158 gr .357

[amd6547]

My 357 is a GP100 3”. Last week, I took it out to my gun club range. I shot six rounds of Hornady 158gn XTP, and it seemed pretty powerful, if not nuclear. More importantly, it seemed pretty accurate.

I also shot some of the new run of Winchester Silvertip 145gn, a load that hasn’t been available for a few years.
A good shooting, stout load. My GP is a favorite HD handgun, and I’m liking the Silvertip. Buy some while you can.

 

[CopperFouling]

Buffalo Bore or Underwood would be the brands that I would consider.

If you're not looking for SD ammunition, though, I would highly recommend reloading. You can save a bundle on .357 Magnum, and it's not a hard cartridge to reload. My reloads in .357 are all 158 grains.

 

[sgt127]

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...agnum-158-grain-lead-wide-flat-nose-box-of-20

Though not a HP. I’ve got several boxes of this for camping and woods hiking stuff. It’s stout. Pretty close to the original .357 Magnum.

I don’t shoot it in K frames. I stick with Ruger Speed Six or S&W L/N frames.

 

[Steve C]

Typical 158gr .357 mag commercial factory ammo from Winchester, Federal, Remington and CCI/Speer has a listed average velocity of around 1,235 fps from a 4" ventilated test barrel that simulates the characteristics of a 4" revolver. Frankly I don't see the need for anything beyond the loads produce by the Big 4 US companies.

IMO the idea that the .357 mag was factory loaded hotter in the "olden days" is mostly a misconception from reading ballistic charts published at the time without the understanding of how the numbers where reached in those days. The velocities published where taken from sealed chamber test barrels usually 11" or longer. This produced velocities you would get from a rifle or a single barrel break open handgun like a Thompson Center. It wasn't until the 80's after the availability of inexpensive chronographs produce customer complaints about the measured velocities not meeting the published that the Ammo companies started using short ventilated test barrels to produce the velocity results typical of a service revolver. There have been custom loaders that produce ammo with higher velocity and if you are willing to pay that 2x cost for the extra 5 to10% higher velocity then that is the way to go.