Snub .357 effectiveness

Status
Not open for further replies.
It works great if you can control it. I occasionally carry a snub 38 because I am much better with it.
 
Out of my 340pd, the 38+p Gold Dots got about 855, the 357 mag Gold dots were 135 grains and about 950fps.

Same gun, Buffalo Bore 38+p 158 grain LSWCHP got an honest 1000fps out of my gun but was hit/miss on expansion but penetrated a couple inches deeper than the gold dots in the media I was using at the time I was testing.

After a ballistics gel test I did through bone/gel with the little snubby with the federal loading of the 140 grain barnes .357 @ 1100fps, and seeing sharp bone fragments strewn about in the 17 inches of wound channel, this is what I now carry in my 340pd.

Barnes is all i will carry in any of the smaller calibers for SD. In a full size .357, 9mm, 40, or a 45 I think most SD ammo from the major manufactures should be comparable.
 
The flash and muzzle blast from a .357 is often brought up, but buying self-defense ammo loaded with flash-suppressed ammo seems to solve it.
 
hmmmm.....

marcclarke said:
"With the advent of compact 9mm pistols a snub 357 makes less sense than ever."

^^^^^This^^^^^
Click to expand...

I'm not sure about that one. I've given the coup de grace to a few deer and several goats with both compact size 9mm's and 2.5" S&W .357's.

The 9mm S&W 6946 3.5" barrel (124 grn Golden Sabre +P) required a second shot every time.

The .357 magnum (158 grain XTP handloads) does it consistently with one shot.

I also had to put my 2nd favorite Lab down. One shot did that with a 1 7/8" J-frame S&W 642 with 158 grn Remington +P "FBI load" ammo. However that shot was behind the ear with the end of barrel just a few inches from the dog's head.

I prefer the 2.5" .357 over the 1 7/8" .38 special and compact 9mm. I can't speak for the J-frame .357's because I don't have one and don't one any lighter than a 2.25" SP101.

I don't follow the theory some folks have of if one is shooting a snub .357 you might as well be shooting .38 special ammo in it. I ain't buying that one and on-line internet data ain't selling it to me.
 
I don't follow the theory some folks have of if one is shooting a snub .357 you might as well be shooting .38 special ammo in it. I ain't buying that one and on-line internet data ain't selling it to me
Click to expand...

I think that could be true if you choose the wrong ammo. .357 has a large range of types of ammo. Not all work well out of snubs, but some do.
 
I see your point Dr B, but again it's a matter of degree. To state or think that you need point blank range or a contact shot for a snubby to be effective is simply an overstatement and not realistic. I routinely practice out to 25 yds. with my carry piece, a 3rd gen Colt DS (granted relatively few at 25, most at 10 and 15, a few at as close as 3).

The Speer Short Barrels will do their job at 25 yds if I do mine. .357 will be a bit better. Being a revolver guy, I won't enter into the 9mm fray. Short barrel revolvers DO sacrifice some velocity and for most some practical accuracy, but lets not get carried away with this...OK?
 
The way I see it is if you are carrying a 2" snubby, terminal ballistics @ 25 yards isn't of major concern. At typical defensive ranges there is really no need for anything magnum, so why put up with all the disadvantages. At 2 - 5 yards the only difference between a 38+P and a 357 is how far the bullet will go after it exits the target. If you want more thump, go fatter rather than longer.
 
s4s4u said:
The way I see it is if you are carrying a 2" snubby, terminal ballistics @ 25 yards isn't of major concern. At typical defensive ranges there is really no need for anything magnum, so why put up with all the disadvantages. At 2 - 5 yards the only difference between a 38+P and a 357 is how far the bullet will go after it exits the target. If you want more thump, go fatter rather than longer.
Click to expand...

Fat Works :cool:

390177500.gif

330374854.jpg
 
In my hands, my snub can deliver medium .357 Magnum loads just as well as .38 Special +P. When I've only got five shots, I want every bit of performance I can get. There isn't much advantage to the magnum round, but every little bit helps.
 
If I'm shooting .357 magnum, it's going to be from a 4 inch or greater barrel.
The 125g .357 magnum has a sterling reputation for quickly stopping aggressive humans, but from a 4" barrel.
Just as the 230g .45 ACP has a similar reputation when fired from a 5" barrel (really a 4" barrel since the chamber is part of the barrel in an autoloader).

Going to shorter barrel lengths diminishes the effectiveness of those loads.
Personally, I don't think its worth it just to make the handgun a little bit lighter in weight and, arguably, a little easier to carry.
 
It seems to me, that there's a LOT of unburned powder blasting out of a 1 7/8" barrel of a snubbie when you send a .357 magnum downrange.
 
BBTI is a great site, but please note their statement of how they test:

"One note: in every case with the T/C Encore the length of the barrel was measured from the end of the barrel back to the breech face. This is how semi-auto pistols are measured, but revolvers are measured as the length of the barrel in front of the cylinder gap. Take this into consideration when comparing calibers using our numbers."

In other words, in order to compare BBTI data with a REVOLVER, you need to add the chamber length to the BBTI barrel length. A 4" BBTI barrel is close to a 2" revolver barrel.

This makes a huge difference, as the 2" BBTI test would approximate a revolver with almost no barrel at all!

Bob
 
I really like double tap ammo for my snub nose pistols. I have a SP101 and a old Charter 357. Double tap does sacrifice some velocity but muzzle flash is greatly reduced. I can afford double tap for my snubbies because I don't shoot either of them a whole lot. The Charter has a smaller frame and is good for pocket carry. It is about the same size as a P-11 kel tec. In fact I use the same holster for both the P-11 and the charter.
 
The Speers (among others no doubt) identified SB (short barrel) are formulated to reduce greatly the effects of powder unburned within the confines of the barrel (excessive flash and noise) and somewhat more efficiently turn the charge into usable energy. Not magic, but definitely evidence of technological advancement. Try 'em if you can find 'em (methinks you will have a little wait).
 
I shoot a lot of snubby's with both +p and full house magnum ammunition, and in my opinion the .357's are nasty and difficult to tolerate, day or night. My personal choice is 38 +p 125 gr. JHP hand loaded to about 1150 fps. Although they are not a pussy cat to handle, they certainly don't leave you stunned and shocked by the blast and flash.
I've conducted informal expansion tests using various projectiles, Gold Dots, XTP's and Sierra's, with XTP's and Gold Dots performing best in both, +p, and .357 applications.

GS
 
On Ballistics By The Inch:

BBTI is a great site, but please note their statement of how they test:

"One note: in every case with the T/C Encore the length of the barrel was measured from the end of the barrel back to the breech face. This is how semi-auto pistols are measured, but revolvers are measured as the length of the barrel in front of the cylinder gap. Take this into consideration when comparing calibers using our numbers."

In other words, in order to compare BBTI data with a REVOLVER, you need to add the chamber length to the BBTI barrel length. A 4" BBTI barrel is close to a 2" revolver barrel.

This makes a huge difference, as the 2" BBTI test would approximate a revolver with almost no barrel at all!

Bob
Click to expand...

What Bob says is true, except he don't mention the part where they also test out of actual guns and print that right below the section on velocities from the test barrels. The combination of the two is especially useful.

A more valid critique can be the size of their samples. But it is what it is.

tipoc
 
I don't like ballistics by the inch, mostly because when it comes to what you are actually getting you pretty much have to chronograph that actual gun. Every gun is different. I had a 3 inch SP101 and a 3 inch Gp100 that were a 100 fps off from each other. There are just to many internal and external variables to just say this length of barrel will produce _ velocity.

However, from the same gun, real full house 357 loads produce far greater velocities than a 38 special or 38 special +p from the same gun. I have chronoed four different 357 guns with various barrel lengths that I can recall and full house loads were always much higher velocities. I have had gun shop owners try and tell me that a 38 special +P out of a 2 inch barrel will produce the same velocities as a 357 magnum out of a 2 inch barrel, just without as much muzzle blast. My chronograph says different.

Now as far as "effectiveness" goes, I'm more of a believer shot placement is usually the most "effective" factor when it comes to defense with a handgun. But that is just me, I will let you all formulate your own opinions ;)
 
357 mag out of my 360sc's drop iron bad guys right proper. At the same session guys with 9mm could not. Guy with a 40sw needed a double tap for the target to drop. Some people dislike 357 snubs but I'm not one of them.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

T
  • Locked
Bullet expansion from a snub 357 mag
Replies
19
Views
1K
ldp4570
L
S
  • Locked
  • Poll
9mm vs. .357 in snubs
Replies
17
Views
2K
SapperLeader
S
S
  • Locked
Is a 357 mag snub worth it?
2 3 4
Replies
88
Views
10K
Rexster
Rexster
soonerboomer
  • Locked
Chronograph test: Underwood ammo .38 Special +P and .357 Magnum in snub-nose revolver
Replies
3
Views
5K
Tony_the_tiger
Tony_the_tiger
D
  • Locked
Ballistics for 2in snub
Replies
24
Views
2K
Stainz
S
Back
Top