Best .357 Mag Ammo
Every load we price, sorted by cost per round delivered to your state
We track 17 .357 Mag loads from 4 dealers. The cheapest delivered to AR, shipping included, is Ammo Inc Signature .357 Magnum 158gr JHP Ammo at $0.53 a round. By use: Self-Defense from $0.53, Hunting from $0.53, and Competition from $0.85.
The .357 Magnum is a revolver and lever-carbine cartridge for self-defense, woods carry and deer hunting. It is a .38 Special case lengthened by about 1/8 inch and loaded to much higher pressure. Loads on this page run 110 to 158 grains at about 1,220 to 1,500 fps, and a carbine barrel adds more.
125 grain hollow points are the classic defensive load but have the most blast and flash; the 110 grain Remington HTP is a milder option for small revolvers. For deer and hogs, use 158 grain soft points or bonded and monolithic bullets like Federal Fusion and Barnes VOR-TX. In a lever gun, Hornady LEVERevolution is made for tube magazines. States treat handgun and straight-wall cartridges differently, so check your state's hunting-cartridge rules. You can practice with .38 Special in the same revolver.
All .357 Mag Loads
Compare ballistics and prices across 17 products
| PRODUCT ↕ | GRAIN ↕ | VELOCITY ↕ | ENERGY ↕ | BC ↕ | USE CASE ↕ | BEST PRICE ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ammo Inc Signature .357 Magnum 158gr JHP Ammo
158gr
• 1250 fps
• Self-Defense
|
158gr | 1250 | 548 | .17 | Self-Defense | $0.53/rd |
|
Barnes VOR-TX .357 Mag 140gr XPB HP
140gr
• 1265 fps
• Hunting
|
140gr | 1265 | 498 | .151 | Hunting | $2.62/rd |
|
Federal American Eagle .357 Mag 158gr JSP Ammo
158gr
• 1240 fps
• Hunting
|
158gr | 1240 | 539 | .2 | Hunting | $0.70/rd |
|
Federal Fusion .357 Mag 158gr Fusion SP
158gr
• 1240 fps
• Hunting
|
158gr | 1240 | 539 | .206 | Hunting | $2.27/rd |
|
Fiocchi Defense Dynamics .357 Mag 158gr JHP Ammo
158gr
• 1220 fps
• Self-Defense
|
158gr | 1220 | 522 | .17 | Self-Defense | $0.67/rd |
|
Hornady American Gunner .357 Mag 125gr XTP JHP
125gr
• 1500 fps
• Self-Defense
|
125gr | 1500 | 624 | .151 | Self-Defense | $0.86/rd |
|
Hornady Critical Defense .357 Mag 125gr FTX
125gr
• 1500 fps
• Self-Defense
|
125gr | 1500 | 624 | .15 | Self-Defense | $1.44/rd |
|
Hornady Critical Duty .357 Mag 135gr FlexLock JHP
135gr
• 1275 fps
• Self-Defense
|
135gr | 1275 | 487 | .17 | Self-Defense | $2.18/rd |
|
Hornady LEVERevolution .357 Mag 140gr FTX
140gr
• 1440 fps
• Hunting
|
140gr | 1440 | 645 | .169 | Hunting | $2.10/rd |
|
PMC Bronze .357 Mag 158gr JSP Ammo
158gr
• 1471 fps
• Hunting
|
158gr | 1471 | 759 | .165 | Hunting | $0.53/rd |
|
Remington HTP .357 Mag 110gr SJHP
110gr
• 1295 fps
• Self-Defense
|
110gr | 1295 | 410 | .117 | Self-Defense | $2.32/rd |
|
Remington HTP .357 Mag 125gr SJHP
125gr
• 1450 fps
• Self-Defense
|
125gr | 1450 | 584 | .141 | Self-Defense | $2.37/rd |
|
Remington Performance WheelGun .357 Mag 158gr LSWC Ammo
158gr
• 1235 fps
• Competition
|
158gr | 1235 | 535 | .145 | Competition | $0.85/rd |
|
Remington UMC .357 Mag 125gr JSP Ammo
125gr
• 1450 fps
• Self-Defense
|
125gr | 1450 | 584 | .125 | Self-Defense | $0.79/rd |
|
Sellier & Bellot .357 Mag 158gr Soft Point Ammo
158gr
• 1263 fps
• Hunting
|
158gr | 1263 | 560 | .184 | Hunting | $0.54/rd |
|
Winchester PDX1 Defender .357 Mag 125gr BJHP
125gr
• 1325 fps
• Self-Defense
|
125gr | 1325 | 487 | .141 | Self-Defense | $1.72/rd |
|
Winchester Silvertip .357 Mag 145gr JHP
145gr
• 1290 fps
• Self-Defense
|
145gr | 1290 | 536 | .142 | Self-Defense | $2.12/rd |
.357 Mag Trajectory Calculator
Calculate drop, velocity, and energy at any range
Advantages and Disadvantages
Pros
- Over .38 Special: far more velocity from the same revolver, and it still fires .38 Special for practice.
- Over 9mm: 158 grain bullets at 1,200 fps or more, heavy enough for deer and hogs at short range.
- The same round works in a revolver and a lever-action carbine.
Cons
- Sharp recoil and heavy muzzle flash in lightweight snub-nose revolvers.
- Five to seven rounds in most revolvers, against 10 or more in a 9mm pistol of similar size.
- Firing a lot of .38 Special leaves a carbon ring in the chambers that can make .357 cases hard to load until you clean it.
- From a carbine it drops fast past 100 yards compared with a rifle cartridge like .30-30.