S&W 19 in a 2.5 inch barrel. The 357 still has quite a bit more power, and it is up to you to decide how the recoil impacts your shooting.

http://www.snubnose.info/docs/38-snub_vs_357-snub.htm

No one would consider a snubnose optimum for hunting or serious target shooting. However, things change for home defense. I've never used one on someone, but from the times I've gone investigating strange noises at night, I suspect my most likely shot would be one handed, from the waist, at about 3-6 feet. I'm not going to miss at that range, and I don't think recoil will bother me - I just want as much boom going into the other guy ASAP. A snub is harder for the other guy to grab, so I'm happy with 2-4 inches of barrel & full magnum loads for defense.

FWIW: The only time I pulled a gun on humans, it was a .22 revolver on 8 guys who seemed interested in robbing me at a remote place. Oddly enough, none of the 8 seemed to care that it was a .22, or suggest 6 rounds were not enough for 8 guys. That doesn't mean a .22 is optimum, but sometimes you go with what you have...

For shooting, I still prefer full magnum loads for the 'smile' factor. I'm supposed to pick up a Ruger Alaskan 44 mag today - it MAY change my mind. In that case, I won't feel under-gunned using it with 44 specials. Nor would I feel bad about using .38+P ammo. All just IMHO.

bsms said:

FWIW: The only time I pulled a gun on humans, it was a .22 revolver on 8 guys who seemed interested in robbing me at a remote place. Oddly enough, none of the 8 seemed to care that it was a .22, or suggest 6 rounds were not enough for 8 guys.

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The bold type is my emphasis. That phrase gave me my biggest smile so far today! Thanks!

PS They could have rushed you and at least two would have survived. Guess none wanted to lay down their life for their fellow gangbanger!

If you handload, you have some really good options. With the help of a few folks on this forum, I have found a couple really good loads for my 340 PD. I'm carrying .357 mag loads with Missouri Bullet Company 158 grain lead bullets. (They have the correct hardness for magnum pressures, even from a 2" bbl).
I use both Ramshot True Blue and AA #5. Clays is another good one but I haven't perfected that one yet. I'm testing loads with it now. With the True Blue and #5 I'm getting about 925 - 950 across the chronograph and they feel manageable, at least for me.

I like the Buffalo Bore ammo 125 grain in .357 1,700 fps 700-800 energy lbs.
Then again if your snubby is light you might want to try a +P .38.

I went with the DPX Corbons after reading Mr. Camp's arcticles some time ago.

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Corbon 357 Magnum 125 gr DPX Ammo.htm

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/can_less_be_more.htm

The DPX's are right at the margin of controlability in my 340 M&P. They open every time and penetrate deeply as well.

They are expensive but it only takes a few to get sighted in. Then I practice with a reloaded .357 gr. hollow point round from Mastercast. They are cheap to shoot and duplicate the recoil and POI of the DPX's for all practical purposes at self defense range.

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

I'm a happy camper. Thanks to Mr. Camp.

Marvin KNox said:

I went with the DPX Corbons after reading Mr. Camp's arcticles some time ago.

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Corbon 357 Magnum 125 gr DPX Ammo.htm

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/can_less_be_more.htm

The DPX's are right at the margin of controlability in my 340 M&P. They open every time and penetrate deeply as well.

They are expensive but it only takes a few to get sighted in. Then I practice with a reloaded .357 gr. hollow point round from Mastercast. They are cheap to shoot and duplicate the recoil and POI of the DPX's for all practical purposes at self defense range.

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

I'm a happy camper. Thanks to Mr. Camp.

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Yes those are the latest to come out and the most expensive. Why is that? Because it's environmentally friendly or more difficult to make? Expensive material? It's an all copper bullet?

So far from what I found out, through personal experience, is that the 38 special Speer 135gn +P and the .357 Magnum Remington Golden Saber 125gn are pretty good out of my 2 1/4" SP101.

CTShooter said:

So far from what I found out, through personal experience, is that the 38 special Speer 135gn +P and the .357 Magnum Remington Golden Saber 125gn are pretty good out of my 2 1/4" SP101.

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Spheer isn't that the same as Gold Dot brand they use same hollow point tips?

I prefer so-called "medium velocity" loads of 110 or 125 grains. (Not all of these loads are advertised as such. Full power 125s are a bit strenuous to shoot out of small-frame revolvers, even the heavier Ruger SP101.) The Winchester "white box" 110-grain JHP is relatively pleasant to shoot.

The Lone Haranguer said:

I prefer so-called "medium velocity" loads of 110 or 125 grains. (Not all of these loads are advertised as such. Full power 125s are a bit strenuous to shoot out of small-frame revolvers, even the heavier Ruger SP101.) The Winchester "white box" 110-grain JHP is relatively pleasant to shoot.

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But what about for personal protection? You wouldn't be shooting these rounds every dayat the range.
Corbon has a 110 grain .357 that is hi velocity and I understand Corbon ammo is suppose to have a low flashpoint so your night vision won't be blinded.
I don't think the Buffalo Bore ammo has this low flash feature.

135gr Gold Dot JHP .38spl +P.

Mad Chemist said:

135gr Gold Dot JHP .38spl +P.

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I prefer Corbon 125 grain HP or Buffalo Bore .357 at 1,700 fps and 800 lbs of energy.

.38 Special ammo IS the PERFECT and right choice in a very small, light revolver. .357 Magnum ammo in the same size/weight snubbie is NOT.

Experienced handgunners know this, as do the corporate executives who make such things. The only difference is that we ain't trying to make money off folks so bad that we are willing to give bad advice and provide a poor product just to rack up sales to da masses!!!

Please don't take my comments to be offensive. That is not my intent at all. I'm simply trying to get your attention and get you thinking.


Here's why I hope the bad guy is packing a lightweight snubbie with stout .357 ammo (rather than proper .38 Spl. ammo instead) if I ever have to face him with my snubbie w/.38 Special ammo:

1. He'll be temporarily blinded by his first shot! Advantage ME!!! Blind people lose gunfights.

2. By the time his skyward-pointing barrel comes down from the sky after his 1st blinding shot, I will have placed two more well-controlled bullets into a tight spot on MY target before he can get his gun recovered enough to make an accurate 2nd shot.

3. The more he realizes he's hurting and losing, the faster he'll shoot and thus the wilder he'll get.

I LIKE odds like this. Heck, we all need all the help we can get!!!


PS: There ARE no magic handgun bullets/calibers/loads. ALL handguns are "underpowered" vs. a stout rifle or shotgun. Shot placement and faster followup shots (with speed AND accuracy) will make the difference unless the BG gets extremely lucky. Also, keep moving as you fight. Ask any big game hunter . . . moving targets are HARD to hit effectively!


Food for thought!

I tried shooting 5 rounds of .357 CCI blazers in my SP101 snub and called it a day....
Its just to punishing for my old hands and body.
It rattled my dentures out and had to get the polygrip.
For now own I leave the .357 for Colt Python 4 inch barrel