.357 Mag. load for deer or hogs.

[roverboy]

Can anybody reccomend a good cast load for deer and maybe hogs with the .357
? If there's such a thing. I know a lot of people don't like the .357. I killed a deer with mine a few years ago and it worked ok. I just wanted a CB load of about 158- 180 gr. Thanks for any help or comments.

[PacMan]

180 gr. LBT FN bullet / healthy dose of Little Gun , small rifle mag primers = 1800 fps and 3/4" 50 yard groups with XS sights.
Dwight

[roverboy]

Thanks Dwight. What gun are you shooting out of? I'll be using a Ruger Security Six with 6" barrel. Does this load expand any? I've been meaning to get some Lil' Gun and try it. Right now the best powder I have is H110. I also have some Herco. Herco is not best for .357 but I've used it for years with good results. A friend gave me a 25lb. keg about 15 years ago. Woo Hoo. Thanks Dwight for the info.

[2shot]

I don't hunt hogs but I do hunt deer. With the Herco and Lyman's 358429 I can get over 1250 fps out of my 6" Mod. 28. It aint no 1800 fps load but then it doesn't show any signs of being high preasure either. If you don't have one see if you can find yourself an old Lyman reloading manual and check out some of the loads with herco in the .357 mag.

The above load will go clean through a deer in the 200# class if one is careful about bullet placement and keeps it inside of 70 yards. My 358429 mold cast 172 grains with Lyman #2 alloy and although I don't use the 357 regularly for deer I have never recovered one of these bullets from deer that I have hit with it.

2shot

[hoosierlogger]

I have a Lyman manual 45th edition circa early 1970's It suggests for the 358429 168 grain #2 alloy
starting load Herco 7.0gr 1073 fps
max load Herco 10.0 gr 1324 fps
max load is a compressed powder charge

[PacMan]

Sorry roverboy the load and fps are in a Marlin rifle.
Dwight

[Blammer]

I've killed 2 deer and one hog with my 357 mag lever gun. Both deer were at approx 50-60 yds away.

One of the deer was with a 180gr flat point boolit reminiscent of the NOE 360180gr.

Good shot placement and you'll have your deer.

I shoot Lilgun in my rifle, so sorry I don't have any other powder suggestions for you.

[Ekalb2000]

6.5gr of Unique is a very accurate loade in my GP100 and blackhawk.
It feels and sounds like a 22 when fired in my 24" 92.
14gr of 2400 is a hand full in the GP, but the BH really shines with this powder.
The lever likes ths as well. Very accurate.
15.8gr of 296, again, both pistols like this load. Its the most accurat in the BH. And for some reason it seems less jumpy than 2400.
I have not fired this in the lever yet. Think I will take it this weekend.
All loads used the Lee RNFP 158gr (which droped 162gr), WWWD, home made lube, no sizing, no gas check.
I also like the 125gr RN, atop 8.9gr Unique. This is a very accurate and fast little sucker. This is my 100yd pop can load in the 4in GP100.
I hope this helps ya.

andy

[roverboy]

Thanks guys I'm just looking for a stout but safe load. I'm gonna try to work up a load with some type of wide nose cast bullet. Jacketed bullets are ok but I thought I'd see what a good CB would do. Hoosierlogger I have shot 10 gr. of Herco with a 158 gr. swc in my Security Six and it shot good.

[Blammer]

the lee 358 158 round flat nose is a good one. I've gotten great accuracy and velocity out of it and would not hesitate to use it on deer. May want to give that boolit a looking over.

[JesterGrin_1]

the lee 358 158 round flat nose is a good one. I've gotten great accuracy and velocity out of it and would not hesitate to use it on deer. May want to give that boolit a looking over.

Blammer from what I remember the Lee 358-158 round flat is close to the same as the Lyman 358665.

You might find some good info here. http://www.leverguns.com/articles/fryxell/marlin_1894.htm

[Blammer]

got a pic of the 358665? I can't seem to find it anywhere.

[JesterGrin_1]

Here you go. http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=280696#enlarge

[Blammer]

Thanks!

[yarro]

Several years ago, I shot a ~190 lb buck at 35 yards with a 170 or 180 grain cast GC out of a 6" GP-100 going at whatever the max load was. Through both lungs. Didn't hit bone and went out the other side. I got the bullets from a buddy who is no longer with us. Ran about 75 yards and folded. Didn't bleed out as much as the ones a tagged with the .44.

-yarro

[roverboy]

Yarro, did you notice if the exit hole was bigger than the entrance hole? I just wondered if there was any notice of expansion. I know most cast bullets are hard. I was just hoping for some expansion.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
I shoot a 180gr. out of my redhawk. really like it. It will do the job.
158 gr. jacketed bullets have killed a lot of deer.

[txbirdman]

That 10 gr. of Herco would be more than I'd shoot in anything less than an N frame S&W or Ruger Blackhawk. I had to beat the brass out of a Dan Wesson with a load of 9.8 gr of Herco and a 158 SWC a few years back.

[tcrocker]

roverboy check your local laws, down here in Al you can hunt with a 357 rifle but not a 357 handgun :veryconfu I know that seems kinda of screwy to me too.

[vanilla_gorilla]

I don't hunt hogs but I do hunt deer. With the Herco and Lyman's 358429 I can get over 1250 fps out of my 6" Mod. 28. It aint no 1800 fps load but then it doesn't show any signs of being high preasure either. If you don't have one see if you can find yourself an old Lyman reloading manual and check out some of the loads with herco in the .357 mag.

2shot

I use the same bullet, with a heavy dose of 2400.

[LAcaster]

roverboy check your local laws, down here in Al you can hunt with a 357 rifle but not a 357 handgun :veryconfu I know that seems kinda of screwy to me too.

I maybe wrong, but AL used to say any centerfire handgun with mushrooming ammunition was legal for deer. I don't have any new regulations maybe they changed. I've taken several does with cast 358156 GC very soft alloy infront of 15gr. 2400 primed with a CCI 550 primer, it usually drops them in thier tracks.

[missionary5155]

Greetings
In all honesty I would discourage MOST anyone from using less than 180 grains on a deer. To many deer are lost yearly in Illinois from the 357 and 158 jacket bullets. Most of this is due to LOUSY marksmanship but also too long of shots with too light a bullet.
Under 50 yards OK... But even at 50 yards a 270 pound buck takes alot of good shot placement with a BIG boolit.
I personally recommend something that starts with a 4 for deer UNLESS it is a Supermag cartrige case.

[.357]

I plan on packing my 4 inch .357 when i go out loaded up with 195 grain NEI boolits wiht a healthy dose of 12.8 grains of H-110


make sure you use a Mag primer i use pistol, with h-110 i've always gotten better ignitiion with spherical powders with mag primers.

[JIMinPHX]

I did a little fooling around with a 150 grain Lyman SWC mold & stretched it out to make a 182 grain boolit with a gas check. Loading that over a heavy charge of H-110 gave me pretty impressive stopping power, but nothing that topped Ranch Dog's heavy .359 flat point. The Ranch Dog boolit gave me better accuracy too.

I'd feel OK about going after Bambi with a heavy .357, but when you start talking about hogs, I have to scratch my head a little. Anything that might turn & come back at you rates a 4 in my book. That means that if I'm going to go after it with a handgun, I want the caliber to start with a 4.