Oldfeller--FSO wrote on 08/19/16 at 11:57:05:
Art, at the previous scoot and shoot (MM's farm) I brought my 13 shot capacity compensated muzzle braked pistol, tossing a 135 grain .40 caliber slugs at a sedate 1,750 fps.
No felt recoil, ask the boys -- it would jump in place a bit (actually making a tiny back & forth motion mostly fed off the slide's motion). You never lost your target picture for the follow up shot in the daytime, but at night the muzzle flash is LARGE.
Energy ran approximately twice what the 125 grain .357 round could do, so yes there actually is better stuff out there.
More effective? Not really, dead is dead is dead ..... Also not really, both of them waste a lot of energy out past the first target (threatening bystanders and such) but they both do get the job done. Both of them would deafen you from the noise inside a dwelling, too.
I am drooling over that gun and load, OF, but
the .44 magnum also has a lot more energy than the 125 grain .357 magnum, but, for some reason, does not score as high on the 'one shot stop' tabel as the .357, ain't that odd?
the old cop load works, don't need 'better'
in most states, handloads in a defensive pistol will get you on the wrong side of a jury, so I stick with factory loads
The .40 has some good factory loads, too, almost as good as my old standby cop gun, but they cost more per box, here in my area, so the .357 still gets the 'bang for the buck' title when you compare apples to apples
The 125gr .357 actually over penetrates less frequently than the .38 +p hollowpoints, though the 158gr LSWCHP is a good choice in a .38 caliber
Batman, my front door is 4 inches from my bed, as i live, currently, in a 16x8 travel trailer, I wouldn't have time to get a shotgun in action