Lee 356-120 TC for hunting?

[43PU]

I am one of the lucky few that my mold drops .358 what do you think about using this bullet to hunt deer at 50 yards or so out of a 357 magnum going about 1500 ft./s do you think the nose is flat enough to do enough damage or do you think I should try to HP it? I know deer don’t have armor plating and a well aimed shot will do the job but any experience here?

[Wheelguns 1961]

Like you said, shot placement is the most important thing. If it were me, I would be looking for a heavier bullet.

[43PU]

I would but this boolit cuts a ragged hole at 50 yards... so I’m confident about the placement just not how it would preform. In Ky we don’t have 250 lb monster deer we have 130-150 lb.. I figure it shouldn’t have a problem killing one

[Wheelguns 1961]

I guess you could always do a pork shoulder test, or something similar.

[Hamish]

225104

https://leeprecision.com/mold-dc-358-158-rf.html

Yes, they're not bulletproof, but that's pretty marginal for sheer mass IMO when you're trying to kill an animal at distance. I like more meplat than that TC too. The linked 160 grainer is about as light as I would even think about, stuff goes wrong when you hunt,,,,,,,.

Personally, I hunt with a 230gr with a huge meplat at 1450 fps in the .357. Worrying about marginal mass/velocity is eliminated.

I have no doubt with a good broadside shot under 40 yards your percentages are good, but push it to 60 yards and add in any possibility of screwing up the shot and I think you've got problems.

Using 180-200 grain FP has been a proven combination for many decades.

[MT Gianni]

They put a jackrabbit down easily but don't seem to tear one up. I go heavier for deer.

[Cowboy_Dan]

230 grains in the .357? That is one huge boolit, Hamish.

[Larry Gibson]

For deer I'd opt for a better bullet, especially a GC'd one, for use out of a .357. If not, then something similar to the 358156.

[quilbilly]

One of the things I like to do is test boolits at 40 yards into soaked phone books that are tied together then soaked compressing them slightly. See what the boolit does with your hunting load. If you get good penetration (over 8" in my opinion), good expansion, and a good "wound channel", you will get good performance on deer size game (not bear, of course, which require a much heavier boolit). I do most of my deer hunting with a 45 cal muzzleloader and a 130 gr PRB which always has had impressive results on deer in spite of conventional wisdom.

[Hamish]

230 grains in the .357? That is one huge boolit, Hamish.


And a dandy it is,,,,,

225151

[Texas by God]

A close range shot in the neck should work just fine. Under 50 yards.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Beerd]

And a dandy it is,,,,,

225151

Shoot that in a Contender or something similar?
..

[9.3X62AL]

They put a jackrabbit down easily but don't seem to tear one up. I go heavier for deer.

Ditto. 180 grain FNGC at 1400 FPS (Ruger Bishawk x 7.5") or 1800 FPS (Henry Big Boy). Hunting deer is NOT like using light tackle to play fish. A lot of hunters seem to miss that point.

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

More meplat is better.
More weight is better.
NOE bullet molds has what you want. Great quality.

[Hamish]

Shoot that in a Contender or something similar?
..

Yes sir, 12" Contender.

[Shingle]

At that speed IMHO it would do the job. Iv killed a couple with the 115gr. mini keith at 1400 out of 9mm with no tracking involved. It all comes down to shot placement and range.

[quilbilly]

I think it will work just fine at ranges 100 yards or less. My experience with muzzleloading using a 45 cal PRB says so with heart/lung shots and the velocity of the 130 gr PRB at 80 yards is less than yours would be.

[Time Killer]

I personally like the 170-180 gr bullets for hunting deer and hogs. The 125s are great for coyote and smaller. Not saying it will not do the job, I have just found that It does not penetrate as far at higher velocities. All of my hunting loads are 50/50 ww/sl + tin.

[43PU]

I should Add this is coming out of a Rossi 357 20” barrel in a stand where the longest shot will be 30 yards

[Thumbcocker]

The TC boolit has turned sideways on some non animate things I have shot.

[mattw]

When I deer hunt in Illinois, I use a 200 LBT WFN haulin' butt in a S&W 686. Dual ball crane locks and no endplay. But, we can and do come up against 300+ pound deer.

[maglvr]

WDWW 158 gr. to 200 gr. flat point with .25 or larger meplat.