Good bullet for deer with a .357 mag.

[anothernewb]

Any of the 158 SWC profiles with a nice meplat and of sufficient hardness under a good charge of H110/W296/2400 will do nicely, at a reasonable range.

[Grayone]

I like the lyman 358-156 powdercoated. The Lee 358-158 with gas check is another good one.

[Three44s]

Larry Gibson’s suggestion of the HP ‘ed 358156 is always a good one because deer are built pretty light.

I would be leery about going to heavy and/or non-expanding boolits for them in a smaller caliber such as 357. You want some expansion there.

If you can swing getting a good mold with a gas check and hollow point and get the load doped out it all in time I would go for it!

Three44s

[megasupermagnum]

Maybe I missed it, but where are you guys getting that his season is only weeks away? I don't see where he mentions what state, or even what country he is in.

[megasupermagnum]

Honestly....the simplest is a 158 grain XTP pushed a good charge of H110.

I was never that impressed with the 158gr XTP. They shot OK, but nothing spectacular. It also doesn't seem like I ever got the velocity I should have out of them, topping out at maybe 1300 fps. You also have to be careful, the 158 gr XTP-FP would be garbage in a handgun, the standard XTP works fairly well. The 180gr XTP is a better bullet, the same velocity as the 158gr's, great expansion, and they usually shoot very well.

[badguybuster]

Ive had excellent results with the 158s. The 140 Barnes TacTX are also excellent

[johnsonian09]

Gun season is late November. I'm sure I can get a good load going by then. In September its archery and my bow/arrow combo is already good to go.

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[megasupermagnum]

Gun season is late November. I'm sure I can get a good load going by then. In September its archery and my bow/arrow combo is already good to go.

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That's plenty of time. Don't drag your feet on buying a mold though. That NOE mold I mentioned only has 2 in stock. There's no telling how fast they will sell, or when there will be more in this market. Even if you choose a solid mold, some manufacturers are months out. I bought a mold from Accurate on June 15th, and it still isn't here.

[johnsonian09]

I ordered the mp 359 hammer multi HP PB. 4cav.

I usually go for 2 cavities but they only had 4cavities on hand and I do anticipate making quite a few of these.

It looked promising with that wide nose and choice of solid or hp.

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[megasupermagnum]

No doubt you can't go wrong with that one. It should shoot good fast or slow. solid or HP will kill deer fine. I'd try out that with 20:1 alloy and the small HP, but I've not shot that bullet.

[Thumbcocker]

I ordered the mp 359 hammer multi HP PB. 4cav.

I usually go for 2 cavities but they only had 4cavities on hand and I do anticipate making quite a few of these.

It looked promising with that wide nose and choice of solid or hp.

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Please keep us posted on your progress.

[Wheelguns 1961]

I ordered the mp 359 hammer multi HP PB. 4cav.

I usually go for 2 cavities but they only had 4cavities on hand and I do anticipate making quite a few of these.

It looked promising with that wide nose and choice of solid or hp.

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I have that mold. It is a great shooting bullet. I usually hunt deer with my 45 colt or my 41 mag, but I think you will be very happy with that one.

[Buck Shot]

I ordered the mp 359 hammer multi HP PB. 4cav.

I usually go for 2 cavities but they only had 4cavities on hand and I do anticipate making quite a few of these.

It looked promising with that wide nose and choice of solid or hp.

I saw that for sale, and I can't decide whether to buy that mold or to wait until they have the 358-429 Keith design HP mold available again.

Please let us know how you like yours.

[Beerd]

I ordered the mp 359 hammer multi HP PB. 4cav.

I usually go for 2 cavities but they only had 4cavities on hand and I do anticipate making quite a few of these.

It looked promising with that wide nose and choice of solid or hp.

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looks like a dandy.
if someday you wold like to try that bullet with an aluminum plain base gas check, drop me a PM.
..

[nannyhammer]

An example from the hunting pages above with some .357 info.

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...71-357-Success

[Rodfac]

Like Mr Gibson, I have used and trust Lyman's 358156 GC. I cast mine with 50-50 ACWW & pure lead. I anneal my gas checks, get good accuracy from handgun (Rugers and several Smiths), as well as a Marlin 1894 cs carbine. For the Marlin I size to 0.359" but use 0.358" for the revolvers. I like a heavy dose of 2400 for all of the above but use modern pressure limits. Larry's suggestion for hollow pointing is a good one (the Forester drill method); and one that I've wanted to try over the years...just never got around to it.

However, I do have one of Mihec's versions of the old Thompson designed 358156 gc, (MP360 156 IIRC) that came with a Penta hp pin as well as two sizes of round hp pins. Accuracy is not quite as good, in my example, with the hp pins in use...tho it could just be my casting technique as they do take some break-in & getting used to. Were I inclined to use an HP bullet, the Penta shaped HP would be my choice....YMMv.

I'm of the opinion that while a .357 can be used to kill deer, I'd not recommend it beyond 50 yds, and then only when bullet placement can be absolutely assured. A better choice, (IMHO), if a .357 is the only choice, would be a rifle/carbine. Rod

[Good Cheer]

#358156 and RCBS 38-162-SWC are both good choices.
If you want wider flatter noses go a little heavier.
If you want to hot rod a hunting load then treat that 6" barrel like the short rifle it is, selecting a mold design that puts more lead up the chamber throat instead of inside the case. With modern slow powders like 296 and H110 and others, it's easier than it sounds, just make the forward section geometry less than chamber throat diameter but self-center when it reaches the barrel and work your loads up carefully.
This was a 1981 experiment to test the idea, made by Hoch for Ruger's; extremely accurate.


By example, this one from LBT doesn't have the front part small enough in diameter but the front can be sized .001 below chamber throat diameter in a separate operation to allow seating the flat nose to the front of the cylinder. As you'd suspect, what works is a matter of cylinder length, where you crimp; it all comes into play.

[derek45]

140gx XTP with a max load of H110/w296 or 2400

[DougGuy]

THIS^^^^ is perfection! Cast in 50/50+2% with soft lube over H110 to 1175 - 1200fps would make an excellent choice for hunting. This boolit would work well at 950fps as well, but personally I like slightly supersonic loads for hunting, I like the boolit to hit hide before the sound reaches them.

OP also has time to have throats honed to .3585" if he wishes to size to .358" which most would choose.

[johnsonian09]

So today after a long day I came home pleasantly surprised that the hammer mold came in early. Also when I opened it up it has all the sizes of hollowpoint pin and an additional set of what I think is penta points which I never used before. They are in the middle between the deep hp and the medium one.

I made some up today in penta, deep hp, and the cup point. Powdercoated 1 coat,sized and loaded some up with starting loads.

Does anyone think the cup point will expand some and possibly still pass through on deer?

I think the max load il use with 165grn bullet is around
16 grains of h110 if the accuracy is there and if the cases dont get too sticky in the cylinder. That should push it to between 1200-1300ish fps I think

Lymans most accurate load for 170grn bullets is 14-15 grains of h110 so I hope it will work well.

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