American Rifleman .357 Magnum Tests

[Baldanders]

Critical Duty 135gr did 15" through clothing. Probably can't get much better from a snubby.


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Just to be clear I was talking about the 125 grain Defense load, I carry the 135 gr Duty load. I don't care for the "reduced penetration" idea that seems baked into the Defense line.

And yeah, looking at the data above, it terms of external ballistics, the differences between the .357 Duty load and a hypothetical .357 "9mm+p" type load are completely negligible.

Despite all this, I think a SAAMI spec for a ".38 Magnum" or ".357 Special" in .357 Mag brass at 9mm para pressure would help with both marketing and development of .357 self-defense loads. It would sure make it easier to recommend. 357 snubby loads if there was a easy term we all agreed on.

[Tokarev]

The Speer 135gr SBGD at 1200fps should compare closely to the 124gr 9mm.

Attachment 28751

I don't know for certain but I believe Speer uses the same Gold Dot bullet in the 38 and 357 loads. It might be pushed a little too fast as a Magnum.

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[Baldanders]

I don't know for certain but I believe Speer uses the same Gold Dot bullet in the 38 and 357 loads. It might be pushed a little too fast as a Magnum.

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Too lazy to check, but I would think you are correct, as online suppliers only show one bullet for sale in the 135 grain weight in .357 in Gold Dots.

[Velo Dog]

I don't know for certain but I believe Speer uses the same Gold Dot bullet in the 38 and 357 loads. It might be pushed a little too fast as a Magnum.

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Same bullet. Performs well at the slightly increased velocity of the .357 Magnum Short Barrel loading

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/rev...llistics-test/

[willie]

What brand do you use in those?

Winchester bought at Walmart. I lack information about expansion, penetration.

[Tokarev]

Winchester bought at Walmart. I lack information about expansion, penetration.

7.5" in bare gel and 8.3" after heavy clothing at 1,127 FPS in the American Rifleman test. Probably the same old school bullet used in the Winchester +P+ 110gr load.

Here's a 4" test:

[xcop]

Winchester bought at Walmart. I lack information about expansion, penetration.

I tested this round as well as the 110+p+ Winchester thru my 2.25in sp101.
357 avg velocity was 1219 for 5 shots. It penetrated 9.5in thru a layer of 14oz denim, a sweatshirt and a thick T shirt. It expanded to .623x .635

Same bullet but in +p+ 38. Same gun and barrier and same block. 1085fps avg penetrated 10.5 inches expansion was .57x.57

So here the extra velocity of the magnum resulted in greater expansion but one full inch less penetration

Clear Ballistics Gel

[Tokarev]

I tested this round as well as the 110+p+ Winchester thru my 2.25in sp101.
357 avg velocity was 1219 for 5 shots. It penetrated 9.5in thru a layer of 14oz denim, a sweatshirt and a thick T shirt. It expanded to .623x .635

Same bullet but in +p+ 38. Same gun and barrier and same block. 1085fps avg penetrated 10.5 inches expansion was .57x.57

So here the extra velocity of the magnum resulted in greater expansion but one full inch of penetration

Clear Ballistics Gel

Slightly lower velocity and a tiny bit less penetration from my LCR with the 110 +P+

Only one round but it was all I had:

https://www.americanrifleman.o...tes...mag-cartridge/

As in your test, the 357 Magnum version using the same bullet produced a higher velocity that resulted in even less penetration.

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[the Schwartz]

7.5" in bare gel and 8.3" after heavy clothing at 1,127 FPS in the American Rifleman test. Probably the same old school bullet used in the Winchester +P+ 110gr load.

Here's a 4" test:

If I am not mistaken, the WinchesterUSA brand is the old Winchester Super X ammo line offered decades ago. I am always surprised by how well the stuff performs since it was designed well before the later 'premium' designs (e.g. Federal HSTs, etc.).