Favorite .357 magnum factory plinking loads?

S

Slimjim9

New member
Yeah,I know ".357" and "plinking" don't exactly go together but I'm looking for some "fun" loads to shoot out of my new 3" GP100. I only had half a box of Blazer aluminum 158gr the first trip out. It was OK but didn't feel much different than a warmer 38 load I had (Magtech 125gr - the hotter one).

Trying to research .357 loads it is real hard to get a feel for how much power and recoil a given load has. I want some options that are in the low-to-mid range and don't cost an arm-and-leg. I was thinking about Freedom Munitions but my experience with their 38 loads has been good and bad and the 357 FMJ load is advertised at 1375fps which seems like it might be starting to get into the "not fun" range.

What say you?
 
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I also have a 3" GP100, and yes, I like to plink 357 style.
The Blazer aluminum is lower powered for a magnum, but shoots well. The Blazer brass is a little faster, but still not a full powered magnum.
The American Eagle 158gn JSP has a pretty good bark, as does the Fiocchi TC-FMJ.
I load up with Hornady Critical Defense 125gn or 158gn XTP for SD.
 
Like others have mentioned, if you want a weak .357 Magnum loading it is called a 38 Special. Try .38 Special +P for a little more kick. :D

If you want a weak "true" .357 Magnum load try:

Magtech Cowboy Action in 158 Grain
or
Winchester White Box in 110 Grain

If you want a stouter yet cheap .357 Magnum load try:

Fiocchi in 142 Grain (This is pretty much equal with the loads offered by Freedom Munitions.)

Pretty much all of the other big-name factory .357 Magnum ammunition will be right between these two extremes.
 
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Oh, I have 38's to shoot if I want to shoot 38spl. I like 38spl and love my Model 15 and Pre-model 10.
But, I also like 357magnum, and find shooting it to be fun, and I shoot it very well. With my GP100 I can't seem to miss, and I find the supposed heavier recoil to be a myth.
Funny how a few years of shooting heavy 44mag and 45 Colt loads changes your perception of recoil.
I may never shoot 38 in my GP.
 
"Just use 38 special" - of course there is that. My first 3" GP100 is only chambered in .38 and I do enjoy shooting it with the warmer 158gr and 125gr loads I've found. 38+p is also fun and fine but AFAIK is only available in hollow point/defense loads (I.e. expensive) not FMJ so I don't shoot much of it.

The new one is chambered in .357 so I would like to start exploring what the cartridge has to offer. Of course it will probably see a healthy diet of .38 as well but I'm just looking to expand the horizons.

And before someone suggests "reload your own to whatever heat you want" - I'm not interested in reloading at this point, more for the time aspect than anything else.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.
 
It makes sense... To ME, at least.

If you're going to OWN a .357, then it makes sense that you'll want to DEFEND YOURSELF with .357s, not .38s, so it is prudent to PRACTICE with .357s (or something approaching them), not .38s. I would think it particularly important to do so with smaller .357s like yours, which can be downright obstreperous with .357 factory loads in them.

I'm not terribly conversant on how "hot" the various factory loadings are, because I only shoot a box of factory ammo when I want the brass.

I get the impression that you don't reload your own ammo, but perhaps you know someone who does. I use a load consisting of 7.6 grains of Herco with a 158 gr. SWC or RNFP in .357 cases. This isn't a maximum loading, but it is within 5% of it. I can use this load to approximate the max load that I use in .357, for when it really counts.

You might consider buying 500 cast projectiles and a pound of powder (and some primers) for a friend who reloads, and see if he might work some sort of swap with you. If you do this, I suggest starting at no higher than 7.2/Herco and working up incrementally.
 
The 3" GP100 is not "obstreperous" with full power 357 loads at all...even using the compact Lett grip I put on mine.
It is a full sized revolver with plenty of weight out front.
 
Kosh- great word. I admit I had to look it up. :o
ob·strep·er·ous. əbˈstrepərəs/. adjective
noisy and difficult to control. "the boy is cocky and obstreperous"

I said I don't want to reload and you give me a reloading recipe. Me thinks Mr. Kosh might be a bit obstreperous himself. ;) just kidding- I'll take that under advisement for later perhaps.

Amd is right. The GP100 is 36 ounces of steel. Now my LCR357 is definitely obstreperous and I only shoot 38+p with it.
 
Get some of the Remington 125 grain hollow points from Wal Mart.

Lot of power and can be had in the 100 round value packs.

Other than that, I use .38s for the most part.
 
Slim,
I use Hornady 125 gr 357 mag or 140 gr.
also Magtech FMF 125 grain 357 mag
and Speer GDHP 125 grain """"""""".
My GP 4.2" only eats American made ammo. Call me a snob but all I know is
that it doesn't like foreigner ammo.
Remington Golden Saber 125 grain BJHP Ammo GS357MA is not too costly.
I like using this from SGAmmo.com.

Enjoy the Toy.
Doc
 
Thanks folks. Doc, I had an SGammo cart loaded up but looked at my other vendors and noticed TargetSportsUSA had something else I was looking for. Here's what I have coming:

-Geco 357 158gr FMJ (1295fps/593ft-lbs)
-Fiocchi 357 158gr JHP (1220fps/522ft-lbs)
-Remington HTP 357 110gr SJHP (1295fps/410ft-lbs)
-Remington GS 357 125gr JHP (1220fps/413ft-lbs)
-Speer 38+P 135gr Short Barrell JHP (1200fps/335ft-lbs)

1 box each except for 2 of the Fiocchi - I guess we'll see how my GP likes the furrin stuff. ;)

Range report in a few weeks when they come in and I have a chance to take em out.

FWIW, the last one is hard to find, was out at SG and was twice the price at Midway so I went with TS this time. The Geco and HTP were the bargains in this batch at $20/50rds.
 
Doc, those are the 20rd boxes and are fairly easy to find. What I got at TS is the 50rd box for the same price - this one. SG lists it but was out. I'm sure someone will tell me what the difference is but I can't see what it is.

BTW, I have looked at Lucky Gunner before but never ordered with them yet. Every time I'm looking to make an order it seems they are a lot more expensive than other options.
 
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