By Dan Smith – genitron.com

I’m relatively new to revolvers. Being a semi-automatic man for many years, I only have one revolver in my gun collection. That’s been a Smith & Wesson Model 66 .357 Magnum service revolver. Not a small gun, and with reasonable weight, this gun has none-the-less been a joy to shoot at the range, being quite capable of absorbing the power of a .357 Magnum round. This would be a nice home defense gun, and would be a reliable piece to have for camping or hiking. But, I wouldn’t consider it a good concealed carry weapon for self-defense. It’s just too big.

And my focus here is on self-defense. I’m not a hunter, so you won’t see me reviewing the likes of the Smith & Wesson Model 500 for instance. Nor will I probably ever review a .480 Ruger or .454 Casull model. These are big hunting guns, and I’ll let others review those models. So, for my first review of a revolver for self-defense, I jumped right into it and acquired the Smith & Wesson Airweight 360PD super-lightweight revolver.

Introduced in 2002, this small, lightweight revolver is built from Smith & Wesson’s “J” frame design which has a lineage that goes all the way back to 1950 with the introduction of their Model 36 “Chiefs Special”. The key feature of this “J” frame model is the use of exotic alloys in its frame and cylinder construction, producing one of the lightest revolvers on the market.

Specifications –

Caliber: .357 Magnum, .38 Special +P, .38 Special

Action: revolving chamber

Length: 6.375 in

Width: 1.312 in

Height: 4.25 in

Cylinder Capacity: 5 rounds

Barrel Length: 1.875 in

Rifling: 5-grooves, RH twist

Trigger: double-action

Sights: red ramp front, fixed notch rear

Weight Empty: 11.3 oz

Weight Loaded: 13.7oz

Features –
Titanium cylinder.
Scandium/aluminum alloy frame.
Black anodized finish.
Stainless steel barrel tube.
Hogue Bantam Monogrip.

Click HERE to see the full line of Smith & Wesson revolvers.

Design Notes –

The frame of the 360PD is constructed from a scandium reinforced aluminum alloy. Scandium, a novel alloying element for aluminum, is mined and processed in Zhovti Vody, Ukraine, the only primary scandium mine in operation in the world. The key properties of this alloy are light weight, superior strength and good resistance to corrosion. The frame is topped off with a smooth black anodized finish.

The titanium cylinder weighs just 60% of what a similar stainless steel cylinder weighs and yet is able to withstand the same operating pressures. As with all “J” frame designs, this is a swing-out cylinder with an axial pin driven star extractor. The extractor pin rests in a slot in the bottom of the barrel shroud when the cylinder is closed.

The barrel is a hybrid construction consisting of a scandium/aluminum alloy shroud keyed into the frame with a metal tab, and a stainless steel barrel tube which is screwed into the frame with a special tool, holding the shroud in place.

The grip is a Hogue Bantam Monogrip, a one-piece wrap-around construction that is held into place by being pressed into a stock pin that extrudes from both sides of the frame near the base of the butt.

The Caliber –

The .38 Special cartridge was developed by Smith & Wesson and was introduced with its Military & Police Model revolver in 1899. It is considered one of the best-balanced, all-round handgun cartridges ever designed. It is also one of the most accurate and very widely used for match shooting. This subsonic round is available with bullet weights ranging from 95 to 200 grains.

The .357 Magnum cartridge was introduced in 1935 by Smith & Wesson for its heavy-frame revolver. Ammunition was developed by Winchester in cooperation with Smith & Wesson using a lengthened and strengthened version of the .38 Special case. While it has less power than .44 Magnum, it compares favorably to the .45 ACP, but with better armor penetration. Today factories offer over fifty different loadings in this caliber. Bullet weights range from 110 to 200 grains with an average muzzle energy exceeding 500 ft-lbs.

The following data set is based on standard factory loaded cartridges fired from a 4″ barrel, listed by weight, brand, type and muzzle velocity. This is only a very small sample of what is available.

.38 Special

123 grain Norma FMJ : 886 Feet Per Second
132 grain PMC FMJ : 841 Feet Per Second
158 grain MagTech SJHP : 890 Feet Per Second
125 grain Federal JSP+P : 900 Feet Per Second
158 grain CCI-Speer FMJ+P : 900 Feet Per Second

.357 Magnum

125 grain Remington JHP : 1220 Feet Per Second
158 grain Norma FMJ : 1214 Feet Per Second
180 grain Winchester JHP : 1180 Feet Per Second

Handgun Observations –

I should first note that in the description of the .357 Magnum cartridge above I mention a bullet weight range that goes as low as 110 grains. You will notice that engraved on the right side of the 360PD barrel is the statement “NO LESS THAN 120 GR BULLET”. This statement refers to .357 Magnum rounds only, not .38 Special rounds, and there is an interesting reason for this restriction. Magnum bullets that weigh less than 120 grains will exit their cartridge before the cartridge charge has a chance to completely burn. This charge will leak out onto the cylinder and frame while still burning, causing damaging oxidation to the gun’s exotic materials over time.

My initial observation of the 360PD was that the grip was obviously too small. But, I based this observation on my experience with many sub-compact semi-automatics whose standard grips are usually just shortened. Those grips are typically fat and straight as they house the gun’s ammo, and the grip stance usually leaves the little finger hanging. The grip on the 360PD though, has a small diameter and is ergonomically curved to fit deep within the palm of the hand. All of your fingers wrap fully around the grip and make good contact, including the little finger.

The 360PD’s sister, the 340PD, is basically the same revolver but with a spurless hammer, making the 340PD a double-action-only revolver. I chose the 360PD for its ability to fire in both double-action and single-action modes. Although the spurless hammer was designed to minimize snagging while being carried concealed, after a month of carrying the 360PD in-the-waistband I found no problems with the exposed hammer spur. In fact, when drawing the gun I found my thumb falling naturally next to the hammer spur, not only protecting it from snags but also staging my thumb for quick cocking during the draw for single-action firing.

I was surprisingly pleased with this with this little 5-round revolver. In my opinion it is quite adequate as a self-defense weapon. Having carried it for a full month, I am very comfortable with it, and now include it in my cache of weapons that I regularly use for concealed carry. I have a new appreciation for revolvers.

One note about cleaning Although the black anodized frame cleans easily, as well as the stainless steel barrel, I found it extremely difficult to remove gunshot residue from the somewhat porous surface of the titanium cylinder. I tried every gun solvent and cleaner I had with no success. What finally worked for me came from my car cleaning supplies. A small dab of magnesium and aluminum rim polish lifted the stains right off the cylinder.

Shooting –

With a barrel length under two inches and a sight radius under four inches, it was difficult for me to even hit a small target at 25 yards. Those with a more steady hand and sharper vision my have better luck than I had. But from my perspective, I consider this gun a short range weapon, and I limited my range tests to only 7 yards. Although the gun is rated for .357 Magnum rounds, after shooting just one box of fifty 125 grain rounds through the 360PD, the .357 Magnum recoil left me with a very sore wrist. Surprisingly, my palm and grip remained unaffected, which says a lot about the small Hogue Bantam grip. Firing .38 Special standard and +P rounds through the 360PD, on the other hand was quite an enjoyable experience. I have opted to stay with .38 Special+P rounds when carrying this weapon.

In double-action mode the trigger pull reaches a peak of 15.5 pounds at the mid point of its 3/4 inch of travel. It then drops to 4.5 pounds where it breaks to fire during the last 1/8 inch of travel. Short of the at-rest hammer block there is no other safety. In single-action mode when the hammer is drawn, the trigger moves all the way back to that final 1/8 inch of travel, where it sets, requiring just a slight 4.5 pound pull to fire the weapon.

Often I found I was able to pull through the 15.5 pound double-action travel, and then stop just short of the 4.5 pound break, holding to take aim just before firing. But occasionally I would un-intentionally pull through, prematurely firing the gun. Trying to pull straight through the 15.5 pound travel non-stop to fire the gun brought the worst results. In practice I found that the best control and accuracy for me resulted from drawing the hammer manually to single-action mode before firing.

This article is used by permission of the author
Visit his site. It’s a wealth of information

 

• • 1951 – Slightly larger frame and triggerguard

 

• • 1952 – Introduction of square butt at serial 21,342

 

• • 1953 – Elimination of screw in triggerguard, larger grips (four-screw)

 

• • 1955 – Removed upper sideplate screw at serial 75,000 (three-screw)

 

• • 1957 – Chief’s Special continued as the Model 36

 

• • 1955-1975 – Produced as Model 50 with target sights in 2″ and 3″ barreled models

 

• • Also produced in heavy barrel 3″ version without target sights

 

The Model 36 Chiefs Special was produced from 1950 to 1999. It still survives in modern metals in the form of the Model 637, the Model 60, the Model 36LS, the Model 340, the Model 360, and their variants. Contemporary J-frame S&W revolvers are actually built on the J-Magnum frame rather than the true J-frame. If you compare a current J-frame with an original Model 36 or 60, you will notice that the frame and cylinder are slightly longer on the new guns. They are all built to the length that will accommodate .357 Magnum, even the models that are chambered for .38 Special. All of the new stainless J-frames today are chambered for .357 Magnum rather than .38 Special. (There have been variants produced in the Model 60, 66, and 640 that are “re-issued” in .38 Special, so check the gun you’re looking at.) If you go to the store today to buy an all-stainless J-frame, if it is new, it will be chambered in .357 Magnum as will be the Model 360 and the Model 340. You can, of course, shoot .38 Special in the .357 Magnums, but Smith & Wesson finds it necessary to enable their new snubs to chamber .357 regardless of how painful they may be to shoot. The stainless and alloy Airweights are still chambered in .38 Special and rated for +p, and IMHO, they’re the best value and most utilitarian members of the class.

The question of using modern +p ammunition in these old revolvers often comes up. While the all steel early models will probably stand up to a limited amount of +p, they were not designed to handle it. Loads like Speer 135g +p and Cor-Bon DPX did not exist when these guns were built. The safest course with the Model 36 is to stick with standard pressure loads if you choose to shoot it. +P absolutely should not be used in the early Airweights, the Model 37, 38 and 42. And, of course, the all aluminum “Aircrewman” revolvers should not be fired at all, even with standard pressure loads. The new Airweights, the Model 637-1, 638-2 and 642 are rated for +p and will handle it without damage to the gun.

The Model 36 and its children have endured for half a century and the odds are good that they will be around for quite some time.

 

The .357 Magnum was developed in 1934 through the collaborative effort of Elmer Keith, Philip B. Sharpe, and D. B. Wesson of Smith & Wesson and Winchester. Although the effort was a collaboration, experts tend to give the lion’s share of the credit to Keith, an Idaho rancher, writer, and firearms enthusiast. Based on the S&W .38 Special, the .357 was intended to compare to Colt’s .38 Super Automatic. In the mid-1930s, the .38 Super Auto was the only American cartridge with a Muzzle Velocity over 1,000 FPS and the ability to penetrate automobile glass and vests that were often used by gangsters and bootleggers. The .357 was able to outperform most revolver cartridges on the market and quickly became the caliber of choice for law enforcement. In fact, D. B. Wesson wanted to use the .357 to reassert the company into being the premier law-enforcement armament provider. Wesson, along with the technical assistance of Phillip B. Sharpe, tweaked Keith’s original design only slightly to differ it from the .38. Sharpe was a member of the NRA’s technical division.

The introduction of .357 ammo heralded the beginning of the “Magnum Era.” The dual purpose cartridge is regarded by experts and used most often for target shooting, hunting, and self-defense.

Best .357 Magnum Self-Defense Ammo

 

Buffalo Bore: Tactical Short Barrel 158 Grain JHP

Buffalo Bore’s motto, “Strictly Big Bore – Strictly Business,” matches their attitude when it comes to manufacturing ammo for home defense. Tactical Short Barrel 158 Grain JHP works like clockwork in a snubnose.  It shoots at 1,400 FPS muzzle velocity and offers 606 ft-lbs. muzzle energy. It uses a nickel-plated brass casing and Boxer primer. 

Federal Ammunition: 158 Grain American Eagle .357 Magnum JHP

Federal’s American Eagle line is a well-respected name among firearms enthusiasts. The .357 line offers several rounds for self-defense. This 158 grain JHP bullet offers a muzzle velocity of 1,240 FPS and muzzle energy of 539 ft.-lbs. Note: In small weapons, this round has strong recoil.

Remington Ammunition: 110 Grain HTP SJHP

Remington’s HTP .357 Magnum SJHP is an excellent round for self-defense. The semi-jacketed hollow point, 110 grain bullet fires at a muzzle velocity of 1,295 FPS. New to the market, it is crafted with non-corrosive brass casing and premium Boxer primer. This cartridge offers excellent high terminal performance, delivering maximum accuracy, and instant-stopping power with proper shot placement.

Speer Gold Dot: Short Barrel 135 Grain JHP

Speer Gold Dot appears on most lists for being a top choice for shooters in every category. Their .357 Magnum Short Barrel 135 Grain JHP shoots slightly lower at a muzzle velocity of 990 FPS and muzzle energy of 294 ft.-lbs., which makes it an excellent choice for handguns and self-defense. It has a brass casing and is Boxer-primed.

Best .357 Magnum Home Defense Ammo

CCI Ammunition:  Blazer 158 Grain JHP

CCI is known for manufacturing excellent ammo using their patented CCI primers. Many self-defense experts rely on Blazer Brass for protection. This Blazer Brass JHP shoots at a muzzle velocity of 1,150 FPS, with a muzzle energy of 464 ft.-lbs.

Fiocchi Ammunition:  142 Grain FMJ-TC

Fiocchi is a well-established Italian munitions company that has a solid reputation for manufacturing reliable, high-quality products. This .357 Magnum 142 Grain full metal jacket round shoots at a muzzle velocity of 1,420 FPS and muzzle energy of 636 ft.-lbs. This new production ammunition is brass-cased, reloadable. non-corrosive, and Boxer-primed.

Hornady: Critical Defense 125 Grain FTX

Hornady manufactures a wide variety of superior ammunition and their .357 rounds are no different. Critical Defense is a top brand for Hornady. This 15 Gran FTX shoots 1,500 FPS muzzle velocity and has 824 ft-lbs. muzzle energy, using the company’s patented FlexTip bullet.

Sellier & Bellot: 158 Grain FMJ-FN

Since 1825, Sellier & Bellot has produced high-quality ammunition. Their experience shows in this 158 grain full metal jacket flat nose round. It shoots 889 FPS muzzle velocity and 278 ft-lbs. muzzle energy. The lower velocity drastically reduces recoil in short-barreled guns.

Best .357 Magnum Training Ammo

Magtech Ammunition: 158 Grain .357 Magnum SJSP

Magtech’s dedication to innovation and ability to produce quality ammo has given them a strong standing in the marketplace. The reloadable 158 grain, semi-jacketed soft point .357 Magnum bullet is manufactured with brass casing and Boxer-primed. It is known for accuracy with a Muzzle Velocity of 1,235 FPS and Muzzle Energy of 535 ft lbs. It is ideal for multi-use including self-defense, plinking, and range work.

Tula Ammunition: .357 Magnum 158 Grain FMJ

The Tula Cartridge Works was founded in Russia in 1880 and is one of the chief ammunition manufacturing plants in the world. Tula has gained a strong reputation for delivering an economical, rugged, and reliable product.

Tula’s .357 Magnum 158 Grain FMJ is at the top for the best .357 target shooting round and a good training round. Great for range training, it shoots at a Muzzle Velocity of 1,280 FPS. One downside might be that the steel casing doesn’t always make it easy to eject.

Fiocchi Ammunition: .357 Magnum 142 Grain FMJTC

Fiocchi Shooting Dynamics is a European company that has developed a stronghold in the marketplace by providing innovative, high quality products. This .357 Magnum 142 Grain round shoots at a Muzzle Velocity of 1,420 FPS. This new production ammunition is brass-cased, reloadable. non-corrosive, and Boxer-primed. Affordability, reliability, and high level of accuracy at long distances put it at the top for the best .357 ammo for the range.

CCI Ammunition: Blazer .357 158 Grain JHP

CCI is known for manufacturing some of the best .357 ammo in the marketplace. The aircraft-grade aluminum casing paired with a Speer bullet and CCI primers gives this round excellent accuracy on the range. Its hard metal coating atop the hollow point bullet helps to increase the ammo’s strength as well as thwart fouling in the barrel. It shoots at a Muzzle Velocity of 1,150 FPS, with a Muzzle Energy measuring 464 ft. lbs. In addition to range shooting, the CCI Blazer .357 bullet works equally well when hunting large game.

Best .357 Magnum Hunting Ammo

Small to Medium-Size Game

Barnes Bullets: 140 Grain VOR-TX

Barnes has been on the scene since 1880. The line was always a go-to for wildcats and African game hunters. Since 1974, Barnes honors that tradition and has ventured into innovative techniques. This 140 grain VOR-TX offers 1,265 FPS muzzle velocity and 498 ft-lbs. muzzle energy.

Federal Ammunition: Barnes Expander 140 Grain JHP

Federal makes good use of a Barnes bullet to make this 140 grain jacketed hollow point. It gives 1,400 FPS muzzle velocity and 609 ft-lbs. muzzle energy. The combination of Federal and Barnes makes winning ammo with controlled expansion.

Federal Ammunition: American Eagle 158 Grain JHP

Manufactured by Federal American Eagle, this 158 grain jacketed hollow point bullet allows for deep penetration along with great expansion capabilities. Touting a velocity of 1,240 FPS and Muzzle energy measuring 539 ft.-lbs., it is the best ammo for self-defense, hunting, and range training.

Fiocchi Ammunition: 142 Grain FMJ-TC

Fiocchi, a resilient brand based in Italy and the U.S. offers a 142 grain FMJ-TC for hunting small to medium-size game. It offers 1,420 FPS muzzle velocity and 636 ft-lbs. muzzle energy. The FMJ won’t over-penetrate or cause excessive damage to internal organs.

Hornady: Critical Defense 125 Grain FTX

Hornady’s Critical Defense ranks at the top for hunting and personal defense. The 125 grain FTX with FlexTip bullet is ideal for confronting targets. For those unsure of the right caliber for the job, Hornady offers a ballistics calculator to ensure you won’t over or under fire. This round offers 1,500 FPS muzzle velocity and 824 ft-lbs. muzzle energy.

Magtech Ammunition: 158 Grain SJSP

Magtech’s dedication to innovation and the ability to produce quality ammo has given them a strong standing in the marketplace. The reloadable 158 grain, semi-jacketed soft point .357 Magnum load is manufactured with brass casing and Boxer-primed. It is known for accuracy with a muzzle velocity of 1,235 FPS and muzzle energy of 535 ft lbs. It is ideal for multi-use including self-defense, plinking, and range work.

Speer: Gold Dot 158 Grain JHP

Speer Gold Dot remains on track with its 158 grain jacketed hollow point. This bonded round is excellent for small to medium-sized game as well as some bear and hogs. It works well in a handgun or rifle. The ammo offers 1,235 FPS muzzle velocity and 535 ft-lbs. muzzle energy.

Large Game Hunting

Buffalo Bore: Outdoorsman 180 Grain Flat Nose

Buffalo Bore is a go-to for Big Bore needs in the field. The Outdoorsman 180 Grain Flat Nose gives high power when and where it’s needed. The Flat Nose with high bullet weight ensures a better trajectory for the crucial shot. This round fires with 1,400 FPS muzzle velocity and 783 ft-lbs. muzzle energy.

Federal Ammunition: Power-Shok Ammunition 180 Grain SJHP

Federal’s focus on hydrostatic shock produces this Power-Shok 180 grain semi-jacketed hollow point for large game. The round allows for deep penetration along with controlled expansion to stop your prey in its tracks. capabilities. The round claims a muzzle velocity of 1,080 FPS and muzzle energy of 466 ft.-lbs.

Remington Ammunition: High Terminal Performance (HTP) 180 Grain SJHP

Some hunters live and die with Remington ammo. The company’s tried and true craftsmanship shows itself in the High Terminal Performance 180 Grain semi-jacketed hollow point. Accuracy and controlled expansion create hydrostatic shock in the largest game, leading to a humane kill. The round claims a velocity of 1,145 FPS and muzzle energy of 524 ft.-lbs.

Final Thoughts

Experts never agree on the ultimate all-around ammunition. The .357 Magnum ammo appears at the top of every list due to its stopping power, accuracy, availability, and reliability. The ammo carries the power necessary to dominate in any situation, whether in a snubnose, traditional revolver, or lever-action rifle. Where larger calibers bear the burden of possible over penetration, the .357 ammo is less likely to go through the target to cause collateral damage. The .375 Magnum ammunition can also be substituted with a .38+P for shots in close quarters, guns with a short barrel length or in situations where over penetration is a concern.

The .357 Magnum ammunition was first developed in 1934 by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, and D. Wesson of Smith & Wesson and Winchester. Based on the S&W .38 Special, the .357 ACP compared to Colt’s .38 Super Automatic. In the mid-1930s, the .38 Super Auto was the only American cartridge with the ability to penetrate vests and automobiles that were often used by gangsters. The .357 Magnum was able to outperform most revolver cartridges on the market and quickly became the caliber of choice for law enforcement. The introduction of the ammo heralded the beginning of the “Magnum Era.” The dual-purpose cartridge is used most often for target shooting, hunting, and self-defense.

Where to Buy .357 Magnum Ammo

After numerous requests, we set out to find the best online .357 magnum ammo store. While there are dozens of places to buy ammo online, not all offer the trifecta of product, service, and delivery times. With that in mind, we chose Ammo.com as our preferred vendor. The website is easy to use and separates ammunition by category: rifle, handgun, rimfire, shotgun, and popular ammunition brands. We’ve found the best .357 mag ammo prices combined with same day or next day shipping.

Ammo.com differs from many sites because it offers much more than low prices on .357 ammunition. As a staunch defender of Second Amendment rights, Ammo.com adheres to its mission statement: “We believe that arming the people – both physically and philosophically – keeps government fearing the people, just as our Founding Fathers intended. We exist for American gun owners, the modern-day militiamen who not only understand the true meaning of the Second Amendment but exercise it on a daily basis.”

For every purchase made on the site, Ammo.com will donate 1% to the customer’s choice of pro-freedom organizations. In addition to the list of Freedom Fighters, the site has a forum for firearms enthusiasts and Second Amendment defenders. They have great deals on ammo of all types, not just .357 Magnum.

Other Online Ammo Stores

1. Ammo Man – This online company was founded in New Hampshire in 1998. Because it operates solely as an e-commerce company, customers are required to place orders online and cannot visit a retail or warehouse location. To get the best prices on rifle or handgun ammo, it is recommended to buy in bulk. Ammo Man receives high praise for good customer service and free shipping over $99. Due to restrictions, Ammo Man does not ship to Alaska, Hawaii, Massachusetts or New York.
2. Ammunition Depot – This family-owned company has a large offering of ammunition, cases, magazine, gear, and accessories. Like Ammo.com, Ammunition Depot supports Second Amendment rights and keeps prices low to afford its customers the best in ammo. Customers praise Ammunition Depot for excellent service.
3. Bulk Ammo – Carries a wide variety of ammo including hard to find items. As the name suggests, this is one of the best places to buy bulk ammo online. Its online catalog is always up to date so you don’t have to worry about in stock items. Like Amazon.com, the site has a customer feedback section instead of standard testimonials.
4. Cabela’s – Many customers stay away from Cabela’s when it comes to purchasing firearms, but are on board with their ammunition sales. Cabela’s offers free shipping on orders of $50 or more. The online store has a good selection of ammunition from such major brands as Winchester, Federal, and Remington.
5. GunBuyer – This Florida-based company has a straightforward, easy to use site that makes buying ammo online simple and painless. In business since 2011, Gunbuyer has quickly risen through the ranks among customers due to competitive pricing and faster delivery than many of its competitors.
6. Lucky Gunner – Live inventory tracking is one of the top features at Lucky Gunner. This Tennessee-based retailer offers some of the best ammo prices, especially on bulk orders. The shipping can be a bit slow, but its return customers don’t seem to mind. Lucky Gunner is also known for its tech, so you never have to worry about orders being lost when using Firefox or Chrome.
7. Natchez Shooters Supplies – NSS has a large selection of ammo, firearm parts and accessories. The catalog is arranged by caliber or brand name to make the site easy to use. The only issue is that orders are never guaranteed so you should plan ahead for possible delays.
8. Outdoor Limited –The North Carolina-based company is at the top when it comes to customer reviews. A family-owned company, Outdoor Limited isn’t one of the big dogs but its stock and customer service are stellar.
9. RifleGear – Founded in 2007, RifleGear is one of the newer companies on the market. A regularly updated catalog features a live inventory count to prevent out of stock issues and their customer service is top notch. In addition to ammunition, RifleGear stocks items that might interest their customers including RifleGear exclusives, handguns, rifles, shotguns, accessories, and parts.

The following are the top picks for .357 Magnum Ammo:

Best .357 Magnum Ammo for Self-Defense

Buffalo Bore: Tactical Short Barrel 158 Grain JHP

Buffalo Bore’s motto is “Strictly Big Bore – Strictly Business.” That just what customers need when it comes to protecting themselves and their homes. This Tactical Short Barrel .357 Magnum load delivers like clockwork every time, offering safety and peace of mind.

Specifications:

• 1400 FPS Muzzle Velocity
• 158 Grain
• Jacketed Hollow Point Bullet
• Brass Casing
• Boxer Primer
• 606 ft-lbs Muzzle Energy

CCI Ammunition: Blazer 158 Grain JHP

CCI Blazer is one of the most trusted ammo brands. The company is known for its patented CCI primers and reliability. The Blazer 158-grain bullet is recommended by self-defense experts for protection.

Specifications:

• 1150 FPS Muzzle Velocity
• 158 Grain
• Jacketed Hollow Point Bullet
• Brass Casing
• Boxer Primer
• 464 ft-lbs Muzzle Energy

Federal Ammunition:158 Grain American Eagle .357 Magnum JHP

The Federal American Eagle line is a well-respected name among firearms enthusiasts. Federal American Eagle offers several types of .357 Magnum loads for self-defense. Users should keep in mind that while this round does the job, it has a strong recoil.

Specifications:

• 1240 FPS Muzzle Velocity
• 158 Grain
• Jacketed Hollow Point Bullet
• Brass Casing
• Boxer Primer
• 539 ft-lbs Muzzle Energy

Fiocchi Ammunition:  142 Grain FMJ-TC

Fiocchi has a high standing in the ammo world as a company that manufactures quality ammo with consistent accuracy and reliability. The light bullet weight of this round helps to prevent over penetration upon impact.

Specifications:

• 1420 FPS Muzzle Velocity
• 142 Grain
• Full Metal Jacket with Truncated Cone Bullet
• Brass Casing
• Boxer Primer
• 636 ft-lbs Muzzle Energy

Hornady: Critical Defense 125 Grain FTX

Hornady Critical Defense is ranked high on many shooters’ lists. The patented Flex Tip ensures controlled expansion in JHP bullets. It also eliminates clogging and other delivery issues.

Specifications:

• 1500 FPS Muzzle Velocity
• 125 Grain
• FTX Bullet
• Brass Casing
• Boxer Primer
• 824 ft-lbs Muzzle Energy

Remington: Golden Saber .357 Magnum 125 Grain JHP

Golden Saber jacketed hollow points deliver excellent stopping power for self-defense performance. This .357 Magnum load gives nearly 100% weight retention, a high level of accuracy, and rapid expansion. It works well in longer barrel guns for maximum velocity.

Specifications:

• 1220 FPS Muzzle Velocity
• 125 Grain
• Jacketed Hollow Point Bullet
• Brass Casing
• Boxer Primer
• 413 ft-lbs Muzzle Energy

Sellier & Bellot: 158 Grain FMJ-FN

Sellier & Bellot has the experience and technology to produce high-quality ammunition. This 158-grain bullet does the job without fear of overpenetration. Lower muzzle velocity reduces the recoil in short-barreled guns.

Specifications:

• 889 FPS Muzzle Velocity
• 158 Grain
• Full Metal Jacket-Flat Nose Bullet
• Brass Casing
• Boxer Primer
• 278 ft-lbs Muzzle Energy

Best .357 Magnum Ammo for Training

CCI Ammunition: Blazer .357 158 Grain JHP

CCI Blazer offers some of the best .357 Magnum ammo in the marketplace. The combination of Speer bullets and CCI primers is hard to beat on the range or out in the field. The JHP’s hard metal coating increases the round’s strength and thwarts fouling in the barrel.

Specifications:

• 1150 FPS Muzzle Velocity
• 95 Grain
• Jacketed Hollow Point Bullet
• Brass Casing
• Boxer Primer
• 464 ft-lbs Muzzle Energy

Fiocchi Ammunition: .357 Magnum 142 Grain FMJ-TC

Fiocchi is an Italian company with a longstanding reputation for developing and manufacturing high-quality products. This new production round uses a full metal jacket bullet with a truncated cone that delivers excellent accuracy at long distances, perfect for plinking or target shooting. These Magnum rounds are affordable and a top choice for volume shooting.

Specifications:

• 1420 FPS Muzzle Velocity
• 142 Grain
• Full Metal Jacket with Truncated Cone Bullet
• Brass Casing
• Boxer Primer
• 636 ft-lbs Muzzle Energy

Speer Gold Dot: Short Barrel 135 Grain JHP

A list for top ammo isn’t complete without Speer Gold Dot. Unlike high velocity Magnum rounds, Speer’s .357 Magnum Short Barrel 135 Grain JHP shoots at a slightly lower muzzle velocity, which makes it a solid choice for range training and home defense.

Specifications:

• 990 FPS Muzzle Velocity
• 135 Grain
• Jacketed Hollow Point Bullet
• Brass Casing
• Boxer Primer
• 294 ft-lbs Muzzle Energy

Best .357 Magnum Ammo for Hunting

Barnes Bullets: 140 Grain VOR-TX XPB

Barnes is a top choice for big game hunters whether they are using a .357 Magnum revolver, lever-action or semi-auto. This 140-grain Barnes® VOR-TX® is loaded with full power, deadly bullets. It offers terminal performance with handloaded precision in a factory-loaded round. The all-copper ammo opens instantly on impact, destroying bone, tissue, and vital organs for a fast, humane kill.

Specifications:

• 1265 FPS Muzzle Velocity
• 140 Grain
• XPB Bullet
• Brass Casing
• Boxer Primer
• 498 ft-lbs Muzzle Energy

Hornady: Critical Defense 125 Grain JHP FTX

Hornady’s Critical Defense is go-to ammo for hunting. The JHP bullet features patented FlexTip technology which increases accuracy and drastically reduces fouling in the barrel.

Specifications:

• 1500 FPS Muzzle Velocity
• 125 Grain
• Jacketed Hollow Point Bullet
• Brass Casing
• Boxer Primer
• 824 ft-lbs Muzzle Energy

Buffalo Bore: Outdoorsman 180 Grain Hard Cast Lead Flat Nose

Buffalo Bore is a go-to for Big Bore needs in the field. The Outdoorsman delivers accuracy and ultimate stopping power in short-barreled guns, even J Frames. Avoid using it in light alloy guns due to possible damage. Buffalo Bore’s heavier bullets give full power when hunting large game, stopping prey in its tracks.

Specifications:

• 1400 FPS Muzzle Velocity
• 180 Grain
• Flate Nose Bullet
• Brass Casing
• Boxer Primer
• 188 ft-lbs Muzzle Energy

For more reviews of .357 Magnum ammo check out our guide on the Best .357 Magnum Ammo For Self-Defense, Range Training & More.

By Syd

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times… No, wait — wrong story. I bought a Smith & Wesson Model 60-15 for a practice gun. This is their 3 barrel .357 Magnum version of the Model 60 in stainless steel. Its a nice gun, with a full-length grip and adjustable sights. Not being content to leave a pretty good gun alone, I decided to install a Wolff reduced power spring kit in it. The reduced power kit includes two springs: the rebound spring and the hammer spring.

Why do this? The springs in a handgun force the various parts against each other, insuring a firm and positive engagement of the critical elements of the action: trigger, sear, and hammer. Without adequate pressure, these parts may not function properly and the gun may even become dangerous or malfunction. On the other hand, the manufacturer will always err on the side of caution and build too much pressure into the action for liability and reliability reasons. This inevitably results in a rough and heavy trigger. So, a judicious reduction of spring pressure can improve the trigger without compromising function. There are two ways to improve the trigger in any handgun: polish the action interfaces and reduce spring pressure. But if you do too much of either, the gun will become dangerous and unreliable. This is why smart people take their guns to someone who knows what they are doing to get their triggers smoothed and lightened.

Smith & Wesson revolvers have something called a rebound slide which is powered by a spring. The function of the rebound slide is to push the trigger back into the ready position after the trigger is pulled. It resets the action for the next shot. The energy for this operation is provided by a strong spring which resides inside of the rebound slide. The rebound slide sits in a channel in the frame just behind the trigger. It is held in place by a post which extends from the side of the frame. Getting this little demon from hell in and out is the worst part about working on a Smith & Wesson revolver. Brownells makes a tool which helps somewhat in getting the rebound spring back in, but its still a PITA.

One resource I consider indispensable to this operation is Kuhnhausens S&W Revolver, A Shop Manual. In fact, I will state this in terms of an imperative: Do not attempt this operation without the Kuhnhausen manual. Kuhnhausen walks you through the disassembly process and the elements of lightening a trigger.

Once inside the Model 60, I did some polishing on the sear interfaces and the area where the rebound slide moves inside the frame and makes contact with the trigger. I polished the rebound slide itself. I am a very gentle polisher. I use red jewelers rouge and a variable power Dremel with a felt polishing bit. I also have a couple of Arkansas white whetstones that I use for smoothing and rounding over edges. I almost never grind or cut metal, especially on sears. Many of the action parts in guns these days are Metal Injection Molded (MIM). Their surfaces are hard, but they are thin. The metal inside MIM parts is somewhat softer, and if you grind through the hard surface into the soft interior metal you will ruin the part and leave it non-functional. Grinding or cutting may also change the sear interface angles and this can result in a dangerous and/or unreliable gun. Anything more than a gentle polish and lubrication of these interfaces should only be done by a certified gunsmith. I polished and lubed with Mil-Comm and put the gun back together. I was very pleased with the results. The trigger is a little bit lighter but not a whole lot, but it is very smooth.

Following my stunning success with changing out the spring set in the Model 60, I decided that I’d take on the Airweight. Should be all the same, right? Wrong. I took it all apart, cleaned out eight years worth of crud, polished and lubed. I installed the same springs I used in the Model 60 the 8 lb. hammer spring and the 14 lb. rebound spring. No matter what I did, the rebound slide wouldn’t work right with the Wolff spring in it. It would buck up in the front instead of moving straight back when the trigger was pulled. I took the thing in and out so many times that my thumb got raw from putting the rebound spring back in. Then to make matters worse, I pulled the cylinder hand off of the trigger, not realizing that there was a little spring hidden in the body of the trigger. Of course, when I put it back together, it didn’t work right. Research project. Oh, there’s a little spring somewhere. Miracle of miracles, I managed to find the spring among the dust bunnies and I had no idea of how it went back in. Spent some time searching the Smith & Wesson forum and found some instructions for how to get the little child of Satan back in. (Its also in the Kuhnhausen manual, but I didnt know that at the time.) Getting the spring back in wasn’t too terribly hard. The rebound slide bucking was another thing, however. Nothing I did would make it work. I finally put the stock rebound spring back in and everything was Jake.

It’s fairly smooth now (although it was pretty good before), but it left me with the impression that not all j-frames are created equal. I cant say Im completely happy with the job on the Airweight. It also left me with the realization of how delicately tuned and balanced the components of revolvers are, and changing springs and such in and out of them is more perilous than analogous operations on bottom feeders.

The last thing that needs to be said about this relatively simple operation is that it’s a far cry from a full action job that you would get from one of the revolver action masters like Teddy Jacobson. A full action job would include truing up the sear faces, adjusting the let-out of the double action sear, checking the cylinder yoke for straightness, eliminating end shake in the cylinder, and other elegant pieces of voodoo that only those guys know. Such things are way beyond the scope of this article, at least for now. Just be aware that there is much more to a full action job in a revolver than just switching out the springs. In some respects, the action of the revolver is far more complex and esoteric than a semi-auto action. The interaction of the parts is delicately balanced, not unlike a watch, and the inner workings of the lockwork are less intuitive to understand, requiring serious study to master. A simple “keep you out of trouble” rule would be, “If you don’t know the answer, don’t do the operation.”

By John Taffin

Mention Smith & Wesson and most shooters will immediately think of one of two things, either big bore Magnum sixguns, or state-of-the-art semi-automatic pistols. As a writer I’ve spread a lot of ink discussing both of these types and as a shooter I’ve run thousands of bullets down the barrels of slick shootin’ Smith sixguns and fast-firing defensive pistols. But there are other Smith & Wessons such as the Model 41 .22 target pistol and the epitome of target guns from a few decades ago, the K-38 .38 Special and the K-22 .22 Long rifle, the famous Masterpiece revolvers.

All of these handguns are guns that I would label high exposure. They are seen at target ranges, in the hunting field, worn openly on the belt of peace officers, as well as campers, hikers, fisherman, in fact, all types of sportsmen. Chambered in .22 they are used not only for target shooting but by thousands upon thousands of families enjoying the great sport of plinking together. Larger calibers are carried for more serious purposes such as hunting and law enforcement.

There is another whole class of Smith & Wesson handguns, a group of revolvers rarely ever seen. These are the guns carried concealed by civilians and peace officers alike. These are the guns kept in countless bedside stands, under store counters, in tackle boxes, and day packs. These lightweight easily concealable handguns are the J-frames. Smith & Wesson has long utilized the alphabet to distinguish their revolvers: the N-frames, the largest .41 and .44 Magnum, .45 Colt, .45 ACP, and even .357 Magnum; the middle-sized K-frames, the .357 “Combat Magnum” and earlier mentioned Masterpiece revolvers; the L-frame, the newest intermediate sized .357 Magnum; and finally the diminutive J-frames chambered in .38 Special, .32 Magnum, .22 Long Rifle, and .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire.

History of the J-Frame

The first small frame double action Smith & Wesson, a .38, was built in 1880. This was not the famous .38 Special which would come later, but the less powerful .38 S&W. The first .38 DA weighed 18 ounces and would go through five design changes, thirty-one years of production, and number more than one-half million examples of top-break design. These were followed by the Perfected Model .38 with a solid frame/trigger guard combination , but still of the top break design, that led the way for the solid frame, swing out cylinder revolvers to come.

At the same time that the top-break .38’s were being made, the same basic design was offered in .32 S&W caliber with nearly 300,000 of the smaller caliber being made. Shortly after production began on the .38 and .32 Smith & Wesson Double Action Models, D.B. Wesson worked with son Joseph to develop a completely different style of revolver. Lucian Cary, a well known gun writer of forty years ago relates the following legend.

“When Daniel Wesson read a newspaper story about a child who had shot himself with the family revolver, his conscience hurt. He told his wife that he would make a revolver that could be safely kept in the bureau drawer. It was his custom to receive his grandchildren every Sunday. No doubt it was tough on the grandchildren. Daniel Wesson must have been a fearsome man, with his thick body, his great beard, and his virtue (Cary obviously did not understand grandfathers and grand children and the bond between them!) But on one occasion it was his young grandchild who put it over.

The Safety Hammerless

Daniel Wesson made a revolver he thought no child could fire. He gave it to his grandson, Harold Wesson, now president of Smith & Wesson (this was in the 1950’s) and challenged him to fire it. Harold was only eight years old but he knew that his grandfather expected him to fail. Maybe that gave him a shot in the arm. Harold tugged at the trigger with all his strength and fired the gun. His grandfather went sadly back to his shop–not that day, of course, which was Sunday, but on the following Monday. Some weeks later he again presented a revolver to Harold and asked him to pull the trigger. Harold did his best. But he failed.

The gun the boy couldn’t fire was the New Departure, also known as the safety hammerless. It had a bar in the back of the grip supported by a spring. You had to squeeze the grip hard enough to depress the spring and pull the double action trigger at the same time in order to fire the gun. No child of eight had the strength to do both at once. The New Departure was an uncommonly safe bureau drawer revolver.”

The Safety Hammerless, so designated by the fact that the hammer was completely enclosed by the revolver frame, became the first really practical pocket gun. Five hundred thousand of these were made in .32 and .38 caliber from 1886 until 1940.

With the advent of the I-frame Smith & Wessons in 1894, the basic design was changed from top break to a solid frame, swing-out cylinder style of revolver. Over the years from before the turn of the Century until 1960, the I-frame was offered in .32 Hand Ejector, .22/32 Hand Ejector, which became the .22 Kit Gun, .32 Regulation Police, .38 Regulation Police, and .38 Terrier.

The Chief’s Special

In 1950, one of the most famous of the Smith & Wesson revolvers arrived. A five-shot, compact revolver to fire the more powerful .38 Special instead of the .38 S&W was introduced at the Conference of the International Association of Chief’s of Police in Colorado Springs, Colorado and has been officially and lovingly known as the Chief’s Special ever since. This was the first J-frame revolver and was larger than the I-frames and chambered in .22, .32 S&W Long, and .38 S&W. In 1960, all I-frames became J-frames.

The Chief’s Special has been offered in a number of versions along the way: the standard Model 36 in both round and square butt versions, the Airweight Model 37, the Model 38 Bodyguard which had an extended frame that protected the hammer and exposed only enough of the tip to allow for cocking. The Number “39” was used for Smith’s new double action 9MM Semi-automatic in the 1950’s, but the J-frames resumed with the Model 40 Centennial, a J-frame “Safety Hammerless”.

In 1965, a most significant J-frame variation appeared. One that was to have far reaching consequences throughout the firearms industry as the Model 36 Chief’s Special was offered as the Stainless Steel Model 60. Instantly popular with peace officers and outdoorsman alike, the first stainless steel revolver revolutionized firearms and stainless steel revolvers are now a major part of the handgun industry. Stainless is so much a part of the handgun market, and especially with the small frame concealable firearms that are carried closest to the body, that of the five J-frames I have been testing, four are stainless, and the fifth has been custom finished to look like stainless.

Metalife was applied to a Smith & Wesson Chief’s Special, a two-inch Model 36 .38 Special. Depending upon the weather, it has been carried in an inside the pants holster, in an ankle holster, in a boot top, and in the pocket of insulated coveralls. This particular revolver has been further customized by sending it to Teddy Jacobsen. Jacobsen is an ex-cop now in the gun smithing business and he did one of his famous action jobs on the little Chief’s Special along with polishing the trigger smooth, de-horning the hammer spur, and also jewelling both hammer and trigger. When combined with the Metalife finish, these modifications make the Model 36 into a near-perfect pocket pistol.

The only thing left to do to finish off the round butt Chief’s Special was to fit it with custom grips. I just happened to be carrying this little gun when I visited Herrett’s. I soon had a pair of Detective stocks for the Chief’s!

The modification makes the little Chief’s into a beautiful close range double action defensive pistol and the hammer can still be cocked for a longer deliberate single action shot by starting the trigger back and catching the hammer with the thumb to finish the cocking procedure.

As a companion piece to the 20 ounce Chief’s Special, I have been testing the same basic gun, in this case a Model 60 Stainless Steel “Chief’s Special”. Friend and gun writer Terry Murbach certainly deserves at least some of the credit for suggesting the .38 Special Stainless Steel that Murbach feels should be known as “The Trail Masterpiece”. This little 23 ounce, round butted .38 sports a three inch full under-lug barrel and fully adjustable sights. The sights are exactly the way they should be, black both fore and aft. Yes, even though the newest Model 60 is stainless, the rear sight assembly is black and the front sight blade is quick draw style, plain black and pinned to the stainless steel ramp.

Anyone who has read many of my articles know that my usual forte is the big and bold, the Magnum and beyond sixguns and the big bore semi-automatics. But I have definitely found a place in my collection for this little five-shooter. A Plus P five shooter I might add as Smith & Wesson does classify this little .38 as one that is able to handle the hotter loads. No little strength certainly comes from the fact that the Model 60 carries a full length cylinder with very little barrel protruding through the frame unsupported. The cylinder also, being a five shot, has the bolt cuts between chambers rather than under them.

J-Frame Variations

When the J-frame Smith & Wessons came in, I went to the local gun shop, Shapel & Son’s, and found three dusty old boxes down behind the counter containing long-out-of-production Jay Scott Gunfighter J-frame stocks. At the present time they ride unaltered on three J-frames but all will receive extensive customizing in the future which will see the removal of the finger grooves and the checkering that adorns two pair.

The Model 60 Trail Masterpiece wears plain walnut Gunfighter grips that will clean up very nicely as time and ambition permit making the Trail Masterpiece an even more desirable little fivegun for hiking, fishing, camping, etc. And with the right loads, the three-inch barreled .38 will make a fine little close range varmint and small game gun.

I can only find one fault with the Model 60 Trail Masterpiece and that is strictly the result of my own preference for smooth triggers. All other test J-frames came through with smooth triggers but the this three-inch .38 boasts a grooved trigger that you can bet will become a smooth trigger in the future as it will be sent to Jacobsen for one of his action jobs after a check to Smith & Wesson makes it mine.

Chic Gaylord, New York leather worker and the father of the modern concealment holster, was a real fan of the three-inch .38 Special and promoted a “Metropolitan Special Adaptation” of the Colt Police Positive consisting of three-inch barrel, ramp front sight, nickel finish, bird’s head butt, grip adapter, and trigger shoe. Another favorite of his was the three-inch Chief’s Special with Fitz Gunfighter grips. He would have loved the Trail Masterpiece.

The firing tests of the Model 60 .38 Special Trail Masterpiece gave quite pleasant results. Considering the short sight radius the three-inch barrel affords, and also considering that the test groups were fired at 25 yards, and especially when one considers that the groups were fired by my hand and eye combination, some groups border on the phenomenal. The two-inch .38 Special Chief’s Special was fired double action only on combat targets and not for group size. It proved to be quite capable as a defensive revolver.

SMITH & WESSON J-FRAMES

CALIBER: .38 SPECIAL TEMPERATURE: 60 DEGREES

CHRONOGRAPH: OEHLER MODEL 35P GROUPS: 5 SHOTS @ 25 YDS.

MODEL 060 3″ HB – – – MODEL 36 2″

LOAD – MV – GROUP – MV

RCBS #35-150 /6.0 UNIQUE – 975 – 2 1/2″ – 961

LYMAN #358156GC /5.0 UNIQUE – 716 – 3″ – 691

LYMAN #358429 /5.0 UNIQUE – 758 – 1 5/8″ – 720

158 SPEER SWC /5.0 UNIQUE – 750 – 2 5/8″ – 735

BULL-X 158 SWC /5.0 UNIQUE – 782 – 3 1/2″ – 708

LYMAN #358429 /6.6 AA#5 – 890 – 3 1/8″ – 815

158 SPEER SWC /6.6 AA#5 – 830 – 3 1/2″ – 795

BULL-X 158 SWC /6.6 AA#5 – 821 – 3″ – 785

BULL-X 148 WC /6.0 AA#5 – 861 – 2 3/8″ – 841

SIERRA 110 JHP /8.8 AA#5 – 1067 – 2 3/4″ – 1017

SPEER 140 JHP /6.0 UNIQUE – 934 – 1 5/8″ – 913

CCI LAWMAN 125 JHP +P – 1019 – 2 1/2″ – 932

BLACK HILLS 125 JHP – 864 – 3 1/4″ – 792

The .32 Magnum, heretofore offered in medium framed sixguns like the Ruger Bisley and Single-Six, the Dan Wesson double action, and the Smith & Wesson heavy underlugged barrel K-Masterpiece, is a natural for the little J-frame revolvers. Unlike the five shot .38 Special J-frames, the .32 Magnum is a six-shooter. My original request for test guns from Smith & Wesson was for a .32 Magnum and a .32 S&W Long J-frame, but both guns came through as .32 Magnums. One is a “Kit Gun”, a four inch barreled, adjustable sighted, easy packin’ Kit Gun. The other is quite the opposite, a three-inch Centennial Airweight .32 Magnum. The latter is a 16 ounce concealed hammer sixgun, a very easily concealed and even more easily packed aluminum framed revolver.

The four-inch, 23 ounce Model 631 Kit Gun is meant for the woods loafer, fisherman, camper, while the totally dehorned and no-sharp-corners, double action only Model 632 is the concealment counterpart. A defensive gun designed for the shooter who wants a powerful weapon without objectionable recoil. A .32 that can be shot well is certainly much better than a poorly handled lightweight .38 Special; a gun that is easily carried is certainly better than a heavy gun that is left behind. And even at its one pound weight, the .32 Airweight handles very pleasantly and pokes nice little groups double action style at 10 yards.

The adjustable sighted four-inch .32 Magnum is a two to three -inch gun at 25 yards. Load development may help reduce these groups in the future. A load that would be capable of head shooting squirrels, rabbits, and grouse at reasonable ranges would make the little .32 into a real gem.

SMITH & WESSON J-FRAMES

CALIBER: .32 MAGNUM TEMPERATURE: 60 DEGREES

CHRONOGRAPH: OEHLER MODEL 35P GROUPS: SIX SHOTS @ 25 YDS.

MODEL 631 4″ – – – MODEL 632 3″

LOAD – MV – GROUP – MV

FEDERAL 95 LEAD – 941 – 2 5/8″ – 895

FEDERAL 85 JHP – 1020 – 2 1/2″ – 954

NEI 100.313 /8.3 #2400 – 1131 – 2 3/8″ – 1043

NEI 100.313 /5.5 AA#5 – 1122 – 2 3/8″ – 1027

HORNADY 85 XTP /8.3 #2400 – 1044 – 3″ – 942

HORNADY 85 XTP /5.5 AA#5 – 1074 – 2 3/8″ – 924

SIERRA 90 JHP /8.3 #2400 – 1100 – 3″ – 952

SIERRA 90 JHP /5.5 AA#5 – 1070 – 2 7/8″ – 885

The final J-frame tested is one of Elmer Keith’s favorite guns resurrected for 1991. Elmer is best known for his work with the .44 Special from 1927 to 1955 and the .44 Magnum thereafter. But Elmer also used other guns and one of his favorites was the Smith & Wesson Kit Gun chambered for the .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire.

J-Frames and Handgun Hunting

Elmer writing in 1961 in the second edition of his famous book SIXGUNS BY KEITH had this to say about the .22 Kit Gun: “Last winter Jack Nancolas, our local Government hunter killed three treed cougar and ten bobcats with my K model S.& W. .22 rim fire magnum and this winter he killed fifteen bob cats and two cougar with my 3 1/2″ barrel S.& W. kit gun for the same .22 R.F. Magnum load. The last cougar, a big one, jumped out over Jack’s head as he approached the tree in the hope of a brain shot. As it was getting late and he had trailed the big cat all day, he simply took a fast double action snap shot at the brute as he sailed over his head. The tiny soft-point slug hit the big cat square in the chest, penetrating his heart and thence the spine; and he folded up in the air like a duck stricken by a dose of no. 6 shot. His head sagged on his chest and his tail carried nearly vertical, he dropped to the horizontal and rolled into a ball before he ever hit the ground. Jack ran down the mountain and poured two more into his skull to be sure he would not hurt the dogs but he was already dead and they were not needed.”

The latest edition of the .22 WMR Kit Gun, the Model 651-1 is a four-inch, adjustable sighted, stainless steel, square butted, 26 ounce .22 sixgun. The rear sight is fully adjustable and plain black, very good, but the front sight is stainless steel with a red insert, not so good for my eyes in bright light. The front sight is also much too tall for my eyes and shooting style requiring the rear sight to be raised clear out of its mortise to sight the Kit Gun in at 25 yards. Since this .22 WMR is a keeper, the front sight will be replaced with a plain black post that will be filed to the right height to allow it to be sighted in at 25 yards with the rear sight all the way down.

While the Model 651-1 is a sixgun, it works much better as a five gun with five chambers able to put five shots in less that one inch at 25 yards. I will carry it fully loaded with six shots but with the best five coming up first. Probably the most practical of all the J-frames for the outdoorsman, with the right load and chamber selection, this little .22 is definitely capable of head shooting small game and varmints, and even putting the coup-de-grace on downed big game.

SMITH & WESSON MODEL 651

CALIBER: .22WMR BARREL LENGTH: 4″

CHRONOGRAPH: OEHLER MODEL 35P TEMPERATURE: 60 DEGREES

LOAD – MV – 6 SHOTS/25 YDS.

CCI .22 MAXI-MAG – 1335 – 2″

CCI MAXI-MAG HP – 1355 – 2 1/8″

CCI MAXI-MAG +V – 1608 – 2 3/8″

FEDERAL FMJ – 1240 – 3 1/4″

FEDERAL JHP – 1046 – 1 5/8″

WINCHESTER FMC – 130 – 1 5/8″

WINCHESTER JHP – 1258 – 2 7/8″

The Lady Smith

Smith & Wesson J-frames are not only naturals for hikers, campers, fisherman, and even as packin’ pistols by rifle hunters, but they are also quite often picked as defensive pistols by women. In fact, Smith & Wesson has gotten quite a bit of mileage out of its Lady Smith program which began in the last century with a .22 designed to be carried by ladies for protection as they rode their bicycles. The story is that this gun was dropped from production when Joseph Wesson discovered it was being carried less by ladies on bicycles and more by ladies of the night.

A few years back the Lady Smith was resurrected as a variation of the Model 36/60 .38 Special and later as a Model 39 9MM variation. The latest Lady Smiths have been excellent sellers and not only to women. Men who wanted a lightweight, smoothed over concealable weapon have also gone to the modern Lady Smith.

To go along with the J-frames, I requested samples of the wares of

Feminine Protection by Sarah. Sarah uses a very catchy name to offer a serious product, namely purses and belt bags that double as holsters. The handbags and J-frame guns are naturals together and both the Patriot and Classic leather bags supplied accept readily accessible J-frame Smith & Wesson revolvers, and still leave room for all the other stuff that women seem to carry in their handbags.

Both bags open on the front edge to allow instant access to the concealed weapon that many women are going to legally as more and more states are providing licensing systems. The closure system consists of both snaps and Velcro, but they do open instantly when the two halves are parted.

Along with the leather bags came two belt bags or fanny packs. I’m not quite sure I’m ready for a fanny pack but I also remember how difficult it was to carry a concealed weapon last summer during our heat wave. Both belt bags supplied easily carry two- or three-inch .38 Special J-frames. I’m sure my wife and daughter will have something to say about whether these test bags are returned or purchased.

J-Frames and Concealed Carry

In recent years, semi-automatics have stolen the limelight from S&W J-frame revolvers. People often say that semi-automatics are fast, sexy, and common. They hold more rounds than a revolver ever could. Revolvers are old school, clunky, hard to shoot, and slow to reload. However, the J-frame should not be discounted for certain applications, particularly concealed carry.

First, consider a J-frame such as a .38 Special for concealed carry. The gun is small, light, and easy to stow in a waistband, ankle holster, pocket, purse, or bag. Accidental discharge is unheard of in a concealed carry scenario. Cops have an affinity for the revolver when it comes to deep cover since it’s harder to spot than a semi-auto. The bad guys will be used to checking for a Glock or 9mm. Likewise, the J-frame is ideal for civilians carrying on the down-low.

Some people scoff at the thought of carrying a revolver. They may be old school but still offer the best reliability in a handgun. Revolvers seldom jam. If they do, it’s because the shooter has chosen the wrong, or poorly made, ammunition. Revolvers can indeed be harder to fire because of the double-action trigger. Range practice takes care of that unless you have insufficient grip strength to shoot. J-frames are easier to shoot than K-frame revolvers because of a light recoil. This makes them easy to use for beginners and novices.

A short sight radius gives shooters the impression that snubbies are only worthwhile in close proximity. Not true. Although the accuracy is best at 20-25 feet, an article by a retired detective claims he could easily hit his target up to 25 yards. In a self-defense situation, 25 yards is more than sufficient. You don’t even need to pull your gun if the perp is that far away.

The revolver holds less ammo than a semi-auto magazine but considering that the average self-defense scenario requires three shots or less, you should be okay.

Top J-Frame Revolvers for Concealed Carry

Despite popular opinion, not all snub nose revolvers are the same. Here are my top picks for the top J-frames for concealed carry:

Colt Cobra

The Colt Cobra reared its lethal head at the 2019 SHOT Show. This snubby holds six rounds of ammo, has a 2-inch barrel with stainless steel finish, and a fiber optic, high-visibility front sight. The Hogue Overmolded grips helps to cut down on recoil when using +P loads.

Ruger SP 101

The Ruger SP 101 is on the large side for a J-frame but still worth mentioning. This .357 Magnum has a 2.25-inch barrel and a comfortable grip for those that want extra power over a .38 Special.

Ruger LCR

The Ruger LCR is a lightweight handgun that is sleek, stylish, and affordable. The DAO trigger has a predictable, smooth pull. The LCR is available in many styles and offers choices in .22 LR, .22 WMR, .357 Magnum, .327 Federal Magnum.38 Special, and 9mm. Users can opt for 5, 6, or  8 round capacity.

S&W Bodyguard

S&W Bodyguard is the top choice among law enforcement for backup. The semi-polymer frame makes this model a true modern revolver. It’s available with a built-in integral defensive laser for shooting in low light or awkward shooting positions.

S&W 638

The S&W 638 is the original Bodyguard revolver. It’s not easy to find but worth the hunt. It has a shrouded hammer with a thumb tab that allows you to cock the hammer into single-action mode. It’s a great benefit to have although decocking a gun isn’t something for everyone. Still, it’s easy to conceal.

Final Thoughts

After thirty-five plus years of shooting N- and K-frame revolvers, it is quite enjoyable to add J-frames to my shooting battery. The .38 Special three-inch Trail Masterpiece and the four-inch .22 WMR Kit Gun are destined to experience a lot of use in the future and my wife already has her eye on the .32 Centennial. Oh, well we can get ahead next month.

Article used by permission of the author
http://www.sixguns.com/range/jframes.htm

By John Taffin

Bellygun is a term you don’t hear much any more, but from the time of the Civil War up to very recently, that’s what short-barreled revolvers were called. Some people in the gun business tried to gloss over the genre of small, concealable handguns, but the snubnosed bellygun is the most important type of all firearms because it is made for self-defense.

Bellyguns were first offered in the seven-shot single-action .22 rimfire by Smith & Wesson in the 1850s. It was favored as a hideout weapon on both sides of the Civil War. In the first half of the 20th century, every little store had a punchboard with one of the main prizes being a nickel-plated pocket pistol. No forms to fill out, no instant check, no waiting period. You hit the board, you won a gun.

Even in my family, which was certainly not part of the gun culture, I found such a little pocket pistol, an Iver Johnson, among my grandfather’s effects after his death. Today the media has picked up on what was originally a racist term of derision, Saturday Night Special. There are no such guns. Saturday Night Specials are certain people with a certain mindset, not an inanimate object such as a life-savin’ bellygun.

Smith & Wesson’s first double-action bellygun was the break-top of 1880, chambered in .38 S&W. In 1882, S&W brought forth the “lemon-squeezer,” a hammerless double-action with a grip safety. These guns featured not only a grip safety, but also an extra heavy DA-only trigger pull to make it that much more difficult for a child to operate. These guns were very popular as pocket pistols since there was no hammer to catch in the clothing.

I lucked onto one of these in excellent shape in a strange way. My daughter moved into an old house and, while she was cleaning it, she noticed a loose board in the back of a closet. She pulled it out and found a 1 lb. candy tin. Inside she discovered a 1935 championship high school ring, a box of .32 S&W and a .32 lemon squeezer. The rubber grips are perfect, while the rest of the gun is 98 percent with very minor nickel flaking. It works just as well today as it did more than 100 years ago when it left the Springfield factory.

In the 1890s Smith brought forth their first solid frame, swing-out cylinder gun, the I-frame. The little gun was beginning to take on the profile that is so recognizable today. These little I-frames were chambered in .32 S&W, .38 S&W and, in 1911, thanks to a gun dealer by the name of Bekeart, in .22 rimfire. The .22 would evolve into that grandest of all little sixguns, the .22/32 Kit Gun in 1936.

The late Col. Rex Applegate was often involved in clandestine operations from his early days with an outfit known as the OSS in World War II through his commissioning as a general in the Mexican Army. One of his favorite pocket pistols was the .38 S&W. At least until he found himself emptying it to stop an attacker.

More power was needed in pocket pistols. Colt had chopped the barrel of their Police Positive to 2″ before World War II and called it the Detective Special. It was a start in the right direction, but with its six-shot cylinder, it was a mite big for a pocket pistol.

The answer was soon forthcoming. Smith & Wesson engineers had been working to improve the I-frame by slightly enlarging it to take five rounds of .38 Special. In addition to a larger frame, the new revolver, dubbed the J-frame, used a coil mainspring. It was very much like the .38 S&W I-frame except for the extra long cylinder, filling the J-frame window.

To introduce the new pocket pistol, the J-frame was taken to the 1950 annual meeting of the conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, You are probably now ahead of me and can see the name coming. The police chiefs voted on a new name and the first I-frame was appropriately given the name of .38 Chief’s Special.

It is altogether fitting that the police chiefs should knight the new five-gun, as it became immensely popular with peace officers as a second or backup gun that slipped easily into a uniform pocket or as a very easily concealed and carried off-duty weapon. For 40 years, until the revolution of sorts in semiautomatic weapons, it was the pocket pistol by which all others were judged.

Not only was the J-frame .38 Chief’s Special a near perfect pocket gun, but also it was extremely strong. The bolt cuts came between the cylinder chambers and the cylinder itself to fill the frame, with no unsupported portion of the barrel sticking back through the main frame as found on the .357 Magnum and .44 Special Smith & Wessons of the time.

How strong are these little pocket revolvers? Elmer Keith reported in 1955 that both of them would perfectly handle the .38/44 and other high speed .38 Special ammunition, as he ran 500 rounds through a Chief’s Special with no ill effects. At the time of Keith’s writing the .38/44 was a +P loading, the forerunner of the .357 Magnum, rated at 1,150 fps from a 5″ Smith & Wesson .38 Heavy Duty sixgun.

I’ve gone even further with my little Chief’s Special. In the pre-.357 Magnum days of the early 1930s, Keith came up with a heavy .38 Special loading for his sixguns that does 1,400+ fps from an 8 3/8″ S&W .357 Magnum. Using this load in a Chief’s Special, the recoil is stout, with a muzzle velocity of 1,150 fps with a 168 gr. bullet from a 2″ barrel. This is not something I recommend and I do not shoot loads like those very often, but it is great to know that option is mine should I need it.

The .38 Special Chief’s became the Model 36 in 1957, the Centennial became the Model 40, while the number 37 was attached to the Airweight Chief’s Special. In 1965, a revolution of sorts arrived in handgun manufacturing when Smith used the Model 36 as the platform for the same gun in stainless steel. This of course is the Model 60.

A favorite little sixgun of hikers, backpackers and fishermen is the six-shot .22 Kit Gun on the J-frame platform. The Model 34 with either a 2′ or 4′ barrel was produced from 1953 to 1991. It then became a stainless steel sixgun, the Model 63, and was subsequently joined by the Model 651, the .22 Magnum version, and the very rare (only offered in 1990) .32 Magnum Kit Gun, the Model 631.

These diminutive sixguns make fine companion guns for the hunter who does not want to pack any more weight than necessary, but can still be prepared to take a grouse, squirrel or rabbit for the camp cooking pot.

The 1990s brought major changes in the J-frame series. All of the older .38 Specials are gone. Today’s J-frame is slightly larger with a 2 1/8″ barrel and chambered in .357 Magnum. In the mid-1930s, a heavy duty, large framed .357 Magnum was looked upon as the ultimate sixgun. Now we have the .357 Magnum chambered in a 24 oz. five-shot pocket pistol. Firing full house 158 gr. .357 Magnums in one of thee little J-frames is a real attention getter. On both ends.

My wife carries Smith & Wesson J-frames. In her fanny pack is a blued Airweight with a 2″ barrel while her purse gun is a 3″ stainless steel Airweight. Both of these are the Bodyguard models with no hammers exposed. From blued to airweight to stainless to titanium, the J-frames keep evolving. Loaded with 125 gr. JHP, I can think of no better carry gun for wife, mother or daughter than these.

By Stephen A. Camp

Revolvers continue to be popular in the age of the autoloader and one that seems to garner good reports far and wide is the Ruger SP101. It is currently offered in .22, .32 Magnum, .38 Special, as well as .357 Magnum. Barrel lengths run from 2 1/4″ to 4″ and the revolver is available with fixed or adjustable sights. The one I purchased was in .357 Magnum with the 3 1/16″ barrel and fixed sights.

The .357 Magnum chambering is probably the most common and I suspect that it is sold more often than not in the 2 1/4″ barrel length with fixed sights. Of course, .38 Specials can be fired in the .357 guns. These little magnums are five-shooters rather than six and the swing-out cylinder is used. As the gun comes from the factory, stocks are of rubber with plastic inserts snapped in and retained by the grip screw.

The SP101 is a bit smaller than the S&W K-frame but beefier than the same company’s compact J-frame, some models of which can be had in .357 Magnum.

Specifications:

Weight: 27 ounces
Length: 8″ (with 3 1/16″ bbl)
Height: 4.5″
Cylinder Width: 1.349″
Frame Width at Barrel: 0.774″
Top Strap Width: 0.602″
Top Strap Thickness: 0.204″
Trigger: smooth
Action: Conventional double/single action revolver
Cylinder Rotation: counterclockwise
Sights: Fixed or adjustable (front sight pinned to bbl)
Twist: 1:18 3/4″ (.38/. 357)
Safety: Internal transfer bar allows for firing only when the trigger is pressed all the way rearward. The revolver is safe to carry fully loaded.

Ruger SP101 Comparison to S&W J & K-frame Revolvers

Measurement (in.) – Ruger SP101 – S&W K-frame – S&W J-frame

Cylinder Width – 1.349 – 1.47 – 1.34

Frame Width at bbl – 0.744 – 0.823 – 0.697

Top Strap Width – 0.602 – 0.654 – 0.546

Top Strap Thickness – 0.204 – 0.233 – 0.168

Forcing Cone Thickness – 0.086 – 0.086 – 0.066

The table shows that the SP101 might be thought of as a J-frame on steroids, a compact revolver that has been beefed up in critical areas. Note also that the forcing cone on the SP101 is equivalent to that on the K-frame rather than the J.

Having been in constant production in .357 for over a decade now, complaints on the SP101 being fragile have been few and far between. Why is this? The K-frame from S&W has been associated with some parts breakage when a constant diet of magnums have been used, but the K-frame is a bit larger than the SP101. That means there is more steel around the .357’s SAAMI-rated 35K CUP pressure limit each time a round is fired. What’s the deal here? SP101’s are regularly described as being “built like a bank vault” and praised for their ability to digest huge amounts of full-power magnum ammunition.

I think the answer is two-fold. It has been my observation that most .357 factory ammunition is simply not loaded as hot as it was a few decades ago. Years ago it was not uncommon to honestly break 1450 ft/sec with various makers’ 125-gr. magnum loads from 4″ barrels. Now, chronographed velocities are closer to 100 ft/sec slower. Since the hot 125-gr seemed the culprit in most cracked forcing cones and flame cutting, this slight reduction in muzzle velocity probably alleviated the problem. Combine with that the reduction in size of .357 Magnum revolvers in recent times. These guns are certainly easier to carry concealed than the K, L, and N-frames of years past, but one pays for it in increased felt recoil. I strongly suspect that most owners of the compact magnum revolvers shoot a few full-power loads through them, but do the bulk of their practice with the considerably milder .38 Special. I believe that this includes SP101 shooters, but they are shooting a gun is probably a bit more rugged than the J-frame. Hence, we get the comments on the Ruger’s durability. I am neither a gunsmith nor a mechanical engineer so I cannot honestly say whether the internal parts on the Ruger are stronger than the S&W, or give bold statements on which system is better. It does appear that both work quite well, but there seems to be fewer complaints of the small Ruger having problems than the small S&W when either is heavily used.

There is an area where the S&W usually beats the Ruger: trigger pull and smoothness of action. I believe that S&W is almost always the winner here. Using full-power springs in the SP101 compared to the S&W will almost always result in a noticeably smoother action in the latter. Both the Ruger and the S&W use coiled springs to power their hammers. The SP101 spring is rated at 14 pounds, the S&W at 8.5. The trigger return spring on the SP comes in at 10 pounds while the rebound spring on the S&W is 18 pounds at factory standard. It seems like the Ruger should have the lighter smoother trigger pull, but such is usually not the case. Some folks reduce the trigger return spring a bit to smooth up the Ruger, but if a person opts to do this, make absolutely sure that the trigger doesn’t have a sluggish return for the next shot.

I suspect that S&W perfected the double-action pull many years ago and that we’d have to look long and hard to find better ones on out of the box guns. That does not mean that the RUGER SP101 necessarily has a terrible trigger pull or that they cannot be smoothed up very nicely for they certainly can.

The trigger pull on the SP101 used in this evaluation was smooth, but stiff, and certainly nothing special. It has proven imminently useable however. As it came from the box, it did have sharp edges. These were taken care of using 400-grit sandpaper and a little elbow grease. Others have commented on similar experiences and applied similar corrections. Total time spent was less than 15 minutes. Other than that slight “modification”, the SP101 used was as it came from the box.

Shooting:

I fired the SP101 at 7 and 15 yards. The revolver was fired in double-action at a combat-type target at the closer distance. At 15 yards, the revolver was fired single-action and from a sitting position with wrists braced. Unfortunately, I only had two types of .357 Magnum ammunition available so I included quite an array of .38 Special also.

The chronograph data is based on 10 shots fired approximately 10′ from the chronograph screens.

Ruger SP101 w/3 1/16″ Bbl Chronograph Results

Load: – Average Velocity (ft/sec) – Extreme Spread (ft/sec) – Std. Deviation (ft/sec)

38 Corbon 110-gr. DPX – 1141 – 44 – 18

38 Corbon 115-gr. +P+ – 1342 – 62 – 24

38 Rem 130-gr. FMJ – 821 – 28 – 11

38 Federal 147-gr. HS +P+ – 963 – 35 – 13

38 Remington 158-gr. LSWCHP +P – 906 – 23 – 9

357 Remington 125-gr. GS* – 1189 – 57 – 22

357 Winchester 145-gr. STHP – 1207 – 39 – 18

*Mid-range load.

The SP101 used for testing had fixed sights. Nothing fancy to be sure, but they worked fine and provided a very usable sight picture.

15 Yards:

Observations:

Neither the double or single-action trigger pulls on my SP101 were as smooth or light as on my J or K-frame S&W revolvers. It is slightly heavier but has smoothed up a bit after roughly 400 shots, about half of which were .357 Magnum handloads and factory ammunition. The gun does appear to have its fixed sights regulated toward the heavier end of the .357 bullet spectrum although POI was perfectly satisfactory at 15 yards with the slightly attenuated Remington Golden Saber load.

The 145-gr. Silvertip was right on the edge of becoming uncontrollable in rapid-fire when using two hands. Using one hand, as might occur in a defense scenario, it was not at all easy to handle. For that reason, I will be using the Remington 125-gr. Golden Saber in this gun for now. Other potential defensive .357 ammunition will be looked at as time permits, but the Golden Saber is it for now.

I found the revolver more comfortable than expected when firing magnum rounds. No doubt the heavy barrel and its shroud putting more weight up front to reduce muzzle flip were factors, but I think there’s also much to be said for the grips on this revolver. I found them extremely comfortable and have no plans to replace them.

There were no malfunctions of any kind. Primer strikes were plenty reliable and well centered. Case ejection was positive and there were no incidents of “sticking” cases.

I find the SP101 a little gem. It might be a bit of a “diamond in the rough,” but not by much. I will use this revolver and report back any problems that might crop up. Frankly, I expect none from what I’ve read and now, seen.

Some will opine that 5 shots are not enough for a serious defense arm. I suggest that it depends on the type scenario envisioned. I believe that for me, it is adequate in my now tame orbits. I no longer am involved in police service and my days of kicking in a door to a room full of crack heads are long over. That said, if you do not feel comfortable with but five rounds before a reload, the SP101 might not be your best choice as a primary defense gun. A nice fact is that the SP101 uses the same speed loaders as the J-frame S&W revolvers. A fellow could have the SP101 on his belt and an Airweight J-frame in a pocket holster and use the same speed loader(s) for both. (Obviously, the speed loader would contain 38 Special ammo if the pocket gun were so chambered.)

Some complain about a handgun of this weight for carry. I agree that it is heavier than many revolvers intended for concealed carry. I also find it too large for pocket use, but as a compact belt gun, it is just fine and carries comfortably. Its weight is appreciated when firing magnum ammunition.

Frankly, I cannot see limiting this revolver to “just” self-protection. Though its stainless steel construction makes it heavier than various lighter framed revolvers, that emphatically does not mean that these are hard to tote. Given a proper belt and decent holster, just the opposite has proven true for me. I think they would be a heck of a fine sidearm for hiking, camping, fishing, or just knocking about in the woods.

The gun has no removable side plate. The gun is easily disassembled for cleaning via very good instructions provided in Ruger’s paperwork accompanying the revolver. Some suggest that the frame is stronger as it has no removable side plate as do S&W revolvers. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but do think that these are tough little guns that should easily last a lifetime, even with regular use over the long term. The barrel’s bore cleaned about as easily as a Smith so I assume smoothness is similar.

Though I am not about to divest myself of S&W revolvers, neither am I going to ignore Ruger wheelguns. They have a lot going for them and I remain very favorably impressed with this example.

Best

By Carmon Crapson

Experts argue over the exact specifications of a snubnose revolver. Most will concede that it’s a wheel gun with a short barrel – 3 inches in length or less. Oldtimers might call the snubby a “belly gun,” “bulldog revolver” or “pocket gun,” designed for concealed carry. Modern shooters often consider semi-autos as pocket guns due to their size. However, hammerless snubbies and revolvers with bobbed or shrouded hammers exist to prevent the gun from snagging on clothing, a primary concern in the days before semi-automatic pistols.

The term snubby used to relate almost exclusively to the .38 Special. Today, the firearm uses many calibers, including .357 Magnum, 9 mm, .40 S&W, .44 Magnum, .45 Magnum, .454 Casull, .480 Ruger, and more. Manufacturers of common rounds come from Speer Gold Dot, Remington, Corbon, Smith & Wesson, Hornady, Winchester, and more.

Snubby History

The snubby has a long and vibrant history starting in 1898. Like most new rounds, necessity was the reason for the creation of the .38 Special bullet. It replaced the .38 Long because the ammo couldn’t penetrate the shields of the Filipino Muslim warriors during the Philippine–American War. The military and law enforcement needed something better.

The propellant used in the original .38 Special round was black powder, a relatively ineffective choice. A year later, smokeless powder arrived on the scene, changing the game for all firearms. Today, the maximum standard pressure for a load is 17,000 PSI. Standard +P loading is about 20,000 PSI. Current bullet weights vary from 110 to 158 Grains.

The snubnose owns a large piece of firearms history. Some famous models include the 3-inch barreled Colt Single Action Army revolver (“Sheriff’s Model,” “Storekeeper’s Model,” or “Banker’s Special.”) Revolvers with longer barrels included the “Gunfighter” (4¾” barrel), the “Artillery” (5½” barrel), the “Cattleman” or “Cowboy” (available in several barrel lengths – 4.75″, 5.5″, and 7.5″), and the “Army,” “Cavalry,” “Standard,” and the “Peacemaker” (7½” barrel models).

Historians write at length about other celebrated models including the Webley .450 “British Bull Dog,” Colt Model 1877 Double Action “Lightning” .38 Long Colt, .32 caliber Smith & Wesson Safety Hammerless, The FitzGerald Special (“Fitz Special”), Colt Detective Special, Smith & Wesson Model 10, Smith & Wesson Model 36, and the Smith & Wesson Model 642 Ladysmith Hammerless (“Chiefs Special”), among others.

Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Colt and other manufacturers produce updated versions of the traditional snubnose revolver. Advanced technology has allowed the manufacture of new models using modern materials. The materials include polymer and lightweight metal alloys, such as titanium, instead of the old school carbon steel, stainless steel.

Snubbies vs. Pocket Pistols

Aficionados argue all the time about which is better – a wheel gun or semi-auto. Pros and cons exist for each. Since the 1990s, concealed carrying is more popular than ever, only further igniting the argument. Along with arguing over the best self-defense rounds, bullet weights, and jacketed hollow point (JHP) or full metal jacket (FMJ) specs, is the discussion of being able to draw the gun when needed.

Other than wearing an ankle holster or storing the gun in a purse or backpack, most want a weapon that can be slipped into a pocket or tucked inside a waistband. In that instance, a pocket pistol (semi-auto) serves the purpose better than a bulkier wheel gun. But that’s not the end to the argument. While the pocket pistol is flatter, it isn’t always the easiest to draw and shoot. The snubby offers a distinct profile, making it easier to put your finger on the trigger. That also makes it easier to shoot from inside a pocket or bag.

While a semi-auto pocket pistol fires faster repeat shots than a double-action revolver, it also has a better chance of misfiring or jamming, neither of which is helpful in a critical situation. While terminal performance and reaching safety are paramount, statistics show that the probability of actually firing a handgun in a self-defense situation is small. Drawing down is the key to scaring off an attacker. In that case, either handgun will do.

Snubnose Ballistics

Despite the variety of snubnose revolvers on the market today, the primary battle continues between the .38 Spl and .357 Magnum. It’s the closest we come to comparing apples to apples in a snubnose world.

One confusing fact about the two rounds is that they are nearly identical in their design. Take the .38 Spl:

• Parent case: .38 Long Colt
• Case type: Rimmed, straight
• Bullet diameter: .357 in (9.1 mm)
• Neck diameter: .379 in (9.6 mm)
• Base diameter: .379 in (9.6 mm)
• Rim diameter: .44 in (11 mm)
• Rim thickness: .058 in (1.5 mm)
• Case length: 1.155 in (29.3 mm)
• Overall length: 1.55 in (39 mm)
• Case capacity: 23.4 gr H2O (1.52 cm3)
• Primer type: Small Pistol

Then the .357 Magnum:

• Parent case: .38 Special
• Case type: Rimmed, straight
• Bullet diameter: .357 in (9.1 mm)
• Neck diameter: .379 in (9.6 mm)
• Base diameter: .379 in (9.6 mm)
• Rim diameter: .44 in (11 mm)
• Rim thickness: .060 in (1.5 mm)
• Case length: 1.29 in (33 mm)
• Overall length: 1.59 in (40 mm)
• Case capacity: 26.2 gr H2O (1.70 cm3)
• Primer type: Small Pistol Magnum

As you can see, the ballistics of two are nearly identical. The critical point is that the .38 Special round fires in a .357, but the reverse is not true, due to the increased pressure of the .357.

FBI standards determine the parameters of most terminal ballistics tests. The FBI established ballistics protocols after the 1986 Miami Shootout, where several agents were wounded or killed. The FBI’s terminal ballistics testing states that a handgun bullet must penetrate between 12″ and 18″ in 10 percent ordnance ballistic gelatin. This test offers no guarantee that the round will penetrate flesh and bone out on the street, but indicates that it will be effective in taking down a target.

The .38 Special round delivers a maximum average pressure of 17,000 PSI. Average penetration is about 12 inches, depending on testing variables. The .38 Special+P ammo, suitable in most medium frame revolvers, delivers a maximum average pressure of 20,000 PSI, with an average penetration of 13-14 inches in ballistic gelatin. The .357 Magnum delivers a maximum average pressure of 35,000 PSI, with an average penetration of more than 16 inches.

Naturally, ballistics will vary depending on the size of the barrel, bullet weight, brand of ammo, and other factors. However, it is clear that the ballistics of both rounds perform well in a snubby, especially when it comes to self-defense.

The last thing worth mentioning is using high pressure or +p loads in older snubbies. The information on antique weapons is often scarce. Ballistics and testing standards didn’t exist when the weapons were manufactured, so there is a chance of miscalculating what one can handle. Added to that, metal fatigue, substandard materials, and unseen cracks can pose a real danger to the shooter that wants to experiment with modern ammo.

For more information on Snubnose ammo ballistics please see the information below:

Firearm: Colt Diamondback
Barrel Length: 2.5″
Caliber: .38 Special
Bullet Diameter: 0.355″
Bullet Weight: 100 grains
Make: Cor-Bon Pow R Ball
Velocity: 1481 FPS
Recovered Bullet Diameter: 0.565″
Recovered Bullet Weight: 77.3 grains
Distance From Muzzle: 20′

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Firearm: S&W M60
Barrel Length: 2.0″
Caliber: .38 Special
Bullet Diameter: 0.357″
Bullet Weight: 110 grains
Make: Federal JHP Hydra-Shok
Velocity: 838 FPS
Recovered Bullet Diameter: 0.610″
Recovered Bullet Weight: 107.0 grains
Distance From Muzzle: 20′

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Firearm: Colt Diamondback
Barrel Length: 2.5″
Caliber: .38 Special
Bullet Diameter: 0.357″
Bullet Weight: 110 grains
Make: Winchester STHP
Velocity: 863 FPS
Recovered Bullet Diameter: 0.380″
Recovered Bullet Weight: 109.6 grains
Distance From Muzzle: 20′

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Firearm: Colt Diamondback
Barrel Length: 2.5″
Caliber: .38 Special
Bullet Diameter: 0.357″
Bullet Weight: 110 grains
Make: Winchester STHP
Velocity: 882 FPS
Recovered Bullet Diameter: 0.560″
Recovered Bullet Weight: 110.0 grains
Distance From Muzzle: 20′

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Firearm: S&W M60
Barrel Length: 2.0″
Caliber: .38 Special
Bullet Diameter: 0.357″
Bullet Weight: 110 grains
Make: Winchester JHP +P
Velocity: 887 FPS
Recovered Bullet Diameter: 0.515″
Recovered Bullet Weight: 109.0 grains
Distance From Muzzle: 20′

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Firearm: S&W M60
Barrel Length: 2.0″
Caliber: .38 Special
Bullet Diameter: 0.357″
Bullet Weight: 125 grains
Make: CCI JHP
Velocity: 893 FPS
Recovered Bullet Diameter: 0.365″
Recovered Bullet Weight: 108.5 grains
Distance From Muzzle: 20′

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Firearm: Colt Diamondback
Barrel Length: 2.5″
Caliber: .38 Special
Bullet Diameter: 0.357″
Bullet Weight: 125 grains
Make: Federal JHP Hi-Shok
Velocity: 882 FPS
Recovered Bullet Diameter: 0.597″
Recovered Bullet Weight: 124.7 grains
Distance From Muzzle: 20′

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Firearm: S&W M60
Barrel Length: 2.0″
Caliber: .38 Special
Bullet Diameter: 0.357″
Bullet Weight: 125 grains
Make: Hornady JHP XTP
Velocity: 846 FPS
Recovered Bullet Diameter: 0.400″
Recovered Bullet Weight: 125.0 grains
Distance From Muzzle: 20′

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Firearm: Colt Diamondback
Barrel Length: 2.5″
Caliber: .38 Special
Bullet Diameter: 0.357″
Bullet Weight: 125 grains
Make: Remington JHP GS
Velocity: 986 FPS
Recovered Bullet Diameter: 0.650″
Recovered Bullet Weight: 125.0 grains
Distance From Muzzle: 15′

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Firearm: S&W M60
Barrel Length: 2.0″
Caliber: .38 Special
Bullet Diameter: 0.357″
Bullet Weight: 125 grains
Make: Speer JHP GD
Velocity: 914 FPS
Recovered Bullet Diameter: 0.592″
Recovered Bullet Weight: 123.5 grains
Distance From Muzzle: 20′

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Firearm: Colt Diamondback
Barrel Length: 2.5″
Caliber: .38 Special
Bullet Diameter: 0.357″
Bullet Weight: 130 grains
Make: Winchester JHP SXT
Velocity: 927 FPS
Recovered Bullet Diameter: 0.629″
Recovered Bullet Weight: 129.4 grains
Distance From Muzzle: 15′

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Firearm: Colt Diamondback
Barrel Length: 2.5″
Caliber: .38 Special
Bullet Diameter: 0.357″
Bullet Weight: 135 grains
Make: Speer JHP GD
Velocity: 792 FPS
Recovered Bullet Diameter: 0.600″
Recovered Bullet Weight: 133.3 grains
Distance From Muzzle: 20′

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Firearm: S&W M-10
Barrel Length: 2.0″
Caliber: .38 Special
Bullet Diameter: 0.357″
Bullet Weight: 135 grains
Make: Speer JHP GD +P
Velocity: 798 FPS
Recovered Bullet Diameter: 0.585″
Recovered Bullet Weight: 134.0 grains
Distance From Muzzle: 20′

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Firearm: Ruger GA32
Barrel Length: 2.75″
Caliber: .38 Special
Bullet Diameter: 0.357″
Bullet Weight: 147 grains
Make: Federal JHP Hydra-Shok
Velocity: 843 FPS
Recovered Bullet Diameter: 0.592″
Recovered Bullet Weight: 145.5 grains
Distance From Muzzle: 20′

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Firearm: Ruger GA32
Barrel Length: 2.75″
Caliber: .38 Special
Bullet Diameter: 0.357″
Bullet Weight: 147 grains
Make: Federal JHP Hydra-Shok
Velocity: 865 FPS
Recovered Bullet Diameter: 0.644″
Recovered Bullet Weight: 143.5 grains
Distance From Muzzle: 20′

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Firearm: S&W M60
Barrel Length: 2.0″
Caliber: .38 Special
Bullet Diameter: 0.357″
Bullet Weight: 158 grains
Make: Winchester Lead SWCHP
Velocity: 831 FPS
Recovered Bullet Diameter: 0.434″
Recovered Bullet Weight: 157.0 grains
Distance From Muzzle: 20′

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Firearm: Colt Diamondback
Barrel Length: 2.5″
Caliber: .38 Special
Bullet Diameter: 0.357″
Bullet Weight: 158 grains
Make: Winchester Lead SWCHP
Velocity: 882 FPS
Recovered Bullet Diameter: 0.487″
Recovered Bullet Weight: 156.6 grains
Distance From Muzzle: 10′

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COMPARISON LOADINGS FOR THIS CALIBER

.38 Special

S&W M-60 – 2.0 Inch Barrel

BRAND BULLET WEIGHT (grains) BULLET TYPE CASE POWDER POWDER CHARGE (grains) PRIMER 1 2 3 4 5 6 SD (FPS) ES (FPS) AVE (FPS)

Federal 110 JHP Hydra-Shok Factory Factory Factory Factory 830 825 854 867 849 17 42 845

Winchester 110 JHP +P Factory Factory Factory Factory 916 870 901 825 862 36 91 875

CCI 125 JHP +P Factory Factory Factory Factory 862 887 878 846 835 22 52 862

Federal 125 JHP Hi-Shok +P Factory Factory Factory Factory 857 827 837 841 843 11 30 841

Hornady 125 JHP XTP Factory Factory Factory Factory 911 841 842 906 845 36 70 869

Remington 125 JHP GS +P Factory Factory Factory Factory 919 899 932 923 931 13 33 921

Speer 125 JHP GD +P Factory Factory Factory Factory 862 895 917 920 903 23 58 899

Federal 129 JHP Hydra-Shok +P Factory Factory Factory Factory 788 823 820 813 796 15 35 808

UMC 130 FMJ FP Factory Factory Factory Factory 757 724 739 729 755 15 33 741

Winchester 130 JHP SXT +P Factory Factory Factory Factory 923 845 861 858 883 31 78 874

Federal 148 Lead WC Match Factory Factory Factory Factory 681 694 682 665 665 12 29 677

Winchester 158 Lead HP +P Factory Factory Factory Factory 787 814 818 801 829 16 42 810

BRAND BULLET WEIGHT (grains) BULLET TYPE CASE POWDER POWDER CHARGE (grains) PRIMER 1 2 3 4 5 6 SD (FPS) ES (FPS) AVE (FPS)

COMPARISON LOADINGS FOR THIS CALIBER

.38 Special

Colt Diamondback – 2.5 Inch Barrel

BRAND BULLET WEIGHT (grains) BULLET TYPE CASE POWDER POWDER CHARGE (grains) PRIMER 1 2 3 4 5 6 SD (FPS) ES (FPS) AVE (FPS)

Cor-Bon 100 Pow R Ball Factory Factory Factory Factory 1495 1504 1463 1465 1472 1506 19 43 1484

Federal 110 JHP Hydra-Shok Factory Factory Factory Factory 891 859 861 877 890 865 14 32 874

Winchester 110 STHP Factory Factory Factory Factory 922 904 906 942 912 927 14 38 918

Winchester 110 JHP +P Factory Factory Factory Factory 914 962 974 972 989 960 26 75 962

CCI 125 JHP +P Factory Factory Factory Factory 943 925 904 910 878 860 30 83 903

Federal 125 JHP Hi-Shok +P Factory Factory Factory Factory 911 945 954 965 941 914 22 54 938

Hornady 125 JHP XTP Factory Factory Factory Factory 920 900 884 887 898 910 14 36 900

Remington 125 JHP GS +P Factory Factory Factory Factory 1011 1016 1024 1000 1010 1019 8 24 1013

Speer 125 JHP GD +P Factory Factory Factory Factory 931 939 960 894 940 971 27 77 939

Federal 129 JHP Hydra-Shok +P Factory Factory Factory Factory 812 852 882 853 856 853 22 70 851

UMC 130 FMJ FP Factory Factory Factory Factory 796 776 758 766 16 38 774

Winchester 130 JHP SXT +P Factory Factory Factory Factory 913 927 937 915 879 918 20 58 915

Speer 135 JHP GD +P Factory Factory Factory Factory 838 827 838 816 839 817 10 23 829

Federal 148 Lead WC Match Factory Factory Factory Factory 716 699 681 699 687 699 12 35 697

Winchester 158 Lead SWC HP Factory Factory Factory Factory 873 902 895 888 889 849 19 53 883

BRAND BULLET WEIGHT (grains) BULLET TYPE CASE POWDER POWDER CHARGE (grains) PRIMER 1 2 3 4 5 6 SD (FPS) ES (FPS) AVE (FPS)

COMPARISON LOADINGS FOR THIS CALIBER

.38 Special

Ruger GA-32 – 2.75 Inch Barrel

BRAND BULLET WEIGHT (grains) BULLET TYPE CASE POWDER POWDER CHARGE (grains) PRIMER 1 2 3 4 5 6 SD (FPS) ES (FPS) AVE (FPS)

Federal 147 JHP Hydra-Shok +P+ Factory Factory Factory Factory 904 905 893 7 12 901

BRAND BULLET WEIGHT (grains) BULLET TYPE CASE POWDER POWDER CHARGE (grains) PRIMER 1 2 3 4 5 6 SD (FPS) ES (FPS) AVE (FPS)

This information was developed by Carmon Crapson and posted by Stephen Ricciardelli. It is used by permission only.

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One of the threads over at The Gun Thing talks about concealed carry revolvers. I started talking about mine over there.

It’s the Smith and Wesson Model 60, the first revolver that Smith made in stainless steel. It is neither pinned nor recessed, and carries a two-inch barrel. It is altogether an excellent carry piece. Xavier probably wouldn’t like it much because it is stainless, but in the heat and humidity of Louisiana, stainless is my preferred metal for firearms that might be neglected.

Back in the day, a trial commenced where one guy was accused of battering someone else with a firearm. That is a felony in this state. After the trial, and all the appeals had been finalized, the judge and evidence custodian were going through the evidence room disposing of old evidence when this revolver gained their attention. Fresh from the scene, it had been bagged in a clear plastic zipper bag and there was still blood on the frame and trigger guard. The little revolver was broken as evidenced by the fact that the hammer was halfway back and the trigger was misaligned with the frame.

I happened to be walking down the hall when the Judge asked what he was going to do with it. I offered to take it. The judge tossed me the bloody revolver and told me to be at his office that afternoon. When I appeared later, he caused a minute entry to be made into the record, wherein that revolver was titled to me for the furtherance of law enforcement within the parish. Under the laws at the time, that was perfectly legal.

All this was back before AIDS, HIV, or any of the more common blood-borne pathogens had been catalogued. I took the little revolver home, stripped it and washed it in the kitchen sink. I dried it and took it to the bench. After an inspection, I determined that the trigger guard was bent, binding the trigger and holding the hammer halfway back. I clamped the frame in a vise, grabbed the trigger guard with a pair of pliers, and pulled. The trigger popped forward, the hammer fell to rest. I took off the side plate and looked at the innards and convinced myself that the gun was okay. A trip to the range confirmed the proper function or the piece.

The judge in question has since passed on to his mortal reward, after a distinguished career in jurisprudence, a long and happy retirement, and a legendary affection for sour-mash whiskey.

The little revolver has been with me for over 20 years. I carried it during plainclothes assignments and since my first retirement and subsequent employment it has been my CCW piece. Sometimes it rides in a Don Hume beltslide holster, sometimes it is just dropped into a pocket. For ammo, I either load it with the old Federal Ny-Clad ammo or my own reload of a hollow-based wadcutter loaded backwards over a mild charge of Unique. I don’t use +P ammo in this little gun.

While it is often difficult to rehabilitate a criminal, firearms don’t have as much problem. This pistol originally led a life of crime, but since became an honored member of the law enforcement community. It has assisted in countless dozens of arrests and has proved a deterrent to many other crimes. In 2001 I showed it to one young goblin. It was immediately effective as the goblin decided to depart posthaste rather than become more closely acquainted. I put it back in my pocket and went about my day unmolested.

One of these days, one of my kids will have it. I am convinced it will serve honorably into the future.

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