Recommend a good 357 self defence ammo.

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Deja vu

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Recommend a good 357 self defence ammo. For both CCW and a home defence Carbine.

My carry gun is a S&W 640 Jframe (2 inch barrel). My Home defence gun is a Marlin 357 magnum rifle (16.5 inch barrel). Is there a good load that would work well in both platforms?

Just looking for Ideas. Id like some thing that expands at J-Frame velocity but does not blow up at carbine velocity.
 
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tough choice since one is a rifle and the other a snubbie. try the win sthp 145gr.

I liked the 110gr. wwb in my snubbie, still more than any .38 but not at all punishing.

you could also try the 158 gr. gold dots, theyre rated at about 1150 fps from a 4" gun.
 
Id like some thing that expands at J-Frame velocity but does not blow up at carbine velocity.
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I don't think that exists
Ammo isn't so expensive that you can't find a good load for each gun

In a J frame you may want to just use a 38 Special load
 
..."tough choice since one is a rifle and the other a snubbie. try the win sthp 145gr..."

I haven't seen a round of 357 Silvertip for several years. I wrote to Winchester asking about it, and got a response saying they planned to make some "sometime this year...".

I'm not holding my breath.
 
This may be some limited experience but I use 158gr federal hydrashocks. I shot a medium sized buck at 40 yards with one from a 6" 686. It went clean through and he ran about 100 yards and was dead when I got there. The shot was a little high. The bullet went clean through and did not look much different from a rifle shot. I pretty much figure that if I shot a bg with it in the chest he will not be around long just like that buck.
 
would it still work in a carbine? My home defence gun is a 357 magnum carbine. I know what works on deer is cast lead flat points. In my experience shooting a 357 magnum 125 grain HP at a soft target results in a short 2-4 inches of penetration and a ugly wound but not necessarily alot of stopping/knockdown power.

If possible id like a home defence load that works both in my carbine and in my carry revolver. But I do realise I may be asking for too much.
 
While there's not a lot of data for a .357 Magnum carbine out there, 158 gr bullets seem to be the perennial "all arounder" in .357 Magnum and that's probably where I would start. Were I to try to find one loading to work in both a 2" snub and 16 1/2" carbine, I'd probably look for a 158 gr JHP that expands acceptably in the snub and go from there. With a 158 gr bullet, even if you get some fragmentation (and you probably will at carbine velocity) you'll probably still have enough weight to penetrate acceptably. Of course, the ideal solution would be two different loadings: an aggressively expanding one for the snub and a more controlled expansion one (likely of heavier weight) in the carbine.
 
If the rifle is for personal defense, and not hunting, then just use whatever works best in the pistol. A lighter weight bullet will expand better at snubbie velocities. The same round in a rifle will be way overkill, and blow a hole all the way through a human no matter what the bullet weight you use.
 
Hornady LeverEvolution! It is made for rifles with tubular magazines but shoots very well in revolvers too- I've put it through my GP100 and SP101 with no issues. If you have decided that .357 is your go-to round, this will definitely do what you wanted- shooting reliably and expanding very well out of a snubby and getting optimal performance from your rifle. Hornady critical defense might be an option too, but I haven't personally tried that in a rifle so that's just a thought.
 
I have a 640, use it for pocket carry. I have been shooting 125 Hornady 357 factory loads in it but I did recently find two boxes of the Winchester 145 STHP ammo in some things that my Dad had. I think I might shoot a few of them next week in the snubbie to see how bad they are. They are probably 25 years old.
 
I would recommend 158 grain Remington or Federal Hydra shoks and watching TNOUTDOORS9 and ScubaOz on Youtube as they have tested various loads from 3" and 2" barrels.
 
I just tested some hornaday 125gr from a snubbie and a carbine. not great in the carbine, shed all petals and not a lot of penetration. great from the 2" though. so I am also in the camp of a 158gr w/o a generous HP opening. hydrashock 357 may be good, I have only tested the hydrashock 38pl from my snubbie and it did not expand at all, but that might be a good thing for wanting practical penetration/expansion from an 18" barrel, and i'm sure it does fairly well in 357 from the snubbie too
 
I just tested some hornaday 125gr from a snubbie and a carbine.
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Hopefully they've fixed that stuff by now.

I tried some a few years ago, and extraction from my 642 (.38 Special +P) required a hammer. :eek:
Some quick internet searches when I got home revealed that it was a common problem at the time.

I had the same problem with 9mm, but I know they have since changed that one.
 
After 38 1/2 years of owning assorted 357 revolvers and carbines, putting them through my home grown tests, I've settled on the 140 gr. Buffalo Bore Tactical 357 Mag Lead Free Low Flash-Short Barrel cartridge for concealed carry. This is a reduced Buffalo Bore loading (making it about an average 357 Mag round) that would work for both carrying in the snubbie and home defense in the carbine. Here are some of the reasons for my choice:

I've never gotten any 158 gr JHP and heavier to properly expand from any barrel 3 inches and shorter.

Full powered 125 gr JHPs typically don't hold together very well when fired from a carbine. They act like varmint rounds.

140 to 145 gr JHPs seem to be the best that work in both worlds (snub/carbine) for SD.

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However, I do think any SD round loaded with a 125 gr Barnes XPB would also work and maybe Hornady Critical Duty (not Critical Defense) or Remington Golden Sabre.
 

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Deja,

If that S&W is a 640-1, that is the .357 version, I suggest Buffalo Bore mid-power Barns DPX .357s. If that is to pricy, then the old FBI 158gr load will do fine.

I have the 640-1, and I use the DPX load I mentioned, in 125 gr weight. Now NOT the full powered version offered (as it kicks like heck), but the lower power load.

Deaf
 
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