Winchester 357 Magnum 110 Grain JHP---best used for???

[Southern Shooter]

I was given a box of Winchester .357 Magnum 110 Grain JHP. I have .357 Magnum revolvers in 2 3/4" and 6" barrels and a Marlin 1894C rifle. What would be the best use for this ammunition given the guns I have?

Would this ammunition be good for self-defense in the house, or in the public? Or, would it best be used for varmints?

Thanks

 

[captain awesome]

I bought a box of those because they were the cheapest .357 mag rounds at the store back before obamas reign of terror began. I used most of them for target practice but saved six of them that I keep in the 6" smith next to my bed because I haven't seen any hollow point .357's since (at the walk in stores anyway). thats the beauty of getting rounds for free, you can use them for what ever you want!

 

[jjohnson]

Any....

Oh, you can use 'em for any of the three, but:

Snubnose - Oh, man, be ready for a nice big fireball. I don't mean don't do it, I do mean expect some visible flash.

6" - just fine. You'll still get blast, I would think, but not as much as in the snubbie.

Carbine - as long as it'll reliably feed (shorter bullet) go ahead. I wouldn't be shooting deer with 'em, mind you, but everything in the groundhog to coyote size would be plenty of "whack power" there for you.

 

[BattleChimp Potemkin]

They dont go very fast, only 1250 or so FPS out of a 4" barrel. They fragment horribly in anything faster than that (not only from my own water jug tests, but also from a variety of barrels longer than 4", including a Marlin). They do EXCEL in snubs however. They expand well, mild report and recoil. But, the flash is horrid.

I would imagine it could be a good social load out of both your handguns, maybe even a low penetration load for your rifle. Varmits are okay, but probably would not do thicker skinned animals, like deer, due to low bullet weight and the seemingly lightweight construction of the Winchester bullet.

They could be a good "SHTF" load, easy to use, mild report, moderately effective and overall: Inexpensive. 2-3 boxes per gun and you can sleep easy at night IMHO.

 

[Gordon]

They are the best "varmint" .357 load. They do a number on the biggest racoons and bobcats and coyotes.

 

[Lou22]

I used to load 110gr .357s with a max load of a slow-burning powder like 2400. Great big balls of fire plainly visible at the outdoor range. Lots of fun for showing off. I bet they would make a excellent varmint load.

Lou

 

[sidheshooter]

The last time I was at the range (indoor) I shot a box of this stuff through my 65-3. After the first cylinder, people started wandering over to see what the hell I was shooting. The noise indoors is nothing out of the ordinary for .357 (which is to say, pretty loud), but that white fireball is something else. The first guy to ask guessed .44 mag before he saw the little K-frame.

I'd love this load in the 3-inch "carry option" genre if it weren't for the flash. Plus, in my gun, it spits a bunch of detritus back along the top strap at you (but so do the 125 grainers). I don't get that with the 145 silvertip or 158 gr. JHPs, let alone the .38+P FBI loads.

FWIW. I'd use it for anything but home defense at night...

 

[earplug]

They fill the unused holes in a speed loader

I just keep the unused ones around.