357 Mag Short Barrel: 125 grain or 158 grain?

Buffalo Bore 158gr LSWHP .38 SPECIALS is what I'd use.

From a 2 3/4 Speed Six they get 1100 fps. So the 2 1/2 Combat Magnum ought to get 1050 at least. And that is good enough for self defense.

Don't kick to bad, hits hard, and is easy on the gun.

Deaf
 
My daily carry gun is a Taurus® Mdl 617SS2 7 shot 2¼" barrel 357 Magnum. This gun has a marked preference for 158gr bullets; whether 38 Special, 38 Special+P, or 357 Magnum. Three loads stand out as being very accurate in this gun.....
• Fiocchi® 357 Mag 158gr XTP® JHP (#357XTP)
• CCI® Blazer® 357 Mag 158gr JHP (#3542)
• Buffalo Bore® 38 Special+P 158gr LSWCHCGC (20A/20)

For me, I have found 158gr ammunition to have less recoil, and be more accurate; than ANY 125gr ammunition in MY GUN.
 
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Several links have been posted last year that had ballistic data for various loads fired from different pistols that happened to have different barrel lengths.
The big take-away I noticed looking at the measured data was that short barrels suffered less of a relative velocity loss when using heavier bullets than lighter bullets. When using a 2" barrel, I'd get the heaviest bullet I could. When using a long barrel, I'd get something lighter if I wanted to take advantage of the velocity.
 
The .38 +p 158gr lead hollowpoint from Buffalo Boar. It's about as much oomph as I've seen from a .38 special and shoots accurate out my shortest barrels with not a lot of blast. I don't know how they got the velocity they did, but it's impressive.
 
As Deaf Smith and Micahweeks both note, the 158gr LSWHP .38sp from Buffalo Bore give surprising performance. When we tested it as part of the Cylinder Gap sequence, it immediately got my attention. Later I did my own informal test (just using one chrono) through my .38sp S&W 360, and consistently got in the vicinity of 1050fps out of this load. That's just under the 158gr .357mag loads we also tested, and gives 368 ft/lbs of muzzle energy. It's now what I always carry in that gun.

Jim
 
I am using Speer's 135 gr "Short Barrel" Gold Dot. I haven't done enough study to second guess their implied recommendation. I do know that for me, full power 357 is not suitable for my SP101 or Smith Model 60 Pro Series.

When I do reload with XTPs, I use the 140 grainers. I believe that velocity is impaired enough in a short barrel without running heavy bullets, and that loads sufficient to drive heavy bullets to truly effective velocities would be disconcerting to shoot in these smaller guns.
 
critters and two-legged varmits and black bear

When making social ammo for wife's S&W M38 Airweight Bodyguard I reach for the Hornady 140g XTP-HP (and HS6 ;)).
 
There is a difference in 38 special, 38 +p and 357 mag in a j-frame as far as velocity.

The Heavier bullets do loose less speed than the lighter bullets but the lighter bullets are still faster and are more likely to expand.

For me I use the lighter loaded 110 grain 357 magnums like Winchester White box. The seem to expand even at lower speeds. The Remington versions work well too. They are hotter than 38+p (other than may be Buffalo bore) but are still pretty mild from a steal J-frame. They are also fairly cheep compared to buffalo bore so I can afford to regularly practice with this ammo.
 
I carry a 3" model 65 often. I just kind of settled on the classic 158 gr Remington .357 Magnum HP.

I'm a little cautious about shooting the full house .125's in a K frame and, the bark and bite is miserable to me.
 
My preference for short barrel J-frame .357 revolvers is the PMC 150 grain Starfire round. This is a low flash "medium" load with a bullet designed for the application.
My chronograph notes show this round averaged 1050 fps from a 2.25" revolver @ 10ft.
 
I'm a bit past 50 and still subscribe to the period thoughts of gents like Bill Jordan, Skeeter, Kieth, and...?

Like them, for the snubbys, I THINK the most effective and versatile projectile would be a faster moving 158 soft lead SWCHP.

That said, my Bride has powder puff Federal Ny Clad lead HPs in her Cobra.

Hopefully we'll never discover what is, or isn't more effective at keeping the wolf at bay. 'Till then, I'll rely on the street wisdom of the above named gents who relied daily on the revolvers.

salty
 
Those are the same crazy wildcatters that promoted hand cannons for revolvers. Revving up a heavy bullet is just the worst formula for recoil.
 
After testing many different HP bullets in wet media I went with the Barnes XPB 125grn in my snubbies and the 140grn in my 4in and longer 357's.

I am very Impressed with the results.

The XPB's expand great and keep all their weight ( except when pushed hard from a carbine, then the petals broke off), I load them less than hot (the 125grn are at about 1250fps from a 2.25 sp101 and the 140grn are at 1330 from a 4in Service Six)

I really dont think there is a better SD bullet, when used right.
 
With just a few exceptions, just about any .357 Magnum hollowpoint in the 125-158 gr weight range should be quite effective and produce terminal performance which compares quite favorably to the most modern, high-tech bullets in the semi-auto "service" calibers. Even when fired from a short barrel, a full-power .357 Magnum will still be going plenty fast to do what needs to be done if the shooter can do his part (usually 1200+ fps with a 125gr and 1100+ fps with a 158gr bullet).

Personally, I've settled on Remington 158gr SJHP as my general self-defense loading for all my .357 Magnum revolvers (I have barrel lengths from 2 1/2" to 5"). While I would feel quite well protected with the lighter, faster loadings, I find the 158's to have more tolerable flash and blast (particularly from shorter barrels), they generally shoot to POA with fixed sights and factory-calibrated adjustable sights, and are easier on the forcing cones of my S&W K-Frames.
 
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