Winchester's PDX1 Defender is the slowest 125-grain expanding load in this .357 Magnum set, and the mildest. It is a bonded jacketed hollow point: the jacket is fused to the lead core so the two are meant to stay together on impact. Winchester lists 1,325 fps and 487 ft-lbs, a power factor of 166 that clears the 165 major floor by less than one point. From a 25-yard zero the bullet is 0.9 inch low at 50 yards and 7.8 inches low at 100. The case is nickel-plated brass and reloads like plain brass. The recoil estimate is the lowest of the six loads here.

The Remington 125s are the nearest in construction and the furthest ahead in numbers. Remington HTP 125-grain and Remington UMC 125 JSP each list 1,450 fps and 584 ft-lbs, 125 fps and 97 ft-lbs ahead of this load, at about 17 percent more recoil energy in the same revolver. Hornady Critical Duty 135-grain FlexLock matches this load's 487 ft-lbs at 1,275 fps with a heavier bullet. Hornady American Gunner 125 XTP and Hornady Critical Defense 125 FTX list 1,500 fps and 624 ft-lbs, 137 ft-lbs more, at about 24 percent more recoil energy; Hornady rates its loads under different test conditions than Winchester, so that 175 fps gap is larger on paper than one revolver would show.

This is the 125-grain load for a shooter who wants a bonded hollow point and the lowest recoil among the .357 125s. It is also the only 125 here that barely makes major, so if the 165 floor is the point, a chronograph check matters. If you want more energy from a 125, Remington HTP 125-grain lists 584 ft-lbs. If you would rather have a heavier bullet, Federal Fusion 158-grain lists 1,240 fps and 539 ft-lbs, 52 ft-lbs more than this load, at about 42 percent more recoil energy in the same revolver.