BoneDigger
New member
Would a 110 grain JHP, white box, .357 round be considered adequate for SD? I like the low recoil of this load, but I wonder if it would have enough penetration, etc.? Anyone?
Todd
Todd
.357 Magnum, 110 grain JHP, OK defense round?
- Thread starter BoneDigger
- Start date
110 Gr.
IMO not enough penetration. One officer I went to school with shot a perp in the neck and paralyzed the perp but no actual breakage of the spinal column. The dept. wouldn't back him as 357 w/110 gr was not regulation ammo. That was 30 years ago and as of 15 years ago the lawsuit was still pending. Not an every day situation and may only be a 1 in 500 occurance but it's not for me.
Personally, I don't even go for the much touted 125 grain. In my 357 it's 140 grain for play and 170 grain for potential serious encounters. When I no longer had dept regs to contend with I went to 45 ACP and now to 45 LC or 41 Mag loaded to medium velocities around 1000FPS.
This is only my opinion which is only of value to me. Good luck, whatever you choose to carry.
IMO not enough penetration. One officer I went to school with shot a perp in the neck and paralyzed the perp but no actual breakage of the spinal column. The dept. wouldn't back him as 357 w/110 gr was not regulation ammo. That was 30 years ago and as of 15 years ago the lawsuit was still pending. Not an every day situation and may only be a 1 in 500 occurance but it's not for me.
Personally, I don't even go for the much touted 125 grain. In my 357 it's 140 grain for play and 170 grain for potential serious encounters. When I no longer had dept regs to contend with I went to 45 ACP and now to 45 LC or 41 Mag loaded to medium velocities around 1000FPS.
This is only my opinion which is only of value to me. Good luck, whatever you choose to carry.
azredhawk44
Moderator
If you like it, sure.
Some folks swear by the 125gr JHP .357 loads out there.
I favor 158gr JHP or LSWC. Those shoot most accurately from my gun.
Some folks swear by the 125gr JHP .357 loads out there.
I favor 158gr JHP or LSWC. Those shoot most accurately from my gun.
In general I consider a SD of .140 to be marginal for defense use. The 110gr. load has a SD of only .123 and personally wouldn't trust it for defensive purposes. I prefer more mass to the bullet. I like the 130gr. Fed HS as a lower recoiling round. You might also try the 125gr. Rem GS. It is a pretty light load to shoot and offers better penetration than the 110gr. stuff. The most important thing is to shoot what both you and your gun shoot well.
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There will always be the case that someone gets shot many times with a big power round and lives to tell about it and others when you get hit with a .22 and drop like a brick. Heck, trooper Mark Coates is the perfect example of both senarios. If your comfortable with a lower recoil and probably quieter round(.357 can be an earfull) I say go with it. It is a more powerful round than probably most of the people here use. I'd rather have a gun that recoils less and I can control under presure than a larger gun.
I say your good with that round - much better than a .38 and .38+p and those are respected rounds.
I say your good with that round - much better than a .38 and .38+p and those are respected rounds.
Just because it has more energy than 38spl loads doesn't make it a better SD round. The thing is that the 110gr. loads are known for only penetrating 9-10" and expanding to only about .50 or less. There are many 38spl loads that blow the 110gr. 357Mag load out of the water. The cheap 125gr. WWB 38Spl+p load penetrates 13-14" and expands to .62. That is typical 9mm performance out of a very low-recoil round and even cheaper than the 110gr. WWB stuff.
Shot placement is an important factor. But even if you have perfect shot placement, a poor penetrating round doesn't penetrate enough to consistently reach vital organs. If shot placement were the only factor we would all use 25ACPs and aim for the eye socket or carry 380ACPs for bear defense and do the same.
threefivesevenmag
New member
Carry what you want.
It's not a bad load.
We aren't talking 25 ACP & 380 ACP. A 110 gr .357 round will preform much better than those two rounds.
You also don't know if any HP will actually expand. There is too many variables. The amount of well placed, self defense type ammo will produce a more likely "stop." There is no SINGLE magic bullet.
Load what you are comfortable with. Shoot well with it. Practice and be aware.
It's not a bad load.
We aren't talking 25 ACP & 380 ACP. A 110 gr .357 round will preform much better than those two rounds.
You also don't know if any HP will actually expand. There is too many variables. The amount of well placed, self defense type ammo will produce a more likely "stop." There is no SINGLE magic bullet.
Load what you are comfortable with. Shoot well with it. Practice and be aware.
psycho nut
New member
Exactly how far do you want it to penetrate? If you have to shoot someone (god forbid) 10 inches is going to go through most people, and if not go through, it's still going to go far enough to hit something vital.
If he wants to use it I see no problem.
I agree, on this point at least. The "FBI Standard" of 12" was taking into consideration the possibility of shooting through the target's arm on the way to the torso. It's only about 9" to run thorough everything on most any human.
As for the "Which_____ is _____" questions, it's largely personal preference, hopefully as a result of some intensive research, combined with personal experience, with some performance criteria in mind.
If you like the lower recoil...
I would try the Remington 125 grn GS as someone else suggested. 110 is a little light IMO and I like a heavier bullet.
If recoil is the issue, then there is nothing wrong with using the name brand 38 +P defensive rounds out of a .357 mag. Personally I like the 130grn Winchester SXT's.
Experiment with couple of different ones and see which you are most comfortable with. Shot placement is key but its closely followed by Penetration and then Expansion in that order.
My .02
I would try the Remington 125 grn GS as someone else suggested. 110 is a little light IMO and I like a heavier bullet.
If recoil is the issue, then there is nothing wrong with using the name brand 38 +P defensive rounds out of a .357 mag. Personally I like the 130grn Winchester SXT's.
Experiment with couple of different ones and see which you are most comfortable with. Shot placement is key but its closely followed by Penetration and then Expansion in that order.
My .02
Different strokes for different folks .... I think what ever your shoot very, very well is the better choice for SD. Shoot it often and you ought to be able to shoot it very, very well. Personally I like the 145 grain Winchester Silver Tips for SD ... right between those 125 grain lovers and the 158 grain brawlers. 
110gr. JHP
Having carried this load in my Ruger GP100 for 6 years, I can say that this load is a great selection for snubbies. The recoil is mild for .357 mag and shoots to point of aim.
That said, I would NEVER use this particular load for HD or low-light defence situations. When fired, the fireball this load produces is extreme and in low light situations, will absolutely hamper any night vision you may have acquired. This load is also substantially louder than most .357 I have fired. Simply put, if you cherish your hearing make another selection. I was shooting my GP one sunny day in NC, when a neighbor came down the hill and asked where was the shotgun. I laughed, NO one could ever mistake a .357 for a shotgun, but it is something to think about.
If you are sold on a revolver and a .357, consider .38 for HD.
God Bless
Having carried this load in my Ruger GP100 for 6 years, I can say that this load is a great selection for snubbies. The recoil is mild for .357 mag and shoots to point of aim.
That said, I would NEVER use this particular load for HD or low-light defence situations. When fired, the fireball this load produces is extreme and in low light situations, will absolutely hamper any night vision you may have acquired. This load is also substantially louder than most .357 I have fired. Simply put, if you cherish your hearing make another selection. I was shooting my GP one sunny day in NC, when a neighbor came down the hill and asked where was the shotgun. I laughed, NO one could ever mistake a .357 for a shotgun, but it is something to think about.
If you are sold on a revolver and a .357, consider .38 for HD.
God Bless