I bought a GP100 4" blued .357 6 shot revolver Sunday. I took it out to Shoot Smart in Grand Prairie Tuesday and shot several varieties of .38. It is a sweet shooting revolver!!
I have never shot .357 rounds at all and have not been able to find any locally. I'm guessing I'll need to order some online. However, I notice both .357 and .357 Sig as options. What is the difference?
Also, what rounds would be the best .357 ammo to order, 110, 125, 158, or 180 weight?
I bought a GP100 4" blued .357 6 shot revolver Sunday. I took it out to Shoot Smart in Grand Prairie Tuesday and shot several varieties of .38. It is a sweet shooting revolver!!
I have never shot .357 rounds at all and have not been able to find any locally. I'm guessing I'll need to order some online. However, I notice both .357 and .357 Sig as options. What is the difference?
Also, what rounds would be the best .357 ammo to order, 110, 125, 158, or 180 weight?
Much thanks for any help you can provide.
Joe
Your revolver's caliber is .357 magnum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.357_Magnum" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. They are just a little bit longer overall than your .38 rounds with a longer case, higher powder charge and probably a little bit heavier bullet. I would recommend using a 158gr round.
.357 Magnum is for revolvers. It has an extended rim around the bottom of the case for the star extractor to grip. It is basically an elongated .38 Special case.
.357 Sig is for semi-automatic pistols. It was designed to duplicate the performance of the .357 Magnum 125 grain revolver round. It is shorter than the revolver round, and does not have a rim, or ate least not an extended one -- has a wide groovethat forms a kind of rim for the extractor to grablike other semi-auto rounds .
Also I believe the 357 Sig bullet is actually .355, but I am going by fuzzy memory here. The case is also bottle-necked, versus the straightwalled case of the .357 Magnum.
ELB wrote:Also I believe the 357 Sig bullet is actually .355, but I am going by fuzzy memory here. The case is also bottle-necked, versus the straightwalled case of the .357 Magnum.
The .357 SIG is a .355" (9mm) bullet with a bottlenecked case. Basically it souped-up 9mm round. The .002" is really negligible. I used to have moon clips and could shoot 9mm parabellum out of a Ruger revolver I had.
Keith
Texas LTC Instructor, Missouri CCW Instructor, NRA Certified Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun Instructor and RSO, NRA Life Member
Memory comes back slowly, I haven't messed with 357 Sig for a few years. I would like to, but it was flamin' expensive even before the big ammo rush. Anyway, the case bottom or rim fits in .40 caliber magazines -- The case is essentially a .40 case necked down to a (as Keith noted) 9mm bullet. With my .40 cal Browning Hi Power I can shoot .40, 357 Sig, and 9mm by switching the barrel, and (for 9mm) the magazine.
Have fun with your new revolver, just make sure you order the right ammo.
I was able to find .357 mag ammo at Cabela's in Kansas City this afternoon. I bought 3 boxes of 50 Herter's 158 grain .357 mag for $23.99 each. Remington has some Terminal Velocity .357 mag ammo in 110 and 180 grain ammo. It was $38.99 per box of 50 though.
JRG - I guess your Mesquite-area Walmart is different than my area's but
I see .357 Magnum range ammo all the time. There doesn't seem to be a need to buy it online.
I have a .357 Magnum revolver, but I just keep it loaded with .38 Specials since it's my car holster gun.
The .38's have softer recoil, all the better to keep control of the gun from the driver's seat while seatbelted
in and probably having to shoot one-handed.
The .357 really has a strong recoil to it. When I first got it I shot 50 rounds of .357 in one session.
The next day my thumb was sore all day. It's not my favorite round to shoot.
If I owned a store and could keep it to meet a threat while standing up, I'd go with the .357 Magnum
in 125 grain - that's supposed to be a proven man-stopper.
SIA
N. Texas LTC's hold 3 breakfasts each month. All are 800 AM. OC is fine.
2nd Saturdays: Rudy's BBQ, N. Dallas Pkwy, N.bound, N. of Main St., Frisco.
3rd Saturdays: Golden Corral, 465 E. I-20, Collins St exit, Arlington.
4th Saturdays: Sunny St. Cafe, off I-20, Exit 415, Mikus Rd, Willow Park.
The .357 really has a strong recoil to it. When I first got it I shot 50 rounds of .357 in one session.
The next day my thumb was sore all day. It's not my favorite round to shoot.
Keep in mind that perceived recoil varies from gun model to model, as well as shooter to shooter. Personally, I love shooting the .357, out of a medium-frame revolver or larger. Anything the size of the little 5-shot numbers available from S&W, Ruger, and Taurus really chews my hand, but the round just "settles" for me out of a larger gun, and I normally don't have any issues the next day at all. Most comfortable .357s for me are Ruger Security Sixes and a Smith 19-2 snubbie; had I the ammo budget, I could shoot those all day. Your GP-100 is a big ol' gun, with lots of metal in it to dampen the felt recoil.
Who knows, you might decide you like the recoil. I certainly did.
Now, if Ruger would ever get around to making/shipping my Alaskan .454...
