.357 magnum loads for hunting..?

[JohnnyRingo]

Hey all,

I know .357 magnum is usually (ok, predominantly) a handgun cartridge, But I have one of the Marlin lever guns with what I believe is a 24" barrel. My uncle is being kind enough to let my dad and I hunt on his land this year, and from what we've scouted, our shots will be 125 yards or less. I LOVE my .38/.357 lever and now that I'm going to be reloading, I want to hunt with it. But I don't know the performance characteristics on the various bullet weights, powders, etc. Does anyone have a link with a ballistic table for .357 hunting loads? Or does anyone load this for rifles?

-R.

[6pt-sika]

This isn't a cast bullet load .

But I have used the Nosler 180 grain Partition bullet in a couple Marlin 357's .

My preferred load is this Nosler 180 grain Partition bullet with 13.5 grains of H110 and a CCI SP MAG primer .

I however limit shots with a 357 MAG rifle to about 70 yards or less .

I also have a Lyman mould for a 215 grain SWC GC bullet that shoots very well in my 24" Marlin 1894CB . But you'll have a hard time finding this mould as it's no longer made . Was originally made for the 357 MAX and silhouette shooters .

[Blammer]

I have a winchester 94 357 magnum.

I like the 180gr RNFP cast bullet in the group buy we got a while ago.

Use Lilgun and a rifle primer.

What cast bullets do you have available to you in wt above 170gr?

[Blammer]

Here is a pic of a small buck I took last year.
"357 magnum" 180gr FP cast bullet

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2007%20Deer/DSCN6242.jpg

here are some groups from some of the other cast bullets I like
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Targets/100yd207tycer.jpg

I'd probably have no qualms shooting a deer with this bullet either.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Targets/100yd357mag.jpg

[crabo]

Johnny, one of the other questions you should be asking, is whether or not the load people are recommending will work in an unmodified gun. Some of the loads that will probably be recommended will only work if the carrier has been reworked. A lot of heavier boolits are too long to feed through the magazine.

[6pt-sika]

Johnny, one of the other questions you should be asking, is whether or not the load people are recommending will work in an unmodified gun. Some of the loads that will probably be recommended will only work if the carrier has been reworked. A lot of heavier boolits are too long to feed through the magazine.

The Nosler feeds just fine for me without any problems and crimping in the cannelure .

The 215 grain SWC GC bulet I mentioned works fine but you need to crimp as close to the nose as you can . when crimping this one in the crimp groove it's about a tenth of an inch to long to cycle thru the action .