You'll lose 1-300 FPS out of some "standard" .357 loads in some/most short barrel guns. Some of the hottest .38+P loads will nudge or break 1000 FPS out of them. The "short barrel" .357's are worth it according to most folks here. It's a question on yours whether the upper or lower end of the loss number applies. The extra 150-250 might be comforting to have, since your launching them out of a full size, though light weight gun? JOMO?
Posts: 5024 | Location: Left Coast | Registered: 25 August 2005
Originally posted by wheelerdevelopment: I have a 386PD Airlite.
Am I actually getting the punch of a .357 from this barrel or am I just as well served with a +P or .38 Special?
IMO you're best off with the most powerful cartridge that you can shoot well. If you fire a 38+P and then a .357, you'll feel the extra power of the .357. If the gun is recoiling harder, the bullet is going faster. You will not get the same power with .357s that you will with a longer barrel. The power will be roughly that of a hot 9mm. If you look in the thread What's So Special About .38 Special Gold Dots You can read about the better performance that I got from Speer SB .357s compares to SB .38+P. There is an advantage to the .357 load if you shoot as well with it. If you're really recoil tolerant, I would recommend Remington's excellent .357 125 gr. SJHP load.
Don't carry a gun because of what may happen today. Carry because once, just once, and at the least likely time imaginable, you may run into the worst monster you ever could imagine. Be their worst nightmare and resist them with all the stubbornness that our pioneer ancestors posessed. To do less is to be unamerican.
Posts: 3154 | Location: The Rust Belt Buckle/Michigan | Registered: 06 September 2006
Work your way up to full power .357s over time. IIRC your gun is about 24 oz. My Taurus 605 is a 24 oz. small frame snubby. You've got a lot more gun to hang on to, so if you have average recoil tolerance and are diligent, the wild stuff is doable. Just finish each practice session with a couple cylinders of the maximum power load you're currently using. Shooting tons of hot stuff can even get an experienced shooter frazzled if the gun is pretty sporty.
Don't carry a gun because of what may happen today. Carry because once, just once, and at the least likely time imaginable, you may run into the worst monster you ever could imagine. Be their worst nightmare and resist them with all the stubbornness that our pioneer ancestors posessed. To do less is to be unamerican.
Posts: 3154 | Location: The Rust Belt Buckle/Michigan | Registered: 06 September 2006
The 386PD is 18oz. I've got one and the Speer 357 short barrel load is tame. I really like the CCI Blazer 158's also. They are medium velocity, 1100 fps, that's from a 4" I believe. The bullet is far from modern, but it's a heavy, soft lead nosed hollowpoint. I've dug some out of thing's I've shot (wet newspaper, tree stumps, 5 gallon buckets full of sugar sand and such) and they expanded. I've got two pair of shorts that I can pocket carry this gun in, it's one hell of a pocket gun!
