110gr .357?

[sixgun67]

Past few days I've seen that my wallyworld has Winchester White Box .357 mag on the shelves, first time in over 2 years. They are 110gr JHP, with no velocity given on the box, for $28 and change. Any revues as to how useful this ammo could be for everyday carry? I've never used a 110gr bullet and wanted some opinions before purchasing some. Thanks guys.
sixgun

[pythagorean]

For some reason the 110s have only similar or less velocity than a 125 load. There was a time when SW loaded them HOT but today why bother with them?

[Nanuk]

We carried them as a duty load for a few years, these are my observations:

They are so light that there is not enough mass to develop adequate pressure so they are actually slower than a 125.

They were designed for close range frontal shots with no cover, they explode when they hit causing a shallow devistating wound, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. I saw at least 2 dogs run off after being shot.

Lots of blast and noise for what you get. Very hard on the guns that shot them, lots of flame cutting.

I never carried them in my duty gun, I used the ones I was issued in my Marlin Lever for skunks and such which hit them like a grenade, or traded them to guys for the 125's.

Personally I would not take them if you gave them to me.

[GeauxTide]

Used to shoot SuperVel when they came out in the 70s. Too hard on my M19. Agree with the other posters - the standard for the 357 is the 125.

[aarondhgraham]

I always thought that 158 grain (or thereabouts) was the standard load for a .357 Magnum.

FYI,,,
110 grain rounds come out the barrel of my H&R Handi-Rifle with some authority.

I'm waiting for a friend to bring his chronograph to the range,,,
I'm dying to check the velocity of 110, 125, and 158 grain cartridges.

.

[Eagle0711]

Exactly what Nanuk said in post #3. Looks good on paper,but a failure in the real world.

[Tom Servo]

Used to shoot SuperVel when they came out in the 70s.

I still have a couple of boxes. Those things were brutal on K-Frames.

As others, the Winchester load is much milder, but I don't see that it offers anything over the heavy grains. Few guns will be sighted in for it, and despite the reduction in velocity and pressure, there's a possibility of it harming some guns.

[sixgun67]

thanks for the views fellas. My K frame has no flame-cutting yet (low round count) and I'd prefer to keep it that way as long as possible. Somewhat more bark, and less bite it sounds, for the 110's.
sixgun

[MK11]

Blazer 158 grain .357 mag make a nice alternative for a practice/defense load. They're pretty mild. I use them for practice and load up on Buffalo Bore's "tactical" .357 when I can.

I also like the Speer 135 grain short barrel load in both .38 and .357. Seems to shoot to a similar point of aim as cheapo 130 grain .38s.

[30-30remchester]

I shot a 3 pound woodchuck with a Hornaday 110 grn hp from a 357. Range @10 feet. The bullet failed to exit or even reach the far side of the chuck.

[drail]

110 and 125 gr. bullets in .357 driven very fast are hard on forcing cones. Stick with the 140 gr. and up. You can have either high velocity or high mass. Go for mass. Flame cutting on the top strap is self limiting and does no serious harm but the forcing cone WILL succumb in time. Don't ask me how I know. I have a nice Ruger paperweight.

[GeauxTide]

I always thought that 158 grain (or thereabouts) was the standard load for a .357 Magnum

The OP was referring to defensive capabilities. The 125 is the standard fight stopper in 357. Really.

[Webleymkv]

The 125 is the standard fight stopper in 357. Really.

No, not really. The 125grn JHP's didn't come out until the 1970's. For the 4 decades before that, the .357's reputation (which was still quite good) came from the 158grn LSWC. Also, the near-mythical reputation of the 125grn JHP's stems mainly from their 96% one-shot-stop rating in the Marshall/Sanow study (which, in and of itself was far from perfect). However, several of the heavier loadings such as the 145grn Winchester Silvertip and 158grn Federal Hydra-Shok also did very well in the same study with scores in the mid-to-high 80's.

[HoraceHogsnort]

The only person who's shoot 110gr. JHPs in a .357 would be a New Orleans pimp. Uh...............waitaminnut here. I guess their guns would have to have mother of pearl grips.

[KyJim]

The only person who's shoot 110gr. JHPs in a .357 would be a New Orleans pimp.

The Treasury Department agents used to shoot 110 gr. JHPs. So what are you saying?

For awhile, the buzz was all about light and fast. But, as Webleymkv mentioned, the .357 made its reputation shooting 158 gr. bullets. I would stick to them or the 125 gr. loads.

[brian45auto]

i can't see how a 110gr bullet at or near 2kft/s wouldn't mess a few things up on whatever soft tissue it ran into....this is from an N frame.

[Nnobby45]

For some reason the 110s have only similar or less velocity than a 125 load. There was a time when SW loaded them HOT but today why bother with them?

When they were loaded "hot" they expanded so quick that penetration was rather shallow. I read a report of a Borderpatrolman hitting a jack rabbit and the round didn't make it through. Some bullets can be driven too fast, and the little 110 gr. is one of them in a caliber that drives 125 gr. bullets fast enough to regularly cause jacket seperations.

WWB, if true to form, might be on the mild side. Use if for practice.

May I suggest CorBon DPX 125 gr. at 1300 fps. It's a "midrange" load that is easier to shoot than full power .357. Or you could go with the 125 gr. JHP's or SJHP's that made it famous--along with muzzle blast and recoil.

[Single Six]

It's what I've used in my SP-101 for several years. No complaints; they're easier to get good, fast hits with than full-power 125 grain JHPs [for me, anyway]. Good accuracy, but my SP is not meant for tack-driving at 25 yards..it's meant as a "the-bad-guy-is-so-close-I-can-smell-his-breath" gun.

[roaddog28]

Hi,
Too me there is not enough penetration. And again the round is too hard on the revolver. The 158gr is the standard that most gun makers recommend in there 357 magnums. There are other great rounds too but I stay in the 140 to 158 range with my magnums. They will not tear up a good revolver.

Howard

[Chesster]

The 110 I use for a light carbine load. You can use it for range fodder, but only for SD in a serious pinch with nothing else available for your mag.

[Irish B]

I have a box of 110 gr FMJs. They feel like i'm shooting a .22 compared to the 158gr and 180gr loads i use. They seem to penetrate just fine but i suspect that also has a lot to do with them being FMJs too.

[Laz]

I am guessing I will never understand the idea of most modern factory 110 grain loads being hard on revolvers. They may be but I don't understand it. Most are loaded to a nominal velocity of 1295 fps from a 4 inch barrel versus the 1450 fps nominal velocity of the 125s. The .357 pressure standard is, I believe, 35,000 psi and the 110s are probably generating somewhere around 27,000 to a little over 30,000 psi (at least according to what I've been told by some factory techs). The 115 grain 9mm standard pressure has a maximum pressure of 35,000 psi and I understand they usually produce something less than that, like in the low 30's. Both the 110 grain .357 and the 115 grain 9mm produce similar ballistics from an approximately 2 inch-barreled revolver. Why does no one talk about how standard pressure 115 grain 9mms beat up revolvers? Plenty of revolvers have been chambered in 9mm, both small and medium frame.

If we are talking about 110 grains at 1500 fps+ nominal velocity, I get it. But I really have my doubts about 1295 fps nominal velocity. At least I am willing to hear the explanation. That said, I'm not that fond of the round and prefer heavier bullets, though I do have a stash of them and they are easier to shoot in a small framed .357 than heavier full power loads.

[jglsprings]

Laz,

One of the theories is that the short bullet with large amounts of powder are harder on the forcing cone and also create excessive flame cutting on the cone / top strap area. It is the same argument about 125 gr loads destroying K frame 357 mags.

[Nnobby45]

No, not really. The 125grn JHP's didn't come out until the 1970's. For the 4 decades before that, the .357's reputation (which was still quite good) came from the 158grn LSWC.

Don't think so. The 125 gr. was the standard by which the .357 was judged , and the most popular load, by far, used by LE.

When S&W and SIG teamed up to produce the .357 SIG in an attempt to imitate the velocity of the .357 Mag. in a semi-auto pistol, they designed it around the 125 gr. bullet.

Before reliable HP ammo came on the scene, the 158 gr. SWC may well have been what established the rounds reputation--but not after good JHP and SJHP's showed up.

[Webleymkv]

Quote:
No, not really. The 125grn JHP's didn't come out until the 1970's. For the 4 decades before that, the .357's reputation (which was still quite good) came from the 158grn LSWC.
Don't think so. The 125 gr. was the standard by which the .357 was judged , and the most popular load, by far, used by LE.

Any idea of exactly how many agencies used the 125grn JHP's (I bet it's not nearly as many as you think)? Many large departments chose not to use 125grn JHP's, or even .357 Magnum ammunition, right up until they switched to semi-autos. NYPD stayed with .38 Spl 158grn LRN, the FBI stayed with Winchester .38 Spl 158grn LSWCHP +P, both the Virginia State Police and LAPD used loadings similar to the FBI load (i.e. the Remington or Federal versions). Also, the 125grn JHP's were not the only popular and well-respected loading. Winchester's 145grn Silvertip loading in particular also had a very good reputation.