i have 357 are glaser safety slug any good or stay with HP?

Answer 1

The Glaser has a thin copper jacket and the core is filled with tiny pellets. When it hits the jacket peels back and the pellets go everywhere in the body. Very effective. No over penetration. Stories about the bullet not going thru leather jackets are only true if the leather was very thick. If you miss and hit a wall the bullet does fragment and stop. Nice safety feature.
I've always liked the 125 gr. hollow point for the .357. It was the "one shoot stop" round for police for years. A solid chest hit would normally absorb all the energy of the bullet. A miss would send the bullet through most household walls.

So you need to decide what your environment is. Is this the house gun? Other people in the house? Close neighbors? Go with the Glaser. Is this the "under the counter gun" in your business? Lots of customers you'd rather not shoot? Go with the Glaser. Is this your concealed carry gun? Out in the street a lot? Are you proficient with the gun? Go with the hollow point.

This is what I use: Concealed carry is a .45 auto, loaded with 200 gr. jacketed hollow point. House gun is a .44 mag snubby, loaded with .44 special 240 gr. lead hollow points. Event though I have neighbors on either side of me the .44 special round is a big, slow (850fps) round. If I miss, it might punch through my walls but not through the neighbors house.

Answer 2

I have a 357 mag at under the counter at work, I use the Glaser safety slug for one reason I know if I miss and hit the wall the round will stop. If you use a HP the chances are fairly high that when the round hits the wall it may deform a little but the chances are high that the bullet will continue into the next room or outside hopefully no one gets hit with a stray bullet. Better safe than sorry.

Answer 3

It depends on what you need to use them for. If you are on a plane, it is a good idea, otherwise it might not be. You might want to look at the load information. While it is a .357, my understanding is that it is a low power load so as to not over penetrate.

I have heard that they are not always effective with people wearing a heavy leather jacket. Just like it is designed to not go through things, heavy clothing can also stop it. They are safer in apartments and other buildings with people around.

I personally would go with HP, but it is a personal decision since if you have to use it for defense and you end up harming someone else, you will need to live with it. On the other hand, if you use the Glaser and it is not effective and you end up dead, then you don't have to live with that.

Consider that the police don't use them and use HP instead, but they are involved it a large variety of situations.

Answer 4

For home defense or very close encounters with no barriers there is no equal to a Glaser (especially in .357!). But for ccw I would not use them because of possible barriers (car window/door). Glasers have 100% energy deposit in the target and turn organs into pin cushions of trauma.
And they are "legitimate" due to the fact that law enforcement has used them in the past, as opposed to some of the other specialty rounds that can be seen as cruel and inhuman from a grand jury point of view.

Answer 5

They are expensive but effective and won't penetrate a bunch of walls. Perhaps you should load the first two cylinders with 'Glasers,' or pre-fragmented slugs and the last four with regular 125 grain hollowpoints. Final note: Pre-fragmented slugs are pretty 'unforgiving;' always be sure of your target. Don't point your gun at anything you are not willing to destroy.

H

Answer 6

The safety slugs are effective and have less penetration. Good way to go unless you live alone on a farm. You don't want to defend your family by shooting a .357 magnum through an intruder and into your child in the next room....