357-Maf 158gr ??

[Harrison]

Has anyone had any experience with Hornady 158gr HP/XTP or Remington 158 gr SJHP in 357 mag, in either handloads or factory ammo? How well, and how quickly, do they expand compared to other 158 HP bullets. Are they good personal defense bullets, or better for hunting?

 

[38-44HD45]

I've not tested either one, but I've tested several other XTPs, including 140 gr. .357 XTPs. Typically, XTPs have to be driven very fast to expand. Think along the lines of taking Hornady's chart for a given XTP bullet, start at the middle of their recommended velocities, and go up from there to see expansion. I view XTPs as excellent bullets for hunting and shooting bowling pins, but not so much for personal defense. In a .357, for defense against humans, I much prefer the 125gr. JHP loads. Other folks will disagree.

 

[OKFC05]

Of the 158gr .357s I've shot, only the Speer Gold Dot expanded easily enough for me to consider it a personal defense round, something like the 180gr .40 Gold Dot. Lots of penetration, but a lot of expansion, too.

 

[flop-shank]

In a .357, for defense against humans, I much prefer the 125gr. JHP loads. Other folks will disagree.

Not me. The time to use loads other than 125s in .357 is when you and your gun for whatever reason shoot better with them, or to avoid K frame forcing cone issues. Don't expect better performance from other bullet weights although there are many non-125 gr. loads that will work just fine.

 

[Dragon88]

I've had best performance out of 125gr XTPs. The 158s will do the job, especially if some penetration is required, they just have to be pushed fast enough. Expect a sharp increase in recoil with a full-bore 158gr load compared to a comparable 125gr load.

Also, Hornady's chart for XTP performance as mentioned above:

 

[tpd223]

For defense I would choose the Remington, for hunting I would use the XTP, this opinion would be from my observation of the expansion and penetration characteristics of both of these rounds.

 

[WR Moore]

I loaded some Remington factory 125 JHPs to the 1250 fps range. Expansion tests in water proved that I should have been further away than 15 feet and that 1450 fps isn't necessary for good results. Remington used to load this as a factory round, but I guess the demand wasn't there. The performance certainly is!

I didn't have the powders available to get the 158 JHP to run fast enough to expand, but I didn't clock any of the loads.