Hi All:

I'm thinking about switching over the ammunition in my S&W 640 from the Speer SB 135-grain magnum load to a conventional/defense 158-grain JHP. Any suggestions about brands to consider or brands to avoid? My goals are: (1) to practice more with my defense ammo, which is darn near impossible at the current prices for the Speer SB magnum ammunition, and (2) to take full advantage of the fact that it is a 23-ounce revolver and, therefore, should be able to absorb some of the additional recoil energy.

Any thoughts, suggestions, ideas, ruminations, etc.?

I shoot 145gr Winchester Silvertip ammo in my M640 and my revolver just loves that stuff. In my M640 it's extremely accurate and the recoil is manageable so that's what I now carry when it's loaded with Magnum ammo.

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SWCA #3437

Thanks for your reply, ArchAngelCD. Is the ammo that you mentioned full-power stuff, or is it one of the 357 "mediums" (like the Speer short barrel 135gr that I mentioned in my post)?

I would be very suprised if you got much if any expansion from the 158gr bullets out of the snubbie, I would stick with the 135gr bullets or move down to full power 125gr loads for self defense.

Thanks for your reply, LuddhaBuddha. What got me thinking about the 158gr was some material that I read about how the 158gr loses less velocity from a snub than does the 125gr, due to the longer residence of the 158gr bullet in the barrel. Any truth to that, to your knowledge?

I can't say for sure if it would or not but, since you use less powder for heavier bullets it would make since that you wouldn't need as long of a barrel to burn all the powder. That being said the 125 gr bullets will still be faster and have a better chance of opening and not over penetrating.

No, it's not a light load at all. It's a full power .357 Magnum for sure.
I'm sorry to have to disagree with you on this one. I would tend to agree with you if we were talking about many of the .38 Special loads available but with .357 Magnum ammo, most will reliably expand even from a 2" barrel. From a 4" barrel the Winchester 145gr Slivertip ammo is rated @1290 fps. From a 2" barrel it does an honest 1,100+ fps, more than enough to do the job...

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SWCA #3437

I would like to shoot the 145gn silvertip load...I NEVER see it for sale.

Well I suppose it would depend on the particular bullet as to whether it would expand enough not to over penetrate. I don't have any experience with the 145gr silver tips so, I don't know what to expect from them and, I also only mentioned not using 158gr bullets.

If we are talking about 158gr bullets then I would suspect gold dots would be the least likely to over penetrate and XTPs to be more than likely to do so. Here is a link to a gel test done with 158gr gold dots from a 2.5 inch barrel that did expand to about .50" but, also penetrated 13.5" of gel and 4" of some kind of bullet stopping block, which I can only assume would be more than 4" if he had more gel. This is just my opinion and is not based on any facts, it's only guessing and hearsay.

Ballistic gelatin test results : .357 Magnum 158gr Speer Gold Dot JHP [Archive] - THR

Winchester Silvertip

Been carrying and shooting in my 2 1/2" 66 for years. Wouldn't use anything else. The 66 loves it and so do I!

This is what I use in my 24oz 357 snubby..............

CLICK IT!

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David
CW3 USA (Ret) 1968-1990

I'll give you my thoughts...

Depending on the powder used, a 158 would probably loss less velocity than the 125. This is comparing a .38 to a .38 and .357 to a .357.

The 145 Silver Tip is an excellent load in both .38+P and .357. Probably very good expansion even from a snubbie. As for the 158grn .38+P, if you're using a good LSWCHP+P you will still likely get expansion. And what's nice is that you can often get the .38+P LSWCHP in a 50 round box.

Out of a snubbie you could probably get 750 fps or more with the .38+P LSWCHP. Since the lead doesn't have to overcome a jacket it is easier to expand at a lower velocity.

Nothing works all the time, but it has worked well for years and it does normally get good penetration which is necessary for reaching vitals.

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I carry a 2 1/2" model 66 daily and usually back it up with a 640.
I typically use the 125 Gr. Golden Saber. It's a great mid-level .357 doing about 1150 from the 2 1/2" barrel.

It's not punishing at all. Actually it's quite fun to practice until you realize how expensive it's getting.

I recommend it...

I've read that the Remington LSWCHP lead is softer than Winchester's. The expansion test from a 2" barrel for Win X38SPD 38+P 158gr LHP is 0.48 in bare gelatin.

I always carried 145 grain silvertips in my 2.5" 66 but I haven't been able to find any for a couple years now.

Finding those 145gr Winchester .357 Magnum rounds can be a chore. I was lucky enough to buy 3 boxes a while back from a store that was closing up. I have seen them online off and on but the price is up near $50/50 rounds.

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SWCA #3437

I prefer the Speer 158 Gr. JHP, they are snappy in a 2 -3" K frame. As for 145gr Winchester, Ammo TO Go generally has a good selection of .357 Magnum ammo. I feel that the prices are fair, and most importantly they have in stock what they are advertising.

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The Speer 158gr is exactly the ammunition of which I was thinking. I have the Speer 135gr SB in my stainless 640 now (and in my scandium 340PD), but I think I can handle a little more "umph" in the heavier 640. I imagine that velocities will be similar on the two rounds out of the 2.125" barrel, but the 158gr obviously is heavier.