what loads should i shoot for light .357 mag revolver

[faithfulsinner]

Just bought a Taurus 605ss2 revolver. Its 2 inch barrel and was wondering about ammunition. As I understand it I can shoot .38 special ammo? What load of .357 mag will give me maximum stopping power? And finally, can I shoot .38 Special +p and +p+ ammo? What ammo is recommended for minimum recoil?

 

[Ichiro]

For maximum stopping power, a JHP 125-grain .357 magnum is best.

Any kind of .38 you shoot is fine in a .357 mag revolver, even the hottest of the hot .38s. No worries.

Recoil is subjective, and you need to find something that works for you.

For a combination of shooting ease combined with stopping power, the Corbon .38+Ps should work very well with your gun.

 

[faithfulsinner]

thanks for the info, but i think i need to clarify on one question. I need a recommendation for the absolute minimum recoil load for this weapon. My girlfriend is wanting to shoot it, and i dont want to hurt/scare her, any ideas? Stopping power, accuracy and everything else can go out the window on this one.

 

[PinnedAndRecessed]

Buy 38 special wadcutters. It's a target load. Absolute mildest in recoil.

That's all I'd use for practice.

Then load them with +P for defense.

Full charge 357s are going to be too stout for anyone relatively new to handgunning.

 

[telomerase]

What ammo is recommended for minimum recoil?

That which has the smallest product of bullet weight times velocity (so some kind of .38 load). There is a little contribution to recoil from powder gas, but you can ignore it in low-power pistol loads.

BTW, kudos on keeping it real here. TEaching someone to shoot at all is the key, they can move up to more power later. You might even want to start her out on a .22. Developing a flinch never helped anyone shoot better.

 

[faithfulsinner]

yes i totally agree, we will be starting her on .22 lr. I just wish i had something better than a jennings to teach her on........

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

In .357 Magnum, the Winchester "white box" 110-grain JHP and the Federal "Personal Defense" 130-grain Hydra-Shok offer a little more power than .38 Spl. while still being relatively mild to shoot. And of course there is a myriad of .38 Spl. loads out there. I'm still trying to shoot up some Remington .357 125-grain SJHPs (R357M1). Out of a Ruger SP101, these have an absolutely thunderous muzzle blast and nasty recoil, even with this gun's extra weight and cushioned grips. I don't recommend these.

 

[Ichiro]

Remington UMC 130-grain FMJ are another plain-vanilla practice cartridge that you can use. Very easy on the shooter and about the cheapest you can buy from Natchezss.com.

 

[Powder_Burn]

Easy - shoot the Speer Gold Dot "Short Barrel" 135gr JHP. It's made for your gun!

 

[Jim March]

Another vote for that new "short barrel" Speer 135gr 357 "Magnum" load. It is VERY tame for a "Magnum". They use the same projectile as the 38+P version of the same load. It works out doing 850fps or so from a 2" barrel 38snubbie. The "Magnum" flavor only adds about 150fps or so to that. Really closer to a very warm 38+P than a "Magnum". I tested some back-to-back with some very stout full-power 125gr Magnums(!) from Doubletap and the difference in recoil was stark. I tested 135gr 38+P Speers in the same session and the 135 Magnums were closer in felt recoil to the 38+P than the Doubletaps.

Accuracy with the magnum 135s was better than the 38+P 135s by a bit, although both grouped tighter than the Doubletaps.

 

[foghornl]

Hmmm...Light loads for a new shooter 38/357 cal....

Ok...The .38Spl "wadcutter" target loads easy to shoot..not much muzzle blast/recoil/flame

"Cowboy Action" loads...again, very lightly loaded, with a lead bullet

Have seen some 130-135Gr round nose full metal jacket .38Spl loads from various ammo makers. Those are usually loaded lightly, too.

 

[coach22]

Try Corbon DPX. I compared them to the Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel in a 340PD. I loaded DPX 38+p and Speer GDSB +p in the gun and shot it, then did the same with the DPX and Speer GDSB in 357. For me, the DPX was much easier to control in both calibers. I realize the Speer is heavier, but the DPX is faster and the all copper bullet is supposed to penetrate deeper. I load my 340PD with DPX 38+p as the first 2 and the next 3 with DPX 357. Regarding the recoil in a 12 ounce gun, it is not awful wth the DPX and for me the 340PD is easy to control with this combination of ammunition. It's an emergency gun, not a target gun to spend all day at the range with. In an emergency situation, adrenalin will absorb the recoil.
coach22

 

[faithfulsinner]

thx for helping a newbie .357 owner!

 

[Jkwas]

I've tried about 11 different ammo types in my 605, from 110 357 mags to 110 corbon 38+p. The most accurate and comfortable I have shot is the Speer gold dot 125gn+p and the PMC Starfire 125gn+p. Both have light recoil, and shoot to point of aim. This isn't to say that others don't, but if you don't have a lot of time and money to waste on testing like I did, they are a good starting point. The magnums are accurate, but the flame, noise, and recoil are excessive, and don't allow for good follow up shots. With the 38+p's the gun is a pussycat. Also, Taurus makes a good combat grip for under $10. Helps a lot if you have big hands and doesn't really print anymore than the standard boot.

PS: The lighter bullets (110's) tend to fly off target more than the heavier ones in this gun for some reason, and many actually tumble. I don't know why, they just do.

 

[hossdaniels]

180 gr buffalo bore should give you maximum performance.

just kidding
any mag 125's should do. dont try the heavy stuff in a light weight gun. maybe even .38+p's would be more pleasant. for a new shooter just plinking get some target .38's, she will not feel a thing.

 

[faithfulsinner]

thx again! Great site

 

[Ben Shepherd]

Look into the 125gr remington golden sabre, it's a mild 357 load. Well above 38 +p or +p+, but not full horse either. Kind of a 2/3 magnum.

 

[Cousin Mike]

Before I say anything, let me state that I am glad you want to introduce your girlfriend to shooting... What I'm going to say next -IS NOT- meant to be a flame. Just want to present another opinion.

My girlfriend is wanting to shoot it, and i dont want to hurt/scare her, any ideas?

My idea would be to treat her like a woman, and not a little girl.
I do not intend to be sarcastic. I'll explain myself. I know the majority may disagree with me. Maybe not. But this is just the way I deal with my girlfriend of 4.5 years when it comes to shooting.

I don't take it easy on my girlfriend when it comes to shooting. If she's home alone, and needs to use this thing, I don't want her to be afraid of what's going to come out of the other end - quite the opposite, actually. I want her to be comfortable and confident in herself no matter what gun she might have to pick up in a SHTF scenario.

I started her out on a 1911. Maybe not the best way to start, but it was pretty much all I had at the time. She thought the recoil was impressive, but knowing that she had just shot the big bad .45 did something to her. I had never seen her enjoy herself in quite that same way, and I knew I had a shooter on my hands. Not a week before that, she was a fence-sitter at best.

Since then, when we go to the range or buy pistols, if I'm getting something for me, I get what I want. If she wants to shoot it, that's cool. If not, that's fine too. If she asks me to buy her a pistol, I buy what SHE wants, and if I want to shoot it or not, that's up to me. If she rents something at the range, or buys her own pistol, same applies.

We respect eachothers choices and opinions, as she is just as much an individual as I am - I won't tone down my loads/guns to suit her, and she wont beef hers up for me. We ask eachother opinions, and sometimes we end up seeing the others point of view... Sometimes not.

That being said, I've never seen her turn down an opportunity to shoot any gun, in any caliber or platform. When we go to fire .357 Magnum (her first time), I'll recommend that she shoots .38's first... But she's already fired .38 Spl, and although she likes it, she wants to shoot my .357 Magnum for what it is...

Insist on those .38's, and she'd probably tell me to f**k off.

No healthy adult woman should be hurt by firing a .357 Magnum. If you're worried about it scaring her, then let her know what she's getting into, and let her make her own choice... .38's might be better for her, but let HER decide that... don't baby her. Not when it comes to guns. You want her confident in herself - you don't want her to doubt her abilities.... especially with something that could save her life one day.

Any healthy adult woman can handle a "big gun," as long as she hasn't been told that she's too weak, too small, that's a MAN'S caliber, etc. I doubt though, given your level of concern for her, that you're that type of guy.

Click here, and you'll see what I mean. Maybe you'll want to show this to your girlfriend as well - I know mine was scared to death of the idea of Magnum revolvers... until she saw this. Funny how some ladies gain confidence when they see other women doing certain things.

Sorry for the long winded post, but hopefully this helps...

Oh, and if you want to see a NOT so healthy woman shooting a big gun, you can click here.

Enjoy, and good luck!

 

[faithfulsinner]

thanks for the advice, but trust me, if you knew her.....you would want lowest recoil also. Shes kind of a princess.

 

[faithfulsinner]

as a matter of fact, it blew me away she wanted anything to do with it at all.