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Thread: 357 Carbine for deer?

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy
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    357 Carbine for deer?

    Anybody hunt with a 357 carbine and cast? I'm thinking 2400 and ww alloy in a lee 358158, no gc, any suggestions? Thanks, Craig.

  2. #2
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    No reason this shouldn't work, and work well! It boils down to knowing your distance limit, and solid Shot placement

  3. #3
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    Many success reports.
    I agree it will work well

  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy gunarea's Avatar
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    Hey Elbow
    My grandson has used a Winchester backpack model 94 chambered in 357 since he was a little shaver. Here in Florida, deer are smaller than most anywhere else. A 160 gr rnfp is effective with an assortment of propellants. We load into 38 special cases. You are correct in using 2400 but we got better accuracy using Blue dot. The boy is now 17 and we have developed a load into 357 brass using an RCBS 200 gr for pig hunting. In the Winchester, there has never been anything but cast projectiles. From a Lyman 115 gr sw for squirrels up to the pig killing 200 gr., 38/357 has been a great boy to man gun for my grandson. Best of skill to you.
    Roy

  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master
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    How good a shot are you? Are you a good hunter? How is your range estimation?

    Remember, that most people will not tell you about the deer they lost. but the ones they killed. One guy boasted about killing a deer at 250 yards or so with a .45 LC. That does not mean the .45 is 250 yard deer gun.

    I have three .357 carbines and have never hunted deer with them...but I have better choices. If I had to use one, I would handload it with 125 gr Gold Dots or something similar with IMR 4227. That will give about 2000 FPS with published loads. A large deer here will be 175 lbs..we do not get many monsters
    Don Verna


  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy
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    Ive shot about 100 deer with rifles, longbows and percussion n muzzleloaders but never with a 357 carbine. My other question is is it ok to use this load with magnum primers?

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by dverna View Post

    Remember, that most people will not tell you about the deer they lost. but the ones they killed.
    I think you are spitting in members faces to suggest that they will not tell someone if they have lost a deer or several with the caliber/gun that is being asked about. It may happen on some forums...but you cannot make me think that it happens here as a matter of course. WHAT would be gained by doing that?

    It is fine if you don't choose to use a .357 carbine...but that in no way means that it is not an effective deer rifle as long as it is used for the distances that most lever guns are used for...out to 100yds.

    If you have never used one...how do you know?

    I have used one...it is definitely up to the task.

  8. #8
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    2400 is listed for use with standard SP primers. If the load is not a red-line charge, I would do it if that is what I had. You have to make that call. Me, I would do it.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master Shawlerbrook's Avatar
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    No problems ! Keep the distance reasonable and take good shots and heat up the skillet. I shot a couple with a 4" revolver.

  10. #10
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    I'm in a shotgun state - Iowa - where we are limited to using either shotgun slugs, pistols firing straight-walled pistol rounds which are specified/approved by the DNR, or muzzleloaders. I grew up in SD, so shotguns are for birds and rifles are for deer. I use a single-shot TC Encore chambered in .357 Maximum with an 18" barrel from MGM. I cast Ranch Dog 190 gr. gas checked bullets for this gun and they shoot MOA out to 200 yds and leave the muzzle at over 1900 fps. I've killed lots of whitetails with it - the only whitetail I've injured and didn't recover in Iowa was with a shotgun. The .357 Max hasn't let me down from 15 yds to 178 yds and I would have zero qualms about shooting a deer at 200 yds or a little more with it. The .357 Mag from a carbine should certainly be a 100 yd deer gun if the bullet is placed into the vitals. I shoot from a ground blind with a solid rest, but have killed a few deer with it offhand using the "taco hold" out to 100 yds. Practice, practice, practice. Personally, I'd want a gas-checked bullet so I can drive it as fast as possible.
    God gave us music that we might pray without words

  11. #11
    Boolit Master dnepr's Avatar
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    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	image.jpg 
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ID:	190094Yup a 357 carbine will take deer , that is a my Rossi 92 in 357 the load was 16.5 gr of h110 under 158 gr a seirra j word . went over the chronograph at 1825 fps . I put one in his neck and broke the spine . DRT. That is a northwestern Ontario buck . He would have easily been better than 200lbs ( felt like 300 when I had to drag him up hill ) I wished I had weighed him ,he was big. When he was hanging in the garage I relalized that fully stretched out the tips of his rear hooves to tips of his fronts he was taking up about 9 feet of the 10 ft ceiling height
    i don't know why the image is inverted , I can't seem to get it right side up

  12. #12
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    Deer is dead up or down. 1,167 ft lbs with a 158 grain JSP = dead

  13. #13
    Boolit Master Jedman's Avatar
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    The 357 Mag is very capable. Just make a good shot and you will not be disappointed.

    Jedman

  14. #14
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    A good cast boolit 158 - 200 gr with a nice wide flat point will kill as good or better than a lighter jacketed bullet. Aim small, put it in the boiler room and start sharpening knives. Whenever someone suggests that a jacketed bullet is much better than a cast bullet for big game hunting I always ask "Seen any buffalo lately"?.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by dnepr View Post
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	image.jpg 
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ID:	190094Yup a 357 carbine will take deer , that is a my Rossi 92 in 357 the load was 16.5 gr of h110 under 158 gr a seirra j word . went over the chronograph at 1825 fps . I put one in his neck and broke the spine . DRT. That is a northwestern Ontario buck . He would have easily been better than 200lbs ( felt like 300 when I had to drag him up hill ) I wished I had weighed him ,he was big. When he was hanging in the garage I relalized that fully stretched out the tips of his rear hooves to tips of his fronts he was taking up about 9 feet of the 10 ft ceiling height
    i don't know why the image is inverted , I can't seem to get it right side up
    Yep nice large buck I would guess him in the 170-180 range field dressed.

    I'm going to be looking for one of these lever action guns. Here allot of good about Rossi. What your thought's ??


    Teddy

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by gunarea View Post
    Hey Elbow
    My grandson has used a Winchester backpack model 94 chambered in 357 since he was a little shaver. Here in Florida, deer are smaller than most anywhere else. A 160 gr rnfp is effective with an assortment of propellants. We load into 38 special cases. You are correct in using 2400 but we got better accuracy using Blue dot. The boy is now 17 and we have developed a load into 357 brass using an RCBS 200 gr for pig hunting. In the Winchester, there has never been anything but cast projectiles. From a Lyman 115 gr sw for squirrels up to the pig killing 200 gr., 38/357 has been a great boy to man gun for my grandson. Best of skill to you.
    Roy
    What a great synopsis of your approach. Makes good sense to me!
    "Is all this REALLY necessary?"

  17. #17
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    In my experience 358156 will perform better with a gas check. With 12 grains of 2400, I'm shooting a 180 Grain WFN from NOE and it's running 1470 fps over my chronograph. I didn't use a .357 the 2016 season but in 2015, I took three deer with three shots from 125 yards to 60 paces. None of them traveled 10 feet.
    “Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.”
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  18. #18
    Boolit Grand Master GhostHawk's Avatar
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    All about bullet placement. What ever you choose buy enough of the same type of ammo that you can afford to practice until you can consistently hit a golf ball at 100 yards.

    Once you can hit 4 out of 5 you can see if you want to stretch it farther.

    The cartridge will do the job in most guns.

    The question is, and will remain, can the shooter do his?

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by ammohead View Post
    A good cast boolit 158 - 200 gr with a nice wide flat point will kill as good or better than a lighter jacketed bullet. Aim small, put it in the boiler room and start sharpening knives. Whenever someone suggests that a jacketed bullet is much better than a cast bullet for big game hunting I always ask "Seen any buffalo lately"?.
    Jacketed ARE better than cast. In a 7mm Mag or .260 Rem. But certainly not in a .357 Mag or .45-90 Sharps!
    God gave us music that we might pray without words

  20. #20
    Boolit Master
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    I will answer with a question. if the .357 out of a 4 or 6 inch barrel hand gun will drop a deer out to 100 yds why would a carbine in .357 not work better ?

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check