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.357 Silver Tip
- Thread starter MR.G
- Start date
revolvergeek
New member
Mr g,
Unless they have changed them recently, the .357mag Silvertips are fully jacket hollow points with nickel-over-copper jackets (or something of that sort). The lower velocity loads (.32-.38-.45) all use aluminum alloy jackets.
That said, the .357 load does expand quite well. The local PD issued it for years here. Out of short-barrelled guns they tend to expand well, but like many magnum loads will fragment a little out of longer barrels.
Unless they have changed them recently, the .357mag Silvertips are fully jacket hollow points with nickel-over-copper jackets (or something of that sort). The lower velocity loads (.32-.38-.45) all use aluminum alloy jackets.
That said, the .357 load does expand quite well. The local PD issued it for years here. Out of short-barrelled guns they tend to expand well, but like many magnum loads will fragment a little out of longer barrels.
weldonjr2001
New member
The only Winchester Silvertips in .357 I've seen are 145 grain and have no exposed lead. They have a little less recoil and flash than the Federal 125 grn JHP. They should be pretty decent.
IMO the .357 145 grain Win STHP is an excellent personal defense load. It offers a good balance of penetration and expansion. It has much less blast than full-power 125 grain magnum loads, and recoil is not as severe as some other magnum loads.
IIRC, the FBI used to issue this load for those approved to carry magnum ammo in their duty revolvers.
It is fully jacketed, and there is no exposed lead. In fact, I don't think any STHP has exposed lead, in any caliber.
IIRC, the FBI used to issue this load for those approved to carry magnum ammo in their duty revolvers.
It is fully jacketed, and there is no exposed lead. In fact, I don't think any STHP has exposed lead, in any caliber.
The .32 has a very soft, non jacketed, tip that will dent easily.
The jacket of the .32acp Silvertip is of pure aluminum, that's why it appears so soft. I believe the 185gr .45acp is of the same.
I believe most of the other calibers yielding higher velocities are of as mentioned earlier, a nickel plated jacket, to control expansion/fragmentation.
I abandoned the 145gr .357magnum Silvertip when I realized my .357s just didn't like it. Accuracy I experienced out of most my .357s was poor. I have since switched to 140gr Hornady XTPs, which they all love.
Good luck with it.
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The 110grain 38spl SilverTip is the same Aluminum jacket as well, yep it's soft and I like that idea if expansion and fragmentation are something you like in a bullet. Got the 185grain 45ACP bullets as well and they're of the same construction/material as the 38s I've got.
As for the 357Magnum, I'm not sure though, higher velocities could have made Winchester bullet designers decide to use a different jacket material and just wash it with a metal to make it look similar to the other SilverTip ammo.
As for the 357Magnum, I'm not sure though, higher velocities could have made Winchester bullet designers decide to use a different jacket material and just wash it with a metal to make it look similar to the other SilverTip ammo.