Gold Dot Short Barrel for S&W Snubbies

[Curare]

According to the Speer catalog, the SGD-SB round in .357 mag has less "kick"--a tamed .357 mag load but still far beyond the .38spl+P performance. The .357 mag load is 135gr. at 1000 fps from a 2" revolver barrel. The .38spl +P is also 135gr, but 860 fps. This adds up to 300ft-lbs vs. 220 ft-lbs at the muzzle.

I can handle my 642 with +P loads, but I'd really like to get something lighter, i.e. the 342PD. However, the reduced power .357 mag load may make the 340PD something a mortal could handle--that extra power is enticing when you only have 5 rounds. I've read all the 340PD horror stories, do you think this milder magnum would make much of a difference?

 

[BluesBear]

I have fired both of the 135gr Gold Dot loads from Lady45's Taurus 651 and I doubt if a bad guy could tell the difference.
She carries the .38 Special loads for CCW only because she was only able to find two boxes of the .357 so far.

 

[atlctyslkr]

I just can't see the value for the money of these rounds. In an alloy frame maybe. The only selling point for me is reduced muzzle flash. Depending on the powder type the manufacturer is using you can get less flash without sacrificing power.

Then there's always loading your own. Determine the optimum energy delivery and tolerable flash in a night situation.

 

[Jim March]

When I fired the GD 135s side by side (38+P and 357) in a fairly big gun (Ruger New Vaquero) and found the 357 version to feel just a bit more potent but nowhere near the feel of the full-house 125s (Doubletap) I tried in the same session.

The real surprise was that the 135gr 357 GD was the most accurate load I tried in that gun. I think that round will be my carry load in that gun if for no other reason I suspect it will work well and group at 2" or less at 25 yards .

 

[hk lover]

snubby performance

go to corbons site and read the ballistic stats for their differant loads .the dpx 38+p runs 1400 fps and 400+ft.pnds. out of a2.5 inch barrel

 

[Powder_Burn]

.357 Short Barrel Gold Dots vs .38+P

I have a S&W 360PD and found that normal .357 defense loads recoil wayyy to much and that the bullets in the cylinder came unseated easily (Winchester HP, Cor-Bon).

I considered switching to .38 +P's but when I tried the short barreled .357 Gold Dots, my problems went away. The short barreled .357's are much tamer - just slightly more felt recoil than with standard .38 +P. You won't want to shoot 100 in a day, but the power is controllable and it's nice to have the extra punch in a defense situation.

I couldn't find them locally so I bought from http://www.midwayusa.com

 

[bpisler]

I just picked up a 640-1 357mag,those CCI
short barrel 357's might just be the ticket
for ccw.I might try the Buffalo bore 158gr
+P' 38spl's.

 

[Sistema1927]

I already carry the 135 .38 Gold Dot in my 642. I am thinking that the .357 version might be just the thing for my 2.5" 19.

 

[Powder_Burn]

I use the 135 grain "Short-Barrel" version of Speer Gold Dots in .357. It makes the recoil managable and is only a tad more sharp than .38 +P.

They can be hard to find so check out MidwayUSA.com

 

[Ichiro]

My experience with the .357 loads is a little different. While they felt tamer than the 158-grain loads I usually shoot in my SP-101, it was not by much. The .38 loads, on the other hand, are really, really tame in my SP-101 and follow-up shots come very quickly.

The advertised energy is something like 292 ft/lbs vs. 220 ft/lbs. I don't know how much credence you all give to the Test Bed results at stoppingpower.com, but I think the comparisons are useful. The two short barrel Gold Dot loads performed very similarly in denim-covered gelatin, despite the discrepancy in power.

Since the .38 is so much easier to shoot, I've switched to that load in my SP-101. My 642 can only take the .38 rounds, so I standardized -- same ammo, same speedloaders.

I think the .38 is perfect for snubbies, but I wonder if the .357 is really much better than the FBI load in full-sized revolvers.

~Ichiro

 

[HighVelocity]

I keep Remington 125gr Golden Saber 357mag in my 340PD. It averaged just a hair under 1100 fps (1081) over my Chrony. A little fiesty but manageable and followup shots are no problem. 165gr GS is a different story (think tiger by the tail).

The 135gr +P 38 GD SB avg velocity from my 340 was 869fps. Slower but for a 38spl round it's hot imho. The thing I like about this load is there is no perceptible muzzle flash when shooting, even in low light. It's also very accurate in several guns I've tried it with.

 

[Jim March]

My experience so far involves shooting the 135gr in 357 and 38+P side by side in a mid-sized gun (Ruger New Vaquero 357 4.6" barrel, similar to SAA, GP100 or S&W L-Frame more or less) and then comparing both to VERY hot 125gr 357Mag full-tilt-boogie DoubleTaps.

38+P 135gr Speer: 3" groups @ 25yds "bench", very mild recoil...call it "3" on a one-to-ten scale for this gun. Zero pain, fast back to target.

357 135gr Speer: 2" groups, recoil more like a "4", very pleasant, just a hair slower back to target maybe.

357 125gr "full house": 5" groups, recoil a solid "8", harsh with the hard checkered grips on the Ruger. Controllable but 50 would have worn me out and probably tore holes in my hide somewhere...needs smooth grips or soft rubber if I was going to stick with these but at this accuracy level, not real interested. There was also some need to reposition grips between maybe 1/3rd of all shots.

I am still interested in any JHP of 158gr weight that will expand reliably at around 1,200ish, if the accuracy is there.

The Remington "mild 357" 125gr is another load I've tried in this gun, felt OK.

A round with potential that I haven't got ahold of yet is the Cor-Bon DPX 357Mag 125gr...that would be sized more like a 140gr (as copper is lighter) which should be good for handgun-range accuracy. My understanding is that Cor-Bon has loaded this round surprisingly light,around 1,300ish...possibly because of the reduced case volume from the all-copper slug(?) or maybe it just works better at those speeds. Whatever.

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There may be an interesting legal issue surrounding these "mild 357s": most are either at or below the power levels of the 40S&W (now the most standard police round in the US) and some are down in 9mm territory. This may be a rebuttal in the making to any idiot of a DA who claims you used an "evil magnum" although I think that type of argument is falling by the wayside except in the worst hell-holes such as NYC and NJ.

 

[jon_in_wv]

I think the reason they load it a little slower is that when pushed too fast the DPX bullets petals will begin to fold back against the bullet which will reduce it's diameter and increase penetration. The amount the bullet opens can be controlled by its velocity.