Buffalo Bore 357 Mag 140gr JHP Low Flash – Superb Short Barrel Load

Description

The Buffalo Bore 357 Mag 140gr JHP Low Flash is the heavier option in Buffalo Bore’s tactical 357 line, and it does something genuinely counterintuitive out of a very short barrel. 140 grains at 1150 fps gives roughly 411 ft-lbs, with a flash suppressed powder built for snub nose revolvers. Twenty rounds per box, item 19F/20.

• Buffalo Bore 357 Mag 140gr JHP Low Flash Overview
• 357 Magnum 140 Grain JHP Ammo Ballistics
• Why A Heavier Bullet Snub Nose Revolver Load Makes Sense
• Specifications
• Carry Notes For This Low Flash 357 Short Barrel Ammunition

Buffalo Bore 357 Mag 140gr JHP Low Flash Overview

The design brief matches its 125 grain stablemate. Ordinary magnum ammunition uses slow burning powder that expects a long barrel, so in a two inch revolver a large share of the charge burns outside the muzzle as flash and wasted velocity. Buffalo Bore uses a fast, flash suppressed powder instead.

The bullet is a conventional lead core jacketed hollow point. At 140 grains it sits between the light 125 grain loads and the traditional 158 grain magnum weight, which is a sensible compromise when the gun is short.

Buffalo Bore is explicit that the Buffalo Bore 357 Mag 140gr JHP Low Flash is a reduced recoil load relative to their full power 357, not a mild one in absolute terms. It is still a magnum, and they advise against it in revolvers under sixteen ounces if you are recoil sensitive.

357 Magnum 140 Grain JHP Ammo Ballistics

The published figures are complete enough to be genuinely useful. A 1.875 inch Smith and Wesson 340PD gives 1088 fps for 368 ft-lbs, a 2.5 inch Model 66 gives 1156 for 415, a three inch Model 65 gives 1246 for 483, a four inch Mountain Gun gives 1321 for 542, and a six inch Colt Python gives 1286 for 514.

Now compare those with the 125 grain load in the same line, and something interesting appears. Out of the 1.875 inch J frame the 140 grain bullet makes 368 ft-lbs against the lighter bullet’s 341. Out of the four inch Mountain Gun the positions reverse, 542 against 579.

That is the whole argument for this 357 Magnum 140 grain JHP ammo in one comparison. A heavier bullet needs less barrel to reach its potential, so it gives up less in a snub. If your carry gun has a very short barrel, the heavier load is quietly the better performer.

Why A Heavier Bullet Snub Nose Revolver Load Makes Sense

Heavier bullets take longer to accelerate, which sounds like a disadvantage and is one in a rifle. In a two inch revolver barrel it works the other way. The lighter bullet leaves before the powder has finished giving it everything it has, so it wastes more of the charge, while the heavier bullet is still in the barrel long enough to collect more of it.

That is why a heavier bullet snub nose revolver load closes the gap and then crosses it. The crossover in this line sits somewhere between two and a half and three inches of barrel, and below that a 357 Magnum 140 grain JHP ammo load is ahead on energy.

Penetration is the second argument, and it runs the same way. A 140 grain bullet carries more momentum once it has expanded than a 125 grain one, which matters against a heavy coat or at an awkward angle, and it does so without asking for more pressure.

Flash suppression applies to both loads equally. A defensive shooting happens in poor light far more often than not, and low flash 357 short barrel ammunition preserves the night vision a conventional magnum would take away.

Specifications

Carry Notes For This Low Flash 357 Short Barrel Ammunition

Match the load to your barrel. If you carry a two inch or 1.875 inch revolver, this is the better of the two tactical loads on energy, and it is the low flash 357 short barrel ammunition to pick. If your gun has a four or six inch barrel, the 125 grain version pulls ahead.

Check your point of impact. At 140 grains this sits closer to the 158 grain weight most fixed sight 357 revolvers were regulated around than a 125 grain bullet does, so it often prints nearer the sights. Confirm it rather than assume.

Mind the gun weight limit. Buffalo Bore advises against this load in revolvers under sixteen ounces for recoil sensitive shooters and suggests their 38 Special +P instead. Reduced recoil 357 Magnum carry ammo is still magnum recoil in a very light gun.

Test it in low light. The flash suppressed powder is the main reason to choose this line over a conventional magnum, and a bright indoor range tells you nothing about whether it works.

Reduced Recoil 357 Magnum Carry Ammo Availability

This reduced recoil 357 Magnum carry ammo is in stock and ready to ship from MAG5 Firearms, a family owned FFL dealer in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Ammunition orders ship to most states, and local customers are welcome to pick up in the shop. If you need case quantities or another Buffalo Bore 357 load, call us and we will check what our distributors have on hand.

Manufacturer details are on the Buffalo Bore site. For the lighter bullet in the same line see the 357 Mag 125gr JHP low flash, and for an all copper version the 357 Mag 140gr XPB low flash. You can also browse our full ammunition selection.