.357 Success

[nannyhammer]

This year the opportunity to shoot a deer with my GP-100 worked out but not as expected. I was hunting last week on private land with my brother and I started to see deer about eight o'clock. First two deer was a small spike chasing a doe. The doe didn't offer a shot and the buck was too small to burn a buck tag on. A few minutes later I missed a chip shot on another doe with my Contender pistol, still not sure how I did that. About thirty minutes after the miss, two does came trotting through the thick brush but wouldn't slow down enough to get the scoped Contender in action. I figured they weren't stopping so I eased the hammer down. As I lowered the pistol, the lead doe locked up like a bird dog on point and there I sat with a gun that I had to open/close to re-cock. I had my GP-100 laying next to where I was sitting but figured she would blast off like a rocket as soon as I reached for it. With nothing to lose, I eased my hand down and picked it up. The lead doe kept doing the head bob maneuver and she actually took a couple steps to try and get a better look. The few steps she took put her in a gap between some of the trees where I could see her shoulder better. I thumbed the hammer back on the .357, lined it up and squeezed off a shot at about 45 yards. Bullet hit her on near side shoulder and punched all the way through to just under the skin on the off side shoulder breaking her down in the front. She stumbled about 50 yards and crashed near the property boundary. I hustled down to were she crashed and shot her in the neck since it looked like she might get back up. During field dressing, I figured out it was a wasted shot since the first shot took out both lungs when it went through the shoulders. Load was a MP 359-640 cast with large hollow point (160gr) moving at a little over 1200fps. Bullet alloy was 50/50 alloy with a little tin to help fill out. Recovered bullet pieces weighed 84 grains. Pictures below are the inside of the near side shoulder where the bullet entered the ribs and where the bullet was recovered from the off side. Doe weighed 90lbs hog dressed and will make a lot of good meals. Overall very pleased with my first .357 deer.


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[Michael J. Spangler]

Great job!
I can’t hunt deer with a handgun or rifle in this state but I sure as heck like to dream about it and buy moulds and work up loads as if I could.
That 359-640 is my favorite mould and I’m waiting for the HP version group buy to work through.

Your results solidify my thoughts on how it would perform. Even down at 1200 it did the trick. I’m wondering if next time you might want to try the small HP or the cup pin if you have it.

Not that you can argue with the results of your load/pin/alloy at all!

[megasupermagnum]

The bullet even, arguably, failed in the respect that it broke apart. Yet it fully penetrated the deer, and left a hole in its wake twice the size what any 45 caliber solid would do. :wink:

Sure you could ask for a pass through, but when a deer dies within eyesight, who cares? Try that bullet with a more malleable alloy like 20:1, and you just might get that result. A load like that doesn't recoil hardly at all either, making practicing enjoyable.

[RU shooter]

Good job !

[EMC45]

Well done

[Petrol & Powder]

I agree with megasupermagnum, even though the bullet lost weight by breaking apart, it still performed well.

And you cannot evaluate the performance of a cartridge based on one shot on one deer. That survey size is ONE.
But even with that extremely small pool of data, I would be happy with the results. I agree that a more malleable alloy might be all it takes to retain the bullet's mass.

200 years ago people were harvesting deer with 36 caliber lead round balls and black powder velocities. Deer are not bullet proof.

A 150-170 grain slug moving at over 1100 fps has more than enough energy to cleanly kill a deer. And that bullet performed well despite breaking apart. (and that separation may have been a fluke).

GOOD JOB !

[Bull-Moose]

That will be some good eating.

[DougGuy]

I have for years advocated a RF style boolit, cast in 50/50+2% for hunting. HP is not needed, and the RF cuts a decent wound channel without coming apart even if it hits bone.

Congratulations on the kill, will make some very fine eating!

[MT Gianni]

A HP probably would have reduced penetration a lot. It should have made the lungs but what you have worked. I would have wanted an exit hole but this did what you asked it to.

[megasupermagnum]

A HP probably would have reduced penetration a lot. It should have made the lungs but what you have worked. I would have wanted an exit hole but this did what you asked it to.

That is a hollow point.

[Iwsbull]

Good job, congrats and I like that boolit.

[white eagle]

good job
it's a great thing when a plan comes together

[444ttd]

great job!!!!!!!!

[rickiesrevenge]

Nice, I just bought that mold and am waiting for it to come in.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Fake news. Everyone knows 357s bounce off of deer...




Nice shooting!

[fastdadio]

Great job!
I can’t hunt deer with a handgun or rifle in this state but I sure as heck like to dream about it and buy moulds and work up loads as if I could.
Just curious here, what state do you live in?

[skeettx]

Well done
Thank you for sharing
Mike

[nannyhammer]

Thanks for the comments.....After seeing what that deer's shoulder looked like, it's no wonder the .357 could shut down the bad guys. I think if I would have missed the shoulder and only hit ribs instead it would have punched through. Might try the penta HP pin next time.

[Michael J. Spangler]

Just curious here, what state do you live in?

Massachusetts.

We can hunt coyotes with any rifle we want.
Deer is shotgun/bow/muzzy only

Coons can be shot with no larger than 22 L.R. rifle and 38 special pistol after dark.
Squirrels are shotgun and Bow only (muzzy shotgun too)

Both sets are in similar hunting conditions and size animals. Go forbid I miss a squirrel in a tree with a 22 I could kill millions of people. I can take the same 22 and shoot in the dark at a raccoon up in a tree and all is well.

Makes no sense.

I wish they would have a straight walled cartridge season.

[EMC45]

Massachusetts.

We can hunt coyotes with any rifle we want.
Deer is shotgun/bow/muzzy only

Coons can be shot with no larger than 22 L.R. rifle and 38 special pistol after dark.
Squirrels are shotgun and Bow only (muzzy shotgun too)

Both sets are in similar hunting conditions and size animals. Go forbid I miss a squirrel in a tree with a 22 I could kill millions of people. I can take the same 22 and shoot in the dark at a raccoon up in a tree and all is well.

Makes no sense.

I wish they would have a straight walled cartridge season.

I thought you resided in TN.....

[19112TAP]

That bullet design is my favorite also it's very accurate in my Ruger 77/357 and my rifle has taken several deer over the past few years.

[Michael J. Spangler]

I thought you resided in TN.....


That might be aspangler who is on the forum. I’m in the people’s republik of taxachusetts

[Texas by God]

Congratulations! I've only killed one with a 158 gr jhp .357 at 60 yards but it died just as dead as if it was hit with a Lazzeroni. Your cast hp actually did more damage than my XTP but mine was a forward rake through the lungs and exited. Close range deer kills with a handgun is thrilling. The .41 mag is my choice, but only because I'm a .41 nut, not because the extra power is needed for deer.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201202/cf94e5b46fee7eb4de924fe54fd01709.jpg

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[missionary5155]

Good morning and Congratulations !
Never de-cock a Contender until nothing is in sight Put your thumb or other finger in front of the hammer. Been there also.
But alls well that ends well

[nannyhammer]

Lots of good comments and info so far. Maybe I need a .41 to add to the mix.

[SSGOldfart]

Congrats

[Win94ae]

Well done!

[Kosh75287]

NANNYHAMMER, there's no arguing with the success you've demonstrated, so I don't want my questions to sound like criticism. They are not. I ask them in the interest of gathering information, because I intend to use a similar weapon on whitetails, in the near future.
You mentioned using a 158/160 gr. cast bullet, propelled at a little over 1200 f/s.
1.) Was that an accuracy "sweet-spot" for your revolver?
2.) Was it a load with which you are particularly familiar and/or with which you shoot particularly well?
3.) Was controllability for a rapid follow-up shot a consideration for you?
I ask because the load sounds a little bit "sedate" (depending on barrel length & a host of other factors) compared to the max velocity I usually see obtained with a 160 gr. cast bullet. If accuracy did not fall off, I'D have been tempted to try for more velocity with the 160 gr. bullet, or use a heavier projectile (170 - 180 gr.) and try to exceed the 1200 f/s velocity mark, or perhaps both, depending on how the work-up might go.

Again, NONE of this is criticism, just an attempt to learn more, before I go afield. A hunter who ignores the ways of other (SUCCESSFUL) hunters goes afield at his own hazard and that of all who share the field WITH him. I don't want to be "THAT GUY".

[nannyhammer]

Basically that load has become my do everything load. Over the last several years it just became the standard load I use for all my .357 shooting. I've carried it hunting but only killed the one with it so far, used it to plink in old dumps and shoot various targets at the house. I'm not a sharpshooter with a pistol but this load always seems to consistent and accurate enough for when I practice. Probably the biggest plus is that you can shoot these all day plinking but still has enough steam to kill a coyote or deer. Never really considered follow up shots since most hunting is about a well placed first shot. I've used other powders/loads and some were getting more velocity but still didn't shoot any better. Need to shoot a few more deer and see what tweaks I need on the bullet/load. This load is 14.0 grains of 2400 and CCI SP primers. Make sure you post after your hunt so we can all share in what you learned.

[Wayne Smith]

When thinking about terminal ballistics one thinks of pass through or boolit against the skin on the opposite side and 'eating up to the hole' or the amount of damage done to the meat. A balance between the factors is the ideal. Too much speed equals too much damage.

[versa-06]

I have been blessed to watch a few low velocity cast venison dispatches mostly 35 cal. The thing I find quite amusing is when a deer is hit with a good hit in the bread basket with a velocity in the upper teens & the CNS is not hit, They seem to quite often stagger like a drunk & sometimes quite a distance with no apparent adrenaline hype & several will rear up & fall over. Anybody else seen this?

[megasupermagnum]

I have been blessed to watch a few low velocity cast venison dispatches mostly 35 cal. The thing I find quite amusing is when a deer is hit with a good hit in the bread basket with a velocity in the upper teens & the CNS is not hit, They seem to quite often stagger like a drunk & sometimes quite a distance with no apparent adrenaline hype & several will rear up & fall over. Anybody else seen this?

I've seen it, but not with any regularity. I've actually witnessed it more on high velocity rounds. When I was real young, I'm not even sure if I had deer hunted yet, I was out with my grandpa. I watched him shoot a young buck with a 7mm BR from his Encore pistol, a round doing a good 2500 fps at the muzzle. This was with some kind of jacketed bullet, no idea which. The shot was in a wide open harvested field. The deer just kind of staggered around and flicked his tail before he finally fell over. Most of my own deer have fallen to shotgun slugs, a couple handgun, and a growing number to the muzzleloading rifle. I remember one faster, but most were sub 1600 fps rounds. Many are simple bang, fall over and a couple kicks, and not just CNS hits either. Many also run a distance 30-50 yards or so and fall down. One I remember was with a muzzleloader, at the shot he jump way in the air, and bolted like the forest was on fire. Jumped a fence, and kept going. He ultimately only made it 50 yards, and was at such a great speed he cartwheeled into thick downed brush. It sounded like a tree had come down it was so loud. If it were not in a swamp with a fence, I wouldn't be surprised if he had covered 100 yards out in the open. The only animal I ever had make it more than 50 yards, I never recovered. Looking back, I think I shot him in the stomach, and should have gave him overnight. At the time I was certain it was a good hit, so kept looking.

[Joel Chavez]

[QUOTE=Silvercreek Farmer;5046213][COLOR="#800080"]Fake news. Everyone knows 357s bounce off of deer...


Yes, much like the 6.5 creedmore, aka "Manbun" lol

[outdoorfan]

Having tested the 360640 (150 grain version in hp form) in 1 gallon milk jugs filled with water, I found that the the deep hollow point at 1170 fps penetrated 5 jugs, denting the back wall on the last jug. Alloy was 50/50 ww/soft, and it was hted for around 20 BHN. The nose blew off, but I recovered the shank.

I've also tested the same bullet in the 9 BHN sift form, and I think I found it in the third or fourth jug.

[35 Whelen]

Many, many congrats!!!

35W

[Jim22]

That settles my concern about whether a rifle in .357 magnum is enough for deer.