ok now I need help with 357 ammo for my 66 please

glock17luver

New member
I am sorry to bother you guys again but I need some recommendations on which 357 magnum ammo to use? I don't plan to use full power loads but I do need some ideas on which loads are low or medium velocity and which ones are marked so on the box?

As you know i got this gun for home defense/ccw so I need some feedback on what rounds are the least likely to over penetrait? Should i go with a heavier load such as the 148 or 158 grain bullets? I think these will move slower because of thair weight maybe or should I go to the light magnums like the 110 and 125 grain loads?

I have also heard that the jacked soft point bullets mushroom quickly and wont over penetrait but do they go deep enough?

I would also like ideas on 38 special +p or +p+ loads even. But I would prefer to use 357 loads if it's possible to do so safely in a house or in public when carrying. Thanks in advance
 
For .38 SPL loads I like the 158 gr LSWCHP +P loads for self-defense. I use these in my smaller guns. A good alternative in a jacketed bullet is the Federal HS or Personal Defense Loads in 110 gr or 129 gr.

For .357 Magnum loads I would stick with the Federal HS/Personal Defense loads in the 110-125 gr range.
 
Over-penetration vs. stopping power expansion can be a fine line to walk. There are a multitude of opinions (and some valid data backing them up), but if you have outer walls that are easily penetrated, consider the pre-fragmented rounds, at least for the first two chambers. I carry MagSafes or Bee Safes when traveling (motel room walls) and reload with the Federal PD rounds when I'm leaving to go back on the road.
 
For home defense,

I use a combination of Federal's 125 grain +P JHP's in .38
Special; as well as the 125 grain "Gold" Mag-Tech JHP's in
my 6" Smith & Wesson 686-5.:cool: :D :) I don't stoke it
with magnum rounds, due to the possibility of some over
penetration.:eek:

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
.38 +Ps should give you plenty of stopping power, especially if you stick with the premium ammo, and it has far less overpenatration than .357 ammo. Also, shooting a .357 indoors will leave you temporarily blind (bad for follow up shots) and with possible hearing damage. Far less chance of either with .38+Ps. With some of the better rounds I wouldn't be afraid of regular .38s too, especially when overpenatration is especially an issue (i.e. motels and hotels, thin apartment walls, etc).

I am really starting to like the Winchester Silver Tips and the Speer Gold Dot ammo. I am also a long time fan of Federal HydraShok. If you get the Personal Defense HydraShok loads (as opposed to straight HydraShok) they are downloaded to give less recoil and faster follow up shots so they may have less overpenatration as well (though I think 110Gr is too little for .38 or .357 ammo for defense, may be too little penatration).

If you really want to use .357s in your gun use some of the lighter bullet weights. With less mass you'll have less penatration. Also, the Winchester USA brand seems to be milder than most .357 loadings and it is available in a HP.

I have also heard that the jacked soft point bullets mushroom quickly and wont over penetrait but do they go deep enough?
From most of what I have heard these are supposed to penatrate more. Better for hunting, ok for defense out in the country, fine (though a bit expensive) for targets, no good for general self defense. Most .357 hunting ammo are heavy JSPs for penatration, that should say something.
 
The rem golden sabre is rated at 1200fps from a 4" tube. Shot OK in my 28...Shoots great in my 13. It is a Medium velocity round (nominal velocity for the 125grn JHP is about 1400fps) I have found the Win silvertip in the 145grn flavor to be a great round. Only thing I load in my 28.

I really dont get the use of .38+p's in a .357 gun. If you want a .38 for carry...buy a model 10 or some such. The difference in flash from most +p's....very much the lighter rounds (110, 125)...is far less than you think. Either will make you lose your "night eyes" in a dim area. A certain level of flash will do it...and once your at that point...why pay the price for less power? A certain plateau is reached at flash...and there is no point in trying to work around it in a wheelgun. Get the best load you can...sure low flash would be nice.....but its a much smaller deal than people make it out to be. Hits count first, than power, than controlability, than maybe flash....maybe. I dont see the reasoning in using puff ball loads, when you can have fire breathers.

I'll take my chances with "overpenetration". As Clint Smith says "good...now they can bleed form two holes..." This guy runs the pre-eminent combat school in the world, and reccomends HARDBALL. Tells you what real experts think of "overpenetration"...you can add to the list of FMJ advocates Cooper, Chuck Taylor, Ken Hackathorn...the list goes on.

Its amazing how people managed to survive in the days when "flash" was unheard of. Cops in the past did OK, and still do....only us civilians worry about flash. Guns make noise and light....no gettin round it. I have never heard Bill Jordan mention a word about flash, or D.A. Bryce or anyone else with real life experience. I have heard chuck taylor mention it...but he stated it in the light it deserves.....low on the list.

I would also add that the 125grn Fed JHP load....penetrates less in gelatin than most new "improved" loads(12"-14" vs. the FBI standard of 16"-18"). It also usually expands quite rapidly, and more often than not ruptures and fragments to some degree....velocity in and of itself doesnt cause penetration. With a properly designed bullet....velocity is actually a benefit (I would mention the Glaser line as an example).

I would reccomend geting a good load....but more importantly one you can hit with...fast. One that you can practice with regularly, is at your limits of control, and has a proven record of REAL life shootings. All the gelatin blocks in the world mean nothing without real liffe stats to back them up. Its no secret to the informed that the 125grn Fed Classic load is a simply devestaing load as far as handguns are concerned. It is mindblowing what the stuff does to gelatin...and people. Yeah its loud, and it recoils hard, and it flashes tremendously.....how do you think the guy getting it feels? If all you can handle...and do be honest with yourself.....is a .38 spec 125grn +p...then by all means carry that load. If you can handle more....I would highly reccomend you do so.

I personally cant handle the hot loads form my 13 like I need to. Out of my 28...they dont make a load that I cant handle. My brother LIKES to shoot hto 125's from his 386 mountain lite....go figure. Hits count first though....and I carry my 28 more and more to get the most power I can handle. Flash and overpenetration be damnned.

Just my 2 cents

Dark Knight
 
The 158+P .38s in lead semi-wadcutter hollowpoint (also known as LSWC-HP 158+P) is a splendid choice for that gun. They'll do their part, if you hit 'em where it counts.

This is basically a very old police load. The total lack of a jacket means it expands faster than normal at lower velocities than most of the super-modern-wonder-ammo can operate at. Also known as the "Chicago load", "FBI load", "Metro load", etc.

The same basic round is made by Winchester, Remington and Federal - Federal makes 'em in plain lead and in nylon-coated (Nyclad - although I think they're being discontinued?). Of these the Winchester is very commonly available and has a good rep, the Remington is reputed to be loaded a tad hotter but is harder to find. My vote: look around for the Remington variant at your next gun show, meanwhile just go with Winchester.

The next step UP in horsepower would be the ProLoad "Tactical Lite" 125grain .357 JHP. This was designed for use in the various 2" barrel true snubbies like the S&W J-Frames, Ruger SP101, etc. Your gun can eat a ton of 'em and not flinch.

I'd decide between the above two based both on how much recoil I wanted to deal with, and how accurate each was in my gun.

WAY up there in power is "King Kong" - the Remington full-house 125 JHP. Too many of these could indeed eat your gun alive, but some people carry one of these loaded "last at bat" - last shot fired in the first cylinder. It becomes your gun's way of telling you "I'M DRY, FOOL, GO TO PLAN B!" as the enormous recoil tries to rip your arm off :D. If you go with this concept, you do NOT need to ever shoot one in practice - you don't need the flinch, and point of aim will be close enough at combat range. You also don't need to learn to come back down off of the crazy recoil for the next shot, because there won't BE a next shot - that's the only round of that type you carry, there's none in your speedloaders.

One of these shot every few years in actual combat (if ever) won't hurt your gun. A box a year won't either, the 66 ain't THAT delicate. But based purely on recoil, I'd call these "overkill" - the gun doesn't do you any good pointed skywards from recoil, unless the shot that put it there was the last in which case it don't matter :).

------------------------

Then there's frangibles.

The RCBD has developed a following of late - see also recent threads on this round in the general handgun forum. Glaser SILVER labels are also good (avoid BLUE). If you do try frangibles, stick with .357 versus .38 - they don't tend to stress the gun very much, you won't be firing many (not at $2 to $3 a round!) and recoil tends to be moderate. You DO need to fire a few to see where they're going though...in some guns, point of aim could be way off in which case, avoid that type.

The really creative folks load their six-gun .357 with two rounds of frangible "first at bat", then three rounds of their standard JHP (in your case, either the old Chicago load or the ProLoad Tactical Lite) and then King Kong last up. Sounds like "Crack/Crack/Bang/Bang/Bang/BOOOOM" :D. Theory is, the frangibles are safer for bystanders, by shot number three the bystanders have DUCKED and hollowpoints are a bit more of a "known factor", and then that last slam tells you the gun is dry while seriously screwing up whatever it hit.

And then your speedloaders should be nothing but the standard hollowpoint you chose! Don't try a "mixed pattern load" in anything but the first cylinder.

----------------

So what am *I* doing? My best gun is a lowly .38 five-shooter, and without CCW yet it's mostly home defense with two roommates. either side of my room. So I load four Glaser Silver frangibles first up, following by a Winchester 130+P JHP with a HUGE hollowpoint cavity and a sharp recoil in my gun, followed by two speedloaders worth of Winchester 158+P Chicagos.
 
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Another vote for the Golden Sabre 125-gr.

It's got a good track records so far, doesn't kill you with recoil, and is very accurate out of my .357s.
 
Carry 125 Rem Golden Sabers exclusively. Submarined a cylinder-full with gun. Just wiped 'em dry used them for practice a couple weeks later. All 5 went bang. Very accurate out of my gun, moderate recoil.
Works for me.
 
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