I stopped by my local gun shop and asked if they had any 110 grain 357 magnum. I had seen reviews on Winchester's 110 grain that said it was relatively low velocity and comfortable to shoot, so I wanted to try it for target practice. The guy behind the counter, who has helped me with other stuff and has always seemed to be fairly knowledgeable, told me I should stay away from 110 grain, because it's not good for my gun. Something about too much pressure on the cone...? I have a S&W 686 Stainless, which is fairly heavy and I would assume quite durable. I'm also thinking about getting a somewhat smaller S&W Model 60 Stainless. Should I be concerned about shooting 110 grain 357 Magnums (if I can find any!).
110 Grain 357 Magnum: "Bad" for the Gun...?
- Thread starter Aristides
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Unless the manufacturer says "no" I think it would be safe to shoot the stuff, particularly out of an L frame like a 686. The only round that I'm aware of that reputedly can damage a gun is 125gr. fired out of a K frame revolver such as a Model 19 or 66. The story is that there have been at least a few instances of cracked forcing cones in K frames resulting from frequent shooting of this round.
In order to be certain I'd check with Smith.
In order to be certain I'd check with Smith.
I have some 110g .357, but I admit they are old so I don't know how hard they are to find today. As far as hard on the forcing cone...I have shot 110g .357's from my GP100 and I never noticed anything going on, but that's a GP100.
If you want to shoot 110g then I say shoot all you want.
I can see the light (also shorter) full power loads causing more stress on the gun but I can't really buy into the idea of the medium velocity 110 grain loads from the major manufacturers causing a problem at 1295 fps nominal velocity. Corbon (and others, perhaps) at 1500 fps, maybe so. I'm beginning to believe these stories take on a life of their own on the internet and by word of mouth not taking into consideration that the common 110 grainers are loaded to less pressure than say a 115 grain 9mm which no one ever said was particularly hard on the small revolvers chambered for that round and have about the same performance level. They are simply not full-power .357 magnum rounds.
The gunshop guy is confusing a few things. Yes, the fullhouse loads using the lighter bullets have been known to cause more wear with forcing cones when used in excess, but the load that you specifically mentioned (Winchester 110gr) is a very light load. So light, I'd recommend this one even in J-frame revolvers. I use this load in my 686 for home defense due to it's mild blast when used indoors and relatively low penetration.
ActivShootr
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From the accounts that I have read, this is true. The lighter bullets are shorter thus letting more unburned powder and flames escape through the cylinder gap than out the muzzle.
Doc Holliday 1950
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Hornady makes a very nice 38P+ 110 grain FTX either model # 90310 or 90311. I use them all the time in my 2" 357 Rossi. Mild kick and recoil.
I'm not as knowledgeable as most of the people on this forum, but I can say I use them even though they are a bit expensive.
I'm not as knowledgeable as most of the people on this forum, but I can say I use them even though they are a bit expensive.
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