Anyone shooting full house .357 from their LCR?

H

HighValleyRanch

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1. Anyone shot the Buffalo Bore .357 outdoorsman from their .357 LCR?

2. Anyone practices regularly 30 to 50 rounds a session with medium .357 from their LCR?

3. I shoot the .38 +P BB outdoorsman from my .38 special LCRX and it is tolerable and want to compare how the full house .357 is going to be out of the slightly heavier .357 LCR before getting one.

4.Please, I don't want this thread to degenerate into the power loss of a .357 is short barrel revolvers, or "just shoot .38 in the .357 so that you can have more options".
I already have read and heard tons on that subject. I just want to hear first hand accounts of shooters who have done this.
 
I have the 38 special. My good friend has the 357. He shoots spicy 357's through it sometimes, and I have shot it many times. Shooting the 357 ammo is really not too bad. It doesn't bother me. The extra four ounces or whatever it is makes a big difference. For me, shooting 357 out of his is about the same as firing stout 38 specials out of my lighter revolver. I wouldn't have thought those extra ounces would be so important, but my friend has the same opinion when he shoots them both.
 
I've spent some range time with the LCR 38, the LCR 357, and the LCR 327. All of my .357 time has been with fairly average stuff, mostly bought at Wal-Mart. Even so, I found the recoil and muzzle blast to be pretty obnoxious. The LCR's cushy grips made it more pleasant than an alloy J-frame but not by much. Sure, training can prevail and all that but I just feel like it's a diminishing return and a little unnecessary given the other choices.

In contrast, the .327 version has its share of muzzle blast but with less recoil. It feels better and is easier to control than the .357, while still offering decent power levels (and an extra shot). Having tried them back to back with a few friends, we all agreed that felt recoil was nearly indistinguishable between the 85-grain load in the steel-framed LCR 327 and several .38 +p loads in the lighter LCR 38.

Of course, muzzle blast is a real thing and either .357 or .327 would be pretty rough on the ears indoors. While shooting indoors without hearing protection in any caliber has consequences, the LCR 38 is at least less brutal. Someone mentioned the noticing the heavier LCR 357 being good for shooting but I've noticed that the lighter LCR 38 carries better. Don't get me wrong. They all carry pretty well. It's just enough lighter that I notice.
 
Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman Specs:

From their website:

HEAVY 357 MAG OUTDOORSMAN
180 gr. Hard Cast LFN-GC (1,400fps/M.E. 783 ft. lbs.)
20 Round Box

ITEM 19A

Our 357 mag. ammo adds more power than ever before to the 357 mag. This ammo is safe to shoot in ANY all steel 357 revolver - this includes J frames. This ammo is no harder on your gun than any other normal 357 ammo. Please don't phone or email us and ask if this ammo is safe in your gun. It is, providing your gun is in safe condition for use with any normal 357 ammo.

We don't recommend this ammo to be fired in super light alloy revolvers as bullets may jump crimp under recoil, but the ammo itself wont hurt these super light weight revolvers. These revolvers are simply so light that the recoil is severe enough to cause crimp jump.

The below velocities are offered so that you can see what guns/barrel lengths give what velocities with this new 357 mag. ammo. You'll notice that new S&W revolvers with short barrels are often shooting faster than older S&W revolvers with longer barrels. The new S&W revolvers are very good and are made with equipment that makes them more consistent and faster than the S&W revolvers of yesteryear.

Make special note of the Marlin 1894, 18.5 inch barrel velocities. Item 19C/20, supercedes 30-30 energies!!!

➤ 3 inch S&W J frame

a. Item 19A/20-180gr. Hard cast LFN = 1302 fps
b. Item 19B/20-170gr. JHC (jacketed hollow cavity) = 1299 fps
c. Item 19C/20-158gr. Jacketed Hollow Point = 1398 fps
d. Item 19D/20-125gr. Jacketed Hollow Point = 1476 fps
Click to expand...

I personally would not try this ammo in a gun that I own, but if anyone wants to try it and post a review or better yet a video, Go for it!

I suspect it would be extremely unpleasant to shoot in a small snubbie like the LCR. You would have to watch for the crimp jump as they state.

I went out to Hodgdon's load data and looked up their numbers for safe loads in .357 magnum and to be fair there are max loads that exceed the specs stated here. An example:

180 grain nosler partition:
Hodgdon Lil'Gun .357" 1.575" 13.0 1,279 27,500 CUP
15.0 1,422 34,500 CUP

This is out of a 10" barrel I suspect a Thompson center contender. lope 300 FPS off for a 3" barrel and you get 1122 fps.

here is a load for a 125gr Hndy XTP

Hodgdon H110 .357" 1.590" 21.0 1,881 38,400 CUP 22.0 1,966 41,400 CUP

so call it 1600 fps in a 3" barrel.

As I look at the Hodgden loads it seems to me that they may actually be intended as TC Contender max loads and not safe in a small revolver.
 
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Everything else being equal, which bullet weights are more likely to "jump crimp under recoil"; heavier or lighter? I'm guessing that heavier bullets are more likely to "stay put" but I don't know. I assume the answer to this question has mostly to do with basic physics.
 
I'm guessing that heavier bullets would tend to jump crimp easier.

Why, because the law of inertia, being that the heavier bullet would remain immovable longer and the recoil would then tend to pull the bullet because of this greater inertia.

A lighter bullet would move with the recoil easier tending so would not pull as easily.
 
That makes a lot of sense, HighValleyRanch. I have read that the possibility of a bullet jumping its crimp is more likely when they are made from lead (as opposed to jacketed ones) and that the S&W Model 342 Ti (having a fluted titanium cylinder and weighing a little more than ten ounces) was rated for jacketed bullets only when using .38 Special +P ammunition.
 
Like I said, I shot three rounds of the Buffalo Bore .38 +P outdoorsman, supposedly rated at about 1000 fps out of my LCR and it was sharper recoil than .44 mag out of my 629, and way more recoil than hottest 180 grain double tap 10mm out of my glock 20!
I need to shoot four and check the length of the fifth, but those darn rounds are so expensive, I only shoot a few at a time.
 
I've been on record several times as saying I won't shoot 158 grain .357 magnum rounds out of the Ruger LCR. I did a couple and that was enough for my hand. I won't do it again. I will shoot 125 grain .357 magnum rounds out of the LCR but not many at any given range session.

These are just range (Magtech I think) rounds...nothing 'hot' just regular .357 magnum rounds. I've a 4 inch medium frame revolver and I'll shoot 158 grain rounds out of it without complaint but in the LCR they are too much for me. Your mileage may vary.

P.S. I shudder to think what some heavy Buffalo Bore stuff would do to me...but again you could easily be more recoil tolerant than me.
 
Yeah, those BB loads were 158 grain .38 +P!;)

I was able to find some youtube videos of people shooting heavy .357 out of their LCR's.
One guy was tall and lean, and the BB stuff ended with the gun almost 90 degrees to his extended arms!:eek:

But then there were a few of heftier guys shooting .357 out of their LCR one handed with not much noticeable muzzle flip, so I guess it's "milage varies".

I used to hate the way they look, but after having my LCRX I am more used to the pug look, and now it's growing on me. I'm a glock lover, so I guess ugly is fine if the firearm does what it's supposed to do!

I ordered some of the longer Hogue Tamer grips that come on the 3" LCRX to try on my short one.
 
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I got my LCR 357 when they first came out. I was surprised on the kick of the full house 357. I had some mid range 357 loaded that made shooting more fun. The load replicated some of the Self Defense loads. I bought a couple cases of PNC 125gr. 357 JHP. HOLY CRAP!! that stuff kicks. I saved it for my heavier 357s. Then Arthritis set in my wrists. No more 357 shooting. In the Spring I'm going to sell some ammo and the LCR. I like my J-Frames and 38 better.
 
More than 25 +P rounds in a J-frame Smith Airweight is more than I want to tolerate in a day at the range practice session. I plan on adopting the Ruger LCR, chambered in .327 Magnum, as my carry concealed snubbie and retiring the nice little Colt Cobra I've been relying on (just too "nice" to worry about. I insist on having at least six rounds on board for self-defense duties...:o
 
Well I'm a puss then it comes to recoil. I have a LCR 357 but only shoot 38 though it. Suits me fine. I even have the Horaday Pink bullets it it for self defense. That's how much of a "man" I am.
 
All right gilfo! :D I'm almost with you but I do carry the Gold Dot 135+p load. ;)

To answer the OP's, question: no, just no, not for me. I have fired two Golden Saber 357 rounds and it didn't kill me but those are about the absolute wimpiest 357 load out there. I have no desire to go any hotter than that.
 
I own the LCRx 3 inch and carry the BB 38+p outdoorsman load in it when I'm camping. I've got a couple boxes of the BB outdoorsman through it and am comfortable with the level of recoil, which is stiff but okay for its purpose. I have also owned an LCR 357 in the past and when I would go to the range with it I would generally shoot half a box of 357 and a full box of 38 through it. I would generally shoot fiocchi 357 or S&B 357 in it, both of which are pretty hot. I would say that the BB outdoorsman in the LCRx3 recoils about the same or slightly harder than 357 mag in the LCR 357.

I would guess that the BB 357 outdoorsman would be up to another level of recoil and very stiff. Also, I don't know that you would get any additional velocity out of it. Some but not a lot. Running a chronograph on a number of factory loads I learned that 38+p designed for a short barrel can match 357 loads from a short barrel because lots of factory 357 loads are really calibrated for longer barrels so you lose lots in the muzzle blast from a short barrel. There are some 357 factory loads made for short barrels but those generally only slightly outperform a hot 38+p from a short barrel. 357 mag really shines in barrels 5 inches or longer. I would guess that the BB 357 mag outdoorsman is really not a load designed for short barrels, as indicated above.
 
Stout

I have shot both factory (Hornady 125 and Remington 158) and my own 357 reloads (158) as well as 38 reloads. My .357 reloads are plenty hot and I will only shoot 1-2 cylinders of them per session. I don't shoot as much as I should and would like, but that's all I can handle when shooting. The .357's are very heavy recoil for me. The .38's, no problem. While your mileage will vary, I recommend practicing with .38's and carrying .357's. If you have to shoot in a defense situation, you won't even notice the recoil.
 
Yes

I don't shoot the Buffalo Bore, but I do shoot a full power SD load, I carry the 158 gr Speer Gold Dot (#23960). I practice with a full power 158 gr. FMJ, and a stoutly loaded cast GC SWC.

I have a lot of rounds through it. The recoil is very heavy and I have learned how to shoot it without making my hands hurt, I can shoot 50 rounds a session and end with 10 rounds of the expensive Gold Dot ammunition.
 
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