What is the best SD magnum round for the 340M&P? I'm carrying the Speer GD 135 grain +P .38 and would save the last round as the .357. I'm well versed in the thirty-eight but the more I research magnums the more confused I get. Over penetration is a concern. I have put 5 rounds of Remington 125 grain SJSP through the gun (all I could find at my LGS) and they were brutal. I'm an experienced shooter and not particularly recoil sensitive. Thanks in advance.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

I carry the Win 110grn sjhp .357 in my 3" GP100.....very accurate and recoil isn't bad at all. Not a powerhouse load but should work fine as a defense round.

If over penetration is a concern this may be worth trying in the 340. I've only tested them in water jugs, usually make it into the third jug with complete expansion and fragmentation. As usual, hitting a water jug with a .357 is rather spectacular. Not scientific but fun....

I really trust Gold Dots, you could try to find some 135gr .357 Gold Dots..not as brutal as full house mags, but a step up from the 38 special 135gr Gold Dots. I have shot both back to back in my 340 and the 357 is just a little hotter but not as hot as full house loads. For woods use I load up 140gr Barnes vor-tx all copper hollowpoints, but man are they hot out of a 340! They get a honest 17-20in penetration out of a snubby and still flower nice.

My vote is for Winchester .357 145-Gr Silvertips, but if you think the Remington 125s were "brutal" just stop right there. Recoil goes up "logarithmically" ( ) as you increase bullet weight, so you can expect about 50% more recoil with the Silvertips than the 125s, in my subjective opinion.

Honestly, when you look at the chronograph numbers, if you're like me you'll wonder why you're even bothering with the nasty-kickin'.357s.

I second the recommendation for the 357 Magnum 135 gr Gold Dot short barrel.

Like the previous poster said. They are a nice step up from the 38sp +P version, but not too ridiculous in a small snub. I've shot them in my LCR 357.

A step up from there would be the 125 Gr Gold Dots. More power, but really intended for a longer barrel. Haven't tried them in my LCR, though.

357 135 g Speer short barrel here as well. The 38 version may run too slow out of your 357 J frame to expand properly. Also does not make my knuckle bleed like full power 357 in my 340 PD.


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I bought some Winchester 125gr .38 Spl at Walmart for my 60-3 3", because they were on the shelf.
They hit our steel pretty hard and are very shootable. They are in the cylinder, just in case.
I have not heard very much about this round but I like them.
My second choice is a handloaded .38 Spl running 840 fps pushing a 158gr LSWC.
Jim
Forgot to mention it`s +P

Another vote for the Speer .357 GD 135 grain Short Barrel. I carry 5 of them in my 640 with a backup of the .38 special variety, because my BUG is a 637.

Beware of the Remington Golden Sabres. They were fine in full steel frame guns, but pulled the bullet in lightweight magnums. You can see my posts from the experiences here:Updated again - 8-18-2013...Holy Bullet Jump Batman!!

Good luck in your search!

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On the Oak Savannah

I agree that the 135gr Speer SB MGN is a good match for the AirLite revolvers. They are less "powerful" than the Buffalo Bore plus P FBI load. Both for energy and power factor. About 30% more energy than the plus P version of the Speer SB load.

Best,
Rick

38 Spl + P 158 LSWCHP, Winchester is still on the market with these. I would reserve 357 Mags in my longer length revolvers.

You might try the Federal reduced recoil 130gr JHP at 1300fps or.....
the Hornady135gr flex tip at 1275 fps for a try at lower felt recoil.

They are about a toss up but I don't think there is a "357 Magnum" light SD load out there unless you might go with a solid copper bullet.

Good luck.