Hunter Pistol Silhoutte: 357 Mag, 357 Maximum, 357 Herrett?

[Joe Aggie]

I'd like to try my hand shooting in the Hunter Pistol Silhouette class and am looking to get another barrel for my Thompson Contender.

I got a 10" 357 Herrett many years ago, but am not allowed to shoot it in the Hunter Class.  I already have reloading dies for a 357 Magnum which I believe will work for the 357 Maximum cartridge.  Also, I like to cast my own bullets and am thinking the LBT WFN-180-GC bullet would be fun to shoot.

So the question is, should I get a 357 Magnum barrel or try to get a 357 Maximum barrel?  Since the Rams will be at 100m, will the 357 Magnum reliably knock them down?

T/C offers the 12" 357 Magnum barrel and it is relatively inexpensive.  If I go with the 357 maximum, I may have to find a used one, or get one from bullberry or some other custom shop.

Is there a real advantage to the 357 Maximum if max range is only 100m?

I have a 10" 44 magnum barrel too, but the recoil is too much!  I've thought about some reduced 44 magnum loads, but then I won't be shooting as flat.

thanks

Joe

[Smokin7mm]

Joe,
Welcome aboard,  the 357mag is more than enough for hunters pistol or IHMSA field pistol (almost one in the same with the exception of the chickens being 25yards for field pistol IHMSA and 40yards for hunter pistol NRA).  The 357 maximum is not a legal cartridge (exceeds max length even though it is a straight wall cartridge) for this course of fire but fine for bigbore.  Another popular choices for new barrels is the 22hornet.  For used barrels there are many that work well, 32-20, 32mag, 25-20, 357mag,  The 44mag is fine with reduced loads.  Try 10.0gr of unique with a 240gr or lighter cast bullet.  Hope this helps.
Bret

[19 Turkeys]

Please remember that while a 12" barrel is legal for NRA Hunter Pistol, IHMSA has a 10.75" maximum barrel length.  The .357 Mag will take both Field/Hunter Pistol rams & Big Bore rams when properly loaded in a Contender.  (The FP/HP loads don't need to be a hot as the BB loads.)

Steve Ware

[Joe Aggie]

Good points guys.

I'm thinking the 357 magnum in a 10" barrel is what I need.  I like the shorter barrels better for some applications.

The 357 Maximum is almost the same as the 357 Herrett, so it wouldn't be a wise investment.  Our rifle club silhouette range is only 100m.

I don't see the logic in T/C stopping production of the 10" barrels.    I'll watch ebay for a barrel and possibly visit the gun show this weekend.  Usually there is a Contender man at the show.  He may have some 10" barrels.

But for now, I just may go shoot my 44 mag.  I've got an LBT WFN-280-GC mold that throws nice bullets.  Need to work up a load that doesn't kick too hard.

Meanwhile, I'll keep my eye out for the 357 mag barrel.


thanks!

Joe

[Sixgun]

Joe,

Let me give some of my thoughts on Hunter Pistol Silhouette.

I borrowed a 357 mag barrel several years ago, to decide if I wanted to shoot 357 for Hunter Pistol.  I tried it with heavy loads, then lighter loads, then light loads using 38sp cases.  My conclusion was that even though it was fun to shoot, in a match where I was shooting 40 to 60 rounds, the recoil was just a little to much.  It didn't hurt or anything like that.  It was just that in trying to concentrate on hitting the targets, I started anticipating the recoil and missing shots.

I finally settled on a 22 hornet barrel.  There is little to no recoil so the anticiaption of the recoil is gone.  As an added bonus, it shoots so flat that you don't have to change sight settings from chickens to rams.  You can also use a rifle scope and a taco hold where as with the 357 you almost have to go with a pistol scope with eer and use a less steady hold.  

To some it all up, you get less recoil, a better scope, a better way to hold the gun, and then there is the cheaper reloading components too boot.

In Hunter pistol, recoil is not your friend.  Fatigue is something that will lead to missed targets.

I did get a 357 max barrel for hunting deer and elk.  It is fun to shoot as a hunting barrel but I would never want to shoot 40 rounds at a time with it.

Just my 2 cents worth.  If you go with a 357 barrel, you will be easier to beat so that will benefit me.

Sixgun

[Joe Aggie]

Sixgun,

I know the 22 Hornets will be tough to beat at this game.  I just like the big bore guns and 357 is about as small as I'd like to go.

I don't have the time to shoot competetively (2 year old and 4 year old kids), so I'm just in it for fun right now.  I do have a 22 Hornet rifle, so I'm pretty familiar with the cartridge.

But, if I ever do beat one of those Hornets with my 357 mag, I'll go home smiling :-)

Joe

[Sixgun]

Joe

I started out in this silhouette game about the same way.  I had a teenager that needed a little extra time with me and I figured that shooting silhouettes may make me a better shot for my hunting habit.  

I only went to practices, never matches, for 2 years.  The teenager grew up and doesn't have time to shoot any more.  He did kill his first deer with a running broadside shot at 150 yards, downhill.  I finally started shooting in matches and now I shoot Small Bore Hunter Pistol, Hunter Pistol, Small bore Cowboy Rifle, Pistol Cartridge Cowboy Rifle, and Cowboy Rifle.  

I'm just telling you this because you need to know what you are getting into at the start.

Sixgun

[jcunclejoe]

357 mag barrel at the IHMSA site, you might want to take a look.

http://www.aimoo.com/forum/postview.cfm?id=388847&CategoryID=236810&startcat=1&ThreadID=2203593

Joe

[Joe Aggie]

jcunclejoe,

Hmmm.....

Someone else is trading in their 357 magnum for a 22 Hornet.   There must be a hidden message here.

Well, maybe I'll get a 22 Hornet too someday, but I want to shoot a big gun for a little while.    

Is the 22 K-Hornet legal?


Probably not.



Joe

[jcunclejoe]

Maybe a message there.
I use a pair of hornets for Field pistol and they work great. I managed to squeak out a 57X60 in PAS at the West Coast Championships. Rang/missed one pig (1/2 a bullet wasn't enough) missed one turkey and one ram. I was so jacked up on that bank of rams I probably would have missed a big bore ram on that shot (got lucky on the other 4). I missed the last one and through that bank my heart rate jumped with each hit. I was probably at about 130 beats per minute on the last one.
I guess that's why I'm still shooting this game, cause every once in a while, I get all jacked up, excited, just love it.

But you could start collecting the 357's and maybe even corner the market. Then you could set your own prices and make a fortune.

Have fun and shoot well.
Joe

[Sixgun]

Joe,

The K-Hornet is not legal.  It is also overkill since you have to load a hornet down to keep from damaging targets.

Sixgun

[Gunpacker]

I won't speak for IHMSA, but for Hunter's Pistol, a .38 Special will reliably take the rams down. I have shot quite a few matches and they work fine. You have a little more of a arc in the trajectory, but you need the proper setting for each animal anyway. Easy on the nerves, and reliable.
IHMSA has longer range, and the weights may be different. I don't really know.

[19 Turkeys]

A 38 Special will work on IHMSA Field Pistol targets for sure.

Steve W.

[Mike Buchholz]

For a number of years I shot field pistol with my .44 mag revolver using a 240 cast grain bullet with around 10 grains of Hodgdon HP-38.  Very mild recoil.

[PaulS]

When I was competing in the NRA, I was using a 6" revolver in 357 Mag. I sighted the gun at 75 meters. It was .5" high at 25, 1" high at 50. I only adjusted it for the 100 meter Rams. My load was 18.0 grains of H110 with a 146 grain Speer semi-jacketed HP that had a muzzle velocity of 1470. I was using CCI magnum pistol primers. I never had any problems knocking over the rams but the load was outlawed for club shoots just after I tied the range competition record. The member I tied with said that the load was damaging the targets - it left a perfect imprint of the hollow point on the chicken and pigs. He was on the board and spent a lot of money on his single shot rig and scope and I guess he carried more weight because I had to give up shooting the round in spite of the fact that the rules allowed any straight-walled case up to 44 caliber. It wasn't much fun after that and I had been shooting for two years before that. I shot for another year and shot as well but it just wasn't worth having to go through the process of having the gun checked each time - checking the ammunition and then having to go through all the crap after I would win because he knew I had to be cheating because my little Ruger couldn't be as good as his $500 gun equipped with his custom $800 Burris scope. He had forgoten that the shooter is at least as important as the gun. Most of the folks I was shooting with had quit and I just went back to shooting pn Saturday mornings with my friends instead of competing with people I didn't particularly like on Sunday afternoons. I am a happy shooter and I do it because i like the folks and the shooting.