Best Personal Defense Rounds

T

The Rattler

New member
I have S & W L frame 686 and j frame 642. I'm relatively new to handguns & want the best personal defense rounds for them. So far, it seems that the weight of the bullet is of prime importance; e.g. 125 grain, 130, and 135 grain. Hornady touts its polimar tip preventing clothing from stopping the bullet expansion, but it is only 110 grain bullet. They may not penetrate enough. There are also 150+ & 180+ grain, but I have heard they are so big, the may not expand at all.

Can your voices of experience help me sort through all of this?
 
What I can tell you is this. In my 642, all I carry is the 135 gr. short barrel load. Keeping in mind that this load was developed at the request of the largest PD in the world, and they made the rules as to what they wanted, I feel quite confidant it will do exactly what I want it to.
Recoil is sharp, and takes a bit of getting used to, but I have no doubt as to the effectiveness of the load.
As for the L frame, the old FBI load should be just dandy.
 
In .357 magnum, I carry the Federal 125gr jhp loading, box code 357B. This loading has an excellent track record in real world use. It has the highest percentage of one stop shots out of any loading in any caliber.
 
I've started carrying Speer 135-gr. +P Gold Dot.

Shot some out of my 2" Model 042 into a trashcan full of water. Expansion was excellent.
 
I will tell you what I keep on hand and then offer you a bit of advice.

135 grain Speer Gold Dots in 38 and the 125 grain in 357. They are the best in my opinion. That said my HKS speed loaders are filled with the Hornady because the cone shape guides the round into the cylinder nicely and they have a special type of crimp to prevent bullet set back (the Gold Dots do as well).

That said, go on YouTube and search for "ammo test + (your caliber of choice)". You will find some great work done by intelligent people showing penetration, expansion, etc. TNoutdoors9 is one of my favorites and he is one of maybe 2-3 channels that I subscribe to.
 
Guns & Ammo...

In general nearly any 125gr JHP .357magnum brand will do very well.
I often used Remington Golden Saber 125gr JHP rounds in my Ruger SP101.
Other brands include DPX, Federal 125gr JHP, Speer Gold Dot 125gr or 110gr JHP, Glaser Silver Safety Slug, Magsafe.
For .38spl; Speer Gold Dot 135gr JHP +P, Buffalo Bore 158gr lead SWC HP +P, Magsafe SWAT, DPX, Ranger T/T Series.

Clyde
www.shopcorbon.com www.natchezss.com www.buffalobore.com www.magsafeonline.com www.brownells.com

PS: only use factory ammunition too, no hand loads or reloads for defense.
 
I know your 642 is a snubby. But I'm curious what the barrel length of your 686 is.

For the 642, Mike Irwin, engineer88, and I think alike: It's the Speer 135g GDHP SB +P. Great short barrel round. In fact, it's my home protection round in a 686+ w/ 3" barrel.

The best personal defense round is the one you're comfortable shooting.

Getting to bullet weights: all things being equal, heavier is better. But guess what? . . . all things are never equal. Ultimately you want penetration. It's mass (weight) that penetrates. Physics 101. Without proper penetration, you've got nothing. Expansion is important; but only after penetration. Makes sense? I think sometimes we shooters can't see the forest for the trees. We tend to overthink and get into too much minutiae.

So a heavier bullet is better. Right? Not so fast. . .

There's also overpenetration - especially in a public setting. Basic Firearm Rule #3: Be certain of your target and what is behind it. And at low velocities, a heavy bullet may not expand enough to deliver its energy into its intended target and pass on through to do collateral damage to that dreaded place called lawsuit city. This is where lighter bullets start to look attractive ;)

I could go on. This is a huge subject. But I'm typing this while at work. Somebody relieve me, and take over please :p
 
Rem golden saber 125

I carry a 3 inch GP-100 right now with Remington 38 Special 125gr Golden Saber rounds. Low muzzle flash, manageable recoil, and I had the opportunity to test one on an opossum inside my chicken coop. The results were very impressive. I have complete faith in that round.
 
in my J frame revolvers, I carry a load using the Sierra 140 grain JHP, over Blue Dot powder. It is very accurate in my revolvers, and expands well in test media.
 
For your 642, the two best commonly available self-defense loadings seem to be Speer 135gr +P Short Barrel Gold Dot and Remington 158gr +P LSWCHP (sometimes referred to as the "FBI Load" though it was actually Winchester's version used by the FBI).

In .357 Magnum for your 686 (though there wouldn't be anything wrong with using the same .38 +P ammo as your 642) you've got lots of options. Most anything in the 125gr weight will be quite good so long as it's a hollowpoint including Remington 125gr Golden Saber, Hornady 125gr Critical Defense, Speer 125gr Gold Dot, Cor-Bon 125gr DPX or the 125gr SJHP loadings from Federal, Winchester, and Remington. If you want a touch heavier bullet, Federal 130gr Hydra-Shok, Cor-Bon 140gr JHP, Winchester 145gr Silvertip, or one of the 158gr SJHP loadings from Winchester, Remington, or Federal are also excellent. Really, about the only JHP's that I don't recommend in .357 Magnum are the various 110gr loadings due to shallow penetration or Speer 158gr Gold Dot, Federal 158gr Hydra-Shok, and any 180gr HP due to lackluster expansion.
 
Golden Saber 125 gr. More than enough to take care of business and much easier on your ears and eyes should you need to fire with no protection, which IS important.
 
The Rattler said:
I have S & W L frame 686 and j frame 642. I'm relatively new to handguns & want the best personal defense rounds for them. So far, it seems that the weight of the bullet is of prime importance; e.g. 125 grain, 130, and 135 grain. Hornady touts its polimar tip preventing clothing from stopping the bullet expansion, but it is only 110 grain bullet. They may not penetrate enough. There are also 150+ & 180+ grain, but I have heard they are so big, the may not expand at all.

Can your voices of experience help me sort through all of this?
Click to expand...
I carry Fiocchi® 158gr XTP in my 357 Magnum; and Buffalo Bore® Standard Pressure 158gr LSWCHCGC in my 5 shot 38 Special.
 
For your 686 I would go with any major manufacturer of 357 158gr ammo. Whether it expands or not, you'll get the penetration you need.
 
Rattler the best ammo for you is the brand and bullet style you are the most accurate with, so a little trial and error may well be in order. For myself in my .357 Magnum revolvers I use a 158Gr LSWC over 14.5 grains of 2400, or the Buffalo Bore 38/44 +P round, which can be rather pricy.
 
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