Heavy bullets in snub .357's

[45_Shooter]

Has anyone ever tried working up a 180 or 200 grain load for a .357 snub?

At first glance it seems silly, but when you consider that .357's use relatively slow powder, and heavy bullets spend more time in the barrel than lighter ones enabling more time for powder to burn in short barrels, it actually seems like the heavier bullets would be more efficient than the more popular lighter ones.

It would also seem that the lower velocity of the heavy bullets would reduce the ridiculously loud report and muzzle flash endemic to small snubs.

I forget the thread, but someone around here not long ago posted velocity loss of .45 ACP's from 3" barrels to 5" barrels, and the heavier 230's experienced significantly less velocity loss than the lighter ones.

Just a thought since the little pocket boomers seem to be rising in popularity these days......wish I still had a .357 snub to experiment with!

 

[evenflow80]

I apologize if I misunderstood your question, but I have a Ruger SP101 3" barrel, and I've shot 180gr, 158gr, and 125gr Magnums out of it and the 125gr by FAR have the worst recoil, muzzle flash, and muzzle flip of the three. The 180's and 158's feel exactly the same, as in I couldn't tell the difference if I didn't know what size bullet they were.

Never shot 110gr , but apparently its the mildest of the bunch.

.357 mags are confusing....... with .44 Mags I generally noticed that the heavier you go, the more recoil/flash/flip there is. Not so with the .357 Mag, it seems all over the place.

I love the 125gr though. I specifically ask for it when I buy ammo but they always seem to be sold out.

 

[the357plan]

Been there done that. I did this maybe 15 - 20 years ago and kept only impressions not numbers.

It's hard to push heavy bullets fast enough for good performance (properly mushroomed) from a snub. So for soft point or hollow point I would stay with 158 grs or less. For anything heaver, I would keep it hard cast and count on penetration. You might want the hard cast in black bear country.

As just one example, the 180 gr Black Talon would penetrate almost 3 times further when fired from my 3" SP101 than it would when fired from my 6" S&W 686. However, when fired from the S&W 686, the 180 gr Black Talon would open up real well, deliver more energy and generated far more damage. I was using really wet Tennessee clay as a test media at the time.

 

[New_Member_Name]

this is interesting because i shot my taurus 650 with 357 magnums 125 grain and after 5 shots i quit using them. a day later my thumb was hurting something fierce. so would a longer barrel make the recoil less?

 

[stevieboy]

A heavier gun reduces perceived recoil. Having said that, I don't fire 125 gr. magnums very often because the base of my thumb can't take the pounding no matter what gun I use. I'm pretty comfortable with 158 gr. magnums so that's what I shoot.

 

[joneb]

I carry a short barreled Ruger Security six for a outdoor sidearm, I handload 180gr Hornady XTP-FP and 180gr hard cast WFNGC with a max load of AA#9 for critter repellent.