Charles S
Member
I'm guessing the normal .357 round isn't much better than a .38 +P round out of a snub nose if it's even better at all.
Your guess would be substantially incorrect.
The hottest 38 +P+ loadings out of a 4 inch barrel are note equal to the velocity and energy that a 357 can produce even in the snub nose configuration.
38 4 inch barrel
Corbon 110 gr +P+ 38 loaded to 1250 FPS and 382 foot pounds energy
38
Buffalo Bore 125 gr loaded to 1050 and 306 foot pounds energy
357 3 inch barrel
Buffalo bore 125 gr 1476 foot pound and 604 foot pound energy
Let us assume a 200 FPS loss for the 3/4 an inch shorter barrel of the SP101 and the 357 load is still superior.
My personal pet load is Rem 125 gr SJHP's over 17 gr of 2400 at a brisk 150 fps out of SP101. There is not a 38 load that can approach that energy.