Thinking about buying a box of 357 mag for my 640 Pro. I know everyone will say too much flash and hard on recoil from J frame. But, I am also considering buying a 686 Plus 3" barrel and would be nice to have them for the 686 when I buy it. Everything is really hard to find right now and expensive as you all know. My 1st choice would be Speer GD 135 GR. 357 Mag but I cant find them. I have found 2 different types of .357 and looking for your opinion on which would best serve me. Hornady Critical Duty 135 gr. Flexlock or Winchester 158 gr. jacketed soft point. I am kind of leaning toward the 158 gr. Thanks!

I use 125 gr GDs in my 360. Sig Elite V-Crown 125s are good too. Barnes 140 gr are good if I'm venturing into the woods.

For SD there is the old standard 125 JHP but in my 357 revolver
686 6" the 140 JHP is also very accurate if you can find them.

A 158 will work but you might get over penetration and I like them for hunting more than for SD work.

357 in a J frame is doable and even better with some good grips that cover the metal back strap and take away some of the sting.

Isn't the "Pro" a K frame .357 ?

Good shooting.

Old school JHP/SJHP from Rem, Win, Fed work great. 158gr seems less dramatic than 125gr. 180gr is also less dramatic than 125gr. With .357mag, you don't need premium high tech JHP to get good expansion, penetration, and performance. Old school pills will do. Let other folk pay premium prices for premium ammo.

I would stay away from the 158 JSP for SD, unless you can't find any .357 or .38 HP ammo, or you intend to use it a woods load for 4-legged threats. The 135gr Hornady load should be fine, but I don't know anything about it.

Any of the mid-range loads would be good. Aside from the Speer load you mentioned, I believe Remington Golden Sabers would work, too.

If you can find them, Winchester 145gr Silvertips could be a good choice for the L-frame, but may be a bit much for a J-frame.

If you don't mind spending the money, Buffalo Bore might have some options.

And, of course, there's nothing wrong with using .38 Special for self defense, unless you think 4-legged predators are a legitimate threat.

Just my opinion.

Remington Golden Saber 125 gr BJHP for me. The classic 357 self defense load.

I used to shoot full power 110 and 125 grain 357 Magnum loads in my 640-1. They are a blast to shoot, and in more ways than one! I much prefer the lower blast and lower recoil of the reduced power loads. Right now, I use Speer's 38 Special +P 135 grain Short Barrel ammo. Perhaps a bit better would be their 357 Magnum 135 grain Short Barrel load or the Remington 125 grain Golden Saber load, both of these are loaded to about 15% below maximum.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

I shoot Blazer Brass 158gr 357 Magnum JHP for practice loads in my LCR 357 and M60-15.

They are low cost.

But they would likely work just fine for a SD load.

Practically any .357 cartridge fired from a J-frame can be almost brutal. I have settled on Gold Dot 135gr JHP “Short Barrel. It is designed to provide .357 power without the huge muzzle flash from short barrel revolvers. It is probably going to difficult to find due to current shortages but, if you locate it, you will have about the best option for your 640.

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^^^That’s also what I load in my J and K frames

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-Matt

I agree that "proper SD bullets" are less important in 357 magnum. Any 357 mag will do the job and then some! That said, my 686-1 is loaded with PPU 158gr JHPs, and I also carry some Win 158gr JSPs. 2 legged defense, and 4 legged hunting. I plan on buying some Underwood/Buffalo bore Hardcast for black bear defense.