magnum loadings

[_N4Z_]

hello all, i am new here but have been reading topics off THR for around five months now, to include the archives. tons of good info to be had, and it's great place to explore while having lunch time at work.

let me begin by saying that up until about a week ago i was a beretta96 guy and was acceptably proficient with same for some time. i got the revolver bug though about a month ago when we bought the wife a new ruger sp101, 2.25 incher in .357. our weapons are about for home defense and shooting at the range. i am no stranger to firearms, excluding revolvers. cut to the chase, a week ago the beretta was traded for a lightly used gp100, 6 inch full lug barrel in stainless. .357 of course. this was not done lightly and i did rent a 4 inch gp to test the waters prior to the trade. *also payed special attention to mr. march "revolver checklist" thread top o this forum.

yesterday morning spent 2 hours trying out different .357 loads.
remington 125gr sjhp
pmc 150gr starfires
winchester 125 jsp winclean
federal 180gr sjhp

and a few of the .38+p remington 158gr lhp's from my wifes sp. (stinky and smokey)

all .357 rounds had expected recoil though the starfires was less. the wincleans are fire breathing dragons. i'm talking flames jetting out front and sides and feeling the heat on my hands! none of the other rounds listed behaved like that. the remington 125 sjhp exhibited negligible flash, pmc moderate, federal 180's some. all rounds scored lethal hits on mr. paper target man. i really really like this gp100!

now i am one who leans toward the heavier load is the better load. penetration over expansion. expansion is good, but if it doesnt happen i want two holes instead of one. just my view and not looking to argue. what i am interested in is knowing what you all think is the round to look for in the 158gr range as far as performance. i think that is where i want to be weight wise and am looking to shoot some -
hornady xtp's
black hills 158 jhp
speer gold dot jhp's
remington/federals semi jacketed lead hp's in 158.

what else? and what of the above do you prefer if any?

regards to all,
the naz

 

[Sir Aardvark]

N4Z,

Welcome to THR, or as you would spell it ...thr (ala e e cummings).


Quote: "what i am interested in is knowing what you all think is the round to look for in the 158gr range as far as performance."

For self defense performance:

I, myself, like the Win SXT 158 gr in .38+P and .357 mag; my carry firearm in .38/.357 mag is a S&W 340PD, which is very liteweight, and .357 mag rounds sorta hurt to shoot out of it, so I limit myself to .38+p for this gun.
Everybody here has their favorites, with all sorts of statistics to back up their choices, but I'm sure you'll find that pretty much all the "Premium" ammo is very similar when you get down to the nitty gritty of things.
One company in particular advertises a cartridge specifically "formulated" for the 2" .38 revolver, although I can't think of who at the moment.

For Target/Plinking performance:

Probably Win White Box from Wallyworld would be all you need. It is cheap and it work great!.

 

[Old Fuff]

Welcome to The High Road. Glad you decided to come in and visit.

The .357 Magnum cartridge was originally loaded with a 158 grain lead bullet. Penetrate it did. Before you go too far with this consider ...

Do you want to use a load that will shoot through several walls in your house unless it hit a stud, and even then it will probably go through one? You will also discover that as bullet weight goes up, so does recoil. This will slow you down when it comes to making fast, but accurate hits.

If you still want to go in this direction (and there is no reason you shouldn't experiment) you will find that all of the major and some of the smaller, ammunition companies offer loads in the 158 to 180 grain ballpark. The 6-inch barrel on your GP-100 is long enough to give you true Magnum performance, but I would hesitate to recommend then in the little SP-101. The revolver will stand up to it but the shooter might not.

 

[_N4Z_]

thank you good people for the replies so far. and to clarify my inquiry on the magnum loads, it only pertains to ammo that will be launched from the gp. the wifes sp, per her choice, is relegated to .38+p lhp (fbi loading). it really works well for her, nuff said there.

thanks, and please anybody interested on furthering my education, feel free to add to the comments.

 

[Majic]

First welcome to the land of wheelgunners, but it was a mistake getting rid of a tried and true handgun that you were proficient with that was used for defense and now have to learn a new system.
Don't get carried away with magnum loads. Far too many people use them and really don't need them. Start off with the .38 Special to learn the revolver and then move up to the +P varities. That is really all you need for around the home. The magnum loads are loud (deafening inside of a room), some gives off bright flash (a concern for at night), and they are harder to control for fast follow-up shots. The penetration issue has already been brought up. Save the magnum loads for playtime at the range and/or hunting.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

I use the speer 158 GDHP handloaded to 1250fps in my SP101. It expands easier than the XTP, but doesn't come apart like a silvertip. In fact due to the bonded construction, it won't come apart at any revolver speed(Trust me on this, I've had them over 1700 in my redhawk). Also they seem to be very accurate.

As for the speer factory round, it just goes a little slower than I prefer, but fast enough to get the job done. IIRC they do about 1150 out of the SP101.

 

[MartinS]

For zombie deconstruction:

http://www.armscor.com.ph/armscor/index2.htm

 

[_N4Z_]

*

hmmmm, well thanks for the welcome and additional info all.

majic i will have to respectfully disagree on calling my recent trade a mistake. actually i am pretty happy with it and just want some good info on ammo from as many sources as possible.

yes i was am good with the .40 cal beretta, but it was not up to standards in the area of reliability, or current intended purpose. in the past year the beretta 96 experienced 7 ftf's in about 1200 rounds. two of those times it was being fired by a novice that i suspect limp wristed, but the other five?.?.. it was a clean spotless weapon, no disernable flaws, lubed properly, got fed good factory ammo,... no excuse for ftf. too bad because i really liked it, fit and finish all top shelf, but function left me not so fresh on occasion. no point on speculating now as it has found a new home. i would consider another beretta down the road, but in 9mm.

anyway, like it's been said so many times before, a revolver requires far less upkeep/maintenance when kept loaded and at the ready. that is a real plus to me. kinda like a pump shotgun or lever action rifle. there were also a couple other factors that prompted the switch.

"learning" a new system is not a major concern to me. change is the spice of life after all yes? already spent a month with the smaller sp (what a cool little item that thing is!). primary house cannon (rem870), remains in service and will surely suffice during any transition.

now please back to the 158 magnums. think multi-task purpose of not only defending against 2 legged critters, but also 4 leggers to include errant pitbulls, bobcats, coyotes, and even the very rare but still possible cougar. hell, think of all the fat bodies currently roaming these united states while your at it! now i gotta go check this link that was just posted by martinS.

 

[bpisler]

_N4Z_,i carry the starfires because
they were the most accurate from my
3" S&W 65-3.They are also easy to
control during rapid fire.

 

[sgt127]

I am becoming a very big fan of the penetration over expnsion argument. I'm basing that on having seen alot of shootings in the last 20 years and being amazed at how wierd bullets act and how wierd the human body is affected by bullet strikes. There are no absolutes. Hollow points may, or may not expand, no matter who makes them, no matter what gun they are fired in. Right or wrong, the vast majority of the time, if I carry a .357, wich is quite often, either a short SP-101 or a 3" 65, its loaded with Remington 158 GR lead semi wadcutters. My bedside gun is a 696 loaded with Thunder Ranch .44 Spec. 250 grain hard cast Kieth bullets at about 900 fps. I REALLY don't want to crank off a full house .357 in my bedroom if I can help it. I have heard about alot more missed shots that hit someone else than rounds that penetrated a person and hit someone else. I've also seen alot of people shot that had the bullet penetrated further, the results would have been alot more decisive. Pick a round you are comfortable with, burn some chicken wings, throw some rocks in the air, read some tea leaves, turn three times under a full moon and hope for the best.

 

[Working Man]

Hello all,

I am new to your group.
I have always been a big fan of Ruger (I was raised on their wheel guns)
and own a 6" and 4" GP100. It truly is a great gun out of the box. The
most important thing to remember in selecting the correct round for you
is one that you feel you feel comfortable with and does not make you hesitate. I also agree with taking into consideration what happens if you
miss or that the round might even go through the person pending where
you hit them with a heavy nonexpanding .357.

If you are looking for a good .40 I would advise a HK USP compact.
I have never had a feed problem (I even shot it with a loose grip and had
no issues) and use it as my conceal carry.

 

[_N4Z_]

interesting info here*

http://www.ammolab.myhomepage.com/page/page/1633149.htm

some good stuff i ran across concerning handgun bullet effects on the human animal.

 

[roo_ster]

If'n you want penetration AND expansion, Winchester offers a .357mag 180gr Nosler Partition HP. The recoil is milder than full-house 158gr magnums & pressure seems less, too.

 

[limestone]

jfruser:

Do you mean this product?
http://www.winchester.com/products/catalog/handgundetail.aspx?symbol=S357P&cart=MzU3IE1hZ251bQ==

Advertised energy does not seem much reduced(?) It could behave differently in practice, though.

-L

 

[pezo]

working man do yourself a big favor and add the 3" gp100 to your collection with your nice 4 and 6 inch models. its a nice compact version of the gp100 model revolver.

 

[_N4Z_]

gold

yes i've looked at some of those win. partition golds, but not tried them yet. they're quite pricey, but look like a hoss of a round too.

the only 180gr. i've shot to date were federal semi jacket hp's, and those were thumpers.

win golds are on the to do list, but first i really want to send some 158 gold dots down range. seem to be scarce round these parts though. didn't have any at my local range today. everybody is pushing the 125gr. stuff.

http://www.handhgunrange.com

 

[roo_ster]

limestone:

Yep, those are the ones.

I stoke my Taurus snubbie with them. I did a bit of a review on them in my snubbie here:
Taurus Snubbie & 180gr Nos Part HP

Win 180gr Nos Part HP (8" bbl)
Muzzle_Vel 1180fps
Muzzle_E 557ft-lbs

S&B 158gr JSP (7.5" bbl)
Muzzle_Vel 1394fps
Muzzle_E 683ft-lbs

The S&B 158gr JSP seems a bit more frisky than the Winny 180gr load. Maybe other 158gr loads are not as hot.

 

[Working Man]

pezo , always willing to add more if I can find a good price.