Hunting deer with .357 Mag, advice appreciated

[Selmer]

Ok, I have a roommate with a .357 Mag.  He is quite proficient target shooting with it but has never hunted deer with it and would like to hunt with me this fall.  He's using a Ruger New Blackhawk with open sights.  Is there anyway to scope this set up if he would like to?  I will be introducing him to reloading under my supervision with this gun.  What do you recommend for bullet selection for plinking and hunting?  I assume the 158 gr. for plinking, 180 gr. XTP for hunting, correct?  I have a .454 Casull in my Encore which I have loaded extensively for, but have no experience with the .357 mag.  I see that for light loads I can use many of my shotgun powders, such as HS-6, Unique, and 700-X.  I'm assuming H110 is still THE choice for stout hunting loads in this caliber, just as it is in my .454.  I have confidence in his ability to place bullets, I just need to know what to put in the case for deer hunting.  We are hunting Iowa whitetails at short (<50 yds.) ranges.  Do I need a Lee Factory Crimp die for loading this round or does the crimp die in the standard 3-die set work ok?  I've had great success with my Lee Factory Crimp in the .454, but we're trying to keep initial cost down, but the die is only $20 or less if I remember right.  Ok, I think those are all my questions, if you have any answers or further suggestions, please let me know.
Thanks!
Selmer

[.357 shooter]

Ok, as far as scoping someone else would have to answer that. I don't like scopes on handguns, so I do not know anything about mounting them. Your room mate would be fine with any 158 grain sp. If that is what his handgun is sighted in with. Factory or reloaded. I have hunted with the .357 for a long time. I am one of the rare people that does not reload, I would rather be shooting. So I rely on factory ammo. Any of the 158 sp's will work fine, I like a combination of penentration and exspansion so I like sp's over hollow points for hunting. Keep the range with in 60 yards, the closer the better, shoot behind the front leg double lung and you will have a dead deer. And Practice, Practice, Practice. The .357 will take game just fine.


Bryan

[irold]

No experience with hunting deer with the 357 mag, but reloaded for it lots.  I've always liked 2400, it has produced good results in my 2 1/2" 686  and my 6 " trooper thats with 158 sp.  As for a scope, I like them on my "hunting guns"...He might want to consider a red dot, I've got one on my 44 Encore, its been going strong for several years.  My boy just planted one on his 10" Encore in 454 Casull. The verdicts not in on that one yet, he's only got a couple hundred rounds through it.  Both are Bushnell Trophys, multi retical, and adjustable brightness.  You can get one for < $100 .  They mount far enough forward as to not interfer with thumbing the hammer too,  we like them for close range hunts, 50 yards or so.  Hope this helps

[Catfish]

  I basically use just 2 powders for loading all my handgun ammo. I use Win-296, it is the same thing as H-110, for all hot loads and Bulleyes for all plinking loads, and I load for rounds from the .38 sp. to the .500 S&W. Eather the Sierra or the Hornady 158 gn. bullets will do fine it you lung shoot them. I`ve taken 4 deer in the last 3 years with a .357 max. using a 158 gn. XTP bullet, but they are really to thin skinned for the max. and if I were to try a Texas eye ball shot I`m sure I would not have the penatration.
   I personally do not like the Lee factory crimp dies and do all of my crimping with the seating dies.
   Have you ever thought about haveing your .454 barrel reamed out to .460? Just a thought.

[Phoneman]

I have a S&W 586 8 3/8" barrel in 357 mag. topped with a tasco red dot. I reload 180gr  xtp's with 7 gr unique. At 50 yds I can hold less than 3 inch 6 shot groups. (about 12 in. with open sights.) According to the loading books that should be pushing about 1250fps. My advise is to get a red dot and take a spare battery with you.

[Phoneman]

Forgot to add. I use the Lee 3 die set and have no problems.

[PHATINJUN]

I'm all for the 158gr soft point . Kurt

[Jerry Lester]

First off, there's no need for different bullets. Any good 158g SP will work fine on deer. Personally, I prefer the Remington bullets as they are not only utterly reliable performers on game, but they tend to shoot as good or better than premium bullets to boot. Another great thing is that they're nearly as cheap as cast bullets when you buy them 2000 at a time from Midway. Even if you buy 500 of them they're still cheap. I've killed dozens of deer with the 357 magnum(rifle, and revolver), and I've killed deer with a lot of bullets ranging from bargain basement to premium, and in weights from 125g on up. This bullet is where the testing stopped for me. I've come to the conclusion that it just can't be topped as far as a deer bullet goes.

Your standard three die set will do fine. I like the LEE factory crimp dies, but they're not at all necessary in the 357/38 calibers.

I'd also suggest you get a pound of Lil' Gun powder. It's the latest, and by far the greatest 357 magnum powder around for full house loads. It works way better than the old standbys, and gives very consistent velocities.

Tell him "have fun"!

PS:

I forgot the light load. Just put a light to medium charge of Unique behind that 158g SP, and you'll have a dandy plinking/target load. I actually prefer the Remington 125g SP's for all my 357 loads other than deer, but the 158's are fine too.

[Blammer]

180's should work fine.

IMR4227 has given me good loads with 180gr XTP's.

Make sure he practices shooting at a brown target with a brown back ground at 50 yds. Quite different looking than a nice white target with a black circle.

[Lloyd Smale]

Id have to side with blammer here and say id step up to a 180 either an xtp or a hard cast flat nosed bullet. Im sure the 158s would do the job but i feel the 180s would do better. As to powders its about impossible to tell you what will work in your gun. There all differnt and differnt powders do better in every gun i have. Some to consider trying are aa9 4227 2400 and 110. I havent personaly had the greatest luck with lilgun for accuracy in any of my guns. Its given exceptable accuracy but never the best. With slow powders id stick with mag primers in any gun that uses small primers.

[j two dogs]

I'm sure the .357 will be adequate at those ranges. I guess I am one who always needs added insurance though, I think I would opt for 180 gr. Hard Cast, I believe Federal makes a load similar to this, Just in case a monster steps out at 80 yds and the angle is not perfect. For reloading,Cast performance or something along those lines with  a gas check pushed by a nice dose of H110 would be hard to beat. Simmons makes a pretty good little 2x scope, that hangs in there even with heavy kickers, I believe with enough practice and this load,and a 2x, a person could extend his range to 80 yds.

[Mikey]

Selmer:  The only 357 I now shoot and the one I carry most regularly during whitetail season is my 3.5" Model 28.  It used to wear a 6" bbl but that got to wearing a hole in my hip after about 20 some odd seasons, so I had the factory install a shorter barrel. 

The only load I shoot in that revolver, unless I am just burning up questionable hot 38 loads or older 357s, is a 200 gn hardcast semi-wadcutter over 12.4 grains of winchester 296.  This was a factory loading that was listed at 1335'/sec and 35k CUP pressure.  Winchester factory loads for the 158 gn cast and the 158 gn jacketed run  from 38K to 42.5K CUP pressures and seem a bunch snappier in my shorter 357, but maybe I'm gettin' to be a woozie. 

The heavy loads are very accurate in my revolver and easier to shoot.  I limit my shots to 60m.  I prefer the heavier slug as I feel it adds more 'carry' and penetrates better than the lighter slugs and makes up for the shorter barrel length.  Winchester recommends a heavy crimp when using their 296 powder and any good set of 38/357 dies will perform that task for you.  If the Lee Factory Crimp Die is only another $20, and ya can swing it, I would get one. 

Jerry Lester and the other folks who recommend the 158 grain slugs are right on the money for longer barrels than mine.  Anything heavier, such as the 180 grainers, just give ya more 'oomph'. 

If your roomie has good eyes he should be able to shoot accurately to 50 yds, especially if he is a proficient target shooter - that is, he has the basics of grip, sight picture, breath control and trigger pull well enough practiced to be able to adopt those to field shooting and shoot well with magnum loads, then he should be able to be accurate enough with open sights.  I am assuming the revolver he will be using has adjustable sights and that he can adjust for the point of impact with the loads he will be using.  I favor scopes on revolvers for 50 yd shots.  JMTCW.  Good luck.  Mikey.

[teddy12b]

Yesterday I was sharing hunting stories with a guy from Ohio and he said that he has taken deer with a 357 mag.  His first one was a big buck, and with one shot it dropped right there.  The other was a doe that walked right under him, and he said he shot it 3 times while it was moving towards him and twice while it was going away.  He never found the doe he shot 5 times.  He sounded like he thought he just got lucky on the first deer.  Then again, one well placed shot is better than 5 bad shots. 

[dstegjas]

Selmer,
My first Ohio deer with a handgun was taken with a Colt Trooper in .357 Magnum with open sites. I used my reloads with a 158 gr. Nosler JHP. I can't remember the powder or the charge. I did use open sights on the pistol. The deer was only 20 yards from me. I hit it square in the chest as it walked towards me. The 6 point never knew what hit it as it dropped to the ground.

The 158 gr. bullet is certainly capable of taking a deer. However everything will need to be just right. Close range, no longer then 50yards. Clear field of view, not a big enough bullet to punch through brush. Bullet placement would also be critical. I am not sure it could punch through a shoulder and still make the clean kill like larger calibers. 

Of course this is only my opinion, for whatever that is worth.

Jim