357 Max and RD or LAR45 180 RNFP

[TCLouis]

The Red White and Blue truck brought me a new 11" 357 Max barrel Friday.

My goal is 1500 fps the Boolit I described (have both molds and these boolit are several years old so I have no idea whose they are), BUT I'm, thinking 1500 fps will work for our little deer and 50 - 75 yard shot.


Accuracy and then speed will be the factor on my load.

I have 358156's cast also.

Your deer punching/collecting thoughts appreciated?

[runfiverun]

half that velocity should work with a 180-200gr boolit to 50-75 yds.

[leftiye]

Plus 1 on 200 grainer. Try 1680, 300MP, VV N120(?) for velocities in the 1900 to 2000fps range (in 15" and longer barrels, yours might be a bit slower).

[TCLouis]

Thanx runfiverun.

It really stacks them in there with a (Quickload) estimated velocity in the lower 1100s.
Sometimes QL seems to give good estimates, other times it seems to be WAY off so I can not be sure.

My impact test is 1 gallon plastic mild jug filled with water and even with this mundane velocity that boolit with the big ol flat front sure did some damage when shot from 50 yards

[Junior1942]

Here's my 357 Mini-Max, as I call it. http://www.castbullet.com/makeit/minimax.htm
It's a 10" octagon T-C with the chamber reamed a little deeper so the 190 Lee FN group buy from a couple of years ago seats with the crimp in the crimp groove. I can push that bullet to 1700 fps with Lil'Gun, but the recoil is more than my arthritic wrist can take. So I load both the 190 Lee FN and the 180 Laser-Cast to ~1484 fps with WC820. For 50 yd shots in my deer thickets, 1484 fps and either of those big ol' bullets is plenty. The lots lower recoil level is still substantial.

[quilbilly]

1200 Fps at the muzzle with a terminal velocity of 900 fps at 100 yds is more than adequate on any deer I have ever seen and I doubt you will find many boolits still in the deer. No point in making the shooting less pleasant and you will want to shoot it more often. If you want to hunt black bear or big hogs, then 1500 fps at the muzzle might be called for.