My car carry weapon is a .357 Dan Wesson with a 2 1/2" barrel. After a recent practice session of 18 rounds, I discovered I am down to my last 6 125 gr CorBons. As I now have an excuse to buy dies, I was wondering if any of you in the line of duty have a favorite load for a short barrel. And do you have a preferred bullet wt. and brand? Thanks.

TWo of the best loads out for snub 357mags are the Speer 135grGD short bbl. & the 145gr WWSTHP. Nothing wrong w/ the various 125gr JHP loads if you can handle the blast & recoil.

For reasons not quite understood, the single most effective 1 shot stop handgun cartridge/bullet combination is the 357 mag 125 JHP.

Evan Marshall did extensive research on this and when I was first reading the report I thought okay...well what is the sample size 20? 25?....the sample sizes were huge across all caliber/cartridge and bullet combinations 60-75 study cases per cartridge/bullet weight/bullet configuartion. The 357 even out performed 44 mags. Again I don't understand why.

To qualify for the study it had to be a single round to the thoracic cavity.

So load a 125 JHP as hot as you can shoot it of your short barrel

quote:

Originally posted by Mike_Dettorre:
For reasons not quite understood, the single most effective 1 shot stop handgun cartridge/bullet combination is the 357 mag 125 JHP.

There being no rhyme or reason to the statistics I always figured the severe blast and flash intimidated the bad guy, or the substantial recoil delayed a second shot long enough for the B.G. to give up before getting hit again.

quote:

To qualify for the study it had to be a single round to the thoracic cavity.

IIRC It's a little more complicated than that; after the single torso hit the B.G. needed to cease hostilities within a certain number of seconds, either by dying, becoming unconscious, surrendering, or try to run away but not get more than a certain number of feet before stopping. All sorts of ink and electrons have been spent "evaluating" the Marshall/Sanow methodology but it still makes no sense to me that a .429 180 @ 1600 fps is less effective than a .358 125 @ 1400 fps...

All that said my favorite defense load in 357s is the 38 special 158 gr lead SWC HP. Accurate, easy to control, statistically effective, and endorsed (at least back in the day) by none less than the FBI.

quote:

Originally posted by Ole Miss Guy:
My car carry weapon is a .357 ....

Hey OMG, I'd strongly encourage you to "carry" only Factory Ammo. Not from a reliability standpoint, but from a potential Legal Defense issue, if you have to use it.

The Lawdogs would attempt to make you out to be some kind of Dr. Frankenstein, down in your Reloading Lab concocting Human Killer Loads. Think about the folks they end up with on juries and you will realize they just do not understand.

I agree the 125gr Federal Factory Ammo is some REALLY HOT Ammo and it should do just fine for you.

Then practice with your Reloads to replicate the Feds. They are tough on a Revolver, but a Dan Wesson is an excellently made, tough and accurate firearm, which can take it.

Best of luck to you.

You just got some good advice.

In the unlikely event that you will use your .357 for defense, the district attorney may attack you for using home made or super hot ammo. Shoot 'em with regular store bought stuff. That's what has been said in the gun rags anyway. It must have happened somewhere.

This is an example of a legend that will not die. Several threads have been devoted to it.
There is no record of anyone being charged with shooting someone with a hand load.
It seems to have been a speculation many years ago by Dean Grenel.
Good Luck!

quote:

Originally posted by hawkins:
This is an example of a legend that will not die. Several threads have been devoted to it.
There is no record of anyone being charged with shooting someone with a hand load.
It seems to have been a speculation many years ago by Dean Grenel.
Good Luck!

Whether there is a record of someone being charged or prosecuted harshly for a shooting involving handloads or not, why would anyone want to risk being the first? Look at the makeup of most jurys & the fact most attornys will say whatever they have to to make a case, I'll roll w/ factory ammo every day.

quote:

Originally posted by hawkins:
This is an example of a legend that will not die. ...

As long as I am around and see a thread asking about "Carry Loads", I plan to mention they should use Factory Ammo. If they choose not to, that is fine by me, but at least they have the knowledge I think they need to make the proper decision.

And I wish you all the best with whichever you choose to Carry.

quote:

Hey OMG, I'd strongly encourage you to "carry" only Factory Ammo. Not from a reliability standpoint, but from a potential Legal Defense issue, if you have to use it.

I'd agree. Here in UK you hear all sorts of BS in court cases. That somehow cutting down the barrel on a shot gun makes it "more lethal"! All it makes it is have LESS velocity!

For a short barrel revolver I would go for the load that gave the least muzzle flash, the least muzzle blast and the best shot to shot revovery. That, to me, is the MOST IMPORTANT deciding factor in your cartridge and/or handload choice.

The problem is you have a short barrel. So if you go lightweight bullet, you will have to "buy" velocity and get with it flash and blast.

But if you go moderate bullet and medium high velocity you'll get recoil and poor shot to shot revovery. Velocity will be pretty useless also.

So you may decide to go the "old road" of a very slow heavy bullet such as the 158 hollow point all lead semi-wadcutter that Remington used to market. Do they still? That way if the thing doesn't expand at least you have still got the weight and being a SWC it will still cut a full calibre hole.

Other than that I would think about also the 200 grain "Super Police" loading. Old fashioned but in short barrel guns...or those with velocity issues...it seemed to work. Hence its use by the British in the .38-200 Webley Mk IV revolver. 200 grains, all lead, at 630fps.

There is no easy answer to this. I would try the load for flash and blast and then try "six shots quick" to test climb and gun control. I'd also try it for penetration through a car door and a car window. Again do you intend a bullet that will shoot THROUGH cover...so giving you a better target area on an adversary...or will you choose a "trick bullet" such as those things loaded with small lead birdshot where you will have to pick your spot from what is visible and not protected by cover?

The answer lies somewhere! Do you envisage shooting someone in the car? Through the car door? Short range? Long range? Through the card window? Again "trick" fast JHP or JSP bullets will have penetration "issues". Shooting from inside the car out? Those hot loads are going to give you concussion! And after dark your night vision will go after the first shot.

Do you need to reload your revolver after the first six shots? .357 cases, especially the "hot shots" can be difficult to eject in comparison to the shorter .38 Special case. And .38 Special from a speedloader will always reload quicker into the cylinder than any .357 Magnum.

I'd go for the 158 grain lead semi-wadcutter hollow point. The Remington being a swaged bullet has not as sharp a shoulder as a cast bullet and that will better reload from a speedloader.