What's the hottest, heaviest, over the counter (not handloaded) .357 magnum ammo available?? I see Buffalo Bore has a 200 grain hardcast. Any other options???

Double Tap are hot and heavy and cheaper.

If you want something very hot there is nothing hotter than Grizzly Ammo IMO. The stuff is made for hunting and made to hit very hard. They are reporting their 180gr .357 Magnum round to have a muzzle velocity of 1350 fps.

The hottest commercial ammo I ever shot was Buffalo Bore.

Check Buffalo Bore vs. Corbon - I don't know if Corbon is hotter or not.

I tested and carry the Cor-Bon 180 grain jacketed in my 340PD for outdoor activities in the warmer months.

Not sure if it is the hottest, but in that 340 it is surely HOT!

http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/catalog/product_info.p...1_27&products_id=152

I second suggesting you try out Doubletap. Hunting buddy was getting 1230-1240 FPS out of a 4" S/W 686 with their 200 grain 357 load.

Norma and Fiocchi.

Yep... Fiocchi, it has to be loaded just at the maximum loading for .357 mag, it is some pretty stout stuff in a 4" N-Frame.

The DoubleTap 125gr Gold Dot (or Match when available) has more felt recoil than the 180gr WFN DT from both my revolvers (6.5" Taurus and 8.375 S&W).

Either are powerful. The Grizzly is interesting, but without knowing the barrel length they are using to obtain 1350, we can't fairly compare it to DoubleTap other than on price, where DT wins hands down.

Federal 158 grain JSP at 1500 fps (800 ft-lb), if it's still being made.

Buck

The DT 158 GD and the 180 FNHC are my favorite 357mag loads. The 180 has a wider meplat than the 200. 180 in .357 is plenty of sectional density in my opinion.

YES, Fiocchi, DoubleTap and Buffalo Bore all make hot ammo but like I said above, Grizzly Ammo is VERY HOT and if you've never used it you can't imagine how really hot it is.

Does "hotter" make a big difference in terms of use in a short barreled 2.5" K-frame?

Check out www.georgia-arms.com they have whats called their "Deer stopper" load, its a 158gr GDHP at over 1350fps. Its fairly warm!