Looks Like I'm Done with .357 Magnum as a Carry Round

[Exiledviking]

At one of the few remaining local gun shops here in California, there was slim pickings for .357 Mag ammunition. I ended up buying the Barnes 125 gr TAC-XPD due to the good results posted on Lucky Gunner and because it's not full-load .357 Mag ammunition. I figured it should be fairly controllable on my new 3" Colt Python.

[Zeke38]

I have turned to the CCI Blazer 357 158 gr JHP round. It's aluminium cased and not as hot as the brass cousin that Speer builds. I carry it in a 3" J frame and it is managable.

And it is available!!!

[Rick R]

I have turned to the CCI Blazer 357 158 gr JHP round. It's aluminium cased and not as hot as the brass cousin that Speer builds. I carry it in a 3" J frame and it is managable.

And it is available!!!

Has the Blazer line gotten more reliable?
We used them for training/qualification at one point and there were always ftf malfs.
And the longer they sat on a shelf the worse it got.

I’ve been carrying Fiocchi .357 loaded with 158gr XTPs, I haven’t chrono’d them but they seem a good bit milder than the other magnum fodder.

[revchuck38]

Now I have two loads I need to buy and chrono…

[Stephanie B]

https://highdesertcartridge.com/

The .357 Magnum loads at the above link were produced with input from DB, which IIRC are chugging along at about 800 fps or so. This was specifically done to be able to shoot older .357's without beating up both the gun(s) and shooter(s), or dealing with carbon rings from shooting .38's.

Just something to throw out there.

I ran a couple of hundred of these through a 66 during an ICORE match. Good stuff, easily passed the chrono, but not a snorting, stomping load. I bought more.

[Guerrero]

I’ve been carrying Fiocchi .357 loaded with 158gr XTPs, I haven’t chrono’d them but they seem a good bit milder than the other magnum fodder.

Magic 8 Ball seems to indicate that load has been discontinued.

[Rick R]

https://fiocchiusa.com/centerfire-pi...mics/357b.html

When I can find it. .357 Mag has gone from super popular in my youth to esoteric grandpa ammo.

Our local Dunham’s seems to keep the Remington 158gr jhp magnum fairly reliably, but in 20 round boxes.

[revchuck38]

https://fiocchiusa.com/centerfire-pi...mics/357b.html

When I can find it. .357 Mag has gone from super popular in my youth to esoteric grandpa ammo.

Our local Dunham’s seems to keep the Remington 158gr jhp magnum fairly reliably, but in 20 round boxes.

That stuff isn’t the load with XTPs.

The Remington ammo is what I have now, and it’s hotter than the AE JSPs.

[Rick R]

I found this box rattling around in the center console of my truck. Unfortunately it contains my reloads using 158gr XTPs in Starline brass.

The helpful little fellow at my LGS found that Scheels has 158gr Fiocchi in stock, but no description of which bullet it’s loaded with.
https://www.scheels.com/p/fiocchi-de...ndgun#start=13

We just need a commercial loading of a decent modern bullet at mid-range .357 Mag velocity kind of like O3RN’s pet 148gr load.

[Borderland]

I've tried loading 357 down to 1000 fps with 2400 and it just doesn't work. Faster powder is needed. BE-86 or Unique might be the ticket but I've never tried it. Alliant website has loads for 158 using BE-86 around 1100 fps. Same for Unique but I understand Unique is scarce. I'm using a faster powder but the volume of the case isn't optimal for <5 grains of powder. I'm just too cheap to pay 40 bucks for a pound of powder as I have more than I'll ever use now. Solution, use 38 spl cases.