chevyhighrider

Not sure where to post this so this looked good. I took my new GP100 to the range for the second time today. I had only shot some weaker 38 Special Federals through it till now. I was given some Speer Gold Dot 357 rounds from a guy I work with so I decided to try them out. My GOD! what a difference I was blown away how accurate I was my first outing with the .38 rounds but with the 357's I was off a good inch or 2. When I first let one loose I thought my god, that was an all out explosion lol. Definatley fun, I will need lots more practice with the .357 rounds. I believe that I tense a fraction of a sec before the hammer drops causing my shot to go off. I was just worried I wouldnt hang on tight enough and get the gun coming back at me which would suck. Anyways had a good time just wanted to rant.

dirty magazine

I'm not used to shooting 357 and I get a terrible flinch after shooting several rounds. The GP100 is amazingly accurate and easy to shoot with 38 spl in single action mode.

You're lucky someone gave you those 357s! Enjoy your shooter.

rjheff

I'm much more accurate using 38 SPL. One again practice, practice and more practice. But its a good reason to get to the range. I have to add I'm making a real effort to shoot DAO though.

.357 mag

I shoot all of my DA guns DA. If I want to shoot SA. Well I have single action for that.


Congrats on your gp.

chewball22

I took mine out for the first time a few days ago. Started with some winchester .38 spl's, then did some buffalo bore heavy 357 mag loads. Those were awesome! Closest I've come to shooting a flamethrower

Zealot

Why not split the difference and shoot .38 +P's for a while, working your way up to the full-boat .357's?

chewball22

I like to get all crazy and shoot my gp100 in BOTH SA and DA!

rjheff

Thats the route I'm taking at the present.

dirty magazine

Hey, let's calm down before you say something you might regret

If I feel like hitting the target, I'll shoot in SA with 38spl. If I feel like giving the paper a break, I'll shoot in DA with 357.

bub

If you want some REAL fun, find some older Federal 125gr, full-house .357 ammo. WOW!!!! Makes you realize why the older 125gr loads were classified as the "King of the Hill" for stopping power and why this type of ammo led to GREATLY shortened lifespans in the S&W K-Frames! Even more fun out of an SP101!

Bub

SOUTHPAW

chevyhighrider

I didn't mention it but I did shoot some .38 +p+ I have some Federal Hydrashock .38 +p+ that I bought and keep in the gun while at home for my home defense round. I shot a few of these before the .357's but not too many since they are so damn expensive. BTW what ammo do you guys use that doesnt break the bank for going to the range?

terry_p

My own reloads. I'm a 158 gr bullet fan in the 357 and load for the best accuracy with it. If I want a calm day I use cast bullets and then end with a once around in JHP's.

chevyhighrider

I am hearing that Walmart seems to be the cheapest place to buy ammo. Are there any places online that have good deals as well?

SOUTHPAW

Walmart is the best, if you can find it. Me and 2 friends hit up the 3 or 4 closest Walmart locations daily for 9mm, .45, and .357... I'm serious, daily.

It sells within 12 hours or so from hitting the shelf, an they have a 6 box total maximum.

chewball22

This whole ammo shortage deal is getting old. I can't find any cheap ammo to shoot my new gp100 either!

I think I'm gonna have to start buying some reloading equipment.

SOUTHPAW

Well I think it's going to burn itself out soon... People are going nuts hoarding ammo (guilty to an extent myself). Even I go and stock up on a 6-box max or more everytime I see it at Walmart. Like I said we check daily. In an hour I am doing recon at 2 stores while my buddy does the other 2. It's sickening.

I think that people are going to eventually hold more than they can shoot and the shelves will pile up soon enough...

Bagheera

Chewball22,

It really is better in many ways if you reload. Frankly, you can customize a bullet to you're preference. Often times you can get a much better bullet than what the factory "one-size-fits-all" is. Each round can be tailored to what truly works better in your gun. And, even with the increase in components, often times, you can make the finished product cheaper than factory produced. Buying reloading equipment can seem like a huge expenditure initially, but it will earn it's keep and pay you back over time. Plus, well, it's just a fun hobby to boot!

chevyhighrider

Ya reloading sounds like it would be a fun hobby to get into. I dont't think the two ranges close to me will let you shoot your own rounds though ( Man South, you must be spending a fortune on ammo lol. Thats what bothered me, I only shot maybe 15 or so rounds each time I have gone now, and thats going as slow as possible stretching the time out to 30min. I felt bad thinking, well there goes about $15 or so just like that!

boblenaere

Have never seen a range stop anyone from shooting handloads/reloads. Other option would be to join a private club where the majority of shooters roll their own. Reloading is a great hobby.

Frank

#1 on realoading being a great hobby! But let's be honest, reloading is not cheap. Reloading just allows you to shoot more ammo cheaper than factory ammo. Reloading becomes additive. You find yourself making Larry Potterfield more money as you look at all the reloading stuff in the Midway catalogue. Makes good reading sitting on the throne in the bathroom. "Let's see, do I really need that piece of relaoding equipment? Yes I do. As soon, as I get through with the "paper work" I thinkI will get on-line and make an order."

Then it gets really bad when you start looking for wheel weights to melt down for bullets. "I think I need another another bullet mold!!!!"

If you really want to shoot a lot more, then reloading is the way to go, but do not call reloading cheap.. Initially, the reloading equipment costs, but the cost savings come only if you want to put much more ammo down the range. If you are only going to shoot just a few boxes a year or you want just some ammo for hunting, then just by factory ammo.

SOUTHPAW

Hehehe yeah, well, spend it now or spend it later, right?

I don't even want to guess how much I've spent stockpiling ammo over the past month or so. But I suppose I could inventory. . I picked up 400 of .38, 200 of .357, 750 of 9mm, 200 of 9mm Mak... Which is all nothing compared to some people I know. And to top it all off, I bought a 1911 last night, so now I need ammo for that!

I'm gonna slow it down once I find 6x 250 value packs of 9mm, and the same or so of .45.... It's bad but cheaper in the long run. For example, Walmart sells 250VP's of 9mm for $50.... Dick's sells them for $75, and the local gun shop sell 'em for $90!