357 Mag - 158 gr JSP - PMC - 1000 Rounds

Video Transcript:

PMC stands for Precision Made Cartridges, a branch of the South Korean Poongsan munitions. They've been around since the 1960s, and they currently produce almost all the ammunition used by the South Korean military. That's everything from small arms all the way up to big, eight inch howitzer shells. Under the PMC banner, they make a wide range of pistol, rifle and shotgun ammo for civilians all over the world.

The load we're looking at for this review is one of PMC's 357 Magnums. It uses a reloadable brass case with a non-corrosive primer and a 158 grain jacketed soft-point bullet. This is a lead bullet, with a partial copper jacket.

The flat tip is exposed lead that's designed to expand when it impacts a target. This is an older design compared to some of the more advanced expanding hollow point rounds available, but a 357 is still a very capable bullet.

We fired this ammo through six different guns to find out how it shoots. We used five revolvers, including a Snub Nose Ruger and one Marlin lever action carbine. The recoil was pretty harsh, even by 357 standards. With proper technique, it's manageable in larger guns. But not around, I would want to shoot out of the lightweight revolver very often.

Other than the stiff recoil, we didn't have any other issues with this load. Extraction and ignition were no problem in any of the test guns. Accuracy was also impressive. We shot a ten round group from 25 yards with our Marlin Carbine on a bench rest. We did have one flier, but all the other rounds impacted right in the center in a group that measured just under an inch and a half.

This jacketed soft point from PMC is probably not something I'd use on the range very often because of its sharp recoil. But its reliability and accuracy make it a good round for hunting or self defense. If you don't like the cost of premium, state-of-the-art hollow points, then this load from PMC could be a viable alternative.