4" barrel .357 defense load question

Webley,

That is the load we were issued when I was a cop in Ft Worth, TX. I saw lots of felons ventilated with those, they work VERY well.
 
The benchmark for one shot stops

The 125 has a very solid reputation for being the perfect(in a perfect world) SD round.
The 158 will get you more penetration which may not be optimal in some settings.
Both should be more than acceptable. You ought to take a few boxes of each to the range and see what you prefer.
 
The benchmark for one shot stops
The 125 has a very solid reputation for being the perfect(in a perfect world) SD round.
The 158 will get you more penetration which may not be optimal in some settings.
Both should be more than acceptable. You ought to take a few boxes of each to the range and see what you prefer.
Click to expand...


One shot stops are fantasy.
 
140grn Barnes XPB's loaded with 14.3grns of VV N110 and a small rifle primer.


Recoil is managable and the results from the all copper XPB's is impressive.
I get around 1330fps from a 4in Service Six, I dont really think there is a better defensive round for a self defense 4in or longer 357.
 
140grn Barnes XPB's loaded with 14.3grns of VV N110 and a small rifle primer.
Click to expand...

Buffalo Bore makes that kind of round. But the 140gr Barns gets 1400 fps from a 4 inch with their load.

Yea it is real intersting.

Might get some and reload my own for both .357 and .44 magnum.

Deaf
 
Might get some and reload my own for both .357 and .44 magnum.
Click to expand...

In 44 I loaded the 225grn Barnes with an even 20grns of VV n110.(Win LP primer)

I got 1320fps out of my 5.5in Redhawk, and 1190fps out of my Alaskan.

I tested expansion from the Alaskan, and ...WOW!! the widest point was 7/8th of an inch (wet newsprint)

I am very impressed with these XPB's for defense, but, I use heavy XTP's (Hornady) for hunting, they are just more accurate at 50 to 75 yards than the Barnes.
 
For What It's Worth

in the past 40 odd years I have had some experience with .22,.25,.32,.380,.9X19,.38,.357,.41,.44,.&.45 cal. pistols & revolvers. I came out on the side of "Light & Fast" vs "Heavy & Slow" argument". For many years I have trusted my life to S&W .357's. I became a firm believer in 125 gr. HPs moving at truly Magnum speeds-- i.e. 1250-1750 fps. Unfortunately, not only will a 125gr. projectile, fast moving at blistering speed have a ruinous effect on the revolvers forcing cone but can be defeated by a heavy coat & warm clothes. Barnes 140 gr. Vor-TX moving at 1175 fps will penetrate 22" of Balistic Gel from a 2" bbl. revolver. Buffalo Bore offers this 140gr. Barnes PBX Solid Copper HP @ 1550fps. I have now replaced my Cor-Bon DPX 125gr. Barnes PBX and 158 gr. SJHP as my carry loads in my 4" CS1 686 as well as my 18.5" Marlin 1894C. An old dog has learned a new trick.:D
 
Last edited:
For What It's Worth [the old light/fast vs. heavy/slow thing]
Click to expand...

I wonder what a light-for-caliber nonexpanding bullet (FMJ or hard cast lead) at a blistering velocity would do? Like a 115 grain .357 bullet at 1500 to 1600+ fps. It will have more energy and less momentum, so it will dissipate that energy very rapidly -- but by not expanding, it should still penetrate well. Does the rapid energy loss equate to tissue damage, like a rifle bullet?

Trying to think like an engineer, maybe when the bullet is going faster than the speed of sound in flesh, it transitions from temporary cavity (not much real damage) to a shockwave that creates a permanent cavity. The problem with that theory is the speed of sound in water is about 1500 meter/second. Even rifle bullets don't go that fast. What am I missing here?
 
The 2nd video is interesting to me. 800 fps and 199 ft. lb of energy.
Click to expand...
Actually i'd bet it was slower than that. In the video he says it's 800fps advertised, on the box, with a 4'' barrel. The revolver used in the video was a 2'' snubby according to the narrator.
 
The Hornady XTP does not do well shot from a rifle because of the added velocity. I believe it's over 1600 fps where it has a problem.
 
The 158g choices offer increased chance for through-and-throughs; bad.
Click to expand...

Any high performance defensive round is capable of this. The problem is, the lighter bullets have a weakness, they are lighter, thus have an increased chance to stop short of optimal penetration.

Given the choices of increased chance of over-penetration or the increased chance of under-penetration, I'll stick with the 158 grain.
 
wonder what a light-for-caliber nonexpanding bullet (FMJ or hard cast lead) at a blistering velocity would do? Like a 115 grain .357 bullet at 1500 to 1600+ fps. It will have more energy and less momentum, so it will dissipate that energy very rapidly -- but by not expanding, it should still penetrate well. Does the rapid energy loss equate to tissue damage, like a rifle bullet?
Click to expand...

With the 357 Magnum you get to the point of diminishing returns. The 110 grain bullets had less velocity than the 125's. My experience is that as pressure builds the lighter bullet begins to move faster, thus reducing maximum pressure and velocity. There were some moose guides in Colorado that really liked the Winchester 110 JHP's from Marlin carbines as they exited the muzzle @2200 FPS or so and penetrated nicely.
 
The Hornady XTP does not do well shot from a rifle because of the added velocity. I believe it's over 1600 fps where it has a problem.
Click to expand...

If you handload, there are two distinctly different Hornady 158gr XTP bullets...

The ones in the vid are all XTP-HP, and are designed to open reliably from 700-1400fps...

The XTP-FP (Flat Point) is designed for velocities from 1200 to 1800fps...
 
Years and years of documented shootings had shown Law Enforcement that the best round out of a 4 inch barrel was the 125g JHP. That's why so many agencies carried them. They are proven to work, just like revolvers. You can have confidence in them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top