taurus .357 magnum snubby...seeking defense ammo recommendations

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well from historical reports, most "big male cops" back in the 0s/80s did not like firing the 125 grain bullets out of service size revolvers for the same reasons you have.
You really should try some various ammunition in 357 and 38spcl. Ive read about reduced recoil/muzzle flash ammunition in the last few years but never payed much attention to it.
can always try the remington or winchester lswchp +p loads. Those have decent track records.
 
Speer Gold Dot 357 +P Short Barrel
Speer Gold Dot 38 +P Short Barrel

or

Whatever your local PD issues
 
I have always heard the .357 Winchester Silvertip is fairly light on recoil, in contrast to full bore mags, and has a good "street record".

Also the old "FBI load" 158 grn LSWCHP +P in .38 special is a great self defense load. I tried the Speer short barrel stuff when I had my S&W Airweight 2 inch and it didnt have a whole lotta blast, though I have never tried the magnums.

I prefer heavier rounds myself for defensive work.
 
357mag case, wsp primer ,3.5 grs clays & the soft hornady swaged hp bullet.
this is what i shoot out of my snubbie except i cast a lyman 358156 hp.


GP100
 
Have you tried remington golden sabers? They are 125gr's but are a mis range load and thus easier to shoot out of a snubby. I also like winchester's 110gr. .357magnum ammo from walmart it shoots really nice in my ruger sp101 2 1/2" and its $28 for 50 so they are not to bad to practice with price wise.
 
Whatever your local PD issues
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not too many PD's using revos anymore; hard to mirror their issue loads when they are no longer using wheelies;

on a positive note...I'll try the Speer & Remington Golden Sabre since they are 'reduced' & not 'fullbore'; might get some Winchester & Remington 110gr .357 mag sjhp's to try as an alternative
 
I second the Speer 135 grain .357 loads for short barrels and also 110 grain stuff from most manufacturers. Back when I had my first .357 I shot about a bazillion rounds of 110 grain Remington factory ammo through it because a local store had it for $9.99 a box.
Never tried the Golden Sabres because I never needed to but I've also heard that they're loaded a little on the mild side.

FWIW, regular 125 grain ammo is usually loaded pretty hot. It doesn't suprise me at all that you don't like shooting them. The blast and noise can even be a little rough in a full sized revolver so in a snubby...:what:
 
I own and shoot a S&W M640-1 which is also a Stainless snub nose .357 Magnum revolver which weighs 24oz. I've found Winchester 145gr .357 Magnum Silvertip ammo (Part #X357SHP) to be very accurate and also shootable in my J frame. They seem to be a little lighter than Remington 125gr Golden saber rounds but they are still Magnum rounds unlike the Speer 135gr Short Barrel .357 Magnum ammo. (not that the Speer offering is a bad product) I've found the Winchester Silvertip ammo to be the most accurate in my revolver and I've shot at least 10 different top name factory loads in that revolver.

If you're looking for a .38 Special +P round I shoot the current FBI Load offering from Remington. (Part #R38S12) It's my favorite carry in my M642.
 
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I have a S&W 340SC - about half the weight of your Taurus. The first time I fired full house 125 Gr .357 was, to put it mildly, an emotionally significant event. Two changes have allowed me to shoot .357 Magnum out of that J Frame comfortably.

1) Speer GDHP Short Barrel. Much, much milder than a similar offering by Federal with their Hydra Shock bullet. It's listed above as +P, but I have yet to see any .357 Magnum in +P - after all, .357 is already a Magnum round. However, with the short barreled stuff I have seen it called .357 Medium since it is loaded a bit lighter (approximately 200 FPS from what I've been able to gather from the internet. My results are worth what you paid for them.)

2) Hogue Monogrip. 15-20 bucks, on smaller revolvers it gives the pinky a place to rest and absorbs some of the recoil.

The only reason I went to such great lengths was that I'd bought a .357 Magnum revolver, and dagnabit, that's what I wanted to carry in it. Having looked at the link you provided, you might want to go with the Speer ammo before trying on a different grip. The Speer Short Barrel stuff wasn't available locally for me, so I ordered it from Midway USA and it was on my doorstep less than a week later. No unseating of this ammunition during firing either - I highly recommend it and it's everything I'd want for a short barreled lightweight revolver.
 
A rounded bullet will shove aside vitals or glance off bone, the edge of a Wadcutter/Semi-wadcutter will slice or dig in. Wadcutters have more accuracy and the 148 gr. wadcutter along w/low recoil will encourge more range practice. Wadcutters are just fine for a defensive load.
 
Wadcutters are just fine for a defensive load.
__________________


I am one to agree and that's what I carry in a 2" J frame. Jim Cirillo did a lot of reseacrh looking for the magic bullet and liked wadcutters in any caliber. There are a lot of experts who profess using wadcutters and there have been some recent articles written supporting the use of wadcutters. Lower recoil and faster recovery time are just 2 of the advantages. They also won't beat your gun to death.

You're not giving up a lot going to a +P 38.

Carry something you can control and those 10" groups at 7 yds become one hole.
 
I would recommend any .38 Spl +P or one of the "mild magnum" loads with a JHP bullet. I never tried it in my .357 snubnose (Ruger SP101) because it was not out yet, but that new Speer load sounds good. Others I liked were the Winchester "white box" 110-gr. and Federal "Personal Defense" 130-gr. Hydra-Shok.
 
A rounded bullet will shove aside vitals or glance off bone, the edge of a Wadcutter/Semi-wadcutter will slice or dig in. Wadcutters have more accuracy and the 148 gr. wadcutter along w/low recoil will encourge more range practice. Wadcutters are just fine for a defensive load.
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Nobody's saying that wadcutter's aren't a fine choice for defensive ammo - we're just making suggestions based on our own subjective experience IAW the OP's request. No need to "shout" with bold.

I've read some of Cirillo's work in the past, but from what I understood, the bulk of his study occurred at a time when JHP's as a whole really didn't have great balance between expansion and penetration (particularly through clothing). That said, I was wondering if you could site a source to back your claims that:

Wadcutters have more accuracy
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and that

A rounded bullet will shove aside vitals or glance off bone, the edge of a Wadcutter/Semi-wadcutter will slice or dig in.
Click to expand...

It would seem to me that if you "shove aside vitals" with a little metal projectile going ~1000 FPS and dumping hundreds of pounds-feet of energy, any organic matter it comes in contact with will be more than shoved aside.
 
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I like this load in my new Taurus 605 (same gun, but with an exposed hammer). . . Hotter than all +P .38 specials, but way less than a full house .357 load. Also the heavier 158 gr. bullet gives better penetration than 125's when slowing the FPS down a bit.

Buffalo Bore Item No. 19E/20 158gr. Speer Uni-core, (Gold Dot) hollow cavity, bullet @ 1,100fps from a 2.5 inch barrel. It is designed to mushroom, yet hold together and penetrate deeply—roughly 13 to 15 inches in human tissue.
 
My brain fart on the +P 357 :rolleyes:

As I understand it, the Speer "Short Barrel" loads (38/357) were specifically designed for the NYPD to be used in 2" J-Frame revolvers.
 
Also the old "FBI load" 158 grn LSWCHP +P in .38 special is a great self defense load. I tried the Speer short barrel stuff when I had my S&W Airweight 2 inch and it didnt have a whole lotta blast, though I have never tried the magnums.
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-cgrunt

That load should leave a 4 inch barrel at about 1,000 fps. It is fairly potent with good penetration and expansion. I carry this cartridge in a Colt Lawman with a 2 inch barrel. The blast and recoild are managable enough for quick follow up shots.

There is a larger philosophical question is .38/.375 enough gun for todays drug crazed, steroid enhanced, armor plated criminals?
 
The very best of the best out of a short tube or even a 4" tube would be the 145 Grain Winchester Silvertip...for expansion, penetration, recoil, blast, flash and accuracy...Doc:D
 
I practice with 357 reloads that move out at around 1300fps from a 6" gun. I don't know what that would be from my 2". For my carry load I use 125G. Corbon 357. They are not to bad to shoot. I all so carry Federal Classic 125G. Hi-Shok JHP357 (357B). They are killer and sound like a Canon at the Indoor Range.
 
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