How Does the Winchester Silvertip .357 Mag Perform?

WheelGunRealGun · February 20, 2012, 03:21 PM

How does the 145 grain Winchester Silvertip HP perform for self defense compared to the Federal .357b 125 grain going 1450 fps?

Also, has anyone tested that Buffalo Bore "Short Barrel Low Recoil" 125 grain .357 Mag, which goes about 1400 fps out of a 4" 686? Does it perform as advertised? Does it really have lower recoil compared to typical 125 grainers?

NoSecondBest · February 20, 2012, 04:41 PM

I haven't had any experience using 145g Silvertips for self defense but I have shot a number of white tails with them. They usually achieve complete pass throughs if shot broadside through the lungs. If at an angle, some will be recovered and are usually found under the hide on the off side. Expansion within thirty five yards is pretty impressive but declines with distance. At ranges over seventy five yards expansion is minimal. I have a couple around someplace but I'd have to look to find them to get pics. However, my note book shows expansion of .65" and wt retention of 127 grains on one I shot at thirty yards. (I used to keep detailed records but quit several years ago. Just wasn't worth the trouble). I will add that Hornady XTP's perform equally as well.

roaddog28 · February 20, 2012, 06:40 PM

Here is a link with the FBI ballistics ammo test on all the major 357 magnum self defense rounds. The Winchester Silvertip did well.
Regards,
Howard
http://www.firearmstactical.com/ammo_data/357magnum.htm

30-30remchester · February 20, 2012, 08:12 PM

NOSECONDBEST, it is good to have first hand experence. So many non living flesh tests dont hold true to real world results. I had heard of a few bad results with the Winchester bullets in test medium. Your imput is valuable. I used Winchester Silvertips, of earliest design, in a 45ACP to shoot an antelope. I recovered 5 bullets from one antelope, with poor penatration. It is nice to hear you have had good results. I am very curious of Hornaday's 158 grn XTP bullets recovered from game. I saw one of these bullets recovered from a large buffalo, from a 480 Ruger. It penatrated very well with excellent expansion. If you could post some results of your recovered bullets?

NoSecondBest · February 20, 2012, 11:22 PM

Here are two bullets recovered from one deer. First shot at around 90+ yards and the second at around thiry yards. Big difference in expansion. Note the base of the bullet. I don't know what causes that base to bulge backward but they always do. I've recovered a good number of bullets over the years and the Hornady XTP always performs well. I know most of you probably won't believe this but I've shot over 50 deer with the 357 and have never lost an animal. The only lost whitetail was with a 44 mag and it certainly wasn't caliber, it was me making a bad shot. Followed it for almost a mile and lost the blood trail. No caliber or bullet is effective if the shot isn't placed well. Just like an arrow, shot placement is the key to success.

30-30remchester · February 21, 2012, 11:05 AM

NoSecondBest, those bullets tell alot. I myself have shot close to 150 head of big game, but few with a handgun. I collect bullets recovered from game as well but as stated most of mine were rifle rounds and most of the game were elk and mule deer. The few animals I took with handgun were early in my hunting career and handgun expanding bullets were far from state of the art in those days. After seeing that buffalo taken with the Hornaday XTP bullet I was wondering how they preformed in a 357. You have answered that question. Could you post a few picks of the Winchester bullets as well?

kraigwy · February 21, 2012, 11:15 AM

The department I worked for started using winchester 125 grn 357s Silvertip. I tried them but went back to LSWCs.

The thing was we had a lot of moose/vehicle encounters where the moose would have to be put down. I found the 150/158 gn LSWCs (non hp) worked better.

The Winchester LSWCs were swedged not hard cast, I found they worked just as well if not better then my hard cast LSWCs so I gave up worrying about hard cast bullets.

NoSecondBest · February 21, 2012, 12:50 PM

30-30remchester: I'll look around and see if I can find the Winchester Silvertips. I've got drawers and drawers and cabinets and cabinets full of a lifetime of shooting "junk". They're in there somewhere. I'll post some pics when I find them.

clemsonal · February 21, 2012, 02:17 PM

The 145 Silvertip is the most accurate round that I have found for my 3 inch Ruger Sp101. I have also shot them from a 6 inch ported barrel, and they were the ones that had the least burnt powder blow-back through the ports into your face. I tried about 6 to 8 different brands.

30-30remchester · February 21, 2012, 06:02 PM

No Second Best, I forgot to ask an important question. Were you using factory ammunition or were you reloading the ammo. If reloaded at what velocities were you driving the bullets?

NoSecondBest · February 21, 2012, 06:53 PM

Quote:

No Second Best, I forgot to ask an important question. Were you using factory ammunition or were you reloading the ammo. If reloaded at what velocities were you driving the bullets?

I was reloading them. 1500fps

trex1310 · February 21, 2012, 07:03 PM

I like the 145gr silvertip. It is very accurate out of my 6" Ruger
GP100 and my Marlin 1894c lever rifle. I haven't shot anybody
with it lately so I can't speak to that.

dsmith512 · February 13, 2013, 12:58 AM

Here is a pic I took today. The can on the left I shot with a 158gr SJHP. The can on the right I shot with a 145gr Silver tip hollow point. I've got around 3-400 of these rounds left and I'd like to sell them if anyone is interested.

Hook686 · February 13, 2013, 01:38 AM

As I recall, Trooper Mark Coats carried 145 grain Silver Tips in his .357 magnum service revolver. He got hit by a .22 lr and hit the fat kid that shot him 5, or 6 times. The kid lived, the trooper died. Maybe Silver tips have improved.

Ozzieman · February 13, 2013, 02:48 PM

I have been a fan of the Win Silver tip since they came out many years ago. I cant help with the 357 but they have impressed me with something as slow as the 44 special out of a Charter Arms Bulldog,

It go bang Did you come up with that by your self or did you need help

Nanuk · February 13, 2013, 05:04 PM

I carried 145 STHP's for a long time when I carried a revolver for duty. It was my preferred load in the 357 magnum, of course we did not have moose in Ft Worth or El Paso, Texas. The bullet was very popular with LE and worked very well. The Trooper Coates incident has always bothered me, I would say that was an anomaly.

To choose between the 145 STHP and the 125 JHP, I will go heavier everything else being the same, we were getting 1350 for the STHP and 1450 for the 125 JHP from a 4" 686.

Ozzieman · February 13, 2013, 06:22 PM

NoSecondBest.
Did those hit bone or were those expand in flesh?
Thanks
Nice deer by the way.

The_Shootist · February 15, 2013, 01:31 AM

Only problem with the ST 145gr (luv this round in my 686+ or SP101 - accurate and controllable) is it seems hard to come by. Anybody know of a good on-line source?

ltc444 · February 15, 2013, 02:06 AM

My department carried 125 grain silvertips back in the 80s. I did not like them because their was some indication that they could penetrate the vest we wore at that time. This design was corrected.

I have allways been a fan of the 146 grain Speer JHP for a hunting load. The silvertip should serve you well.

February 20, 2012, 03:21 PM	#1
WheelGunRealGun Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2012 Posts: 126	How Does the Winchester Silvertip .357 Mag Perform? How does the 145 grain Winchester Silvertip HP perform for self defense compared to the Federal .357b 125 grain going 1450 fps? Also, has anyone tested that Buffalo Bore "Short Barrel Low Recoil" 125 grain .357 Mag, which goes about 1400 fps out of a 4" 686? Does it perform as advertised? Does it really have lower recoil compared to typical 125 grainers?

February 21, 2012, 11:15 AM	#7
kraigwy Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2008 Location: Wyoming Posts: 11,061	The department I worked for started using winchester 125 grn 357s Silvertip. I tried them but went back to LSWCs. The thing was we had a lot of moose/vehicle encounters where the moose would have to be put down. I found the 150/158 gn LSWCs (non hp) worked better. The Winchester LSWCs were swedged not hard cast, I found they worked just as well if not better then my hard cast LSWCs so I gave up worrying about hard cast bullets. __________________ Kraig Stuart CPT USAR Ret USAMU Sniper School Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071

February 21, 2012, 02:17 PM	#9
clemsonal Member Join Date: July 18, 2010 Location: South Carolina Posts: 30	Silvertips The 145 Silvertip is the most accurate round that I have found for my 3 inch Ruger Sp101. I have also shot them from a 6 inch ported barrel, and they were the ones that had the least burnt powder blow-back through the ports into your face. I tried about 6 to 8 different brands.

February 21, 2012, 07:03 PM	#12
trex1310 Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2009 Location: Mobile, AL Posts: 389	I like the 145gr silvertip. It is very accurate out of my 6" Ruger GP100 and my Marlin 1894c lever rifle. I haven't shot anybody with it lately so I can't speak to that. __________________ NRA Life Member Certified in laziness Certified in watching TV Certified in BBQ on the Green Egg

February 13, 2013, 01:38 AM	#14
Hook686 Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2005 Location: USA The Great State of California Posts: 2,090	As I recall, Trooper Mark Coats carried 145 grain Silver Tips in his .357 magnum service revolver. He got hit by a .22 lr and hit the fat kid that shot him 5, or 6 times. The kid lived, the trooper died. Maybe Silver tips have improved. __________________ Hook686 When the number of people in institutions reaches 51%, we change sides.

February 20, 2012, 04:41 PM	#2
NoSecondBest Senior Member Join Date: December 7, 2009 Location: Western New York Posts: 2,736	I haven't had any experience using 145g Silvertips for self defense but I have shot a number of white tails with them. They usually achieve complete pass throughs if shot broadside through the lungs. If at an angle, some will be recovered and are usually found under the hide on the off side. Expansion within thirty five yards is pretty impressive but declines with distance. At ranges over seventy five yards expansion is minimal. I have a couple around someplace but I'd have to look to find them to get pics. However, my note book shows expansion of .65" and wt retention of 127 grains on one I shot at thirty yards. (I used to keep detailed records but quit several years ago. Just wasn't worth the trouble). I will add that Hornady XTP's perform equally as well.

February 20, 2012, 06:40 PM	#3
roaddog28 Senior Member Join Date: March 15, 2009 Location: Escondido, CA Posts: 961	Here is a link with the FBI ballistics ammo test on all the major 357 magnum self defense rounds. The Winchester Silvertip did well. Regards, Howard http://www.firearmstactical.com/ammo_data/357magnum.htm

February 20, 2012, 08:12 PM	#4
30-30remchester Senior Member Join Date: April 18, 2009 Location: mountains of colorado Posts: 977	NOSECONDBEST, it is good to have first hand experence. So many non living flesh tests dont hold true to real world results. I had heard of a few bad results with the Winchester bullets in test medium. Your imput is valuable. I used Winchester Silvertips, of earliest design, in a 45ACP to shoot an antelope. I recovered 5 bullets from one antelope, with poor penatration. It is nice to hear you have had good results. I am very curious of Hornaday's 158 grn XTP bullets recovered from game. I saw one of these bullets recovered from a large buffalo, from a 480 Ruger. It penatrated very well with excellent expansion. If you could post some results of your recovered bullets?

February 21, 2012, 11:05 AM	#6
30-30remchester Senior Member Join Date: April 18, 2009 Location: mountains of colorado Posts: 977	NoSecondBest, those bullets tell alot. I myself have shot close to 150 head of big game, but few with a handgun. I collect bullets recovered from game as well but as stated most of mine were rifle rounds and most of the game were elk and mule deer. The few animals I took with handgun were early in my hunting career and handgun expanding bullets were far from state of the art in those days. After seeing that buffalo taken with the Hornaday XTP bullet I was wondering how they preformed in a 357. You have answered that question. Could you post a few picks of the Winchester bullets as well?

February 21, 2012, 12:50 PM	#8
NoSecondBest Senior Member Join Date: December 7, 2009 Location: Western New York Posts: 2,736	30-30remchester: I'll look around and see if I can find the Winchester Silvertips. I've got drawers and drawers and cabinets and cabinets full of a lifetime of shooting "junk". They're in there somewhere. I'll post some pics when I find them.

February 21, 2012, 06:02 PM	#10
30-30remchester Senior Member Join Date: April 18, 2009 Location: mountains of colorado Posts: 977	No Second Best, I forgot to ask an important question. Were you using factory ammunition or were you reloading the ammo. If reloaded at what velocities were you driving the bullets?

February 13, 2013, 02:48 PM	#15
Ozzieman Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Northern Indiana Posts: 6,117	I have been a fan of the Win Silver tip since they came out many years ago. I cant help with the 357 but they have impressed me with something as slow as the 44 special out of a Charter Arms Bulldog, It go bang Did you come up with that by your self or did you need help __________________ It was a sad day when I discovered my universal remote control did not in fact control the universe. Did you hear about the latest study.....5 out of 6 liberals say that Russian Roulette is safe. Last edited by Ozzieman; October 1, 2016 at 05:22 PM.

February 13, 2013, 05:04 PM	#16
Nanuk Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2005 Location: Where the deer and the antelope roam. Posts: 3,082	I carried 145 STHP's for a long time when I carried a revolver for duty. It was my preferred load in the 357 magnum, of course we did not have moose in Ft Worth or El Paso, Texas. The bullet was very popular with LE and worked very well. The Trooper Coates incident has always bothered me, I would say that was an anomaly. To choose between the 145 STHP and the 125 JHP, I will go heavier everything else being the same, we were getting 1350 for the STHP and 1450 for the 125 JHP from a 4" 686. __________________ Retired Law Enforcement U. S. Army Veteran Armorer My rifle and pistol are tools, I am the weapon.

February 13, 2013, 06:22 PM	#17
Ozzieman Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Northern Indiana Posts: 6,117	NoSecondBest. Did those hit bone or were those expand in flesh? Thanks Nice deer by the way. __________________ It was a sad day when I discovered my universal remote control did not in fact control the universe. Did you hear about the latest study.....5 out of 6 liberals say that Russian Roulette is safe.

February 15, 2013, 01:31 AM	#18
The_Shootist Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2004 Posts: 161	Only problem with the ST 145gr (luv this round in my 686+ or SP101 - accurate and controllable) is it seems hard to come by. Anybody know of a good on-line source? __________________ Yo homie....that my briefcase??!!

February 15, 2013, 02:06 AM	#19
ltc444 Senior Member Join Date: March 3, 2011 Location: Vernon AZ Posts: 1,195	My department carried 125 grain silvertips back in the 80s. I did not like them because their was some indication that they could penetrate the vest we wore at that time. This design was corrected. I have allways been a fan of the 146 grain Speer JHP for a hunting load. The silvertip should serve you well.