First impression: Speer .357 Magnum 135 grain Short Barrel Gold Dot hollowpoint ammo

[JoeWilliams]

Tried a few rounds of this ammo out of my 3" Ruger SP101 today. Frankly, I am underwhelmed, largely because of the lackluster accuracy. Benchrested at 15 yards while doing chrono work, best accuracy I could manage was a 3" inch group. Both the gun and I can do much better at that range when shooting off a rest. Worse, it shot 4" inches low. The muzzle blast is offensive, though not as bad as standard 125 grain loads. The ammo is supposed to be low flash, but I could see a flash with every pull of the trigger. It was pronounced enough that I asked Cathy to watch while I shot to see how much flash there was. She said she couldn't see any, but it was certainly evident to me behind the gun.

On the plus side, the ammo is much more controllable than standard 125 grain loads. Rapid fire is very doable, though not a lot of fun LOL. It's a load I could practice with enough to matter, though, and I'm guessing it would have very effective terminal ballistics. A 135 grain Gold Dot hollowpoint with an average muzzle velocity of 1164 fps from a 3" barrel is nothing to sneeze at.

I will be replacing this ammo, though, with 110 grain SJHP .357 Magnums, or 130 grain Winchester SXT or PDX1 .38 Special +Ps. Unless I can find some of the old FBI loads in a store. I can't remember last time that was! The 135 grain Gold Dots just aren't accurate enough for my taste, and don't shoot where I want them to. That said, I would certainly recommend trying them in your gun if you are looking for something to shoot from a snubby .357. If they shoot well enough for you, they are markedly more controllable and pleasant to practice with than standard 125 grain .357s.