What 357 load do you carry?

[Rodfac]

Quite frankly, full house .357's out of a M-60 Smith with a full lugged 3" bbl. (my revolver of choice for routine cc) are painful in the extreme. While many will object to handloads, I now carry the old "FBI" load....that's a 158 gr JHP at 900-950 fps from a 4" bbl. With the current ammunition shortage, I load my own, using Hornady XTP 158's predominantly. When that's not possible, I like Lyman's 358156GC home cast LSWC at the same speed. Either way, they're authoritative loads, with controllable recoil allowing quick follow up shots.

For those who like something a bit lighter, Hornady's 140 gr XTP at the same velocity is a good alternative with noticeably less recoil. YMMv Rod

 

[UncleEd]

Rodfac,

You are a wise man.

What gets me about the .357
crowd is many talk about
handloading it down to .38
levels and yet maintain the
facade they are .357 shooters.

But on another matter---calling
it the "FBI load." Well, where I
come from originally it was the
"Chicago load." And some
others, misinformed that they
were, called it the "St. Louis load."

 

[Sergei Mosin]

In a lightweight .357 like my LCR, I favor the Remington Golden Saber, which is a 125-grain medium load, hotter than a .38 +P but nowhere near something like the Federal 357B (of which I fired one cylinder in the LCR just for the experience - and let me tell you, it was an experience! - but not one I care to repeat.)