weblance

Im carrying a KLCR .357 and have come to the end of my second box of American Eagle 158 Flat Nosed Jacketed bullets. Its time to buy a couple more boxes and am just wondering if I really NEED expensive Self Defense ammo for a 357. I know it certainly helps with .380 and 9mm, but really... the 357 is a cannon with standard ammo, and seeing how the 357 is a SERIOUS SD weapon to begin with, is it necessary to buy SD ammo? What is the opinion here? Thanks.

tshark

For the .357 magnum, I don't think you have to buy and expensive self-defense round. For example, Remington makes a relatively cheap round, the 125 gr SJHP is top notch and affordable. I believe for self-defense purposes, you need some kind of round that is designed for self-defense. In your case, the round you mentioned will zip right through a target, dumping little energy in what you intended to shoot. This pass through will possibly place innocent bystanders in harms way.

shootist

No you don't need it at all it's just a marketing scam to get people to pay more for less ammo I use my own standard reloads.

powdermonkey

T-shark is correct. The power of the 357 for self defense calls for a SD round. You don't want over-penetration, and possible hitting an innocent by-stander. I carry the Hornady 125 gr. FTX. I for one, would never use a reload for SD.

Marine Division Two

Nope,Not really,save some bucks.

shootist

Those of us that reload understand what a crock the self defence rounds are, they might just be a lighter load using less powder, but can still hit a by-stander just as easy, your just buying a bill of goods to think anything different, their not a magic hit only crooks and no one else bullet, save your money and by standard rounds.

Benemorte

We are not talking about "magic bullets" here, we are talking about factory loads designed for maximum expansion to minimize the threat of over-penetration, a serious risk with the .357 magnum.

Secondly, never use your own reloads in a gun dedicated to self defense purposes. The reasoning behind this has been explained in detail by everyone from lawyers to ex LEO officers and prosecutors for 20+ years now.

Rxdoc

Any cartridge, .357mag. 125gr. JHP, is a self defense load. Save your money as said above, and buy a box of Remington .357mag. 125gr. SJHP for carry. The box even says for SD, and according to some is the number one stopper of BG's available.

shootist

I agree, and any hollow point is going to expand without the fancy words like maximum expantion and the likes, even my cheap Montana gold bullets in 125 gr. are exactly like the one they use in these so called S/D loads and expands just the same, anyone ever hear of a case when a bullet went through a person and hit another in a self defence case? dosen't sound like a issue, more like salesman tactics.

GunLover

Just out of curiosity, why is a 125g JHP better than a 158g JHP for a SD round? What type of shooting is a 158g bullet a better choice? The smaller/faster heavier/slower thing has alwayed confused me.

bsms

First, I think it is foolish to worry too much about overpenetration. If you miss the BG, a 38 special will penetrate walls and can kill someone it hits. If you hit the BG, then only God knows if the bullet will go thru or take a strange angle, and it probably won't exit with enough oomph to kill someone...unless they are VERY unlucky.

In the shoot-outs I've read about, bystanders were injured by misses and ricochets.

Most any 357 125 grain JHP should be fine for use. Given the increasing number of 300+ lb guys, I wouldn't be above using a 158 grain JHP or wadcutter.

If you have any concerns, I'd suggest getting a box of this:

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.ph...t_detail&p=105

Fire a few rounds to see how it compares to your favorite cheapie ammo, then load it up for SD. Every couple of years, splurge and buy a new box.

shootist

I wouldn't say it is, I think the manufactures like to use them cause they are the cheapest, you use lightest bullet with lightest powder load, sell double of standard ammo prices= bigger profit, 158gr has far more knock down power, bigger so more to expand and would be a better choice, SD rounds are all about maximizng profit with lowest cost materails.

tglazie

A heavy, slow bullet penetrates more deeply (in many cases, it will leave the body without reaching max expansion). A light, fast bullet has a better chance of reaching max expansion inside the body.

Re: what type of shooting a 158gr is a better choice for, anything where max penetration is desirable. Carry in the winter months woddl be a good example of when you might want a heavier bullet (anticipating a heavily clothed adversary) or perhaps if penetration through windshields, etc is desired.

I would never consider carrying my own reloads for SD for reliability reasons and because the balance of penetration vs expansion is so precise that I favor a properly engineered round. Apparently some of the posters above have the ballistic testing gear required to meticulously test their own SD rounds. They are very lucky. I do not.

My personal favorite for .357 is a BB .38 Special +P 158gr LSWCHP running at 1143fps/456ft.lbs out of a 3" SP101 barrel. Extensive testing shows this type of round to be as effective or slightly more effective than the classic .357mag 125gr JHP.

Benemorte

A couple of the many ballistic performance tests available on the net about the Montana Gold JHP bullet.

tglazie

No offense, but every aspect of this post is incorrect. Any number of books on the subject, written by established, real-world experience shooter will verify my statement. One such book: Amazon.com: The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery (9780896895256): Massad Ayoob: Books