Armscor lists this 158-grain FMJ at 1,545 fps and 823 ft-lbs, which makes it the hardest-hitting ball load on this page by a wide margin. Power factor is 244, 79 over the 165 USPSA major floor. The bullet is a jacketed ball round meant for practice, not for expanding. From a 25-yard zero it drops 0.5 inches at 50 yards and 5.2 inches at 100.

The other three ball loads run between 1,235 and 1,420 fps. Sellier & Bellot 158 FMJ trails by 282 fps and 263 ft-lbs, Magtech 158 FMJ Flat by 310 fps and 288 ft-lbs, and Fiocchi 142 FMJ-TC, the fastest of the three, by 125 fps and 187 ft-lbs. Recoil follows: in the same revolver the Armscor produces about 42 percent more recoil energy than the Sellier & Bellot, about 48 percent more than the Magtech and about 43 percent more than the Fiocchi. Those three sit close to each other; the Armscor is off on its own.

Buy this if you want practice at the top of the magnum recoil range and are willing to feel it. If you want practice that matches a standard 158-grain magnum load rather than exceeding it, Magtech 158 FMJ Flat or Sellier & Bellot 158 FMJ is the closer match in both weight and recoil. Remington Performance WheelGun 158 LSWC gives the same 158-grain bullet at 1,235 fps with about 32 percent less recoil energy, in plain lead that some indoor ranges refuse. And if high-volume practice is the goal, .38 Special is the softer option.