Federal 357 magnum HST. Fact or Fiction?

[chief38]

I use Federal's 124 grain HST in my 9mm and have personally rated it #1 in the 9mm field of self defense cartridges. I feel it edges out the Speer GD offering by a small margin.

Judging on how well it performs in 9mm, I would definitely give it a whirl in 357 magnum when it is available. I'd love to chronograph and test it. Federal has a huge winner in the HST!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I use Federal's 124 grain HST in my 9mm and have personally rated it #1 in the 9mm field of self defense cartridges. I feel it edges out the Speer GD offering by a small margin.

Judging on how well it performs in 9mm, I would definitely give it a whirl in 357 magnum when it is available. I'd love to chronograph and test it. Federal has a huge winner in the HST!

IMO all the testing and articles about ammo being the best are overdone. I like the GDHP ammo mostly because it's the most accurate in my pistols. That ammo has been 100% reliable so that's what I keep using. Always chasing the next best is not for me. If you make good hits you will stop the attack.

 

[Model19man]

I bought 5 boxes of Federal 158 Grain JHP 357 Magnum ammo recently. It was on sale and a great deal. Not sure if I need another Federal load at 154 Grains - why? And a price that is significantly higher for a 20 round box??????

 

[rwsmith]

I've got some...

...that I plan to shoot later this week. If there's anything to reports I'll be back.

 

[someguyfromnc]

The great thing about HST is that its about half the price or more compared to gold dots.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

On the rare occasions I carry a 4" Magnum for SD I load it with 158gr Speer GDHP ammo and have done so for a long time. I see no reason to chase the latest and greatest. If it ain't broke.........

 

[sniper]

True, but what of the shooters who don't handload?

The Speer 357 Magnum 135 gr. Short barrel load is a good one, and clocks somewhere aroound 1200 fps, iirc. Nice to shoot, too. Of course, that's if you can find t.
A good 38 spl. +P load like Remington Golden Saber, Speer Gold Dot 135gr. Short Barrel+P or similar load is good, too. The Speer uses the same bullet as the 357 Magnum. The Lucky Gunner Lab tests are a good resource.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

The Speer 357 Magnum 135 gr. Short barrel load is a good one, and clocks somewhere aroound 1200 fps, iirc. Nice to shoot, too. Of course, that's if you can find t.
A good 38 spl. +P load like Remington Golden Saber, Speer Gold Dot 135gr. Short Barrel+P or similar load is good, too. The Speer uses the same bullet as the 357 Magnum. The Lucky Gunner Lab tests are a good resource.

I'm fairly sure the Speer 135gr .357 Magnum short barrel ammo is only rated @990fps. The .38 Special +P ammo is rated @860fps.

 

[chief38]

IMO all the testing and articles about ammo being the best are overdone. I like the GDHP ammo mostly because it's the most accurate in my pistols. That ammo has been 100% reliable so that's what I keep using. Always chasing the next best is not for me. If you make good hits you will stop the attack.

I don't normally "chase the next best" either. When I bought my first Micro 9mm EDC SD pistol (Sig P365) I purchased a dozen or so different brands and types of 9mm carry ammo. They included Speer GDHP (std. vel. and +P), Hornady Critical Defense, Federal HST (std. vel. & +P) and Sig Elite. There were also a few others like Winchester and Buffalo Bore and I tested 115 grain, 124 grain and a couple of 147 grain bullets. I chronographed them all, checked them for accuracy and shot some test media. While I take most youtube video's strictly as entertainment, Ammo Quest's channel is about the most professional and most through I have found for ammo testing so far. I settled in on the 124 grain standard velocity Federal HST for a number of reasons. They were the most accurate in my personal pistol, they were the most consistent expanders, and their velocity was also very consistent. They penetrated more than the 12" minimum in every test (13.5" - 16.5") and never separated. In all the years of shooting, I can not remember any Federal centerfire cartridge I've shot ever failing to fire. They also feed 100% reliably in my gun and I also like the blue waterproofed seal around the bullet and primer (yes, I realize most of today's carry ammo does include that as well).

BTW, the reason I settled in on the standard velocity version is because out of the P365's 3.1" bbl the +P version expanded a tad more however it was not as great a penetrator as the standard velocity version. IMHO reliability and penetration is always most important with expansion being next most important. So that was my process for deciding what to use. Other peoples guns may have different bbl. lengths and different characteristics, but this is was best for me. Since I made that decision, I have not really looked into new fangled and new tech rounds.

 

[Mark92120]

The Federal P357HST1S 357Mag 154gr HST is now available for order directly from Federal on its site for $44.99. It's also at MidwayUSA for $39.99. Best price I found was $32.99 at Academy Sports + Outdoors, and they have a low shipping cost. I bought a small quantity from Federal a few weeks ago (couldn't believe it until it actually showed up at my house) and it's finally hitting the retail channel. Just bought some more from Academy.