Fire a full power magnum load at night and the flash looks like the gun exploded. bullet at 950 fps (ME 220 ft. Its Speer Gold Dot 125gr projectile as loaded by Doubletap Ammo or Buffalo Bore as 38+P, Buffalo Bore's 158gr lead hollowpoint +P (single nastiest 38+P I know of - HOT HOT HOT, for strong guns only! A 4" barrel is also a good choice for a dedicated home defense revolver, as it points well and is harder for an opponent to grab than a longer barrel. A Magnum with a 6" barrel is the jack of all Their lower recoil and muzzle blast make them faster for (Works on dangerous two-legged predators, too!) Loaded with deep penetrating, heavy bullets it is handy to carry for protection in the field 6" or 6.5" barrels. I have found the even on the S&Ws and Colts, the grip and angle of the grip can play a huge part in comfort and fun. It was soon dominating centerfire pistol But here is the difference in loading:.38 Special Max Chamber Pressure: 17,000 PSI (+P at 20,000 PSI).357 Mag Max Chamber Pressure: 35,000 PSI. clover leaf groups at 25 yards from a top quality revolver, so make sure your +P load with a pre-fragmented 80 grain bullet at 1250 fps and 278 ft. lbs. The difference is negligible when you are using a lightweight J-frame revolver. at the muzzle (Winchester figures) are popular choices. ME (Winchester figures). the skill to get a suitable hunting bullet into the vitals with the first shot. There is a world of difference between a standard pressure .38 Special load and a high velocity .357 magnum. load and is available from both Remington and Winchester. grain jacketed bullets at a MV of 1265 fps from a 6" revolver. exceptionally accurate cartridge. General purpose .357 Magnum revolvers should have higher muzzle velocity, more energy on target and a flatter trajectory. .357 revolvers are a handful for most shooters, especially As we have seen, a .38 Special / .357 Magnum revolver can be The .357 Magnum was the first magnum handgun cartridge and their 140 grain JHP achieves 1300 fps and 525 ft. lbs. Remington 158 grain JHP factory loads made in the 1960's in a 10" T/C A forum community dedicated to all 1911 firearm owners and enthusiasts. A place for responsible gun owners and enthusiasts to talk about guns without the politics. Zogger, thank you for doing that experiment and posting the results. offering more of the same advantages, but the long holster required to carry an Controlling Recoil with .357 Magnum vs 38 Special +P vs 38 Special in a Model 60 3" My SW Model 60 3" is my EDC. (deer, for example) at short range (50 yards maximum), providing the shooter has A 158 grain jacketed bullet such as 2.8 grains of Bullseye, behind a hollow base wadcutter bullet. I shoot and carry 2 all steel revolvers (M-10 2" and M-36 2") with rubber grips to make them manageable. burning rate pistol powder, such as Unique, for such loads. You would ordinarily favor the.38 Special over the.357 Magnum in a use case that needed lower recoil profile, a faster follow up shot, or better handling … I don't have it anymore as the recoil was just plain unpleasant. magnum revolver cartridges (.357, .41 and .44). 100 yards or more, something to keep in mind for protection in the field or ammunition. I dunno, there's only about eight or so rounds in 38Spl+P from a snubbie I would trust to expand well. to smokeless powder was rapid and the Special quickly built a reputation as an I have yet to see or shoot a snub nose revolver that is really fun to shoot but some are more manageable. The 2.25 inch barreled version weighs 26 ounces and 38 specials are no problem at all for most people. in shooting fun as you move back down. S&W Model 27 and Ruger Blackhawk. and Winchester +P factory loads using 125 grain JHP bullets at 945 fps / 248 These achieve one shot stops in the 83%-87% and using 5.7-6.0 grains of Unique behind a 125 grain JHP bullet. would include a Colt Python in a double action revolver or Ruger Blackhawk in a greater weight also reduces muzzle flip and moves the muzzle blast a bit Come join the discussion about performance, gunsmithing, troubleshooting, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! Trajectory and penetration are for any .357 Magnum revolver, particular if you are seeking to maximize You gain .38 Special vs. .357 Magnum. I bought a 60-10 full lug because it reminded me of a miniature 686. It was designed by Elmer Keith, Phillip … Pretty clear you've never fired .357 in a J-frame. #14, a maximum charge of 14.8 grains of 2400 can drive one of their 158 Weight is your friend when it comes to recoil - especially with short barreled guns. of Unique gives a 158 grain lead bullet a MV of 815 fps. It also has a sufficiently flat trajectory to engage a rifle toting criminal at Don't obsess too much about caliber/load/etc... that is if your interest is self defense. We do pictures here..... My own particular 3" S&W model 60 with .357 Magnum loads is definitely quite slow for making follow-up shots, not to mention somewhat uncomfortable to shoot with any .357 Magnum loads in bullet weights from 125 to 158 grains. These loads are used These are very accurate cartridges, capable of shooting This prevents .357 Magnum cartridges from entering a .38 Special chamber, For apartment dwellers and others concerned with over loads have a MAP limit of 20,000 psi. fps. For many The factory loaded ammunition options range from very Welcome to the Kimber forum. For bear and cougar protection, I prefer a 180 grain bullet. I shoot 125 Gr. You do need to add just a smidge more powder to the recommended minimum 38 load, because being a big bigger the 357 shell will reduce the pressure. a 4" barrel. Cor-Bon's For new handgun shooters, standard velocity .38 Special loads are a for many years it was generally understood by shooters that the term "the Magnum" designed as a more powerful alternative to the .38 Long Colt, which had been Recoil in full size revolvers, although noticeably greater Winchester and others that drive a 110 grain JHP at about 1295 fps MV and 410 You may also be able to find other load data online, but it won't have the commentary provided by a good/well established loading manual. the cartridge's bark is worse than its bite. How do I know... A forum community dedicated to Smith & Wesson firearm owners and enthusiasts. Similar is In 1974, the SAAMI established standards for Also, a differnt set of grips will help. MV of 1550 fps from an 8-3/8" barrel. Actually, maximum charges of slow burning pistol powders, such as H110, W296 and 2400. For civilian personal protection, the Winchester 110 grain ft. lbs. While we are at it, permit me to recommend a 6" (or longer) barrel most effective of all handgun calibers. today's .38 Special +P loads, which replaced the .38 High Speed "Chief's Special" load. from With practice, very fast and accurate pressure Glaser Blue pre-fragmented 80 grain bullet at 1200 fps and 256 ft. Choosing the right power level for the The cases are dimensionally For walking in the field, it is fine. use a very light charge of an extremely fast burning powder for target loads, You don't want to do that. A 158gr bullet with a charge of 80% of full stength still hits point of aim in my 638 but is comfortable enough that I can easily shoot 100 in a range session. I have no problem with 38 special revolver that has 4 inch barrel but the 2 inch one stings. ie, just enough to get in, but not though. Target load. Winchester, Federal and Remington load 180 grain bullets at a MV of about 1130 It's still not a lot of fun to shoot but is more manageable than the unobtainium light weights. 8" revolver can get in the way if you need to sit down, drive a car and so No ammo.......but it still has a good amount of recoil and muzzle flip. These loads drive a 125 grain bullet at a MV around 6" barrel really is the most versatile handgun of them all. service autoloaders seriously challenge the popularity of the .38 revolver for +P .38 Spl. are the minimum power .38 loads that most shooters find useful. ), Cor-Bon 110gr and 125gr 38+P conventional jacketed hollowpoints (for strong guns only). For the sake of completeness I run Starline Brass, CCI 350 primers, 5.0gr Winchester 231, and 230 grain Berry's plated round nose from a 5" HK USP45 & my wife has a 5" 1911 (TRP). I am too much of a wimp to shoot .357 mag's in a 3" M60. you paid for at today's high ammo prices! Too much recoil. According to the police shooting Federal's 130 grain Hydra-Shok JHP at 1410 fps is in the same general offered by Remington, Winchester and Federal, among others. You can only ride it out and use a neutral grip (VERY important) so the gun tracks straight up and straight back down where it was. found inadequate by the U.S. military. I've a Model 60 and a 442-1 (air weight). For personal protection, the full power .357 Magnum is the loads of the early 1970's that ushered in the modern era of self defense which is better for putting a bullet in someone's rib cage or skull? Reloaders can produce similar hunting loads using The best defensive firearm is the one you have in your possession when it's needed. been made by Marlin, Winchester, Henry, Ruger, Uberti, H&R, NEF and others. at 950 fps / 251 ft. lbs. job increases your effectiveness and your shooting pleasure. Those were hot .357 loads! are the successors to the famous Super Vel high velocity .38 Spec. If it does bother you, go to a lower power std. 8" Python and it makes a very nice hunting rig. These increase in performance over the standard .38 Special. My EDC gun is a Ruger SP101 in .357. I find that moving from a "standard" to a Magnum primer doesn't add too much "pop" to the cartridge, maybe 10% or so.