Bought some .357 Magnum rounds...Is this normal?

[Sleipnir]

Forgive me if this is in the wrong section, feel free to move it!

I just bought a box of .357 Magnum rounds Remington 125 grain R357M1 and noticed something unusual when comparing it to stock photos of the same round. The tips in the stock photography show a nice even curve up until the hollow point. Mine, however, have a weird bulbous appearance at the tip though their OAL is exactly the same as my 125 grain .357 Magnum Critical Defense rounds; some of the rounds of R357M1 are lacking the bulbous portion and look like the stock pics, but their OAL is slightly shorter. I bought the box from Bass Pro Shop and all the boxes of it had the same bulbous tip, while the 158 grain and 180 grain flavors looked like the stock photos with a nice smooth tip.

This is the component bullet stock photo

Here are mine:
Is this normal and will it affect my Ruger SP101 in any averse way such as undue stress on the forcing cone? It should be noted that this is also my newly chosen self defense ammo. Thanks!

 

[ljnowell]

Bad run of bullets?

 

[PapaG]

Will have no effect on your gun...the bulge is nowhere near the bearing surface. I'd wonder about the accuracy, however, as they don't seem uniform.

 

[David E]

I bet that's not how they left the factory.

I'd also bet that the cartridge tray is plastic and that those deformed noses fit perfectly into the bottom of each compartment.

If so, it seems they had a bumpy ride in shipment.

They will shoot/function just fine, but long range accuracy may be affected.

 

[Pyro]

Wouldn't take much to file those down.
They should shoot fine though.

 

[GP100man]

E-mail the pic to Remington so they`ll know how there ammo looks to the consumers!

They may want to know the lot number or may not ,may send out more ammo may not ,or at the least ignore ya altogether in this time of $$ pinching !

They don`t look set back in the case so they are safe to fire but as mentioned accuracy may suffer .

Wonder if the bullets slipped by or if they were dropped ???
I do know the HP on those scallopd bullets are dead pure lead (very soft)

 

[jfdavis58]

I've purchased some odd looking ammo from several makers; Remington among them (got some 308 that had a ridge on the case head-will not chamber!). They are one of the more responsive makers (Remington). E-mail will get you an address and shipping directions; return mail brings in a new box or two of factory fresh. QC and customer satisfaction is paramount!

 

[motorcycle-charlie]

i dont think i would run them as my self defense ammo. shoot em up and pick something else. you really dont know how they will shoot when you really need them. contact the manufacturer, and give them a chance to make it right. if they dont, just dont give them your buisness anymore.

 

[David E]

They'll shoot just fine and perform just fine at normal defensive distances (10 feet)

 

[BADUNAME37]

I agree, based on the photos of the bullet ends, they should be fine to shoot, that is if the rest of them (cases, primers and powder) are all good to go.

 

[Sleipnir]

They'll shoot just fine and perform just fine at normal defensive distances (10 feet)

All I need them to be is combat accurate in the standard engagement envelope (0 - 7 yards). I don't really forsee myself having to engage a threat farther than that distance.

I contacted Remington and I'm waiting on a reply.

Thanks for all the input!

I'm headed out to the range tomorrow to test the reliability of my SP101's new 10# Wolff hammer spring so I'll fire a cylinder full in SA at 7 yards and a cylinder in SA at 25 yards to check for accuracy.

 

[Buck Snort]

The bullet on the far right has a flat spot on it, I wonder what that's all about.

 

[Black Knight]

Those copper jackets don't look right either. Those jackets should be higher up on the lead portion and scalloped, at least they were 30 years ago. The first box of ammo I bought for my 6" Python was a box of Remington 158 gr. SJHP 38 Special+P.

 

[Sleipnir]

Those copper jackets don't look right either. Those jackets should be higher up on the lead portion and scalloped, at least they were 30 years ago. The first box of ammo I bought for my 6" Python was a box of Remington 158 gr. SJHP 38 Special+P.

The bullets for the .38 Special +P SJHP line are different than the .357 Magnum SJHP line; the .38 bullets have a longer bullet and a copper jacket that rests higher on the round, whereas the .357 bullets have a low jacket and a smaller exposed bullet. My dad has some of the .38 bullets you're talking about except their the 125 grain flavor so I can compare them side by side.

 

[Sleipnir]

The bullet on the far right has a flat spot on it, I wonder what that's all about.

I dropped it while inserting it into my speedstrip, the nose struck the side of my dresser on its way to the floor and that was the result.

 

[Black Knight]

Thanks Sleipnir. I was under the impression that they used the same bullets but changed the casings, powders, and primers. You learn something new every day.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

Remington does not have a good reputation for customer service when being questioned/challenged about ammo or components. Let us know how responsive they are to your issue. I had a complaint about virgin brass splitting before even being fired (loaded with Remigton bullets, no less), and they refused to acknowledge any responsibility for their products quality.

 

[Sleipnir]

Just got home from the range. The ammo performed well, and accuracy was unaffected by the deformed tips out to the maximum range of 25 yards. No word from Remington as of yet. My new hammer spring is also 100% reliable.