Planning to get a box of Remington 125g SJHP

[nathan]

Is this the gold standard FBI load back in the 70s and 80s ? I watched youtube videos on this and they seem to be very explosive on impact.

http://sgammo.com/product/remington...sjhp-hollow-point-remington-htp-ammo-rtp357m1

 

[BSA1]

No.

The FBI used 158 gr. SWC 357 Magnum a lot. It was called "the FBI load." I think Chicago Police also used it as did a lot of smaller departments.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

The FBI used a .38 +P round in the 70's as I recall. 158 gr. lswhp.

 

[BSA1]

Actually now that I think about more it there was the 158 gr. LSWC 38 +P and the same bullet in 38+P+. The +P+ was supposed to be sold only to LEO's and their departments. It was also called "the Treasury Load".

The 158 gr. LSWC was also loaded in 357 magnum. Somewhere I still have part of a box of them. They were hot loads with lots of penetration. We carried them for shooting into cars.

 

[Steve C]

The .357 mag 125gr JHP load from Remington and Federal where used by several state highway patrol and other police departments. The load has a reputation as having the best stopping power one can use in a handgun. It was called the "magic bullet" by some. I don't think the load was ever associated with a particular law enforcement agency enough to be called by their name.

While some may consider the bullets to be "old school" few will argue their effectiveness.

 

[SEE IT LIKE A NATIVE]

There is better stuff available now ! more reliable and consistent expansion , less recoil , lower muzzle flash ! I still have some around the house , but now i use the Rem 125 grain Golden sabers in my .357 mags for protection ! Kevin

 

[22-rimfire]

While some may consider the bullets to be "old school" few will argue their effectiveness.

I agree with this. Those Remingtons used to be the standard by which most 357 mag 125 gr HP's were measured.

 

[C0untZer0]

Very old thread for an even older cartridge

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=253474

Since you obviously have a 357 magnum, you can find more effective rounds for it than the old 38 spl "FBI Load"

 

[41 Mag]

The only Remington's I liked better than the 125's out of my 357, were their 170's out of my 41mag. I sure wished they would make another run of those.

 

[19-3Ben]

I watched youtube videos on this and they seem to be very explosive on impact.

Many .357mag loads are impressive on impact. These were great loads back then, and obviously perform no differently now. BUT they have plenty of shortcomings that have been resolved in the last 30 years. Modern hollow points are less likely to clog up on clothing, less likely to over/under penetrate, expand more reliably and predictably, and much less likely to experience core/jacket separation. Speer Gold Dot's were a real breakthrough with bonded bullets. And now we have a good variety of great updated loads, despite the fact that so many more loads have some out for semi autos recently. (Man I'd love to see Federal HST and Winchester Ranger-T in .357mag and .38spl, but that's another story for another time.)

 

[C0untZer0]

I think you get an idea of what some of the rounds like Winchester "T" and Federal HST would be like in 357 magnum when you look at the 147gr +P results:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i67WILeK66Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMiI8VcPQ3c

But I think if Federal and Winchester made their HST and Ranger ammo in 357 they could tweak it and get better performance, deeper penetration and slightly deeper penetration than the 9mm counterpart.

 

[19-3Ben]

But I think if Federal and Winchester made their HST and Ranger ammo in 357 they could tweak it and get better performance, deeper penetration and slightly deeper penetration than the 9mm counterpart.

Agreed 100%
In .357 mag you would have the potential for much higher velocities, which is going to mean more reliable expansion, and higher energy numbers (which drive sales very nicely for these companies).
Even +p (from DoubleTap and Buffalo Bore) 147gr 9mm rounds are hovering around 1100fps out of a duty sized 9mm.
DoubleTap and BuffaloBore are getting in the 1400fps range for 158gr bullets out of a 4"bbl.

Yes I realize that the barrels are measured differently etc.. etc… Either way, once the barrel on the revolver is long enough to give the .357mag it's real legs, with the comparable "heavy for caliber" loads, the .357mag is 11 grains heavier, and 300fps faster.


I think if Federal came out with their 147gr HST in a .357mag load that hits 1400-1450 in a 4"bbl, that would be good competition for Speer's Gold Dot which is really the only modern (bonded JHP) player in the heavy .357mag game. If federal wanted to develop a 158gr HST, even better!

 

[Lucky Derby]

Although not the FBI load, it was THE #1 load back then, and is still a good load today. It does have more flash & recoil than most modern loadings.
It is also the load my father carried in his M19 & M66. His one and only shoot was with this load in his 4" M19. One round resulted in an immediate stop. In fairness, it was a head shot.