.357 Magnum Duty/Self-Defense Cartridge Recommendations

[JAH 3rd]

While I didn't carry one of those little baby sub caliber .357's on duty...., I did carry a 3" Model 13 as both a back up and off duty and it was stoked with Silvertip, just like my .45 Colt duty revolver. For some reason, Silvertip was a MUCH better revolver round than an auto round. Silvertip in various revolvers tended to just drop crooks. We never had anything other than one stop dumps in .45 Colt, and the .357 version was fairly legendary for taking the fight out of bad guys. These days, when I do carry .357, I am using Gold Dot. It is consistent with what I carry in .38. I use the GDHP in my N frames.

Like Wayne said, a well constructed .357 at 1100 from a 3" is a solid formula.

+1 on the model 13. I have a S&W model 13 blue 3" heavy barrel, round butt. A friend of mine, now retired FBI, had it as an issue sidearm. I am talking a good 30 years (or more) ago. I was immediately struck by the basic, no frills nature of the revolver. Glad it's one of the revolvers I have held onto over the years.

[SWAT Lt.]

I'm curious about the OAL of the .357mag 140gr X-Bullet loaded by Federal. Because its all copper, I wonder how close it is to 158gr.

I gotta be honest, I think it is probably the best .357mag offering going, when talking full house.


I kick myself when I think of those cheap cases of 165gr Remington Core-Lokt and 180gr Winchester Partition Gold that CDNN was selling for dirt cheap many years ago.

A caution about the 145gr Silvertip of today versus yesterday; the old Silvertips were aluminum jacketed, but the Silvertips of today are just the old Super-X JHP painted silver.

The 357 Silvertip never had an aluminum jacket but always had a nickel plated copper jacket (as has the 44 Mag Silvertip). Other revolver and semi auto rounds came with an aluminum jacket but not the magnum rounds.

[JAH 3rd]

+1 on the model 13. I have a S&W model 13 blue 3" heavy barrel, round butt. A friend of mine, now retired FBI, had it as an issue sidearm. I am talking a good 30 years (or more) ago. I was immediately struck by the basic, no frills nature of the revolver. Glad it's one of the revolvers I have held onto over the years.

Just to clarify, I bought my own model 13, not the agent's.

[Wheeler]

Thanks, guys-that's exactly the information I was looking for.

So far, it sounds like the leading contenders are Federal Premium 158 gr, Federal HydraShok 158 gr, Winchester Silvertip 145 gr, and Remington 158 gr.

Since when I carry a revolver my reloads normally consist of 1 Speed Strip carried strong-side in an upsidedown Galco pouch on the strong side hip (immediately ahead of the strong-side holster), 2 Speed Strips carried in a Tactical Tailor Phone Case pouch (normally carried on the weak side hip), and one Safariland Speedloader carried loose in a strong-side jacket or pants pocket, Chuck's comment about the HydraShoks being a bit easier to load due to their shape and lack of exposed lead make excellent sense. Their muzzle velocity (1240) is also close to the S&B's (1263), so that should provide both a similar POA/POI and feel is my thought.

Keep the thoughts coming, guys-great input and much appreciated. Hey, who else but p-f can come up with with relevant .357 magnum effectiveness updates with the credibility of this thread's participants?!

Best, Jon

Is that the same setup you’ll use in the IDPA matches?

[JonInWA]

No. In an IDPA match, I'll use a Speed Strip to administratively load the revolver at the "Load and Make Ready" command (to maintain some sort of familiarity and proficiency with them), but I'll be using a Hogue Universal Speedloader Holder immediately in front of the holster to hold 2 Safariland Comp III Speedloaders and a Tactical Tailor rifle magazine pouch with the bungee retention cord removed to hold the third allowable Comp III Speedloader immediately in back of the holster, all IAW IDPA equipment rules for reloads necessary throughout the scenarios.

The holster I use is the same as for carry, a Kramer horsehide IWB.

The problem with Comp III Speedloaders for normal carry is their bulk makes them very difficult to carry concealed, especially on the strong side of a belt without you looking like you're wearing a colostomy bag. I will carry one loose in a jacket or pants pocket.

Speed Strips are an ideal marriage for revolver concealed carry, but admittedly you're not gonna have lightening fast reloads with them. They're a compromise.

As we discussed in a lengthy thread several years ago, I'll carry a revolver for defensive/duty use in daylight, but not normally in low light/night situations, due to their limited ammunition capacity and the inherent difficulty in the mechanics of unloading and reloading. A 10-17 round semiautomatic just plain makes more sense, is easier to carry concealed (especially reload magazines), and is intuitively easier to unload and reload, especially under stress and in low light.

I thoroughly enjoy and appreciate my revolvers, but I'm also fully aware of their limitations, and will configure my selection of platforms as best appropriate to the use situation involved. I certainly wouldn't feel unarmed with a revolver in most situations, but there are often better tools/choices available, and given the available options that I have at my disposal, I think I'd be a bit of a fool not to make appropriate selection choices.

Best, Jon

[JonInWA]

After reviewing everyone's input, I checked around locally to see what was available.

Federal Hydra-Shok 158 gr https://www.federalpremium.com/ammun...shok/p357hs1#4

Federal "Blue Box" 158 gr JHP https://www.federalpremium.com/ammun...revolver/c357e

Federal Fusion 158 gr JHP https://www.federalpremium.com/ammun...andgun/f357fs1

No Winchester Silvertips, Speer Gold Dots or Remingtons were available locally.

While I realize that pretty much everything is available on line for delivery, all things being relatively equal I prefer to purchase locally from a store.

My thought is that all 3 Federal cartridges specify a muzzle velocity of 1240 fps, which makes me assume that the only difference of significance is the bullet/bullet configuration.

The Fusion seems to be optimized for hunting/deep penetration, which leads me to immediately discard it from consideration for my purposes as a duty/defensive cartridge.

Any thoughts/recommendations for (or against) the other two Federal 158 gr offerings? The Hydra-Shok seems to be the most readily available, but I also found the "Blue Box" available from several. The 125 gr Hydra-Shok that Lucky Gunner tested seemed to do well in terms of expansion and reasonable, but not excessive penetration.

Conversely, if the experienced feedback is that the Winchester 145 gr Silvertips or Speer 158 gr Gold Dots are significantly better performers than the Federal Hydra-Shok or "Blue Box" offerings, I'd certainly consider getting them from one of the on-line providers.

I much appreciate the feedback and experienced opinions/recommendations this thread has generated.

Best, Jon

[revchuck38]

I'll carry a revolver for defensive/duty use in daylight, but not normally in low light/night situations, due to their limited ammunition capacity and the inherent difficulty in the mechanics of unloading and reloading. A 10-17 round semiautomatic just plain makes more sense, is easier to carry concealed (especially reload magazines), and is intuitively easier to unload and reload, especially under stress and in low light.

I thoroughly enjoy and appreciate my revolvers, but I'm also fully aware of their limitations, and will configure my selection of platforms as best appropriate to the use situation involved. I certainly wouldn't feel unarmed with a revolver in most situations, but there are often better tools/choices available, and given the available options that I have at my disposal, I think I'd be a bit of a fool not to make appropriate selection choices.

I carried a revolver almost exclusively until about a year ago, when I (grudgingly) came to the same conclusion concerning capacity. My Performance Center-tuned M10-8 and M681-2 are now pretty much safe queens. I've been carrying a full-size Beretta PX4 DA/SA, and recently picked a DAO version of the same gun. I just got the slide for the DAO back with new sights installed; assuming the POA and POI are the same, it'll take the place of the DA/SA version and be what I've always wanted - an 18 shot 4" K frame. It just won't have quite the panache.

Last Sunday I carried the 681 with the Remington load and didn't feel as defenseless as I was supposed to.

[LOBO]

@LOBO - Thanks!

You are most welcome!

[RevolverRob]

What about the 158gr Gold Dot?

That was my thought.

Go to for years in my GP100 was 158-grain Gold Dot. Mostly, because the 145-grain Silvertips have been rare for years

[Rex G]

A bit late to see this, but a number of years ago, probably early/mid Nineties, I went with the 145-grain Silvertip for my fixed-sight .357 revolving pistols, because the point-of-impact was generally acceptable, and because enough real incidents had occurred for the .357 STHP to have a very favorable track record. Another factor was that it was a bit more user-friendly when fired from SP101 and K-Frames, compared to the hot 125-grain loads. The STHP gradually became my default .357 load for everything except my adjustable-sight GP100 revolving pistols. (I did have to drop-down to milder and milder stuff for the SP101 snub-guns, as age, wear, and tear starting affecting my hands, and right wrist/arm.)

I have not tried to buy .357 STHPs recently, due to having a decent, if modest supply, but it is about time to replenish. I checked locally, with little luck, at the usual places, so may have to finally start ordering ammo, for shipment.