?best ammo for Ruger revolvers?

[Handyman]

I have learned , from reading posts on this forum , that different handguns/revolvers "like" certain brands or types of ammo . Up till now I've only been shooting the ammo the range sells - Lellier & Ballot 158gr. fmj .38 and 357 . I know that this is not the recomended SD type ammo . I want to keep a supply of one brand and one type of ammo for target shooting and SD . The revolvers I have are the SP101 2.25" and the GP100 4" . I was hoping to get some answers here , instead of having to experiment , and save some time and money . The SP is, of course , my carry , SD gun but I would still like it to be as accurate as possible even beyond the average "gunfight" distances . The GP is my all around , target , home defence , sometimes carry , shtf , "if I could only have one" gun . What I was hoping to find out was what the one brand and type of ammo would be the best all around for SD and still be the most accurate .
I'd also like to know wich ammo kicks the least and shoots out the smallest ball of flame .
I would only shoot 38 and 38+p in the SP and 357 and 38+p in the GP .
Thanks , in advance , for your replys

 

[.45 Cal]

My little SP101 will eat anything: Remington Golden Saber, Lellier & Bellot, Magtech, and Corbon are in the safe at the moment, and I shoot them all. My experience is that auto loaders are more particular, revolvers not so. Maybe other folks have different experience...

 

[KINGMAX]

My RUGER's will consume any brand

My RUGERs will eat anything I feed them.

 

[Stinger]

As far as functional ammo, I think you would have a pretty hard time finding something that wouldn't work in pretty much any normal revolver.

As far as accuracy, there is really only one way to tell...buy some and shoot it.

 

[_N4Z_]

My 6" GP100 has been on a steady diet of 357magnum since I brought it home a little over a year and a half ago.

I've put somewhere around 2500+ rounds of .357 mag thru it to date.

Various types of HP, SJHP, SP, and FMJ to include -

CCI Blazer 158gr
Aguilla 158gr
S&B 158gr
Remington 125gr and 158gr
Federal 110gr and 180gr
Magtech 158's
Winny White Box 110gr (i think) and Winny 125 WinClean
Independence 158g

The GP for me shoots the 158gr stuff the best and I prefer that weight over all others. All brands in 158 seem similarly accurate, with some having more kick than others. The Blazers are the softest ride out there IMO and one of the most affordable. Remingtons 125gr Express SP's are major buckers that have taken skin off my trigger finger after a couple boxes worth. The Winny 125 Clean ammo is a big time flame thrower. Both of those are a bit pricey too. For HD I keep Remington 158gr semi jacketed hp's. They are expensive at 20+ bucks per 50.

Now as of just within the past week I've noticed what appears to be the beginnings of possible wear around the edges of the forcing cone on this GP. It may signal the beginning of a new .38 special diet with the mags being used less frequently.

My SP101 for SD loads Remington 158gr .38spec +p lead hp's.

 

[Mad Chemist]

When I owned a SP101 my experiences were similar. It ate every type of ammo that I fed it. Some of the lighter .38 loads would impact slightly lower than the 158gr at social distances, <10yds.

The Speer SB 135gr .38+P JHP is an excellent load and is specificially designed for short-barelled revolvers. I would highly recomend it for your SP101, it's one of the few .38 loads that gives reliable expansion of the hollow point when fired from a short barrel.

 

[19-3Ben]

+1 to Mad Chemist. I love the Speer Gold dot short Barrel 135gr.'s. They are lower recoil than the heavier rounds, accurate in my SP101, seem to have a low flash, and have a fantastic reputation for reliability.
I carry my 3"bbl SP101 with the Speer's every day that I can get away with a gun that size.

edit to add:
Before deciding to only shoot .38's in the SP101, try out a couple of the Gold dot .357's mentioned above. They are really great, and recoil was not as bad as I would have thought. But I am not a big macho man. I admit that the 158gr. "maximum velocity" SP rounds I fired in the SP101 were unpleasant.

 

[ronto]

One of the advantages of a revolver is it will fire anything in the caliber(s) and power it was designed for.
It's a good idea to practice with the same ammo that you plan to use for SD.
I use .357 135gr Speer GDHP "short barrel" in my 2 1/4" SP101.

 

[Handyman]

I know that my Ruger revolvers" will consume anything I feed them " but I've heard here that different types/brands of ammo will shoot more to the point of aim than others depending on the make/brand of the gun .

-N4Z- I always thought that the heavier grain bullets " kicked more " and threw out more flame
Also heard that a steady diet of 38s in a 357 would eventually do damage to the forcing cone not the other way around

I'd like to shoot only 357 in both guns - I'll try the 135gr Speer GDHP in my SP next time I shoot - Would it be a good choice for the 4" GP too ???

Since I don't reload , I was thinking about using the CCI blazers just in the GP because thats the gun I like to shoot the most .
How do you all feel about CCI - good , bad , indifferent ???


Thanks for all your replys so far

 

[_N4Z_]

I always thought that the heavier grain bullets " kicked more " and threw out more flame

You think right, and physics backs you up. I don't know why but those particular ammo's I named above are exceptions to the rule, in this users experience. My guess is that they are hotter loads. Now the fact that a 158 kicks more?? I find it a non-issue with the heft of my GP100. I would NOT though use those same 158 mags in the SP. Yowie!

The lighter loads are also noted for top strap flame cutting, over time, due to higher flash. WinCLean has definitely got to be in this category.


As far as the .38 / .357, which one wears a revolver out quicker thingy.... Everything I've read and other shooters I have discussed this with, have said the opposite. Magnums are far harder on the hardware than the milder loaded .38 special.

 

[Handyman]

N4Z - I can see how a steady diet of 357 might eventually wear down a gun and/or shake it apart . What I heard was that - because the 38 is shorter than the 357 , the extra little "jump" that the 38 has to take to get to the forcing cone will cause the fc to wear down . I heard this from a guy who worked at a gunshop - although I didn't really believe anything he said , he was a jackass . I also heard something like that on this forum .

 

[_N4Z_]

Well there isn't going to be "extra" jump, the gap between cylinder and cone will be the same regardless the rounds starting point within the cylinder.

There will be slight fps loss, but the space between is still going to be the same.

Anyway, I would recommend the CCI Blazers in 158. They are mild recoil, minimal flash / report for magnums, cheap (10-12 bucks per 50) for the non-reloader like yourself and I, and are pretty easy to find. Accuracy is quite acceptable for plinking and/or paper punching practice.

Federal 110 gr. are also light recoil, and though I've never tried them in .357, Remington Golden Sabers in 125gr are supposed to be mild too.

Enjoy.

 

[ronto]

The SP101 sites are set by the factory for a 158gr bullet, anything less tends to hit low.
You will NEVER hurt the SP101 with a steady diet of full-house factory .357 loads. The same can't be said for some S&W models.
After firing a lot of 38's in a 357 revolver make sure you clean the cylinders out good BEFORE firing 357's.
Firing 38's in a 357 revolver does NOT damage it. As stated above just clean the junk out of the cylinders because the 357 rounds may not seat properly and may cause the revolver to bind up.

 

[Jim March]

but I've heard here that different types/brands of ammo will shoot more to the point of aim than others depending on the make/brand of the gun

I'm afraid that which ammo a particular gun likes to eat varies by SPECIMEN of gun, not just make and model.

Unless we're talking about very high-dollar pieces like Korth, Freedom Arms, or the Pythons/Dan Wessons made during one of their good spells.

The truth is, two otherwise identical model GP100s may each group as tight, but with different ammo.

Fixed sight 38Spl and 357 guns are usually sighted in for 148 - 158gr ammo. Heavier bullets will by and large be more accurate but it's not at all the sole factor - bullet quality is as important and the amount of bullet that rubs on the inside of the barrel is important. For instance: Cor-Bon's 125gr "DPX" is all-copper, which means oversize for the weight, which in some guns means better accuracy than a 125gr lead slug. Plus it's a damned fine bullet, consistent in weight, shape and balance from one to the next. Some reports say it's the most accurate 125gr slug of this size...

 

[Stainz]

A great SD round for both your GP100 & SP101 is the venerable .38 Special +P 158gr LHPSWC, aka the 'FBI' load. This was proven to be more effective, when launched from a 2" snubby .38/.357, than 230gr ball ammo from a 1911, in 'One Shot Stop' tests. The Remington R38S12 version runs ~$25/50, but I would still practice with less expensive standard 158gr LSWC/LRN .38's.

A round's velocity, ignoring the air's viscosity & bullet aerodynamic effects, determines it's 'drop' in flight, regardless of mass, simply due to 'time of flight'. For example, my 158gr LSWC loads make ~730 fps from my 2" 10, while those +P 158gr LHPSWC's make 840 fps. At 15yd, the standard loads drop .734", while the +P drop .554". Of course, the aerodynamics can't be ignored, a LSWC is more like a cinder block in it's aerodynamic design, so the drops would be more. Still, I'd practce with the same mass loads, albeit slower, that I'd be shooting for SD... the recoil energy, noise, etc will be 'similar'.

The big thing here is to practice!

Stainz

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

The only problems with firing .38 Spl. in a .357 Magnum chamber is that fouling builds up behind the chamber shoulders and can cause poor (or failure of) chambering or extraction of the magnum cases if you switch to them; and some individual specimens are less accurate with them.

 

[DWARREN123]

My SP-101 and GP-100 like the 158 gr bullets best but will handle anything.