Would a 180gr Black Talon out of 6" Model 19 make a good home defense load? I've never fired a 180gr cartridge before. Any idea what the felt recoil would be like. I want a heavier bullet than 125gr. The Talon has a great reputation and the only thing I can find it in is the 180gr. Any thoughts on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

NWB

I have been carrying and shooting the 180 grain Winchester Black Talon and the 180 grain Winchester Rangers SXT LEO ammunition for many years. Both were only offered in the 180 grain weight.

The problem with Black Talon is that it was discontinued by Winchester in early 1994. I would be cautious about ammunition that has been floating around the stores/gun shows/internet for almost 14+ years now.

The Ranger SXT loading was discontinued in 2006.

You might want to source something that is currently in production so that you can buy enough to familiarize yourself with and have an ongoing supply as you shoot over the years. There are many good offerings in weights above 125 from the big ammunition companies.

• Hornady has the XTP projectile in 140gr and 158gr.
  
• Winchester has the 145gr Silvertip and the 158gr JHP. Their 180gr Partition should only be used for hunting.
  
• Federal offers their 130gr Hydrashok along standard 158gr
  
• Speer offers their downloaded 135gr and a full power 158gr
  
• Remington offers their SJHP in 158gr and 180gr
  

Then there are all the little niche market, boutique and foreign ammunition companies out there that offer various products as well.

Thank you colt_saa. Good food for thought. I'm intrigued by the Black Talon. But as has been said many times placement is key and all premium SD ammo will accomplish the task. I am picking up a couple of boxes of BT out of curiosity to see how they shoot.

I think I'll probably settle on Federal 158gr. JSP HV for practice and Black Hills 158gr GD HP for defense. They seem to match up well ballisticlly on paper. I'll get a box of each and see how they feel in comparrison.

NWB

The Talon isn't around anymore, however, there are quite a few heavy bullet loadings in the .357. Most are designed for hunting and would certainly overpenetrate in a defensive shooting, if that is a concern for you. The Winchester Supreme Partition Gold loading with the 180 gr. Nosler Partition seems to have merit. Several knowledgable guys over on the Tactical Forums have some testing that appears favorable for this factory load. I have my 6" M19 sighted in with these for woods carry and am quite comfortable with them in the cylinder for my uses.