Which load is better for defense/duty out of pocket 4 inch .357?
Which load is better for defense/duty out of pocket 4 inch .357?
If intermediate barriers are a concern bonded will be better. No barrier concerns and from a 4" gun either of those will be fine.
My go to .357 remains the Speer Gold Dot in 125 or 158, whichever hits to the sights. But whatever is handy and sees 1250-1400fps will be fine.
The 145 STHP killed like the plague in 4" .357 revolvers here in the Dallas area in the 80s and 90s. Works great on Texas whitetails in my experience, too.
Regional Government Sales Manager for Aimpoint, Inc. USA
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I wouldn't feel bad carrying 145 Silvertip, as it does have a very good reputation, but they recently changed from 50 round boxes, to 20 round boxes... and the stuff isn't cheap, often pushing $2/round. If they only produce 20rd boxes from here on out, I wont be buying any for a long time, if ever.
It's not a 4" gun, but when I carry my 3" .357 J-frame, I almost always use .38's... 130gr Ranger Bonded, or the 135gr Gold Dot load. They are both +P pressure. Ranger load "feels" a little softer, but IIRC they clock about the same velocity. If I had a choice between buying Silvertip, and carry RA38B that I already had, I'd just carry the .38 load.
I'd be wary of the 158gr Gold Dot... in most tests I've seen, it doesn't expand. I know, this is not 10% gel, but I've seen other tests that were, with similar results: https://www.luckygunner.com/357-mag-...rounds#geltest IIRC, even from a rifle, it doesn't seem to want to expand much.
Do they both shoot to point of aim from the revolver in question?
Sorta around sometimes for some of your shitty mod needs.
Yeah, but that doesn't answer the question he asked. Have you had a chance to shoot them yet? If so, do they hit the target in the same place from your gun?
My 2" 642 hits point of aim with 125-130-grain ammo; 148-158-grain ammo hits above it. All my fixed-sight 4" revolvers hit point of aim with 148-158-grain ammo; 125-130-grain ammo hits below it. And just to keep things weird, my 3" M10-7 shoots both to point of aim.