Question…….

J

jettyjay

New member
I just bought and test fired my new carry gun a Ruger SP101 .357 2-1/4 inch barrel.
I fired five rounds of .357 JHP and five rounds of plain .38 target loads.
The difference in recoil and control was significant.
My question is: Does anyone mix load their carry.
I was thinking about two .38+p JHP, with three .357 JHP behind them.
I figure the first shot or two needs to be on target in a high stress situation, then if need be followed by heavy loads.
Anyone think this is a sensible combination? Or should I just stick with .357 for carry and .38 for practice?
 
Very bad idea. Find a good solid round you are good with, practice with it and only carry it. A good hit on target with a 125 grain JHP .38 is much better than a miss with six .357's. In my wife's Model 15 and Lady Smith (K frame .357) we use 125 grain 38's. Range time I love the 158 grain SWC to practice punching holes but we have 40 years under our belts. The Model 15 was bought in 1974, still good. If you feel comfortable with the Mags and hit as well as with the higher recoil vs. the .38 why mess with a mix? A little side note here, I made up some dummy rounds to practice speed loading with and that is a great help. If you can speed load the semi-wad cutters you can speed load the hollow point.
 
First of all, practice with the type of load that you carry. If you carry .38 Special +P JHP, then practice with .38 Special +P FMJ. If you can't handle .357 Magnum (yet), then don't carry it, but practice with it from time to time.

Mixing ammunition in the same cylinder doesn't make sense at all. If you can't handle 357 Magnum properly, then getting back on target with it will be slow. That's a training and practice problem.
 
The answer to your first question, "Does anyone mix load their carry[?]", depends on what you mean by mix load. I assume you mean mix .38s and .357s, and I don't know anyone who does that. However, I do know of a few people who mix hollow points and FMJ rounds. The first one I think is a really bad idea, as pointed out already, the second one is questionable (IMHO) but a matter of personal choice, and I understand the reasoning behind it.
 
I've heard of loading the last one or two rounds with +p ammunition as a warning the magazine is almost out...not sure if would work the same with a cylinder...or if it's really that big of a deal to begin with.

Sent from my D6616 using USA Carry mobile app
 
I carry an SP101 .357 for CC or backup. I carry hollow points in .38+p only. There has been some question among shooters where I live about the advisability of carrying FMJ ball for winter, since penetration of heavy coats by hollow points is a good question, but I wasn't comfortable with a mix and decided just to go for the JHP all the time. I carried that "winter mix" in my 9mm semi-auto too, for a while, but finally went to all Hornaday JHP for that gun as well. I want all the rounds to fire the same. A solid hit with a .22lr is far better than a miss with a bazooka. But you have to know what you are shooting and how it will act. The mix the OP suggests would be like having a size 4 boot on one foot, and a size 10 on the other. Neither one would get you where you're going, especially if you have to run for your life.
 
MamaLiberty said:
I carry an SP101 .357 for CC or backup. I carry hollow points in .38+p only. There has been some question among shooters where I live about the advisability of carrying FMJ ball for winter, since penetration of heavy coats by hollow points is a good question, but I wasn't comfortable with a mix and decided just to go for the JHP all the time. I carried that "winter mix" in my 9mm semi-auto too, for a while, but finally went to all Hornaday JHP for that gun as well. I want all the rounds to fire the same. A solid hit with a .22lr is far better than a miss with a bazooka. But you have to know what you are shooting and how it will act. The mix the OP suggests would be like having a size 4 boot on one foot, and a size 10 on the other. Neither one would get you where you're going, especially if you have to run for your life.
Click to expand...
Some tests I've seen with hollow points had denim or whatever fill the hollowpoint cavity, and they acted just like FMJ. Wouldn't open up.

I've seen hollow points not fill-up with denim or whatever and expand like they should as well.

Don't remember brand of rounds, but denim and ballistic gel aren't real world performance anyway. As close as we may get, but no cigar.

I carry hollow points. I don't remember the hollowpoints that opened-up, but think they had higher terminal velocity than the ones that didn't. YMMV
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Threads

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 153 (members: 0, guests: 153)

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
49,523
Messages
610,662
Members
74,992
Latest member
RedDotArmsTraining

Share this page

Back
Top