WonderNine
member
Are their any loads out their specially made for snubs or short barreled .357's that retain their energy with quick burning powder? I'm talking full house loads only.
What is the BEST load for a short barrelled .357???
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My Smith snub preferred 125 gr JHP's.
Actual brand is pretty much incidental since they all seem to be close to the same. (FWIW, I used Golden Saber's and practiced with American Eagle)
Honestly though, after doing countless hours of searching, I came to the conclusion that in the snubbies you don't give up a whole lot going the .38spl +P or +P+ route either w/125 gr. or going with standard 125 gr Nyclad (if you can find any). OR even a 158 gr LSWCHP.(my particular Smith wouldn't shoot anythig other than 125 gr, so I never used much of the 158 gr stuff)
I'd have to say the situation would dictate the selection mostly. Low light HD use where it's confined, I'd prefer something with low flash and low report (the 125 gr Nylad .38spl). Outside, I'd say a full boogie 125 gr .357 mag Golden Saber. Or you could mix and match if you're comfortable doing that.
Nailed down to just picking one loading, I'd say the 125 gr Golden Saber would be the best. It seems to have the best reputation, which I guess is as good a reason as any.
Actual brand is pretty much incidental since they all seem to be close to the same. (FWIW, I used Golden Saber's and practiced with American Eagle)
Honestly though, after doing countless hours of searching, I came to the conclusion that in the snubbies you don't give up a whole lot going the .38spl +P or +P+ route either w/125 gr. or going with standard 125 gr Nyclad (if you can find any). OR even a 158 gr LSWCHP.(my particular Smith wouldn't shoot anythig other than 125 gr, so I never used much of the 158 gr stuff)
I'd have to say the situation would dictate the selection mostly. Low light HD use where it's confined, I'd prefer something with low flash and low report (the 125 gr Nylad .38spl). Outside, I'd say a full boogie 125 gr .357 mag Golden Saber. Or you could mix and match if you're comfortable doing that.
Nailed down to just picking one loading, I'd say the 125 gr Golden Saber would be the best. It seems to have the best reputation, which I guess is as good a reason as any.
I agree with Hal that the .357 125 grain Remington Golden Saber is an excellent choice but it is considered a medium velocity round. They should give you about 1200 fps out of a snub whereas a full house 125 grain .357 is going to be about 1400 fps. If I wanted as much power out of a .357 snub as possible I would probably choose the Federal 125 grain variant.
Gordon
Member
The ORIGINAL Remington .357 JHP load , which is still around , gives the most velocity in 2 1/2 to 4" barrel in my chrono test for 15 years: 1300+fps in Most 2.5" and 1400+ in 4" . I like Corbon 200grain wide point hardcast which do an honest 1180fps in my 2 1/2" Mod 19 ! I like lots of penetration with a little expansion. I think if you care about exiting bullet the 145grain Win silvertip load is real good along with Ranger SXT offering, if you can get them!
Standing Wolf
Member in memoriam
My pre-agreement Smith & Wesson model 60 prefers Federal personal defense 130 grain ammunition. If I wanted top accuracy in carry ammunition, I'd load my own, but the Federals are surprisingly good. The most accurate round I've put through it is 3.0 grains of Bullseye under a 148-grain Speer hollow-based wad cutter in a .357 magnum case, but that's a light .38 special target load rather than a personal defense load.
Archie
Member
May depend on your revolver.....
The evidence from all the years of testing 357 Magnum loads is that the faster rounds in long barrels are the faster rounds in short barrels.
However, if you have one of the new ultra light revolvers, you may not want to shoot many 158 grain full charge loads in it. I understand it will loosen up the bones in your hands and wrist and then beat up the gun.
My idea of a short barreled 357 Magnum is a 3.5 inch Model 27.
The evidence from all the years of testing 357 Magnum loads is that the faster rounds in long barrels are the faster rounds in short barrels.
However, if you have one of the new ultra light revolvers, you may not want to shoot many 158 grain full charge loads in it. I understand it will loosen up the bones in your hands and wrist and then beat up the gun.
My idea of a short barreled 357 Magnum is a 3.5 inch Model 27.
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