HD for .357

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  • TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,178
    Sun City West, AZ
    The budget lines from the big manufacturers are certainly good quality but for less money you're giving up something. The budget stuff will give up things like flash suppressant the upper lines will have or better technology bullets.
     

    Cold Steel

    Active Member
    Sep 26, 2006
    801
    Bethesda, MD
    The .357 125gr JHP is as close as you can come to a "magic bullet" as one can get.

    In absolute performance, a full power 125jhp is still the bomb. Why consider anything else? Because the muzzle blast and recoil are significant.
    I'm old enough to remember the 1980s and the articles that were written. And frankly, I don't recall reading many complaints about the recoil and blast of that round. I worked for the NRA back when the media was yapping about the so-called cop-killer bullets (steel bullets clad in copper or teflon. We were trying to keep it secret so cop-killing criminals wouldn't use cop-killer bullets against law enforcement. Gun writer Massad Ayoob assisted in this, but the great secret we all were trying to keep the idiot media from finding out was that the .357 125-gr JHP would defeat many of those same vests. We didn't want the media to spearhead a national campaign to outlaw standard ammoo of any type.

    It's no problem now, but back then there were calls to ban all Teflon-coated ammo, whether they penetrated bullet-resistant ammo or not. As for the stats we were watching, instead of cop killers using cop-killer bullets to kill cops, they simply aimed for the heads. Many of those deaths, in fact, came because of the media publicity.
     
    Last edited:

    winch

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 14, 2011
    1,326
    Towson
    WOW!! ANY .357 is damn hard to find right now!! I did find some online at Freedom Munitions for $.38 per round (their brand) and I feel like a hoarder ordering 400 rounds.
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,178
    Sun City West, AZ
    The .357 125gr JHP is as close as you can come to a "magic bullet" as one can get.


    I'm old enough to remember the 1980s and the articles that were written. And frankly, I don't recall reading many complaints about the recoil and blast of that round. I worked for the NRA back when the media was yapping about the so-called cop-killer bullets (steel bullets clad in copper or teflon. We were trying to keep it secret so cop-killing criminals wouldn't use cop-killer bullets against law enforcement. Gun writer Massad Ayoob assisted in this, but the great secret we all were trying to keep the idiot media from finding out was that the .357 125-gr JHP would defeat many of those same vests. We didn't want the media to spearhead a national campaign to outlaw standard ammoo of any type.

    It's no problem now, but back then there were calls to ban all Teflon-coated ammo, whether they penetrated bullet-resistant ammo or not. As for the stats we were watching, instead of cop killers using cop-killer bullets to kill cops, they simply aimed for the heads. Many of those deaths, in fact, came because of the media publicity.

    The Teflon was used solely to protect the handgun bores...it didn't anything extra to assist in defeating body armor.

    The Washington Post and NYC Congressman Mario Biaggi led the way to ban so-called "cop-killer" bullets and continually publicized that officers were wearing body armor...against the pleas from police groups, the NRA and others. Once the word was out about the prevalence of soft body armor the incidents of police being shot in the head rose pretty dramatically if I remember.

    They got their way...the bullets were banned for civilian use and they got their bragging rights...and the blood of police officers on their hands. The Post is still spreading their drivel but Biaggi was convicted of corruption and went to prison. At least there was some satisfaction in that.
     

    Cold Steel

    Active Member
    Sep 26, 2006
    801
    Bethesda, MD
    The Teflon was used solely to protect the handgun bores...it didn't anything extra to assist in defeating body armor.
    Quite right, but they still tried to ban all Teflon-coated bullets, even those that wouldn't penetrate body armor. They were stupid beyond belief. One bill that was aimed at machine guns (guns that fired multiple projectiles with a single pull of the trigger) inadvertently would have banned shotguns!

    The Washington Post and NYC Congressman Mario Biaggi led the way to ban so-called "cop-killer" bullets and continually publicized that officers were wearing body armor...against the pleas from police groups, the NRA and others. Once the word was out about the prevalence of soft body armor the incidents of police being shot in the head rose pretty dramatically if I remember.
    Boy, that's a name from the past! And yes, the media publicized it so much that cop killers began aiming at the heads. One bad guy waited on some stairs and killed two cops coming up the stairs to his apartment. Both cops were shot in the head from behind. Even though steel bullets can be easily made using a steel rod cut into pieces and hand-loaded, the cop killers went for the head. We even got blamed for those killings, even though the media was clearly at fault. The blood, as you say, was clearly on their hands.
     

    Blaster229

    God loves you, I don't.
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 14, 2010
    46,410
    Glen Burnie
    I think most people should concentrate on being able to make that first shot hit, instead of what flavor bullet is best. You could have a super explody bullet, but it does no good if you can't land it.
     

    cstone

    Active Member
    Dec 12, 2018
    842
    Baltimore, MD
    My preference for reloading handgun bullets is always lighter/faster over heavier/slower. Some calibers don't really have many bullet choices, i.e. .357 SIG is generally 124/125 gr, but .40 S&W bullets span 155 up to 180 gr., and I always load 155 gr. 147 gr. in 9mm only makes sense to me if you are running it in an SMG or loading for subsonic suppressed, so I will always load 115 gr. 185 gr in .45 ACP is pretty impressive compared to non +P 230 gr bullets. So whether I am shooting .38 Spl or .357 Mag, 125 gr bullets are what I load, with one exception. I try to keep a few hundred rounds of 148 gr wad cutters in .38 Spl., with powder puff loads on hand for introducing young/inexperienced shooters to revolvers. They also make nice bullseye target shooting rounds out of my Model 15.

    But choosing bullets is like most things, a personal preference. Like calibers or guns, I think it is always best to find what you run best and shoot a lot.

    Be safe.
     

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