.357 Magnum Winchester 145 Grain Silver Tip: It Failed?
Winchester’s Silver Tip defensive handgun ammunition dates back to the 1980s. These days it is considered a “classic” load, although for such an old round it is still on the market. Guess it still generates profit for Winchester. This despite the beat down the round’s reputation took when it appeared to fail in the infamous 1986 FBI shootout in Miami. One particular 9mm Silver Tip fired by an FBI agent failed to incapacitate a rifle wielding bank robbery suspect fast enough to prevent the perp from killing the unfortunate agent.
Since then, bullet technology has moved on. Modern hollow point rounds are light years away from the “classic” loads used in the last century. This begs the question, if the Silver Tip is so bad, how come it’s still on the market and carried by many people everyday?
Truth is, this old-school load is quite effective. It may not have the intermediate barrier penetration performance found in say a Federal HST, or Hornady FTX, but it will get the job done. The Silver Tip appeals to people concerned about over penetration, and the potential consequent liability.
When it comes to “classics,” the .357 Magnum is a legend. Long regarded as the most effective handgun cartridge for self-defense, it is still carried by many police agencies, such as France’s GIGN, as well as civilians around the world. It follows a Silver Tip load in .357 Magnum should perform quite well.
Since the .357 is still a popular round and the Silver Tip is still on the market, we decided it needed to meet our “Frost Giant” extreme gel test setup. As it turns out, we had some 145 grain .357 Silver Tips made in the 80s on hand. We dug them out, along with a Smith & Wesson Model 65 .357 revolver, and headed to the range located at the sprawling LocaCarnivore headquarters complex. It is an understatement to say we were shocked at the Silver Tip’s performance. If you carry this load, you must watch this video.
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At time of publication, LocaCarnivore had no commercial interests in any products or brands mentioned in this video.
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