I have read several different articles where it was stated the Federal Classic Hi-Shok was the best performer out of the 125's. That is what I currently use in my Ruger KGP-141, it is extremely accurate.
I like the Cor-Bon defensive 125 for carry. Moderate recoil makes shot placement easier, flash color seems to disturb night vision very little. Bullet performance good.
For full boogie real .357 loads you gonna have to do it yourself or get em from specialty house.....such as WESHOOT2.
And you don't want to shoot full house .357 loads in anything smaller than an N frame Smith.....or even stronger.
I would wager that the current GP100s *are* as strong as a classic S&W 27 or 28. True, there's a tad less metal in some areas of the cylinder but it's better metallurgy and it has a solid lockup point at the crane.
Once you have a barrel 4" or longer, any 125 will do if you do your part. The Remington has a good rep, or anything based on the Golden Saber/Hornady JHP/etc.
Cor-Bon says they're going to convert their whole lineup to the PowerBall. That'll be interesting, as that's a "clogproof" design. I'd be very interested in the E-FMJ for snubbie .357s but Federal is too dumb to ship it in non-auto calibers .
I am still using the old standard; Federal Classic 125 grain semi-jacketed hollowpoints. Plenty of buck and roar and they are proven. I have tested them extensively with good results. Probably a better load out there but if there is I havn't found it yet.
I was using the Cor-Bon 125 +p in my Taurus Titanium. I had extremly heavy recoil and a blinding muzzle flash. Of course that one round jammed the gun up so bad I had to send it back to Taurus.
It felt much much heavier and powerful than a standard .357 load.
Any 125gr bullet with exposed lead tip, that is what made the 357 famous.(rapid energy transfer,limited penatration) Federals are whats in my gun.I like the gold dots for hunting and field use,there bonded and dont come apart, better penatration.
Are you firing a full size revolver or a snub nosed revolver? Controllability comes into the equation when firing that 2nd shot.
A full size revolver would be best served with a standard 125 gr .357 mag load. A snubbie would be better served with a mid-velocity 125 gr .357 magnum load.
I think a good test would be to draw from concealment and fire 2 shots center of mass at 7 yards in 1 second.
Then again, an LEO acquaintance of mine planted two .357 rounds in the center of mass of a BG. BG said "Ouch, that hurts. I'm going to sit down on that bench over there." And so he did.