110g .357 Magnum for self defense

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papadork

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Does anyone carry a 110g JHP for self defense? I'm thinking, the light bullet has about the same ballistics as a 9mm +p but only shot out of a reliable revolver. Noise and muzzle flash should be less too, at least compared to its nasty 125g brother.
 
Depends on the construction of the 110 gr. bullet. Some are so lightly constructed they blow up on impact without sufficient penetration.

My rule of thumb is the more lead, the better.

Bob Wright
 
My brother-in-law shot a whitetail broadside with a 110jhp and it blew a crater the size of your fist and the deer dropped in its tracks. He shot many before with 158jhp only poking holes having to track the deer quite a while. I can tell you the penetration isnt great with the 110jhp but it didnt have to be on the deer. I would think a bonded 110jhp would be outstanding. Food for thought.
 
As Bob alluded too all bullets are not created equal.

The US Border Patrol issued remington 110 Grain magnums for a about 2 years around 1990 or so. The few shootings we had with this round caused devastating shallow wounds and worked well if a close frontal shot was presented.

The Winchester 110 Grain 357 magnum had a thicker jacket and held together better, that is what LAPD officer Lim was shot with.

I personally do not like light for caliber bullets.
 
Speed is a factor as well. If you're pushing them out of a long barrel or super hot out of a short barrel, they will expand more and/or fragment. If you're using managed recoil out of a snub, they may be the only weight that does expand reliably. There's a reason the GDSB is 135 grain, and not 158. Frankly, I don't use hollowpoints for much of anything, but when I do in .357, a 125 gr. SJHP by rem or some other classic make is what goes in the cylinder. If I'm shooting heavier bullets, they're hard cast. What kind of gun are you going to be pushing these through?
 
I'm about to load up some 110 XTP's tomorrow.
Planning on using 23grs. of H110.
I'm thinking they should be pretty badass loads.
 
The load ya gonna try is trouble for ya forcing cone on any revolver !!

For reliable 357 fodder give me a lead HP or solid 158-180grs.

Do not rely on the "shock effect" of a 110gr. bullet at longer ranges.

Rely on holes leaking , & nobody likes to leak !!!

Never shot the 125ers or 110ers , shoot since the spring of 83 I can probably count the number of factory rounds of handgun & rifle ammo I`ve fired on my falangies.

Barebottomed Lyman 358156 HP, 12.5 bhn, 1,100 fps fired into sifted builders sand covered with water held in a styrofoam container.

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The Border Patrol used the 110 gr JHP for years with excellent results.
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Can you cite a source? I was in the BP, very few of us actually carried the 110's. Most of us carried 125's or 145 STHP's.
 
If you got a 110'r at 4' in the old bread basket,I'll almost guaranty your gonna be late for supper. (for the rest of your life)
 
Same thing if you get a 158 grainer in your breadbasket. Heavier is better. Ever see a car that was hit by a semi or a train? Light bullets going at very high speeds DO trash forcing cones. This is not an internet theory. Any revolversmith will verify this for you.
 
I'm about to load up some 110 XTP's tomorrow.
Planning on using 23grs. of H110.
I'm thinking they should be pretty badass loads.
Click to expand...

You'll get a lot of unburnt powder residue. You'll get so much muzzle flash that if you shoot at night you'll loose all night vision for awhile. The blast will be huge. The plus won't make up for the minus. Have plenty of Hoppe's on hand.
 
Speed is a factor as well. If you're pushing them out of a long barrel or super hot out of a short barrel, they will expand more and/or fragment. If you're using managed recoil out of a snub, they may be the only weight that does expand reliably. There's a reason the GDSB is 135 grain, and not 158. Frankly, I don't use hollowpoints for much of anything, but when I do in .357, a 125 gr. SJHP by rem or some other classic make is what goes in the cylinder. If I'm shooting heavier bullets, they're hard cast. What kind of gun are you going to be pushing these through?
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I currently have a 6" Ruger GP100 but would like to get a 3" SP101 for carry/car gun. I'm thinking the 110g would be about right for the SP101.
 
When my SW 686 was my primary HD gun, the WWB 110gr ".357 lite" JHP was my favorite load. It's more than adequate for self defense and won't shock you into a daze if you're already half asleep from being suddenly awaken.

I've shot a full house 125gr JHP in an enclosed area before and learned that I'd rather not do that again if I can help it. For outdoor use (i.e. woods), I prefer the heavier 125gr or 158gr loads though.
 
Light bullets going at very high speeds DO trash forcing cones. This is not an internet theory. Any revolversmith will verify this for you.
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The Remington and Winchester 110g aren't any faster than the 158g. Trashing the forcing cone shouldn't be a problem. I would expect the problem with the 125g Underwood screamers.
 
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As said before......wheel gun mags do not like light bullets at high velocities.....do not shoot them all the time.
 
The Remington and Winchester 110g aren't any faster than the 158g. Trashing the forcing cone shouldn't be a problem. I would expect the problem with the 125g Underwood screamers.
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The issue isn't one of velocity, but rather of bullet shape and pressure curves. The lighter bullets are also shorter and thus they have not sealed the cylinder throat by the time the bullet has left the case. This, in turn, allows extremely hot gas and burning powder to flow around the bullet and into the forcing cone. .357" bullets of 140gr or heaver are generally long enough that they seal the cylinder throat before the base of the bullet leaves the case.

Also, lighter bullets require less pressure to push them out of the case and thus allow more powder to burn in the cylinder throat and barrel. Heavier bullets require that more powder is burnt in order to achieve enough pressure to move them out of the case and thus leave a smaller percentage of the charge to be burnt in the barrel and forcing cone.

It should be mentioned, however, that the problems stemming from lightweight bullets in .357 Magnum revolvers is primarily endemic to S&W K-Frames. This is because K-Frames have the bottom of their forcing cones ground flat at the 6:00 position in order to make enough clearance for the yoke thus creating a thin area in that spot (this is where cracks almost always develop). Most other .357 Magnum revolvers have full thickness forcing cones for their entire radius and thus do not suffer the same issues.

As to using 110gr .357 Magnum ammo for self-defense, while I think it's an OK choice there are still better options. If one is looking for a lower-recoil alternative, a "medium velocity" loading with a heavier bullet such as Remington 125gr Golden Saber or Speer 135gr Short Barrel Gold Dot is preferable to a 110gr JHP.
 
Posted by me:
The Border Patrol used the 110 gr JHP for years with excellent results.
Click to expand...
Posted by Nanuk:
Can you cite a source? I was in the BP, very few of us actually carried the 110's. Most of us carried 125's or 145 STHP's.
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See John Jacobs’ article, “Ammunition Evaluation and Selection: U.S. Border Patrol, 1970-2000” in Marshall & Sanow’s 2001 book, “Stopping Power”.

In 1984, Jacobs and his team recommended the 110 gr +P+ load, but wanted agents to have the option of using the 125 JHP or the 145 STHP. Agents could also carry .45ACP and .38 Super pistols. According to Jacobs, the 110 worked very well, but the best load was the Silvertip, so you made a good choice.

Just curious, Jacobs said the Silvertips had to be paid for by the agents, at least at first. Were they issued later?

I worked up a load this year using the Gold Dot Short-barrel 135 gr bullet which came out of the barrel of my 686SSR at 1420 fps. I didn’t expect full penetration on a pig, but two rounds went right through broadside.
The wounds were scary.

Hanginghog.jpg
 
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