cougar14
US Veteran
I pick up my new .357 PC snubbie Tuesday after the 10 day wait. After I break it in, it'll be my bedside gun. What do you think the best round for this application re expansion, one-shot knockdown, etc. Thanks!
Best ammo for .357 snubbie
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Steve_NEPhila
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No cartriged has the "power" to knock anyone down, that is not how they work. Bullets have an effect by either cutting through enough vasculature to cause enough bleeding to drop the blood pressure enough for an individual to lose consciousness or cut through the central nervous system and cause an electrical failure. Anything else will leave the target semi-operable.
With that being said, in my opinion the best round for a .357 Mag snubbie is a hot .38 special +P load like the Hornady Critical Defense. I have a lightweight weight .357 mag and it makes the finest .38 special I have ever seen.
With that being said, in my opinion the best round for a .357 Mag snubbie is a hot .38 special +P load like the Hornady Critical Defense. I have a lightweight weight .357 mag and it makes the finest .38 special I have ever seen.
From all my research and experience, I really like the Winchester Silver Tip in 357.
REALLY hard to come by now-a-days, but good stuff. Looks especially sinister in a stainless cylinder too
I have always been very fond of the 357 Magnum Hornady Custom 140 grain XTP loading. I use this in all of my 357 Magnum carry guns.
gkitch
Member
The 125 Gr JHP has an outstanding track record for one-shot stops from the days when all police carried them. This is my preference for my carry 357s, provided they shoot well in them.
bountyhunter
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Any of the 130 grain ballpark .38 +p hollow point defense loads would be a good choice. I would not load that thing with magnums because of flash, noise and muzzle flip. I don't see the attraction of using a snub as a home defense gun: you give away a lot of muzzle velocity and accuracy with a 2" barrel compared to 4" or 6". Reduced muzzle velocity means the bullets may not expand fully.
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bountyhunter
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+1 They can only do that on TV.
Texas Star
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Keep in mind the size and weight of the gun. Do you really want to fire .357 ammo in it?
The best bet is probably the Speer Short Barrel 135 grain medium .357 load. It's optimized for gun like yours.
When the J-frame .357's came out n the 1990's, an acquaintance at S&W told me that he fired a cylinderful of Magnum ammo in one, for familiarization. Said that the first shot wasn't too bad, but by the time he'd fired all five, he thought, "Thank God, that's over!"
I found that a snub M-19 with full loads is about as small a .357 as I can use effectively. Haven't tried .357's in the SP-101 yet, though. I bet that you'll prefer .38 Plus P ammo. Especially indoors!!
That's particularly true if you have to ask which .357 ammo is best. That suggests that you haven't fired one of these guns yet with full loads. You may have a bit of a shock coming...
If someone has a larger one, a K-frame with 2.5 or three-inch barrel, the 140-145 grain loads are very efficient, giving about 1200 FPS from a three-incher. And they probably penetrate well enough to take on a cougar, maybe a black bear or alligator. (Humans are easier to kill, on the whole.)
One gun editor killed alligtors handily with 125 grain Magnum loads in a snub M-66. I'd feel better with a heavier bullet. I've read that poachers kill them with .22's at night, jacklighting them. A defensive scenario is different.
T-Star
The best bet is probably the Speer Short Barrel 135 grain medium .357 load. It's optimized for gun like yours.
When the J-frame .357's came out n the 1990's, an acquaintance at S&W told me that he fired a cylinderful of Magnum ammo in one, for familiarization. Said that the first shot wasn't too bad, but by the time he'd fired all five, he thought, "Thank God, that's over!"
I found that a snub M-19 with full loads is about as small a .357 as I can use effectively. Haven't tried .357's in the SP-101 yet, though. I bet that you'll prefer .38 Plus P ammo. Especially indoors!!
That's particularly true if you have to ask which .357 ammo is best. That suggests that you haven't fired one of these guns yet with full loads. You may have a bit of a shock coming...
If someone has a larger one, a K-frame with 2.5 or three-inch barrel, the 140-145 grain loads are very efficient, giving about 1200 FPS from a three-incher. And they probably penetrate well enough to take on a cougar, maybe a black bear or alligator. (Humans are easier to kill, on the whole.)
One gun editor killed alligtors handily with 125 grain Magnum loads in a snub M-66. I'd feel better with a heavier bullet. I've read that poachers kill them with .22's at night, jacklighting them. A defensive scenario is different.
T-Star
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mtime7
Member
+1 on 38+P,
cowboy117
Member
+1..357 has too much penetration[sp?],and too much flash,etc.
The Gun Zone -- The Speer 135-grain JHP +P 38 Special
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Sportsterguy
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When I do pack a K or L frame revolver it always has 158 gr. Speer Gold Dots in it for SD. They don't seem to jump as much in my hand and are dead on accurate in every one of my .357's. It takes practice and strong hands, arms and upper torso with a good stance to keep a .357 under control for accurate and fast follow up shots. If you can't control the magnums go down to a good +P round, but that .357 is a much better man stopper.
I like penetration wth a SD round. An entrance and a larger exit hole from a HP make for more blood loss. A good thing when it comes to ending a bad situation quickly. Read lots of posts bashing overpenetration. Just about any .357 load will penetrate through ones chest and exit out the back on a frontal shot. So will OO buck, rifled slugs and .223 rounds. All which are also used for home and self defense. Better to have that bullet hit the vitals, bone and hopefully the spinal cord than one that expands and does not go deep enough to do it's job. A HP will keep the penetration down and do lots more damage compared to ball ammo or some LSWC's that will zip through multiple bodies and keep on going and going and going. JMO
I like penetration wth a SD round. An entrance and a larger exit hole from a HP make for more blood loss. A good thing when it comes to ending a bad situation quickly. Read lots of posts bashing overpenetration. Just about any .357 load will penetrate through ones chest and exit out the back on a frontal shot. So will OO buck, rifled slugs and .223 rounds. All which are also used for home and self defense. Better to have that bullet hit the vitals, bone and hopefully the spinal cord than one that expands and does not go deep enough to do it's job. A HP will keep the penetration down and do lots more damage compared to ball ammo or some LSWC's that will zip through multiple bodies and keep on going and going and going. JMO
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caryg
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The Winchester 110 grain jhp are very good defense rounds. They go way back with various police agencys using them. The recoil is very manageable and they produce a potent round, also Wal-mart sells them
bountyhunter
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I used to have the Federal 110 gr .38 JHP defense rounds in my carry gun but I upgraded to the Federal 129 gr +p JHP defense rounds (Hydra Shoks) . The upside on the 110 gr was they have very little recoil but they also shot about 2" below POA at 15 yards in my guns because they are so light and underpowered. The 129 grain +p shoot exactly to POA and actually have about the same recoil as standard 158 grain .38 ammo I practice with anyway.
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I've put thousands of rounds through small frame-short barrel 38 special/357 magnum revolvers over the years. I agree with most others here-for this type of gun a good plus P .38 Special round is the only way to go. The muzzle blast and flash from a 2-3 inch barreled .357 Magnum is impressive and potentially dangerous to the shooter in a confined space. Plus, the magnum loads are not the least bit pleasant to practice with. You want to turn off a new shooter-make them fire five 125 GR JHP Magnums from a snub nose, small frame revolver!
HK-N-THE-HOUSE
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+1 , Could not have said it better myself.
28gauge
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I agree with the earlier post on the Speer .357 gold dot short barrel 135 grain. This load is just a little hotter than a +P. In fact, it's not as hot as Buffalo Bores's 38 +P.
coach22
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The go to gun in my house is a Ruger SS Speed Six 357
with a 2 & 3/4 inch barrel and Pachmayr Compacs.
It's loaded with Buffalo Bore 158 +P's.
Heavy .38 Special +P Pistol & Handgun Ammunition
Next to it are 2 Safariland speed loaders with Corbon 357 DPX's in them.
with a 2 & 3/4 inch barrel and Pachmayr Compacs.
It's loaded with Buffalo Bore 158 +P's.
Heavy .38 Special +P Pistol & Handgun Ammunition
Next to it are 2 Safariland speed loaders with Corbon 357 DPX's in them.
Use the Remington Golden Saber in .357 or the Speer Gold Dot SB if you can't find the Remington. Both rounds are mid-range .357s and neither round will give you a problem with excessive penetration. There's no reason to shoot 38 +P when mid-range .357s are available. Neither the Remington or Speer load produces excessive flash and recol with both is very controllable. I've shot ~300 rounds of the Remington load and 100 rounds of the Speer and they are accurate and controllable. The only live target experience that I have had was finishing off a deer hit by a car. The deer's hip was smashed and it was dragging its hind quarters. At 50 feet a Golden Saber out of a Ruger SP101 behind the shoulder ended its suffering instantly and did not exit.
Best Regards,
ADP3
Best Regards,
ADP3
Revolver King
Member
I agree totally. 38+P Critical Defense
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