.357MAG HST's???

awoodpd13 · 06-26-2012, 10:37

Does anyone know if Federal plans to release the HST round in .357MAG? The Win. 145gr. STHP has been my load of choice in .357MAG since it came out, but I would be very interested in a 145gr. HST at the same velocity!

***hotpig*** · 06-26-2012, 12:29

Since the decline in 357 mag use in LE use I do not expect to see any offering.

awoodpd13 · 06-26-2012, 15:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotpig

Since the decline in 357 mag use in LE use I do not expect to see any offering.

That's what I was afraid of...

Tiro Fijo · 06-26-2012, 23:01

In a pinch you could pull the bullets from some .357 SIG HST rounds and load them in .357 Mag. Just sayin'.

barth · 06-27-2012, 00:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by awoodpd13

Does anyone know if Federal plans to release the HST round in .357MAG? The Win. 145gr. STHP has been my load of choice in .357MAG since it came out, but I would be very interested in a 145gr. HST at the same velocity!

Only High Tech round I know of for 357 Magnum is
Winchesters PDX1 125 gr 1325 fps

Underwood Ammo has a heavy bonded 357 that might do the trick for you:
357 Magnum 158 Grain Bonded Jacketed Hollow Point Box of 50 - Muzzle Velocity: 1475 fps
http://www.underwoodammo.com/357magn...ntboxof50.aspx

9mm +p+ · 06-27-2012, 02:04

All the modern whiz bang bullets aren't necessary in 357 mag, the Fed/Rem 125's will still drop folks just as good as any acronym bullet, maybe better.

Chuck54 · 06-27-2012, 11:48

Saw some gold dot 125 a while back at ATG

NEOH212 · 06-30-2012, 22:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by awoodpd13

Does anyone know if Federal plans to release the HST round in .357MAG? The Win. 145gr. STHP has been my load of choice in .357MAG since it came out, but I would be very interested in a 145gr. HST at the same velocity!

a 125 grain HST would be nice. Since they can't trust the civilians with this ammo however, I'd never be able to get any anyhow.

***hotpig*** · 07-01-2012, 11:24

Federal has always said one day they will make the HST available to the regular commercial market. I would think that they would expand their caliber offerings for that change.

fastbolt · 07-01-2012, 11:43

If Federal ever gets around to expanding their production to include commercial (non-LE/Gov) sales of their basic HST line, I hope they develop a "middle weight" .357 Magnum load, similar to the Win 145gr STHP or the discontinued Rem 140gr SJHP.

Considering they already have a 130gr Hydra-Shok Magnum load (at a respectable velocity), as well as the 140gr Barnes load (although for hunting), maybe they'd be inclined to do so ...

Tiro Fijo · 07-01-2012, 13:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by fastbolt

...Considering they already have a 130gr Hydra-Shok Magnum load (at a respectable velocity), as well as the 140gr Barnes load (although for hunting), maybe they'd be inclined to do so ...

I'll pass on the Hydra Shoks, but having shot several of their .357 Mag. 140 gr. using the Barnes SCHP it's a helluva load. It's no pansy load. It's a full magnum and IMO brigdes the gap for those who for whatever reason think that 125 gr. is not enough.

fastbolt · 07-01-2012, 18:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiro Fijo

I'll pass on the Hydra Shoks, but having shot several of their .357 Mag. 140 gr. using the Barnes SCHP it's a helluva load. It's no pansy load. It's a full magnum and IMO brigdes the gap for those who for whatever reason think that 125 gr. is not enough.

Yeah, I only picked up the Fed HS 30gr Magnums to check for bullet pull in one of my M&P 340's. I dislike the idea of becoming "limited" to just 1 or 2 loads in any given caliber, when possible.

I'd also prefer a better designed hollowpoint than the Hydra-Shok, and since the HST has become a fairly decent refinement of the Starfire JHP design, I'd be interested if they could make a slightly heavier version of it than in a 125gr HST JHP.

The all-copper Barnes 140gr load strikes me as having deeper penetration than I'd prefer to carry most of the time. That's one of the reasons I no longer carry any of my .44's ... well, that & the weight ... although I did as a younger cop (back when a .44, .45 Colt or ACP revolver weren't all that unusual to see in a duty holster).

BTW, it's not that I don't feel the 125gr Magnums are "enough", but more that I came to feel the middle weight 140-145gr loads could offer everything the 125gr loads did, but to a slightly greater depth, and at less cost of recoil/torque effect & muzzle blast. I remember when a retired DoD agent was occasionally offering wound ballistics seminars, and he showed some morgue x-rays of a body that had been shot in the torso with a 125gr Magnum.

When he was answering some questions from the small audience of cops, he mentioned it was his opinion that if the service revolver had remained in cop holsters for several more years, that the 140gr SJHP might have demonstrated itself to be even better than the 125gr SJHP. This was an off-hand comment, but he said it was based upon his experience in investigating shootings, and that the 140-145gr Magnums seemed as though they could offer the same wounding effect as the 125gr Magnum loads, but carried just a bit deeper into the target.

I no longer have any of the old CCI 125gr JHP Magnum loads (PentaPoints?) I used to favor as a young cop, nor do I have any of the Rem 140gr SJHP Magnum loads left. I don't seem to have any remaining Fed 125gr JHP's left over, either (another load I often used on & off-duty back then), but I still have several boxes of the venerable Rem 125gr SJHP's, and a box or two of the Win 145gr STHP.

If I carried Magnum loads in my Magnum snubs I'd probably get around to replenishing my Magnum ammo, but I generally use +P's nowadays.

I occasionally think about bringing my Service-Six or M66 2 1/2" out of the safe for more than quals & practice ... but my Airweights are my preferred wheelguns nowadays.

dkf · 07-01-2012, 18:26

I'd be game for nice warm 135-140gr HST load in .357mag. A similar weight HST in .38+P would sell well also.

Tiro Fijo · 07-02-2012, 01:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by fastbolt

...I don't seem to have any remaining Fed 125gr JHP's left over, either (another load I often used on & off-duty back then)...

I found a cache of the old Fed. .357 Mag. in a Texas border gunshop last Summer and bought 'em all. It's a barn burner for sure, but it always seems to have a lot of 'backblast' from the forcing cone. So much so I rarely shoot it. That and I tend to baby my ol' Model 13 3" HB nowadays.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkf

...A similar weight HST in .38+P would sell well also.

It'd be like selling baseball bats in a riot.

Right now the Speer .38 Special 135 gr. GD rules the snubby roost. It's what I carry in both a Dick Special & a J Frame as backups. Outside of wadcutter match ammo it is easily THE most accurate factory .38 I have ever shot.

bambikilr · 07-02-2012, 23:21

Would definitely have to agree on Winchester Silvertips

kmrcstintn · 07-03-2012, 05:56

I think the most 'hi tech' round that civilians can expect from Federal in .357 mag is their 'almighty' hydra-shok in 158gr and 130gr loadings...

I have no quams with semijacketed hollowpoints and keep some Fiocchi 125gr around for boogymen...

**robhic** · 07-03-2012, 08:52

Not HST but I had some of this BVAC (still do) ammo and it was pretty good stuff at a good price.

http://www.surplusammo.com/357-magnu...50-rounds-new/

spcwes · 07-03-2012, 10:34

Not to sound like a broken record but I think (did not look it up as I am lacking on time) Speer has a 125gr Gold Dot, 135gr Gold Dot and a 158gr Gold Dot which is a fantastic bonded round that will do everything a great self defense hollow point is designed to do.

If you look on youtube there are dozens of high quality videos out there that will show you barrier testing as well as clothing testing using various types of gel. Seems to be a decently popular loading in those 3 sizes and I don't think an HST will give you anything more than a Gold Dot will give you on the business end of things.

RYT 2BER · 07-03-2012, 16:44

Corbon also makes their all copper Barnes DPX in 357... I have some in the safe...

CanyonMan · 07-03-2012, 17:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by spcwes

Not to sound like a broken record but I think (did not look it up as I am lacking on time) Speer has a 125gr Gold Dot, 135gr Gold Dot and a 158gr Gold Dot which is a fantastic bonded round that will do everything a great self defense hollow point is designed to do.

If you look on youtube there are dozens of high quality videos out there that will show you barrier testing as well as clothing testing using various types of gel. Seems to be a decently popular loading in those 3 sizes and I don't think an HST will give you anything more than a Gold Dot will give you on the business end of things.

Hey amigo,

Just to say I'm with ya on the GD's over the hST's. Speer makes a great round in the 357mag. I still like and load the regular old Federal SJHP's at times as well. But the GD's are pretty asty in this caliber.

Stay safe !

CM

Nanuk · 07-07-2012, 20:59

Back when the 357 ruled the roost I loaded it a lot. The 140 Grn is about the perfect weight for the 357 allowing for the most energy.