What seems to be the best hunting bullet in the 357?

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
What is the best hunting bullet in the 357 mag. pistol ?

[Bret4207]

For what? Deer? Bear? Woodchucks? For small game a standard WC at 38 Special mid range velocity is hard to beat. For coyotes and woodchucks, porkys, beaver, feral dogs the 150-160 gr SWC designs like the 358156 work well. For deer and black bear I prefer something in the 170-180 gr area with a decent metplat. The 358429 and Lee 38-180FN seem to work well. I've killed maybe 100 deer with 158 JSP magnum ammo. A cast boolit will out penetrate them any day of the week.

My best advice? Find a boolit of proper design that your gun like to shoot. Even on deer, which seem big, accuracy is key.

[HeavyMetal]

+1 on what Bert says.

Bought a Contender 357 barrel a year or so ago, early Octogon with very minimal "throat", and then stumbled across a SC Lyman 358429 mold.

Got Buckshot to HP it for me and it works great! Have not hunted with it yet but would have no fear of any deer walking away from a well placed shot!

[Treeman]

Lyman 358429.


Not the only good bullet but so proven that further search isn't needed.........unless you have a short cylinder .357 and can't use.357 brass and crimp in the groove. Keith loved his bullet and just seated deep and crimped over the front band. You can shorten your brass some and still use the groove, use .38 spl brass (I don't like that since a magnum load could all too easily wind up in a .38). Or go find another SWC or FP. There are lots of good ones.

[GLynn41]

in a 6" Colt trooper I once while I crimped over the front band the bullet 358429 would punch a hole in a late 50's Buick bumper-- it was thick and big -- and this was the only bullet I had that would-- +1 on Buckshot --he did a 410459 for me --good job

[Glen]

+1 for everything Bret said. The one other thing I would add is that if vermin are on the list (ground squirrels, jack rabbits, chucks, etc.) that Elmer's HP (the Lyman/Ideal 358439) is an excellent bullet.

[jameslovesjammie]

The best bullet I have used on deer is the Hornady XTP 180 grain. As far as boolits go, I just got the 180 grain HP from Night Owl and the 205 grain Group Buys that should be even better!

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
This will be mainly for deer, but want it to be up to discouraging a bear if it tried to come in my tent with me. For that matter if a bear tried to take my deer, I would eat him too!

[stubshaft]

J-word 180gr Remington JHP.

[anachronism]

My personal favorite is the 185 LBT LFN, if your revolvers cylinder is long enough to handle it. Mine shoots it's best at about 1300 fps or so.

[RayinNH]

A .45 caliber one ...Ray

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
I am leaning towards a 180gr. bullet at the moment.

[MtGun44]

You never said what you were hunting.

Bill

[anachronism]

You never said what you were hunting.

Bill

Deer. In post #8. But knowing which revolver is being used would help immensely

[GP100man]

my vote is for358429, a good swc is hard to beat!

GP100man

[9.3X62AL]

Only one deer with the 357 Mag in a handgun, and that one fell to a Speer 146 half-jacket SWC/HP. Went about 10 feet, and piled up. Through-and-through shot, from above and behind left shoulder and out low and in front of right shoulder. 1300 FPS from 586 x 6".

Any of these--homogenous 92/6/2 alloy of #358429 or #358156, or the group buy 180 RNFP or #358430 cast as a softpoint. Full-potential pressure/velocity. Venison or bear medicine.

[MtGun44]

Any cast with a lg meplat that shoots accurately and weighs at least 158 gr should shoot
thru any deer at full power .357 velocities. Place it properly and you will not have to track
far. Some report the hard cast HPs blow off the front portion and cause havoc plus the
base punches all the way thru. I have only just started learning about HP cast, so have
no personal experience to add on that score.

Bill

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
In my early days of reloading (1970's) I did all the book ballistic calculations for muzzle energy & chose the 146 gr. Speer half jacket hollow point as my deer bullet for the 357( still have 200 of those old loads with 2400 sitting on the shelf). I wondered if anyone else would suggest it. I felt it was the best choice back then.

But bullet technology has come a long way since then so I was wondering what was felt to be a better bullet now.

Did some penetration test on a road kill deer with it & at 25ft. it would pass through both shoulders as well as hips & exit the far side.
Also did same test with Lyman 158 gr. Kieth style SWC with same results.

[lead Foot]

When out shooting feral pigs.I took my Dan Wesson .357 with my new barrel. I wanted to run the barrel in with jackets. I tried a bit every thing Remington, Hornady to Norma. I had 200 rounds to run the barrel in and wasn't to impressed with any. I was thinking of a bigger gun until I tried my RCBS 35-200FN Rounds. They out performed all the Jackets hands down. They are only doing 1150 fps, 50/50 W/W.
Lead foot;

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
Unfortunately I was not able to find any of the 146 HJHP Speers or the 158 swc cast from air cooled WW, to see if they expanded.
IFIRC the gun magazines have said the newer bullet designs are much better in expansion.