180 gr cast load for 357 Handi?

[cwilbanks]

I have a 357 mag Handi with a 18.5" barrel which makes an excellent deer rifle for my daughters.  Im just getting in to hand loading and am wanting to work up a load using Missouri Bullet Companies 180 gr cast bullet using 2400 because I have it on hand.  Im thinking of something like 12 gr of 2400 pushing the 180 gr cast out of the 18.5" barrel.  The load will be used on deer and hogs out to about 75 yards.  I do not have a chrono and really dont know what to expect as far as leading problems.  They advertise the bullet as having a BHN of 18.  I plan on testing the loads penetration by shooting milk jugs of water at 75 yards.  Any advice or experience with this load or something similar would be appreciated!

[YRUpunting?]

I have two 357 Mag handi's that are now maximums for Indiana deer.  I'm shooting the 180 SSPB bullets out of the maximum.  My opinion your asking too much of the magnum with 180 grain bullets.  The maximum and the 180 are a wonderful marriage.  For a magnum at 75 yards I would use a 158 grain gas check or 158 soft point jacketed, avoid the hollow point.  I don't use 2400 so can't say anything about that.

Water filed containers are the worst thing to test bullets with.  Bullets over expand when shot into water, water tension is a lot stronger than most people understand.  A better test is damp condensed paper like phone books, magazines or newspapers.  Google ballistic buffalo.  A pile of sand isn't bad either.

Just my two cents.

[tacklebury]

I had pretty good luck with .357 Magnum with 180 gr. XTP bullets, but haven't used lead.  My mag loads were developed using H110 and it's a minimum book load for that weight bullet.  At 50 yards, it'll shoot 3 touching and at 100 it opens slightly to about 1.5".  Definitely minute of deer.  I DEFINITELY don't recommend shooting these out of a .357 handgun though unless it's 5" or longer barrel and a fairly heavy firearm like a Blackhawk etc.    Hodgdon's web loading data shows a book minimum start of 13 gr. and a max of 13.5 gr. 
MD Smith has several loads also you might peruse for the 180 or 200's. 
 
http://www.reloadammo.com/357loads.htm