I like 158gr bullets for guns carried afield.

For guns used in more urban places, I use what's on sale. Sometimes I load up with 38+p in my 357 short barrels.

Bullet profile can be an issue with ammo carried for reloads.

 

I carry heavier bullets in my Blackhawk. I carry 158gr XTP loads because it's used in the woods. My 4" Colt Trooper MkIII was my do everything handgun from 1980 to 1994. I saw the report Evan Marshall did on handgun stopping power showing the 125gr .357mag JHP as best percentage of one shot stops. My revolver loved the Federal Hi Shok load. I worked up a handload using the XTP hollow point over IMR4227 to duplicate it (velocity is close, equal accuracy). Accuracy is important when you only have six shots. If you place any full power .357 125gr HP in an adversary's chest he will likely be out of the fight. I love my single action revolvers, but they aren't my choice for self defense. I feel very confident with one of my DA .357mag revolvers though.

 

A Local PD shooting, (who happened to be a friend) was precipitated when the perp shot both officers with a .25 acp. P.D. shot back with a .357 i25 gr. bullet unknown. but issued stuff all 6 rds. impacted chest area. Other officer shot him one time with a .38 special in the chest. He dropped his gun and went for another gun. My friend rolled behind a vehicle for protection while he reloaded and called in a Shots fired call. when he looked up the perp was down. So 125 doesn't always work immediately. Even with 7 hits. My friend still carries that .25 bullet which impacted just below his vest.

 

I have a 357 magnum for my night stand gun, Security Six. I keep it loaded with Speer Gold Dot personal protection 38 special +P 135 gn bullets. The powder has a flash suppressant to help achieve a burn in 1.9 inch barrels so for 4 inch barrels it completes a full powder burn and has the benefit of less muzzle flash in low light. Plus in a full size gun it has low recoil.

In my Blackhawk and Smith 686 that I carry when out and about I started using Hornady American handgunner blue box with 125 gn Hornady XTPs. I'm outdoors where my main use would be pests like skunks, raccoons, or coyotes primarily. The ammo shoots to my sights and has been effective out of the blackhawk on a coyote at 60 yds, one shot dropped him. Once I started reloading I switched to a handload using the 125 gn XTPs. They shoot the same but I like rolling my own. I do still carry the blue box when I stand the chance of human interactions, I'm not a fan of handloads for self defense. I also have a box of the Hornady FTX which I initially bought for the home defense, but the wife may use it and prefers the recoil of the 38s

 

I use 158gr SWCs in mine loaded to around 1000fps. Fits my needs perfectly. I like to say I load what I shoot, and shoot what I load. {edited} I like to keep bullets subsonic. No need to blast ones ears off..... Nor be hard on the hands, yet gets any job done that I suspect I might need the pea shooter for.

 

Any hollow-point.

 

.357 Magnum = HDY XTP , 180 GR / 8.3 GR of ACC #5, @ 1167 FPS
38 SPL +P = HDY XTP , 180 GR / 4.4 GR of W231, @ 800 FPS

 

Gun used, Ruger Vaquero Birdshead with 3.75" barrel.

 

@Samsdad Thanks for posting. I should of asked this same question a while ago. I don't know if any of my three .357 Magnum revolvers will ever be an intentional self-defense gun, but it's good info nonetheless; especially since I'm starting to collect them more and more as that caliber has become my favorite.

Post a pic of your new beauty.

 

My carry gun is a Sig P365 Spectre Comp, but I like to have defense loadings for all my firearms. This is my BH at the moment. Planning on having my gunsmith do quite a bit of work to it, so I'll be losing it for a while.

I try to go with XTPs. Every time I open one of them up they always expand well. Barnes is next in line.

Wow Buffalo Bore had the lowest speed.

That Buffalo Bore loading is intended to be a low recoil round, so I'm not surprised the velocity is lowest.

Shoot what is most accurate in your revolver.

For self-defense, I use full-house 357 mag 158 gr. JSP's.

That's the plan. So far that seems to be the Barnes loading, but I'll have to run the Hornady again to be sure. I expect the Black Hills loading to be good. I've had a lot of success with their rifle rounds in the past. Extremely consistent velocity and very accurate. Like buying a hand load.

I'm brand new to revolvers, and not very good yet, but I shot best with the Barnes. This is a 6-shot group on a rest at 25 yards. Four of them are within 2" and 3 of them are with 1".

My SD load is an old Winchester styled JHP 125 gr going over the chrony at just short of 1500fps.

I definitely wanted to test those, but I don't see them in stock anywhere.

 

158 grain Hornady XTP.

 

I try to go with XTPs. Every time I open one of them up they always expand well. Barnes is next in line.

Wow Buffalo Bore had the lowest speed.

 

For many years my preferred load was 158 gr JHP over 10.2 gr of Blue Dot and SPP. It is listed as max load in my old Speer 13 manual. It was quite accurate in my old Security Six but I always noted some unburns flakes during clean up. I then switched to below max loads of Power Pistol and have had good luck with that.

 

Shoot what is most accurate in your revolver.

For self-defense, I use full-house 357 mag 158 gr. JSP's.

 

I don't shoot much factory ammo in my GP 100, but I do like the Speer 357 Magnum Short Barrel load, when it can be found. It is a very mild load, but effective. Remington once offered a "mild" Magnum load that I liked, but have not seen it offered for years. That said, my stash of SD ammo includes mostly +P...Remington 158 gr LSWCHP, the old "Dade County," FBI, and other Law Enforcement agencies round, Golden Saber 125gr +P, and the Speer +P 135gr. Short Barrel. Hornady FTX is said to be good ammo, but I haven't tried any. Why mostly +P? It has been developed and refined over decades, and is what's available (?) now and is pretty effective and reliable stuff. In my experience, I shoot best what barks and kicks me less, and doesn't reduce the pleasure of shooting. My reloads are (probably) high +P, seldom reaching the level of published 357 Magnum starting loads, and my GP 100 is no skinny chick, which does help. I know lots of people will disagree with me, but I can live with that. (No pun intended!) 🙂

 

My SD load is an old Winchester styled JHP 125 gr going over the chrony at just short of 1500fps.

 

There are alot of great 357 rounds, you almost can't go wrong. That said I like the Hornady Critical Defense but I'm currently out of those. I'll leave a link that might be of some help, it has results for 38 special too. It really comes down to what you're looking for, expansion, penetration, velocity, bullet weight, etc. I wouldn't feed a steady diet of hot 125 grain, good for defense but I'd keep those to a minimum to reduce flame cutting.

.38 Special and .357 Magnum Self-Defense Ammo Ballistics Test - LuckyGunner.com Labs

We conducted ballistics gelatin tests for 38 self-defense revolver loads in 38 Special and 357 Magnum. Here are the full results along with photos and video

www.luckygunner.com

 

When I owned a .357 magnum revolver, I carried Remington 125gr. semi jacketed hollow points in a 4'' S&W M-28, (1970's-1980's). These were at the time known as, ''fight stoppers'' that is if you were shooting a soft target. They were ''zippy'' little things achieving over 1,450fps out of a 4'' barrel and would dump all their energy on target. They were about sure expansion, but later we learned they lacked penetration if the target was armored or behind something like a car. The S&W N frame is my favorite revolver and today if I chose a .357 Magnum it would again be a 4'' S&W M-28, but I believe I would load it with Lehigh Defense solid copper fluid transfer bullets.

 

Those Remingtons are no joke! I have the soft point version for woods carry, probably the hottest factory 357 you can get today.

 

I use a 158 speer deep curl hollow point with h110 for my 357 4" and my dads 3" gp100. Its does everything I need it to do.

 

I know it's not exactly what you asked for but it is 357. Hornady Critical Duty 357Sig 135gr FlexLock (1225fps). I use it in P226, P229, P239 and P320 pistols.

 

Lighter 125gr JHPs expand better but 158gr bullets penetrate better so I like to compromise and use a 140gr JHP. It exapands better than a 158gr and penetrates deeper than a 125gr .... the best of both worlds.

 

Hello, fellow Iowan!

I’ll take a look at some 140s.

 

145gn Silvertip, in my GP100, with 125gn Critical Defense in the speed loader. The CD bullet profile loads quickly.

 

I don't carry .357 magnum for self defense but if I did I wouldn't bother with any of that fancy stuff.

The 50 count Remington Green and White Box with 125 grain semi jacketed hollowpoints is as good as anything out there in the same bullet weight. Gives results basically equivalent to all the 'high-tech' ammo but at a fraction of the cost.

 

I have a box of this on the way!

 

Buffalo Bore 158 gr. SWCHP/GC .38+P @1030 fps with my LCR .357 (feels like a .357) or 158 gr. sjhp over 14.8 gr. 2400 for 1250 fps out of my GP100. Both heavy and fast,
good for two legged and 4 legged varmints.

 

Mine are 3" GP100's so they are loaded with Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel .357 magnum (125 or 135 grain IIRC). If I were carrying for critter self defense it would be heavy hardcast of some kind. I have other guns better suited for that so it's a moot point.

 

Eventually, I'll also look for a hardcast. We technically have bears in Missouri, but they're not really a worry. I'm out west often though. Similarly, I have a .45-70, so the point may actually be moot.

 

I have developed a reload using plated 148 gr DEWC over Unique and measured at 1150 FPS . Very accurate to 100 yards (tested) and work well out of the 28-2s, 627-5, and my Blackhawks. I figure that flat bullet will do a lot in my self defense.

 

For self defense, I'd use a factory load. It would be easier to defend in court. Something like a Hornady HST, Speer Gold Dot or Winchester Silver Tip would be easier to explain to a prosecuting attorney. Every bullet has an attorney attached to it. A maxed out handload could be difficult to explain and make you appear guilty if it was too excessive.