.357 mag: 125gr or 158gr

F

FUD

Moderator
I've read, and been told, that the 125gr bullet is the best round for self defense purposes but when going off into the woods, I better switch to 158gr in case I have to shoot at a wild animal (I'm not talking about hunting animals -- just defending against them).

I'm confused. :confused:

Why is one round better against two legged creatures and another round better against four legged animals? Shouldn't the better round against one also be the better round against both?

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Share what you know, learn what you don't -- FUD.
 
How about the 140 grain Hornady?

just a suggestion,
Ben

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AOL IM: BenK911
ICQ # 53788523
"Gun Control Is Being Able To Hit Your Target"
 
People are constructed differently than animals.

Animals may require deeper penetration, so heavier bullets are suggested.

The 125g load has quite a record on human targets..........

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
I'd think it would depend on bbl length.

The 125 in long bbls is supposed to be the ticket. But, in say a 2.5" bbl you lose a lot of velocity (almost down to .38 power) & I'd think that the 158 HP Nyclad would be the way to go.

Comments?
 
Neither one of this bullets will be effective against a angry critter. Fact is, 357 Magnum for woods protection is a poor selection. The best ammunition available commercially, if you insist on using a 357 Magnum, is something like a Federal 180 grain cast bullet. Federal claims 1250 FPS and 625 pound feet of energy. If you live back east, that should do the job.

Robert
 
Animals don't watch TV. They don't know they're supposed to fall down and die when you shoot them. You have to "make" them die, and that requires rapid blood loss. The best way to do this is to make a very large hole all the way through them. Since they are also tougher, stronger, and made differently, the bullet needs to penetrate much farther than would be needed on a human. I would suggest a 180 to 200gr solid/penetrator type round. Stay away from FMJ, flat point type rounds work far better. Corbon and Remington come to mind. Actually, the same principles apply to people, the gun rags have just convinced us otherwise.
 
Personally, I like the 125 grain JHP in a short barreled .357 because it's easier (at least for me) to shoot more accurately, with quicker follow up shots on target to boot. Any really large critters like a bear or a big cat may not respond favorably to a 125 Grain bullet, however, but it's still my back country carry choice. I'm satisfied.
SM
 
158gr and heavier rounds do not make as painful of a report as 110/125gr bullets. That makes them better for my taste :)
 
FUD; I've carried various .357 maggies in the woods for years and felt perfectly safe and well armed. Here in ne washington there's mountain lions and black bears. You can kill a lion with any decent calibre. The bears here average 125 to 200 lbs. Once again, no problem. An eastern blackie is another story! I always had 158gr. flat points or soft points. A 125gr. hollow point bullet has no place in the woods. A .357 maggie is a great packin' gun for the woods. There's 180gr. hard cast bullets that are even more effective. Good luck, j.s.
 
Heavy bullets are better for animals as penatration is more important then expansion.

125gr HPs are better for two legged predators because the heavier loads have been known to zip right thru the human body so fast that they don't have time to expand at all. They simply drill a .357 hole straight thru so fast that the BG sometimes doesn't even realize he's been hit. The lighter fast expanding HPs dump energy faster with a better chance of expansion.
At least that's what several magazine articles I've read over the years have claimed. Makes sense to me.
 
What Brasso said. and more ...

Wild creatures (including Goblins on drugs) don't fall down because they think they are hurt. That's because they don't think. They are creatures of habit and instinct. When they are scared, they run. Hard. They pour it on. They don't know they are hurt. They don't drop until their system won't support the exertion. That is usually a few seconds from actual death.

I use Blue Dot-powered 158 gr semi-jacketed hollow points for everything in my .357 because I think it kills the quickest, which is more humane in the case of hunting and safer in the case of self defense.

Slightly heavier flat points would probably be better. But a 125 gr bullet go through a BG and he not even notice it? I don't think so. Not jacketed hollow-points commercially available today. Not have time to expand? Depends.

I shot a small whitetail buck (150 lbs), broadside, in Florida a few years back with a 125 gr JHP at 65 steps. It went in between two ribs and came out on the other side between two ribs. NO EXPANSION. No bullet fragments and no jacket could be found. Little buck ran about sixty yards. 'Thought I had lost it. This load was shot out of a Ruger Blackhawk and had clocked 1640 fps, avg, at the range.

After that I went to 158. The next critter was a 120 lb wild hog at 35 steps distance (about half that of the FL buck, I admit). He rolled. 'Got up and ran about 50 ft, then fell over. Dead as a rock when I got to him. Exit wound was a little less than two inches across.

This may be more of a lesson about shot distance with a .357, but I shoot the 158s.

[This message has been edited by sensop (edited February 20, 2000).]
 
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