Hey guys, I have a 357 magnum and am going to purchase some 38 special ammo for it. The question is, with 130 grain brass tip or 158 grain round nose lead available, which would be best compatible, or does it matter?

I'm kinda new to the 357 so any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,

 

brass tip will foul way less than round nose lead, but cost allot more.

 

what do you want the .38 spcl ammo for, personal deffence, target shooting, plinking? you need to match the ammo for what you are going to be using the gun for

 

deffense**

 

you actually went out of your way to make a post to point out i misspelled a word??????????...get a life

 

I would suggest for home defense to use a jacketed bullet in 357 magn. The Wolf brand ammo seems to shoot very good in all of my 357s as well as friends pistols. It is not expensive and frankly, I can't reload 357 magn for the cost of Wolf ammo. If you think you are afraid of the recoil, the 357 magn is not much of a gun. We use them for plinkers. Don't be afraid of the name- magnum. In the case of the 357, it is great adverrtizing hype but not much on terminal performance.

 

You might want to look into the fragmenting bullets for self defense. The reason I mention this is that in home defense use, you also have to take into consideration the risk of over penetration and punching thru walls and hitting an innocent person.

I personally like the Glaser Safety Slug series but am not sure they are still made. I think Corbon makes some fragmenting bullets and there are probably others.

Ah I see they must still be out there, here is a website...

http://mysite.elixirlabs.com/index.p...2665&page=1980

If you want to stick with a jacketed bullet a good hollow point at high velocity will probably mushroom appropriately, but will have a risk of penetrating.

There are some interesting designs out there. Books have been writen on expanding bullets and how to use them.

The reason I like fragmenting bullets like Glasers, is that when they hit a hard target like a wall, they disintegrate and do not over penetrate. When they hit flesh, they penetrate a bit and then kind of explode. Nasty stuff and you have to be willing to use lethal force. But then if you are using a gun, lethal force is a given or you probably are better off not using one.

Good Luck and get training or at least practice,

Jim Henderson

 

just some food for thought.


if this weapon is to be used for home defense, use Glaser safety slugs in 38 special.

the reason for this statement is a direct result from a few instances that happened here in new jersey a few years ago. the home owner used a 357 loaded with magnum rounds, and the defense attorney (a real lower than snake droppings scuzzbucket) proved that the home owner used deadly force because he used a "magnum".

another time, he used the same reasoning when "deadly force" was used because a 44 was used with magnum ammo.
if the ammo used is Glaser safety slugs in a smaller special caliber, it does not sound as deadly.

 

Maybe it would be appropriate to shoot the lawyer with "Wuss Loads" so he would realize that dead is dead, no matter how you get there.

As to the topic, I agree with using fragmenting bullets to prevent injury to the innocent.

 

.357 is a great handgun! It has proven itself for many applications. For plinking, it is hard to beat lead .38's cost wise, but why not run hollow point 158 grainers for the fun factor (fill up some milk jugs with water). Reloading is the only way to go for magnum pistols, way less expensive.
As for personal defense, I use Federal Hydra Shock ammo in all my p.d. guns except for my 12ga., 00 buck for that one. In a house situation, pick your shooting lanes and make a plan. If you have a fire drill plan, why not a home invasion plan. Frangable ammo is good in a lot of applications, real expensive but good.
I did a study with some law inforcement here using ammo a lot like the Hydra Shock. We placed drywall at 3.5" apart to simulate interior walls:
.32 auto penatrated 9 sheets before stopping
.40s&w peatrated 16 sheets before stopping
.45 acp penatrated 18 sheets before stopping
Bottom line, it is a personall decision based on your specific house design/layout. Maybe a shotgun is a better choice....

Sorry for getting off the point (I am a firearm and persolal protection instructor, i just get excited) just take your pistol out and have some fun!

 

Oh yah,
If you do use lead, keep in mind you will have a lot more cleaning to do. Chase a box of lead ammo with a few full metal jacket rounds, might eliminate some fowling.
Just more of my .02

 

olford,

I see you are from the Sierra Mtns so just owning a gun won't worry you too much. Unlike here in N.J. where mentioning the word gets you a full Body Cavity Search (without the KY).

Asa mentioned earlier, consider a softer slug if you are going to use the weapon indoors where there might be "collateral damage". The harder materials combined with a higher powered charge will definately go through most of today's housing materials.

Being a retired P.O. from N.J. I try to circumvent all the deadly force issues we have here by carrying my pepper spray (I have the higher % capsium).

My instructions to both my 27 y.o. daughter and my 22 y.o. niece goes as follows: "spray 'em for 2 sec., deliver ONE (TWO if deserving) full force kick(s) to the groin, then RUN LIKE HELL never looking back!

 

Thanks for the replies. Real good points to consider regarding self defense.

 

For plinking... The cheapest you can find. For defence... Go with the full magnum loads, and HIT your target. That way you don't have to worry about "collateral damage"

 

the problem with that is a full power .357 magnum will go right through someone and through the two walls behind him and into your kids bedroom. if you are using it for protection in you home you would do well to load it with some light 125 gr .38 special hollow points (federal hydroshock, remington golden saber, speer gold dot, corbon) or a frangible round (glaser, mag safe, extreme shock)