LCR 357 on layaway. now for ammo choices

A

alphamaniv

New member
well...i decided to get the 357 bacause i like the idea of a steel frame over an aluminum frame. That probably just means i am getting old LOL

Now its down to ammo choices. please list your favorite short barrel loads in .38 special as well as 357. i figure im going to be trying several different options while looking for a carry round. thanks for any input
 
Before you go dropping a bunch of $$$ on SD ammo, I'd recommend trying out a few loads. I got to shoot an LCR .357 with some .357 loads. I found the kick to be, well, let's call it "healthy." It was enough to make my groups larger than I would be comfortable with in an SD situation.
 
i have some remington rounds from wally world and i have some corbon ammo that is a handful in my 586. i might venture a cylinder full of those just to say i did it LOL. Im eyeballing some of the low recoil/low flash buffalo bore. if its still more bite than i want then i wouldnt feel under gunned with 38 spl. Like i said..i just got the 357 because i liked the idea of the steel frame. it will be carried IWB on a belt so the extra weight wasnt really a consideration. thanks for the input so far :)
 
Well, I don't know what kind of "Stoppers" they are from the short barrel. But, I've been carrying .357 mag. WWB 110 gr. LHJHP's. The recoil is not real bad, with them. At least they're easier to shoot than the 125 gr.JHP .357's. And not quite as noisy either.
 
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Blazer aluminum 158gn JHP. I have been shooting it in my Model 19 2.5".
It shoots accurately, and is hotter than 38 +P, but not a full power 357. Cheap, too.
 
My dad's LCR .357 seems to have its sights regulated for 125gr bullets, so I'd recommend something that weight or reasonably close to it. Dad uses Remington full-power 125gr SJHP from Wal-Mart and while certainly an effective loading that shoots to the sights, it kicks like a rented mule in such a light revolver. We've also tried Remington Golden Sabers and while the recoil is still quite heavy, its much more manageable than the full-power loadings.

.38 Spl +P isn't bad at all and Speer 135gr Short Barrel Gold Dots, Winchester 129gr PDX1, Federal 129gr Hydra-Shoks, or Remington 125gr Golden Sabers would all seem to be good choices.
 
I hope you enjoy your .357 LCR very much.

Since I also have the .38 version LCR, I use the .357 version with the hot stuff.

I keep Remington 125 grain SJHP .357 magnum in the revolver, and have Speer 125 grain Gold Dot HPs in speed strips as reloads. The Speers don't have the exposed lead that the Remingtons have, thus they feed into the cylinder smoother.

The Remington load clocks (55 deg F day/average of 5 shots) 1245 fps/432 ft. lbs ME while the Speer produces 1210/409 under the same conditions.

Incidentally, the .38 +P versions of both those loads in the .38 LCR ring up

Remington 125 SJHP = 910/231 ............. Speer 125 GDHP = 869/211

The .357 versions in the same barrel length generate pretty close to double the muzzle energy of the .38 +P load, if that matters to you.

Everybody has their own opinion as to the tradeoff between recoil and controllability. I'm sure you'll form your own.

The .357 LCR does hurt my hand at the range after 5 rounds, but I doubt I'd ever feel it at all in a real-life situation.
 
If you value your ears, don't touch off a .357 round out of that thing indoors without hearing protection.

Just my 2 cents.

I want one in .357 too, btw. Will load it with .38+P's though.
 
These should clarify things

I don't know about the .357, but the 38 Special...
http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger-LCR.htm said:
The frame of the LCR is made up of two components. The cylinder frame is made of aluminum, which is a pretty conventional material for a lightweight pocket gun. However, the grip frame is made of a high-tech polymer, and extends below and to the rear of the cylinder frame, cradling that unit, and contains all of the fire control parts, such as the hammer, sear, and trigger, along with the necessary springs and pins to contain and provide fulcrums for those moving parts. The cylinder and internal parts are made of stainless steel.
Click to expand...

and this

https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/reviews/guns/magnum-force-rugers-lcr-357-gets-serious/ said:
The only significant difference in the LCR-357 is the weight; all other dimensions are identical. In order to contain the higher pressures of the .357 Magnum round, Ruger engineers had to beef up certain areas of the revolver, most notably the cylinder frame and cylinder. The cylinder frame is stainless steel instead of aluminum alloy, and is responsible for most of the additional 3-1/2 ounces of weight.
Click to expand...

Lost Sheep
 
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.357magnum/.38spl +P carry rounds....

For defense or concealed carry uses, I'd suggest these brands-wts for the LCR snub.
In .38spl +P, I'd buy the Speer Gold Dot 135gr JHP +P, the Corbon DPX, the Buffalo Bore 158gr lead SWC-HP +P, the MagSafe SWAT, Corbon 110gr +P JHP.
In .357magnum; I'd go with the 125gr JHP from DPX, Golden Saber, Corbon, Hornady. Other good .357magnum loads include the Glaser Safety Slug & the Golden Saber 110gr JHP short barrel.

CF
www.Natchezss.com www.shopcorbon.com www.sgammo.com www.midwayusa.com
 
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