.357 Magnum "Sweet Spot?"

[Hizzie]

The Corbon 125gr DPX is loaded to 1300fps and I find it rather pleasant out of an SP101.

[Chuck Whitlock]

Has anyone tried out the Hornady .357 Critical Duty offering?

http://www.hornadyle.com/products/ha...35-gr-flexlock

[314159]

The Hornady Critical duty looks like a better .357-P load than the Remington Golden Sabers. Hornady's test results are certainly impressive.

[jetfire]

That loading was pretty much the original low recoil/mid range load for the .357mag, without being advertised as such.

If memory serves me, it had pretty good results in actual street use as well.

[Robinson]

Assuming this thread is about self defense against humans and not sporting purposes, in what scenarios does a ".357 -P" solve the problem whereas a .38Spl+P does not -- assuming a good bullet is used in either case?

[Rex G]

Assuming this thread is about self defense against humans and not sporting purposes, in what scenarios does a ".357 -P" solve the problem whereas a .38Spl+P does not -- assuming a good bullet is used in either case?

Ballistically, I would think it should amount to the same thing, assuming velocity is similar, with equal bullet construction and weight. (An example is the Speer Short Barrel Gold Dots.) If shooting large quantities of ammo, well, afterward, it is much easier to clean the chambers when only .357 has been fired. That nasty ring of crud that builds up at the very front of .357 chamber, when shooting .38 Special, is not fun to clean, and until really thoroughly scrubbed, can prevent .357 ammo from entering the chamber completely. I used to largely train with separate revolvers, of the same/similar models, rather than foul my .357 street guns with heavy training. (With one wrist already ailing, nowadays, I mostly just shoot .22 LR, with my S&W Model 17, anyway.)

I have read accounts of hot .38 +P eroding the chambers just ahead of the case, so that when .357 is later fired, the longer brass fire-forms into the eroded areas, causing difficulties with extraction. I cannot cite any source, as that was so very long ago, but to err on the side of caution, have normally shot either .357, or standard-pressure .38, in my .357 revolvers.

[Wheeler]

Ballistically, I would think it should amount to the same thing, assuming velocity is similar, with equal bullet construction and weight. (An example is the Speer Short Barrel Gold Dots.) If shooting large quantities of ammo, well, afterward, it is much easier to clean the chambers when only .357 has been fired. That nasty ring of crud that builds up at the very front of .357 chamber, when shooting .38 Special, is not fun to clean, and until really thoroughly scrubbed, can prevent .357 ammo from entering the chamber completely. I used to largely train with separate revolvers, of the same/similar models, rather than foul my .357 street guns with heavy training. (With one wrist already ailing, nowadays, I mostly just shoot .22 LR, with my S&W Model 17, anyway.)

I have read accounts of hot .38 +P eroding the chambers just ahead of the case, so that when .357 is later fired, the longer brass fire-forms into the eroded areas, causing difficulties with extraction. I cannot cite any source, as that was so very long ago, but to err on the side of caution, have normally shot either .357, or standard-pressure .38, in my .357 revolvers.

Hunting ammo and defensive ammo are not ballistic twins.

[Rex G]

Hunting ammo and defensive ammo are not ballistic twins.

True, which is why I specified "equal bullet construction and weight," and provided an example of the same bullet loaded in both .38 and .357, at nearly the same velocity, by the same company, for defense. I did not address hunting ammunition at all.

[Rex G]

The Corbon 125gr DPX is loaded to 1300fps and I find it rather pleasant out of an SP101.

Thanks for posting this. My formerly-stronger wrist is not aging gracefully, so I find myself looking for milder Magnums to try.

[Rex G]

Has anyone tried out the Hornady .357 Critical Duty offering?

http://www.hornadyle.com/products/ha...35-gr-flexlock

I followed your link, and this looks interesting, as another candidate for a milder Magnum, that will be gentler on my aging hands. Thanks for posting!