Bluez
Full Access Member
....over the past few years I have shot approx 8000 rounds of revolver ammo, most through Ruger GP100s but a couple others as well (S&W Type 66 and a Small Taurus)
IMHO 357 Magnum is a pretty nice all around round.
Light enough you practice with it high volume w/o hurting your hand/wrist but heavy enough to have excellent knockdown power and even be enough to hunt small and (in some states) even medium sized game.
I always looked at it as the most effective handgun ammo thats still bearable to shoot routinely and will not introduce “flinchy” trianing scars in shooters.
The round was originally designed in the 1930s to penetrate the bullet proof vests of its day and even today the vast majority of 357 Magnum loads display a lot of penetration in addition to creating good size wound cavities..
Over the years one of my absolute favorite rounds of 357 Magnum has always been the Fiocchi 142 grain FMJ TC.
Usually knock down power and penetration are opposite effects of a design choice but this round seems to offer plenty of both.
The Fiocchi 142 grain is 1420 fps out of the (6 inch) reference revolver which is a pretty hot load for a commercial round.
This means I dont need to run that load in a HP or JHP to have good effect on target because its fast and heavy.
Evidently the designers of this 142 gr bullet agreed and felt a HP or JHP configuration unnecessary and made it a FMJ round…
FMJ rounds are easier to produce and QC than HP and JHP.
For post SHTF use I am not worried about over penetration (with a hot FMJ load this can be an issue pre-SHTF) but the ability to have a mere handgun shoot thru most walls and relatively thick steel doors may be desirable for many, post-SHTF.
So from a form and function standpoint Fiochii 142 gr is a good round.
Also never had any problems with the accuracy of the round and the reliability simply has been 100%.
Never,ever, had a single malfunction of any kind out of any revolver with this ammo.
(Contrast this with my review of Farrar 38 SPC here!)
And now for the best part, … most 357 Magnum Ammo tends to be expensive.. 50 , 60 and even 70 cents a round are no rarities w/ name brand ammo ……as a matter of fact one will struggle to find quality 357 Magnum for under 40 cents a round.
But the Fiocchi 357 magnum 142 grain FMJ, despite being loaded and and running reliable and hot, can generally be had for 36 cents a round.
So for those who want a reliable 357 Magnum still affordable enough for practice and/or for those who want to stash 357 Magnum to support post-SHTF carry, I strongly recommend the Fiocchi 142 gr FMJ.
And right now here is a sale I found (just ordered a case a few minutes ago), 33 cents + shipping.
Fiocchi 357 Magnum 142gr FMJ
IMHO 357 Magnum is a pretty nice all around round.
Light enough you practice with it high volume w/o hurting your hand/wrist but heavy enough to have excellent knockdown power and even be enough to hunt small and (in some states) even medium sized game.
I always looked at it as the most effective handgun ammo thats still bearable to shoot routinely and will not introduce “flinchy” trianing scars in shooters.
The round was originally designed in the 1930s to penetrate the bullet proof vests of its day and even today the vast majority of 357 Magnum loads display a lot of penetration in addition to creating good size wound cavities..
Over the years one of my absolute favorite rounds of 357 Magnum has always been the Fiocchi 142 grain FMJ TC.
Usually knock down power and penetration are opposite effects of a design choice but this round seems to offer plenty of both.
The Fiocchi 142 grain is 1420 fps out of the (6 inch) reference revolver which is a pretty hot load for a commercial round.
This means I dont need to run that load in a HP or JHP to have good effect on target because its fast and heavy.
Evidently the designers of this 142 gr bullet agreed and felt a HP or JHP configuration unnecessary and made it a FMJ round…
FMJ rounds are easier to produce and QC than HP and JHP.
For post SHTF use I am not worried about over penetration (with a hot FMJ load this can be an issue pre-SHTF) but the ability to have a mere handgun shoot thru most walls and relatively thick steel doors may be desirable for many, post-SHTF.
So from a form and function standpoint Fiochii 142 gr is a good round.
Also never had any problems with the accuracy of the round and the reliability simply has been 100%.
Never,ever, had a single malfunction of any kind out of any revolver with this ammo.
(Contrast this with my review of Farrar 38 SPC here!)
And now for the best part, … most 357 Magnum Ammo tends to be expensive.. 50 , 60 and even 70 cents a round are no rarities w/ name brand ammo ……as a matter of fact one will struggle to find quality 357 Magnum for under 40 cents a round.
But the Fiocchi 357 magnum 142 grain FMJ, despite being loaded and and running reliable and hot, can generally be had for 36 cents a round.
So for those who want a reliable 357 Magnum still affordable enough for practice and/or for those who want to stash 357 Magnum to support post-SHTF carry, I strongly recommend the Fiocchi 142 gr FMJ.
And right now here is a sale I found (just ordered a case a few minutes ago), 33 cents + shipping.
Fiocchi 357 Magnum 142gr FMJ
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