My question is anchored by my assumption that all of the ammunitions about which I ask are at least adequate for self-defense.
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Among lower priced 357 Magnum 140-158 grain jacketed expanding bulleted ammunition, which ones penetrate more deeply, expanding somewhat less than most.

"Lower priced" to me would be less than 70¢ per round for a purchase of 250 rounds as a small bulk purchase.

You might find some good answers here.

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/rev...llistics-test/

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Only a cold warrior

CCI Blazer Brass 158Gr JHP .357 is under $.40 at places like SGAmmo, in bulk, or in single boxes. Expansion depends on the barrel length and such. I find Blazer .357 expands well for me in my 4" Taurus 66, somewhat in my 3" S&W 60-15.

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Heavily armed old man.

REM-UMC and WW white box 158gr are value brands available in 50 and 100 rnd boxes from discount outlets. The Blazer 158gr chronos at less than 1,000fps. If you are trying for penetration.

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dd884
JMHO-YMMV

If you want deep penetration and minimal to no expansion, then a 158 grain jacketed soft point would be good. Federal markets such a load under their American Eagle line, you have to buy a case, but at that quantity you can get it for about 42 cents per round.

I will say that this would not be the best choice for defense against 2-legged vermin as it will pass completely through. For 2-legged vermin, the 125 grain JHP from Federal and Remington were the top dogs in the law enforcement world.

Since I reload, I usually don't buy factory ammo. But around 5 years ago it was really hard to buy components and I ordered 4 boxes of Fiocchi 158 grain JHP ammo from midway. I found it to be very good shooting ammo at a very reasonable price. Just looking at Midway, it's selling for $0.44/round,

Jacketed, expanding 158gr .357...Walmart has Federal
158gr JSP for about $25/50.

Whatever you do, don't buy any steel cased ammo. I wouldn't take that junk for free.

Many thanks for the information, guys. I'm focusing on 200-250 round "bulk" order. The somewhat odd number should help to reduce available cartridge variations.

In general, and of course there are exceptions but usually the bullet which is driven faster will expand quicker and probably penetrate less. Tougher bullets will of course test that rule. Barrel length will also come into play because of the velocity differences.

An ammo loaded with a 158gr Hornady XTP bullet will penetrate well from what I have seen. Bullets meant for hunting will also be tougher so they won't expand quickly too. The rest of the information search is up to you, the information on Lucky Gunner will help a lot.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

Post #2 is a good way to see how ammo works in general.

Just because an ammo is low in cost does not mean that is not any good.

Bullet make up has a LOT to do with how it penetrates and expands
by the thickness of its jacket and its chemical structure.

Speer 30 cal. hunting bullets have five classes of bullets from varmints to Africa Dangerous game.
Each bullet is made to expand or penetrate in different ways.

The basic Remington passed FBI spec's in a test that I saw on the net.

I always likes the Hornady 140 in 38/357 SD loads over the light 110 and heavy 158 bullets.

Good shooting.

Please clarify - Is the OP looking for " good for SD " , or deepest penetration ?

For the former - 1st choice , Rem UMC 125gr JHP, 2nd choice, W-W White Box 110gr JHP .

From personal experience , 158 Jacketed SOFT point doesn't expand even from a rifle .

For civilian self defense I want less penetration and more rapid expansion.

The old-school 158gr JHP/SJHP cartridges from most manufacturers (Fed, Rem, etc.) do well in the FBI tests. Penetrate on the deep side of the FBI standard, but still expand well.

Hornady's XTP bullet gets a bit more penetration that those.

After that, you'll probably look at a 158gr JSP.