.357 ammo performance question

[G.T. Smith]

Got a little back from income tax the other day and decided to go shopping for ammo. I found some .357 mag. rounds that seemed worth the money but never shot them from my 65-4 4". I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with Hornady 357 mag. 158 gr. XTP. the box says 1250 fps at the muzzle 1150 at 50 yds and 1073 at 100 yds.
I also bought some PMC bronze 158 gr. JSP .357 mag. but the PMC's give no ballistic info.
Just wondered if these are worth the price. I gave 24 bucks for the PMC box of 50, and the Hornady's were 25 bucks for 25 rnds. a dollar apiece sounds kinda high but around here you get what you can when you can if you know what I mean.
Thanks for any input you might have.
Peace,
Gordon

 

[handgunner356]

$25 a box for premium ammo in 20-25rd boxes is the norm. The 50rd boxes from any major manufacture seem to be running around $35 here for .357.

 

[Steve C]

The Hornady ammo is considered a premium hunting or self defense round. The XTP bullets are a bonded well designed bullet for maximizing penetration and expansion. These would not normally be used to punch paper beyond a few to see if they shoot where aimed. Reserve the Hornady XTP's for hunting, home or concealed carry. Practice on paper targets or tin cans with the PMC. Not that the PMC won't kill most anything too but the bullet is old style semi jacketed and not designed for maximum expansion and penetration.

 

[flop-shank]

IIRC the XTP bullet is not bonded. The XTP is a high quality bullet, but is designed for super deep penetration. In most calibers I would expect penetration well beyond the 12" - 14" that that a large number of law enforcement agencies and armed civilians prefer. The XTP is a niche load and suited for locales where one is willing to get overpenetration on normal sized assailants in order to get very deep penetration against very large perps. If the typical BG in your parts is 6'3" 300 lbs., or you're not comfortable with normal levels of penetration, then the XTP might be a good choice. Aside from that, there are better choices (on the flip side, there are worse ones too). I use Remington 125 gr. SJHPs in my .357s (R357M1)excepting my 360 PD.

I wouldn't choose that PMC load for self defense, but I'll guess that it will work well on deer.

 

[David Sinko]

Are all XTP hollow points? And they are designed for deep penetration? I tend to regard all non-bonded core JHP bullets with suspicion, expecting them to separate the core from the jacket at high velocity. In my experience the XTP tends to be cheaper than other "premium" JHP bullets. I am a fan of the so-called "over penetration" and if the cheap XTP fills the bill, I'm gonna rush out and buy a couple hundred of them first chance I get!

Dave Sinko

 

[flop-shank]

Dave, non bonded bullets don't normally shed their jackets at high velocities, provided those velocities are what the bullet was designed to deal with. Of course, stuff like auto glass can change such things. For LEO duty bullets, bonded is king. When auto glass is not a worry, I don't weigh "bonded" into my ammo decision. If you like ~17"+ penetration, then XTPs are your load in major service calibers. When I shot .180 gr. .44 mag. XTPs into Perma-Gel, I was impressed that the jacket was far thicker than the jacket on the 165 gr. Sierra bullets that I use. The 180 gr. .431 XTP has one meaty jacket. That sucker is thick!!!!! That tough jacket helps contol/limit expansion and keep the bullet together. The XTP is well designed and a great bulet. The question is, is it the right bullet for you?

 

[jlanecole]

Has anyone seen chronograph results for either the Hornady load described, or the Fiocchi Extrema 158gr XTP load? Subjectively, the Fiocchi feels a little warmer, and Cabelas almost always has it for about $32 for 50.

 

[flop-shank]

I have no experience with either load, but I have shot .380 Extrema as well as Hornady ammo in a couple different calibers. My opinion is that Extrema is better ammo at a better price.