357 Ammo recommendation needed

[C-dub]

In this order:

DPX 125 gr

Golden Saber 125 gr

Gold Dot short barrel 135 gr

WWB 110 gr

And, if you really want to see what makes the .357 Magnum sit up and roar - - - get some Remington, Federal, Speer, or Corbon's 125 gr JHP. You will swear the gun blew up on you.

Really? I already have the Redhawk .44 Mag. It can't be as bad as that.

[CC Italian]

Here is a link to CD with .38 special loads and .380. .38s only penatrate 10-10.5 and .380 even less but this is miles ahead of the 110 silvertip. http://www.shootingillustrated.com/inde ... l-defense/

AR That's why I got rid of my .380. Even 110 grain non +P .38 special penetrates better and have little kick. The only way to go in .380 is Barnes or fmj imo.

[Jumping Frog]

And, if you really want to see what makes the .357 Magnum sit up and roar - - - get some Remington, Federal, Speer, or Corbon's 125 gr JHP. You will swear the gun blew up on you.

Really? I already have the Redhawk .44 Mag. It can't be as bad as that.

Don't kid yourself.

A Redhawk is a big heavy gun, and .44 Mag recoil is greatly dampened by the weight of the gun. I've had range sessions where I've shot well over 100 rounds of .44 Mag and it was not big deal.

I've also shot .357 Mag out of one of those lightweight scandium J-frames. YOWZA!!!! That feels like driving down the highway at 45 mph and slapping a mailbox with the bare palm of your hand as you drive by. I was completely surprised at the experience because I was not expecting it. I used to have a Ruger Security Six, which is also a full-size, steel, heavy revolver, and I could shoot .357 mag though it all day long without recoil ever being an issue and so I was not expecting the J-frame recoil.

The size/weight of a gun makes a night and day difference in recoil.

[fishfree]

Frankly, if you value your hearing, I'd carry one of the better 38 +p loads. The roar of a .357 in a 6" barrel is bad enough to cause permanent hearing loss, I shutter just thinking about what it'd be like out of a snub nose, specially in a closed space.

Yes, I understand we are talking about life and death situations but the effectiveness difference between 38 special +p and a .357 in short barrel guns is just not in my opinion worth having your ears ringing constantly for the next 40+ years and having to constantly ask people what they said. I bought my first .357 in 1973 and speak from first hand knowledge.

If you feel you must use .357 cartridges, check out the following:
http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/can_less_be_more.htm

Thanks. Point taken, but as you alluded to, the only time I would be firing this without hearing protection is in a life or death situation, and I will take a risk of hearing loss in exchange for an increased chance of survival.

also if you are prepared for the BANG! and the bad guy isn't it could provide some additional psychological edge. It really and truly is loud.

[wharvey]

The size/weight of a gun makes a night and day difference in recoil.

How true. I ran some typical loads for a .357 and .44 mag through a recoil calculator. Velocity for .357 was reduced as they would be in a snub nose revolver. Only an estimate but probably close. For gun weights I used the scandium J-frame for .357 and a Red Hawk for the 44. guessed on charge weights but again, probably close. I have reloaded both.

.357 - bullet weight 125 gr.
recoil impulse 0.90 lb-sec
recoil velocity (gun) 38.57 fps
recoil energy 17.33 ft-lbs

.44 - bullet weight 240 gr.
recoil impulse 1.67 lb-sec
recoil velocity (gun) 16.28 fps
recoil energy 13.58 ft-lbs

While the .44 does have more recoil, (impulse) the felt recoil (hand slap) is quite a bit more for the .357 and taking grip size into account - a lot more felt recoil. Add in the increased muzzle blast and it may feel even worse. I am sure that the recoil would result in much slower follow up shots if needed.

[C-dub]

And, if you really want to see what makes the .357 Magnum sit up and roar - - - get some Remington, Federal, Speer, or Corbon's 125 gr JHP. You will swear the gun blew up on you.

Really? I already have the Redhawk .44 Mag. It can't be as bad as that.

Don't kid yourself.

A Redhawk is a big heavy gun, and .44 Mag recoil is greatly dampened by the weight of the gun. I've had range sessions where I've shot well over 100 rounds of .44 Mag and it was not big deal.

I've also shot .357 Mag out of one of those lightweight scandium J-frames. YOWZA!!!! That feels like driving down the highway at 45 mph and slapping a mailbox with the bare palm of your hand as you drive by. I was completely surprised at the experience because I was not expecting it. I used to have a Ruger Security Six, which is also a full-size, steel, heavy revolver, and I could shoot .357 mag though it all day long without recoil ever being an issue and so I was not expecting the J-frame recoil.

The size/weight of a gun makes a night and day difference in recoil.

Kinda like the whole .40 vs. .45 thing? I now know that difference. And my dad has a little snub nose .38 that hurts about as bad as the Redhawk, but has a smaller grip.

[7075-T7]

I have a S&W360PD .357 j-frame and a Super-redhawk alaskan .44mag. The muzzle blast on the Alaskan is significantly larger than the .357, but the recoil in the heavier alaskan is more distributed over a longer time than the "SLAP" of the Scandium .357. Both are fun as heck

As for ammunition I agree with TAM on the hornady crit-defense for .357, the recoil is more mild and controlled to the hornady 140gr Leverevolution and the 140gr Federal DPX line in such a lightweight gun. Though, TAM's is a whole ounce or so heavier than mine, which I'm sure tames the recoil quite a bit