.357 Magnum

I don't reload (yet) and I have a desert eagle, so I am more restricted on what loads I can shoot. For deer hunting I use the Rem 165gr core-lokt or 158gr jsp, for smaller game I use the Win USA 110 jhp, and for just plinking the USA load or CCI Blazer 158 jhp. I can't say how they work on as they have been past my 30 yard self imposed limit or I missed. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif I have shot the 125 grainer in others guns and did not like them. The recoil was very sharp and less controllable then the "push" of the heavier bullets.
Mark
 
Hello! If I HAD to hunt Deer with a .357 I'd use a heavy, cast, wide meplat bullet and limit my shots to 50 yards or so. Federal produces factory loads called Castcore - or something similiar - that would fill the bill. I've shot maybe 10-12 coyotes with a 6" and later a 4" .357 and I don't remember any of them dying instantly. They were shot over the years with a variety of bullets from 125 grain HPs to 145 grain WW Silvertips and 158 grain jacketed soft points. None of these loads worked to my satisfaction on coyotes. Best Wishes!
 
Thanks guys, yeah, 50yds for deer max. Main reason is I am just not real good with a pistol I am comfortable to 50 and that's all. I have a .41 Remington Magnum in a BlackHawk that I usually pack deer/hog hunting, but I thought the .357 may enjoy a trip now and again. I use the Cast-Core in my .41 and it shoots real good, but I have been told to stay away from cast in the Smith as it will lead up real bad. I still may have to try some.
 
Larry,

One of the problems with hunting wit handgun calibers is the "bad news physics" that you encounter.

Great expanding bullets like the Nosler Partition rely on high velocity to generate the force necessary to cause the expansion designed into the bullet. So, the first problem encountered is how to design a bullet that will hold together in flight and at impact but expand at the much lower velocities encountered in handguns...

Ultimately the bullet is at the edge of the envelope in either construction (soft and lightly jacketed) so that expansion is possible (not always probable) or the bullets are made very light (ie. the old SuperVel 115gr) so that velocity can be increased. Either way the compromise brings with it potential problems. And, even the very light high velocity bullets have problems of hit or miss expansion. And, if they are very light, the bullet may expand but may not penetrate deeply enough.

In smaller animals like coyotes there is not a lot of body mass to work with for expansion in any case. So, in smaller animals the wound canal needs to open quickly... and again, at handgun velocities that is difficult to design into any bullet. In a .357 there isn't enough frontal section to generate quick energy transfers so that the wound canal on small animals is generally a "pass through" shot. Probably, like an arrow, ultimately fatal but not instantaneous. So, in trying to find a load that would work in a small animal like a coyote or a deer I would look for something in the 120gr range that is a fully jacketed hollow point. As I recall, Speer/Sierra (one of them) had a couple of very light fully jacketed hollow cavity bullets even as low as 90-100 grs... I would try to work up a 1300-1500 fps load in one of those for coyotes, keep my shots to 50 yards and see what happened (if those bullets are still available). For deer, try the 115-120 gr same style... loaded as hot as possible and hopefullt fired from a 6" for max velocity... Under 50 yards you should still get 1200+ fps and the probability of expansion will go up dramatically. These will still not be "instantaneous" kills but should be effective.
 
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