In the firearms world, I see much hype and overstatement. As such, the real article with genuine performance is often under appreciated. One example is comparing the latest 9mm +P or .357 SIG load to the .357 Magnum. While some of these loads are impressive for the caliber, they are no match for the true .357 Magnum. Others engage in revisionist history and attempt to downplay the great men and firearms of the past.
The .357 Magnum was used by lawmen, adventurers, and hunters to perform tasks that were previously suitable only for rifles. As one man put it, after some experience with deadly animals in the Amazon it is ‘a rifle on the hip.’ Heavy, hard-cast bullets were developed that afforded excellent penetration and accuracy within months of the .357’s introduction. 173- to 180-grain hard-cast bullet loads still give uncanny accuracy and penetration.
Modern JHP loads give the Magnum more performance than ever. When discussing the .357 Magnum and its good points, I have to stress that the best revolvers for this cartridge are those with a heavy frame and cylinder capable of taking heavy loads. A four- to six-inch barrel and adjustable sights are best for maximizing the .357 Magnum. Short barrel, lightweight-frame revolvers are OK for personal defense, but limited in application and not my idea of a go-anywhere do-anything revolver.
The .357 Magnum is a powerful field and holster gun. Perhaps these lightweight revolvers might have been better chambered for the .38 Special +P+ or .38-44 load. With their heavy barrels and larger grips than most snub nose revolvers, they are best suited for use with heavy .38 Special loads, but that is my opinion.
I own a number of .357 Magnum revolvers. I have owned most of the popular revolvers. The single most accurate, and perhaps the most rugged, durable, and reliable, is the Ruger GP100. The Ruger is accurate with light loads and even more accurate with magnum loads. As an example, with a .38 Special 148-grain wadcutter at 730 fps, the Ruger will cut a 1-inch 25-yard group all day. Bump the load up to a 160-grain hard cast SWC at 1,000 fps (in .38 Special cases), and you have a useful practice load that is accurate and suitable for small game hunting.
Load a 110-grain JHP in the .38 Special to 1,100 fps, and you have a good varmint load. However, the most amazing and powerful loads are the full power .357 Magnum loads. The hardcore Ruger GP100 owners among you know the GP100 often exhibits 60-90 fps more per barrel length than other revolvers for some reason. The accuracy is phenomenal!
Among the .357 Magnum loads are various reduced loads that are stronger than the .38 Special but not full-power Magnum loads. These are designed primarily for practice and personal defense. As an example, the Winchester 110-grain JHP breaks about 1230 fps and is intended as a low-recoil defense load. The Remington Golden Saber 125-grain load breaks at 1250 fps and is intended as medium power load.
That’s fine, and these loads are suited to lighter revolvers. With the Winchester 124-grain PDX 9mm +P breaking 1200 fps and the 127-grain SXT +P+ at 1250 fps, those claiming the 9mm will meet the .357 Magnum for power have a leg to stand on. Let’s look at full power loads.
Recently, I had occasion to take a day or two and really enjoy my Ruger GP100. I fired it from the benchrest for accuracy, taking every advantage to exhibit good groups. This revolver features excellent sights and a smooth trigger action. When you set the front sight on the target, there is little movement. If you do your part, you have a hit. Keep doing this, and you have a small group. In off hand double-action fire, the revolver is controllable.
I fired a number of factory loads and found a few that gave excellent results—fully up to the Magnum power level. Others are best suited for practice, loaded sensibly lighter than full power in order to prove accurate practice. Just the same, you would be well advised (and healthier) to stay out of the way of a 1280 fps 125-grain JHP.
My son Alan is a master handloader that has taken up experiments where I left off. Among the loads he sent was the single most accurate combination I have yet fired in the GP100—the Hornady 158-grain XTP at 1100 fps. He also sent a powerful number that we have labeled Ruger only. It would not blow a lesser handgun, but over time wear on the small parts would wreck the revolver. And then it would possibly exhibit flattened primers and hard extraction. However, it functions perfectly in the Ruger.
Using the Hornady 125-grain XTP and H 110 powder, this load breaks 1628 fps from the Ruger GP100’s 4-inch barrel. That is true .357 Magnum performance. The Ruger GP100 will take an unlimited amount of heavy loads and deliver outstanding accuracy. As the following tables show, the .357 Magnum is still the first with the most.
Practice and Reduced Magnum Loads
| .38 Special | Velocity | 25-yard group for five shots |
|---|---|---|
| Winchester 158-grain SWC | 835 fps | 1.9 in. |
| Winchester 158-grain LSWCHP+P | 1001 fps | 2.5 in. |
| Remington 110-grain JHP | 940 fps | 2.5 in. |
| Buffalo Bore 158-grain LSWCHP | 1040 fps | 2.4 in. |
Practice and Light Defense Loads
| .357 Magnum | Velocity | 25-yard group for five shots |
|---|---|---|
| Winchester 110-grain JHP USA | 1230 fps | 2.5 in. |
| Remington 125-grain Golden Saber | 1240 fps | 1.2 in. |
| HPR 125-grain JHP | 1280 fps | 1.25 in. |
| Fiocchi 158-grain JHP | 1135 fps | 1.1 in. |
| Hornady 158-grain XTP True Blue Powder | 1150 fps | .9 in. |
Full Power Loads
| Heavy .357 Magnum | Velocity | 25-yard group for five shots |
|---|---|---|
| Hornady 125-grain Critical Defense | 1383 fps | 1.5 in. |
| Hornady 158-grain XTP | 1250 fps | 1.25 in. |
| SIG Sauer Elite 125-grain V Crown | 1370 fps | 1.2 in. |
| Winchester 145-grain Silvertip | 1355 fps | 1.9 in. |
| Winchester 158-grain JHP | 1266 fps | 1.25 in. |
| Hornady 140-grain XTP/H110 powder | 1425 fps | 1.35 in. |
| Hornady 125-grain XTP/H110 powder | 1628 fps | 1.2 in. |
| Matt’s Bullets 175-grain SWC/H 110 | 1150 fps | 1.7 in. |
| Grizzly Cartridge 180-grain Flat Point | 1140 fps | 1.5 in. |
| Buffalo Bore 180-grain hard cast | 1334 fps | 1.4 in. |
Are you a fan of the .357 Magnum or do your prefer another caliber? Share your top pick for caliber, load, and use in the comment section.
[bob]
I found a S&W 686+ with a 6″ barrel and absolutely love it! It will shoot the lightest .38 Special wadcutter target loads all the way up to the Buffalo Bore heavy hunting rounds with similar accuracy.
I enjoy your articles, Bob. Have you written, or would you write, an article comparing the full size Ruger to full size S&W in .357?
Bob,
I have been an owner of a Ruger 357 blackhawk for many decades. It also shoots 38 Specal ammo, as I suspect almot all 357 Mag handguns do. But your list at the end of this article states it is a 38 Special velocity list under ‘Full Power Loads’, but it looks a lot more like a 357 velocity list. As I have mentioned to you before, I have created a ballistics file of over 23 calibers, and over 500 individual cartridges for these calibers. The fastest 38 Special I have in my list is 1,000 fps for a 125 gr bullit made by Buffalo Bore.
Vincent (10-18-2016)
Lou, I have been researching and testing (in only a few calibers) handgun ammo for some time now. I have created an Excel ballistics file that shows the ballistics of over 500 handgun ammos for 23 different calibers. After reading your post here, I had to research and add the .327 Mag to my file. After doing this, it is clear that the .327 Mag is not even close to the .357 Mag in power. I find that people in general like to make their choice of ammo look better than it is. I created this file partially because of the discussion on this forum many tiimes regarding the power of the 9 mm vs. the 45 ACP, where many people thought that the 9mm was just as powerful as the 45 ACP, which is not even close either.
So, if you would like real proof of this, email me and I will send you my ballistics file. I have offerred and sent this file to over 15 Shooters Log members in the past few months, and now I send out a monthly mainly of this file to this group as well. This file does not only give ballistics info, but it gives costs and where to buy ammo online with hot links. This way you can get the best bang for your buck, or get the most powerful ammo, or get low power plinking ammo, for any fo the calibers I cover. Email me at vlavalle at ix.net com .com. This file is free! Since it shows a LOT of info per line, it is not really usable on smart phones, and quite linited on tablets. I have the most entries for the calibers I shoot: 38 Spec, 357 Mag, 45 ACP, 45 Colt.
Vincent (10-18-2016).
While I will never be the shot that Mr. Campbell is I have carried and qualified with numerous. I have not had the opportunity for the Ruger 100 series.
I started my career with a S&W mod 15, .38 Spec. I moved to a S&W mod 19, .357. I then went to a S&W mod 29, 44 mag. I had to quit the .44 mag when the sheriff said, “You can’t carry the 44’s anymore, they might hurt somebody” I am still amazed at the stupidity of the comment as I had to qualify with the 44 twice a year. I then went to a S&W 686, .357. I carried this until we had to go to Semi-Auto’s. I am sure that Mr Campbell knows more than me but I was able to shoot all factory ammo and that which I reloaded. The purpose of shooting someone is to stop the threat. My .357’s and .44 were very capable of this and the .38 was pretty good.
I can see the point of the .44 for hunting…. But the comment about why pay for a .357 only to carry .38 +p rounds? Versatility!!! In a normal world no worries. In the potential world we could face in a month, being able to shoot either round gives you move options for finding Ammo.
I shoot the same standard jacketed .357 cartridges in both my Ruger Blackhawk and Desert Eagle Mk I.
Like Allen alluded to above, .357 mag really shines with an appropriate load for a 16″ carbine. You get 5.56 NATO power in a very discreet package.
The only issues I have with the cartridge is in comparison to magazine fed semi-autos, it falls short in capacity. However, for anything short of gang violence or war, it’s not really an issue.
At this moment I had been loading 38 special and .357 Magnum and I had enjoyed it so much that my semi-autos are getting dusty but Ruger GP100 is just great performer with a 6″ barrel but my S&W model 19-5 4″ barrel is so smooth to shoot I have been working in my trick shoots up-side-down and smalls targets and I grateful to this calibers thank you for reading this Veteran22lr out.
take back part of my previous post. after reviewing the charts more carefully, the “full power” table must be mis-labeled as 38 special. I don’t think some of those loads are possible with 38. I skipped its details wondering why no .357 mag chart was shown in full power loads.
Sorry, please edit.
I am sorry , yet it is mis labeled.
Thanks for reading
Bob .
While I appreciate the article, the title is a bit of a misnomer. As a magnum owner that has loaded up to 185 grain loads, I whole heartedly agree with the sentiment, but was disapointed by the lack of “true magnum” reference in the charts. Most shooting with a 4″ or longer barrel are looking to shoot at least 1400 fps, and higher with the lighter bullets. And more energy for hunting, self defense. The loads shown in the chart don’t have much mass or speed. If plus P is the heaviest load you will shoot, better utility and accuracy with a medium framed 38 special.
I have a Ruger SP101 3″ barrel that shoots the .38 special, +P, and the .357 Magnum loads that I really like. I chose the .357 because I wanted to also shoot the .357’s with a rifle instead of using my .30-.30 Marlin all the time because of shoulder issues. So now I have the Henry Big Boy lever action .357 Magnum rifle that also shoots .38 special 158 grain. With a 158 JHP grain .357 magnum round it is very fun to shoot and can use the same rounds in the Ruger SP101. At 75 yards with the rifle the .357 mag JHP leaves a hole the size of a quarter in a cast iron pan with literally no recoil. Love the .357 mag round for versatility.
Back in 1972, I took a Colorado mule deer with a .357 158gr hard cast SWC out of my 6″ S&W M19. It was carried in a vertical shoulder holster, and because of the situation, I could not get to my cross body slung rifle. At 35 feet, that deer dropped in it’s tracks and never moved. That SWC blew out the heart and shattered the backside shoulder blade on the way out. .357 rules!
What about handload performance from a lever action or a Ruger 77/.357? That to me is the awesomeness of the .357, having the revolver and a carbine that will gain you a few hundred fps with the right loads. We need a follow up article show results for a carbine.
Are the stats on full power loads incorrectly labeled as .38? Are they really.357 stats?
Sorry about that a mis label.
They are Magnum loads.
I’m a big fan of 38 super but in revolver form .357 for sure
I use Critical Defense for all my defensive loads, .357, 9mm, .45 and .40. It is a reliable product with consistent performance.
I prefer the 44 mag over the .357 any day of the week it can just do so much more and be loaded to lower power or to the very edge of pressure levels in the right handgun and far outperforms the .357 any day all day ,JMHO i used a ruger 357 with cor-bon hunting loads and was just not enough gun for these big Ohio whitetails .The 44 mag drops em in their tracks or they just do not go far i have hit em in th the heart from 25 yards with the cor-bon hvy hunting 170 grain loads they still were able to run damn near 100 yards @ times before going down i am a big bore man for game bigger than varmints .JMHO not saying it is not a great man stopper but i think it is under powered and too small for large game 1 shot kills and overpowered for self defense in streets safely .My desert eagle 44 mag knocks deer off their feet at times never had my ruger 357 mag do that the .357 maximum is a far better choice t me for hunting applications but i still prefer the 44 mag . Want a self defense pistol the 38 special+p loads are enough why pay fora 357 mag then carry 38 +p loads?JMHO
I have nothing against the .357. But I love my 44’s. I have a Taurus Tracker 44 magnum and use 44 specials for self defence. The first handguns I have ever owned was a 9mm AND I HATED IT!! The second handgun I owned was a Taurus .44 Mag 6″ barrel back in the mid 90’s. I couldn’t believe how accurate that gun was. It’s like I couldn’t miss. (and at the time I had very little handgun training) I was beginning to think it was a hollywood gun. you know, just point it in the general direction and pull the trigger and some how it would find the bullseye every time. The gun I traded it in on was a Beretta .40 cal which I absolutely love and will probably never get rid of. But I still missed not having a .44 so when I saved up enough money I had to buy another one and I hope to never get rid of this one. I now own three .44’s. The closest thing to a .357 i’ve owned was a 38 special snub nose. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about that gun/caliber.
Here’s a question for someone.
Why do they call it a 38 special when it’s a 357 bullet???
shouldn’t it be called a 357 special???
Lands and grooves and all that–
the .36 Navy fired a .375 ball, the .38 Special a .358 and then the Magnum was more exact– no rhyme or reason except in metric cartridges.
Thanks for reading
My son has a Ruger 357 with a 6″ barrel. My Taurus 357 tracker is smaller and lighter with it’s 6″ barrel and yet it is more comfortable to shoot. I can also fire it more accurately. I can shoot 7/8″ groups at 40 yards with it.
I also like my Dan Wesson 357 with 6″ barrel. It is very accurate also.
I have a Ruger SP 101 in 327 magnum with a 4″ barrel. The 327 is almost as powerful as the 357 but it has far less recoil with the light faster bullet .I also get 6 shots instead of 5.
One of my favorite revolvers is my Ruger single 7 in 327 magnum. It is comfortable and fun to shoot and very accurate. I also get 7 instead of 6.
Thanks for the article
Thanks for giving me some reloading ideas. My current favorite handgun is a GP100 Match Champion. I’ve been shooting primarily 38 Special but i have a nice selection of Horaday XTP 125 and 140 grain bullets ready for reloading and also some H110 powder so i’ll have to try some of your combinations. This gun came highly recommended. When I picked it up at my dealer the other folks around the gun counter said I’d love it and it was built like a tank and they were right.
I’m just an average guy who shoots…. I have a IPSC Torso A-C Target that I can ring all day long from 75 yds with my dad 6″ security six. I love shooting that thing!!! Granted I hit it pretty consistently from 50 yds with my Glock 23, but the revolver is super accurate!!!
Yeah, the 357 is a pretty darn good cartridge for a whole lot of things. While I like the 9mm too, its just not a 357. Its all about powder capacity. The same reason a 6.5 Grendel, while a great cartridge, still isnt a 308. I mention that comparison because I have heard quote a few debates on which one is better. Once again, the 308 has a big capacity advantage. Another advantage of the 357 is the wide variety of styles and weights of bullets, something no automatic can claim.
I’ve had a brand new Taurus Model 66 for a couple of years now that I haven’t even shot yet..so what am I waiting for?!
Boy I’m glad I stumbled onto this article, I’ve got a Ruger Security Six 4 inch .357 Mag. that I haven’t shot since I don’t know when, owned that gun since probably sometime around mid ’70’s, got .357/.38 Spec. reloads setting around from the late ’80’s–early ’90’s—this article is giving me impetus to get out there and pop off a few before winter sets in.
Old Cuss in Western MO