Is Federal Am. Eagle 158 S.P. .357 Magnum good enough for all applications?

[bushmaster1313]

The Federal American Eagle Ammunition 357 Magnum 158 Grain Jacketed Soft Point (AE357A) works just fine for target shooting in my Smith & Wesson 5" 357 Magnum revolver.

The listed specifications on the .357 Magnum Federal 158 soft point are:

Muzzle Velocity: 1240 fps
Muzzle Energy: 539 ft. lbs.

Price at various online vendors: $20-$21 for a box of 50

I am pleased with the recoil and the accuracy.

Do I need to bother getting a "premium" self defense round?

If I hunted would I need a special hunting round?

 

[colt_saa]

A 158JSP is a poor choice for Personal Defense.

You should choose a hollow point to reduce the chances of over penetration.

For personal defense ALWAYS choose a premium loading from a major manufacturer.

Premium ammo has several benefits including flash retardant which will reduce muzzle
flash. This is a benefit in low light situations.

Many premium ammunition choices seal the primer and projectile to prevent contamination
of the primer and powder.

Lots of other reasons to spend $25 or so each year for the ammunition that you
plan on staking your life on.

 

[Hapworth]

For everything you need to go right in a self defense situation, why go cheap on the ammo?

Would I use the stuff if there was nothing else at hand and the situation was dire? Of course.

Short of that, my experience of American Eagle is it's target ammo only.

 

[Broker50]

It's only my opinion, but I would feel pretty confident carrying that as an all-around load. There are many instances, both for defense & hunting where I would want the extra penetration of the JSP. An attacker with heavy clothing, a pit bull, or hunting say a wild boar, the JSP would probably serve better. I certainly do NOT want to be shot with one or more of those. Just remember, there is no "magic bullet". Put holes in any animal 'til blood leaks out, & you've accomplished what you need. I'm partial to a hard cast SWC for everything in that medium caliber. When you only shoot one load, you learn where it will hit. As I said, just my opinion, worth what you paid for it.

 

[bushmaster1313]

My thought was that the 158 JSP's appear to be quite powerful and accurate.

When you only shoot one load, you learn where it will hit.

This is exactly why I would not want to practice with multiple loads

Lots of other reasons to spend $25 or so each year for the ammunition that you plan on staking your life on.

No concealed carry in NJ, so the question is hypothetical for me.
Also, hollow points are legal in NJ in your home and at the range and taking them from the store to your home or from your home to the range, but you do not want to ever be in the position of having to explain to a prosecutor or jury why you had hollow point bullets in your handgun.

 

[DWalt]

For the (fill in the blank) time, proper bullet placement is far more important than what kind of bullet comes out of the barrel.

 

[Nevada Ed]

That bullet design is a great hunting bullet and I have taken
large Nevada Mule deer with that type load at 100 yards,with one shot,center line behind the shoulder.

With that much penetration I do not think it is the best for SD at 10 yards or less and might sub for a 158 HP to try for early expansion to try to prevent over penetration.

A 38 spl 158 Lswc can do 16" of gel in some test...........

Depens a lot on the place and area the shooting takes place.
Not an apartment load in my mind...........

 

[Sebago Son]

AE 158 JSP 357

"For personal defense ALWAYS choose a premium loading from a major manufacturer."

I'm not sure I would agree with that statement. I feel very well armed with some of the traditional, old school loads. Winchester's 158 grain LHP .38+P comes to mind as does the Speer 124 grain 9mm +P Gold Dot. These are very much mainstream loads these days and the average shooter can afford enough of this to practice with...

Roy, with regard to the American Eagle 158 grain JSP .357 loading, I have been using it for years in both revolvers and carbines. I admit that it does seem more at home in a rifle with a 16"+ barrel, but I killed alot of critters around my farm with it. What I liked the most about it is that it was available and inexpensive. I always kept a case of it around for when I didn't have time to load, or if my boys shot up all my ammo...

Drew

 

[WR Moore]

Given the advances in bullet technology since 1987, the products of any of the major manufacturers should do what you want, if you select correctly-at least in hollow point loads. The vast majority of defensive loads are HP designs of some sort. There are some bullet designs that do offer expansion without being an eeevile hollowpoint. Federals EFMJ and Cor-Bons Powerball being recognized by the NJ Attorney General as legal/non hollowpoint. A quick check of websites shows that Cor-Bon makes both .38 & .357 Power Ball loads. The EFMJ design is only offered in 9mm & .45 ACP.

I'd hesitate to use a 158 gr SP .357 for defensive purposes for the reasons cited by others: excessive penetration. [Should be a decent deer load though.] I'll also note that having been a firearms instructor for 30 years, there's a noticable loss of both accuracy and speed of fire (for defensive purposes) above the .38 Spl/9mm level of recoil for most folks. Not to mention the loss of hearing due to the noise levels indoors. I've got a permanent hearing loss in my right ear from a .357 shot fired by another outdoors.

If Power Ball isn't to your liking, I'd probably be looking at .38 +P in 110/125 SP or perhaps a 110/125 gr SP .357. There should be sufficient velocity to get you some expansion in that bullet weight even in a soft point design. If all else fails, the 158 gr SWC .38 will work. After all, where you put the bullet is far more important that the bullet design. While there may be some difference in elevation from your favorite load, it's not likely to be much of an issue at typical home defense distances. Take your pick and try a box.

 

[Pisgah]

"Good enough" for all applications? Sure. Ideal for all applications? No.

Like others, I would prefer a hollowpoint for self defense, but this load could certainly work, even though expansion from handgun-length barrels may not be much, and penetration may be a bit too much.

 

[David LaPell]

Since you are in New Jersey and that makes life a little interesting when it comes to hollow points. In your situation that lower speed round (compared to the old 158 grain round of old doing 1,500 fps) does have a risk of over penetration but you will be abiding by the law. Personally I would handload some SWC's like #358156 and keep them really soft because the gascheck would keep leading down and you might do better there.

 

[358156hp]

If it's all you can get (for some reason), then it'll have to do. I haven't used this particular load, but as mentioned above, JSPs are intended for use against heavier animals, and will likely completely penetrate even a heavily clothed human. This an exceptionally bad situation in an urban setting with your neighbors less than 25 yards away. With todays cheaply manufactured housing, you can never, ever count on most walls to stop a heavy bullet. Many 9mm bullets over-penetrate in these settings too. My choice is the same as above, 38 SPL +P lead hollowpoints, the old "FBI" load. Winchester, then Remington, with Federal in last place because of past reliability issues. Good ammunition is out there, and it doesn't have to be horribly expensive, but the good stuff is worth a few extra dollars in my opinion.