Nightcrawler
Member
How come there aren't very many 180 grain .357 loads geared towards self-defense? Most 180 grain loads feature solid or soft-point bullets, for penetration in animals.
Why is this? An 180 grain bullet in of itself doesn't mean too much penetration. There are numerous 185 grain .45ACP +P loads out there. A 180 grain .357 load could easily match this performance.
Also, I went ammo shopping today. I have a bit of a gripe. Most .357 ammo is watered down. I understand that follow up shots are important, but I don't think a 158 grain bullet at 1,300 to 1,375 feet per second would be uncontrollable from a full-sized revolver. As is you're lucky if the 158 grain loads exceed 1200 feet per second! Some manufacturers' listed velocities are from an eight inch barrel.
Why is this? An 180 grain bullet in of itself doesn't mean too much penetration. There are numerous 185 grain .45ACP +P loads out there. A 180 grain .357 load could easily match this performance.
Also, I went ammo shopping today. I have a bit of a gripe. Most .357 ammo is watered down. I understand that follow up shots are important, but I don't think a 158 grain bullet at 1,300 to 1,375 feet per second would be uncontrollable from a full-sized revolver. As is you're lucky if the 158 grain loads exceed 1200 feet per second! Some manufacturers' listed velocities are from an eight inch barrel.