[Neisse]

Got my new Taurus 605-B 2" 5 shot .357 Mag the other day. I am wondering what would be a few decent choices for carry ammo loads for it, within my limitations.

I did pick up a box of Winchester .38 Spl +P 125gr. "White box/USA" at Wally World, as it was a decent price for the first box, and yet COULD be used for defence use if necessary, as it has a semi-jacketed HP bullet. I'll probably shoot 'em up at the range soon, once I obtain a final carry load.

I'm partial to Speer's excellent Gold Dot line. It's what I carry in every other handgun I own - 200gr. in .45 Auto, 124 gr. in 9x19mm (both standard pressure and +P), and although Speer no longer loads ammo in 9x18 Makarov, Georgia Arms does, and uses Speer's 95 gr. Gold Dot bullet in their offering. Keeping it in the Gold Dot family would be nice, but isn't required.

I'm looking for: Decent performance in a shorter barrel, manageable recoil (non-bleeding hand loads), low/no muzzle flash if possible, decent availability, and competitive price. I would prefer a medium-range .357, but I'll also consider .38 Spl +P or hot standard .38 loads, too. Hey, whatever works, right?

I'm not as well versed in wheelguns as I am in autos or rifles, so I'd appreciate the advice of someone more learned than I in this regard. Thanks!

 

[ColoradoPacker]

I would load the new Speer 135gr +p gold dot, or the www.safestop.com standard pressure cup faced jacketed wadcutters in .38 special. The Corbon 110gr DPX are also a good round. ALL the other 110/125/158gr JHP rounds in .38 don't expand reliably, and if they do they don't penetrate well.

If you like blast and recoil, try the .357mag 145gr silvertips, the 158gr Gold dots, or the 180gr Winchester Partition Gold (more of a deep penetrator in short barrels because the expand more slowly).

www.warriortalk.com has a terminal balistics forum with lots of info, so does www.tacticalforums.com

 

[coltsr]

Remington 357 Golden Saber 125 gr. JHP. It is a medium velocity 357 and doesn't kick as much as others. It recoils about like a 38 special +P. Another good load is Federal 38 spl. 147 gr. +P+ JHP. This one may be harder to find because it is for Law Enforcement Only, but you can find it on Auction Arms or Gun Broker.

 

[Neisse]

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

I'm not afraid of recoil, but controllability is a major factor to me, especially in a carry weapon/ammo combo. Too much muzzle blast and recoil hinders this, no matter who you are or what you like. Gotta tailor the tool to the situation.

I have heard that, in a revolver such as this, that the lighter bullet loads are preferred. Less recoil, less wear and tear on the gun, still effective on the goblins. In the right formulation, of course. I would prefer, as I said, a magnum over a Special loading, but I'll consider everything and discount nothing.

Anyone know if Speer makes a light bullet Gold Dot load in .357, that's in the mild/medium recoil range?

 

[Stormin'N]

I think I would go for ...

A .357 round in a steel snubbie for self defence. I like the gold dot. I'm not familiar with your particular gun, however.

That said, I ran a box of Ranger +P+ 110 grain 38 special through my 686 2.5" the other day and they were way manageble, very acurate, and much softer on the hand than the 357 loads. They were marked "law enforcement only" but the shop I buy at sold them to me, so...

Enjoy your new gun and remember shot placement counts more than anything.

 

[blammo]

Corbon DPX

 

[Tac Four]

http://le.atk.com/Interior.asp?section=2&page=pages/ccispeer/ccispeer_GoldDot.asp

I'm also a fan of the Gold Dot loadings. They have a .357 Mag short barrel load that moves the 135gr at 1000fps from a 2" bbl.

 

[sikhed]

I'll be different and suggest a 158gr bullet (gold dot prefered)

Yes, you lose time for follow-up shots, but the heavier bullets have been shown to penetrate better versus lighter bullets on snubnosed revolvers.

Used to carry a (new generation) Colt detective special. Tried it out for myself on 10% ballistic mud:mummy: and soaked phone books. The 158 gr's did best, and don't overlook old fashioned 158gr SWCs, they did very well too

 

[FatBoy]

I would load the new Speer 135gr +p gold dot[/url]

+1 for the new SB Speer loads. The .38 135+p doesn't kick that much, shoots nice and gets ~ 13" of pen in gel IIRC. Kicks less then 125 +p Remington's and way less then full.357 158/125 loads. This is all out of my SW 640. I am interested to try the Speer SB .357 when I get a chance.

FB