Author Topic: 357 mag deer load question (Read 1112 times)

ronp · « **on:** October 22, 2009, 03:36:24 AM »

Hi everyone,
I picked up some 180gr Federal Castcore ammo yesterday. I am not sure what castcore means. Is this a good whitetail deer cartridge? The dealer said it should get good penetration. Thanks!
Ron

canon6 · « **Reply #1 on:** October 22, 2009, 04:29:28 AM »

First that is not one of the "hotter" 357 loadings. Factory spec's call for 1250fps out of a 6in revolver.So if you get approx 10fps for each inch of barrel you add, you wind up at @ 1500 fps.
Now it will kill deer, but there are better ,ie Buffalo Bore etc.It will penetrate well. just my2c Doug

dpe.ahoy · « **Reply #2 on:** October 22, 2009, 04:29:35 AM »

You will get great penetration with that, more than you will need. You have picked a good round. DP

Doublebass73 · « **Reply #3 on:** October 22, 2009, 04:37:11 AM »

That would be my choice if I were hunting with .357 Mag factory ammo.

Bayou Stalker · « **Reply #4 on:** October 22, 2009, 05:18:01 AM »

I'm going to use the Federal Premium 140 grain Barnes Expander load. 1400 FPS in a revolver so I'm hoping to get 1800+ out of my rifle. I'm going to sight it in at lunch today, then it is off to the youth hunt with my little girl on Friday for the weekend!

petemi · « **Reply #5 on:** October 22, 2009, 05:37:12 AM »

Bayou, good luck with the girl on the youth hunt. Those hunts are the best thing since crawdads

Pete

quickdtoo · « **Reply #6 on:** October 22, 2009, 05:40:51 AM »

Kendall, that's a reasonable expectation, I got an average of 1811fps with the Hornady 140gr FTX ammo from my 357Mag Handi, accuracy was poor tho.

Tim

petemi · « **Reply #7 on:** October 22, 2009, 05:47:57 AM »

Tim, I found with mine that anything smaller than 158 gr. didn't impress me. The 125 gr. .38+P were terrible. Good only for tin can shooting.

Pete

Default · « **Reply #8 on:** October 22, 2009, 07:16:15 AM »

The most accurate load i worked up for my 357 handi was a flat fast charge of imr 4227 under a XTP 140gr bullet , Dont recall the charge; brass; primer .. But it was creeping up around 2000 fps which is probably way more then that XTP was every designed to handle as far as hitting deer goes..

I still have that Winchester 16 1/2" M94 AE 357 and I'm running the remmington 180gr semi jacketed rounds out of it this year for her deer hunting , got it coming out in the neighborhood of 1500+ maybe close to 1600 fps .. So that should get that slug some where in the 900+ to 1000 ft.lbs. of energy range at the muzzle and still has joke like recoil .. BTW this is a blue dot load.

Wanted to do alot of heavy lead R&D in this rifle before season but work being what it has been hasnt made that possible... As is life yeah heh.

Default

maglvr44 · « **Reply #9 on:** October 22, 2009, 03:10:08 PM »

Great round! aim for a shoulder

mechanic · « **Reply #10 on:** October 22, 2009, 04:42:17 PM »

I'm finding penetration on the 357 far exceeds expectation. Even at those velocities, you should do well. Sight her in and let her rip!!!!

BrianB · « **Reply #11 on:** October 22, 2009, 05:18:59 PM »

Looking at Federal's website, it looks like a good round to me. Penetration shouldn't be an issue at all. Get out there, bust one, and show us some pictures. exit wound pictures would be interesting.

Here is a link to the specs on the roundhttp://www.federalpremium.com/products/details/handgun.aspx?id=327

Lazermule · « **Reply #12 on:** October 23, 2009, 03:58:26 AM »

I am always leary of using anything lighter than 158g for deer in the 357. I lost a dandy buck to lighter bullets (125g) driven fast (1650) out of my revolver. Although they shot VERY accurate and the energy looked good on paper, I will never do that again. A hit in the shoulder bone can spell bye bye to you on a wounded deer. When placed in the ribcage just behind the shoulder, my hot 125 gr load produced "bang-flop" results, but under pressure I did not want to have to "thread the needle" so to speak between a paunch shot and the shoulder. I have not tried the Barnes in the 357 but if it holds together when driven hard and penetrates in the event of hitting bone it may do well. I have had excellent results from all other calibers I have tried Barnes in.

$.02

jeepmann1948 · « **Reply #13 on:** October 23, 2009, 08:15:35 AM »

If you can find some of the obsolete Remington 150gr spire point bullets they made for the 35 Wheelen load them with a bunch of h110 (old published load for 146 jacketed) Both my savage 24 and Handi shoots them very well and boy are they deadly on deer and hogs.I seat them .350 deep in the case as the single shot chambers are not as particular as a revolver on length and use mag primers as well .

quickdtoo · « **Reply #14 on:** October 23, 2009, 09:17:57 AM »

I think Jeepman meant the 150gr .35 Remington bullets.

Tim

http://www.suitorsgarage.com/gunstuff/35remington/factoryloadpart1.html

jeepmann1948 · « **Reply #15 on:** October 23, 2009, 10:41:21 AM »

No Quick these were a limited run of Spire points Part number 50-1-40 made back in 1989 for the newly introduced Remington 35 Wheeln They were too light for it but were sold as bulk bullets

quickdtoo · « **Reply #16 on:** October 23, 2009, 10:53:44 AM »

Too light would be an understatement!!!

I've got some 180gr SSPs loaded up for my 35Whelen Improved, I suspect they'll be way too soft also for a shoulder shot, but for my typical just-behind-the-shoulder shot to avoid those shoulder roasts, they should work. But it's been discussed before that they should be great for the 357mag for good penetration at mag ranges.

Tim

maglvr44 · « **Reply #17 on:** October 23, 2009, 11:06:03 AM »

Absolutely NO need for speed here! With FLAT NOSE, HARDCAST BULLETS maximum penetration will be found in the 1200-1300fps range, beyond that speed "the faster they go, the faster they slow"! doesn't seem possible on paper but it works that way in the real world of flesh and bone, drive one 1200fps and another 2000fps and you will see the 1200fps bullet go about twice as deep!

jeepmann1948 · « **Reply #18 on:** October 23, 2009, 12:02:03 PM »

Well they really aren't meant for speed just give my 357's an extra 50 yards of usable range.Been using them since 1990 with very good results on Texas Whitetails and hogs excellent penetration even thru the heavy shoulder plates, Bang , Flop, get out the knife the fun is over!By the way I haven't chronographed them in my Handi but they are running around 2300 from my Savage 24 with an 18" bbl and the fireball is a conversation starter at the range.
Let me know how the 180 SSP bullets work Quick been wanting to try them !

schoolmaster · « **Reply #19 on:** October 25, 2009, 01:45:09 AM »

The deer load I use is the 158 gr. Remington Soft point, 17.5 grains Lil-gun, CCI mag primer. Shoots 1/2 inch at 25 yards out of a 6" Ruger GP-100, 1 inch at 75 yards out of the Handi. Killed a large doe at 58 yards with a not ideal hit. She went about 100 yards and the exit was golf ball sized.

Mitch in MI · « **Reply #20 on:** October 25, 2009, 04:14:28 AM »

Those 150 spire points must be stubby little things.
I was just looking at Midway, and the pics of 180 sprire points reminded me of the 100gr varmint bullets I bought for my 280 Rem.

Lazermule · « **Reply #21 on:** October 25, 2009, 04:19:25 AM »

Quote from: Mitch in MI on October 25, 2009, 04:14:28 AM

Those 150 spire points must be stubby little things.

like this....

tykempster · « **Reply #22 on:** October 25, 2009, 04:24:28 AM »

It looks like a normal bullet got cut in half!