Is there a downloaded .357 Magnum for self defense

[shawn mccarver]

I shoot American Eagle .357 Magnum
Target flat nose half jacket
Grain Weight: 158
Muzzle Velocity: 1240
From my 3.5" 27-2 with wood target grips
The recoil and boom is a bit dramatic for me

Just got a 2.5" Model 19-3 and not looking forward to shooting the above ammo in that gun

QUESTION
Is there a downloaded .357 magnum self defense round that would be between the above ammo and +P38 Special

Or will the +P 38 Special with modern bullets be plenty

Yes, it is called 38 Special. Use either the "FBI load" or the Speer short barrel load. Or, use the 38 Heavy Duty Load, still made by Buffalo Bore, called the Outdoorsman, a 158 grain at 1,250 fps.

 

[bmcgilvray]

Hmmm... .357-P loads.

I like 158 grain lead semi wadcutter loads at 900 fps or somewhere around that. The old "FBI Load" fills the bill perfectly.

 

[Nevada Ed]

If not a "Meth head" and just a normal bad guy, I would just hate to be shot
with a bullet from a 38 special at 3 to 10 feet that was 125 grs or heavier
and see if my body would survive the impact and damage, from that one bullet,
let alone if the person, thought that I needed a 2nd bullet, since it might be needed.

Do you really want to get shot ??

Heck, I hate to just get a wood sliver or a rose thorn cut !!

 

[SWFan27]

I would just carry a hot 38 Special round. A 357 Mag round through a short barrel probably won't expand very well because it won't get a lot of velocity through the short barrel.

 

[IAM Rand]

I would just carry a hot 38 Special round. A 357 Mag round through a short barrel probably won't expand very well because it won't get a lot of velocity through the short barrel.

What makes you think that a 38 through a short barrel would expand when you claim that a 357 through a short barrel wouldn't? I believe that there are plenty of 357 rounds that would expand coming from a 2.5 inch barrel. Golden Saber for one. Ranger SXT for another.

In either case, I am not sure I would worry about it, location, location, location. I am sure that an unexpanded 357 through the ole ticker would do just as well as a 38 that did expand elsewhere.

Ballistics by the inch website has the 3" barrel in the real world testing at anywhere from 1154-1300+. Don't think that too much would be lost going down 1/2 inch. Then again, it would depend on the condition of the OP's model 19