Speer 158 Grain TMJ Uni-Cor

[Idiot]

I am looking for a tough non-expanding .357 Magnum bullet that will penetrate the equivilent of two car doors and all its fluff when traveling between 1,200 and 1,800 fps. The leading contender at the moment is the Speer 158 Grain TMJ Uni-Cor. Do any of you guys have experience with this bullet or can you suggest a bullet that might be better for this application.

[Old Ironsights]

Solid Brass Monolithic. Dunno if Punch makes any .357s

Or go simple... Water Quenched Cast Wheel Weights. & LilGun

The Grizzly Cartridge 180gr WFN or the Buffalo Bore 180gr WFN are both hard-cast and slam out of a rifle at over 1800fps.

Any "constructed" bullet (core & jacket) is going to start having problems punching through glass/steel.

[Idiot]

I looked at the "Punch Bullet" selection at Belt Mountain and there are no .357 caliber bullets listed. That would have been my first choice.

I also looked at Buffalo Bore and think it would work, but want to avoid the recoil that particular load delivers.

The Speer Uni-Cor bullets supposedly bonds the lead to the full metal jacket. My only concern is that the lead core may be soft and may want to expand after hitting its first layer of steel; deformation is not acceptable.

I think wheel weight bullets might have the same tendancy to expand. But I don't know - that's why I'm asking.

Hard cast lead may be the way to go if they will out perform the Speer bullet. The bullet must be hard, but not brittle. Any companies suggested is appreciated and will be checked out.

[Cliff]

I have used the Hornady 160 grain bullet meant for shooting metalic silhouette shooting in handguns loaded with a full charge of powder which held together very well when it came to pentatration. They do have a flat nose with some lead showing, but are core lock type design and hold together. Out of a carbine they would go through some tough targets and still look good to go again. The bullet number is 3572 and worked well. As an aside IIRC there was a piece written some years back (60's or 70's) where they shot up some old auto bodies with different calibers and bullet designs. They found the semi wadcutter design worked out about the best. That time Remington made so called metal pentatrators with a round nose and a pointed bullet as well. Both were simply a cap on the nose of the 158 lead bullet. They were not impressive. Also they found some of the 125 grain soft points worked very well going throught the metal. A lot of the soft nose bullets were new on the market and wouldn't really expand out of a handgun. With the newer powders like Lil'gun it would be interesting to see what could be done today and what bullet shape worked best. Good Luck....

[Coldfingers]

Cliff...in the sixty's and seventies, the normal auto still had some consistancy to it.

I would think that today, one could get through most of em with a 36 cal lead ball fired from a wrist rocket...

[Old Ironsights]

Read and learn...

The Buick o Truth...

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/thebuickotruth.htm

Then read all the other cool penetration tests.

[Bogie35]

Read and learn...

The Buick o Truth...

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/thebuickotruth.htm

Then read all the other cool penetration tests.

Very cool site!

Thanks for posting.

bogie

[Idiot]

Old Ironsights, thanks for the Duck of Death, I mean Buick of Truth link; it was very interesting. It, in fact, answered a number of questions. The big question it answered was whether or not my goal would best be acheived using an AK Pistol loaded with standard ball - nope, it did no better than the shotgun slug. Two, what about the Kel-Tec Pistol with ball .223 - nope, it did no better than the shotgun slug. And, all of the bullets, from all of the guns fired, at least penetrated the first door. It is my assumption, which must be tested, that a .357 Magnum with either hard cast or some other non-deforming bullet pushed at full pistol tilt, around 12 or 1300 fps could penetrate at least the first door and should penetrate two doors, especially if the windows are up. I've already got these tools (12 and 20 ga. and 357 Magnum) so there's no need to buy new tools, just bullets that will stand up to the job. Now I've got to find an old Buick.

Thanks for all the responses.

[Old Ironsights]

... It is my assumption, which must be tested, that a .357 Magnum with either hard cast or some other non-deforming bullet pushed at full pistol tilt, around 12 or 1300 fps could penetrate at least the first door and should penetrate two doors, especially if the windows are up. I've already got these tools (12 and 20 ga. and 357 Magnum) so there's no need to buy new tools, just bullets that will stand up to the job. ....

Ding ding ding! We have a winner!

That's exactly why I sold my M4gery. Sure, it's accurate out to 300m... but I'm not shooting things at 300m. 150m is fine for me - and a .357 Lever isn't gas operated.

[Tommy Reb]

Idiot, I have bullets posted FS in the classified section that might suit your needs. They are Speer 200 grain 38 cal (357 dia) FJM, Speer part # 4231.