DonT,
You need to check with the club that you intend to shoot silhouettes with. Some ranges will allow the use of jacketed bullets and some will not. Like you have said, it depends on what type of damage to the targets they will allow.
I shoot NRA Field Pistol at the Nampa Rod and Gun club in Nampa, Idaho. Since the targets are 1/2 size with the rams at 100 meters, the 357 max is not legal but I shoot a 44 mag on the same range for cowboy silhouette and finding a load that was accutare and not dent the targets was a chore. I setteled on a 240gr Lee cast with a gas check over 8 gr Unique. I cast it out of range lead which is mostly 22 bullet lead. Over my Chrony it goes 1120fps. It does ding the chickens al little but the most complaints that I get from it is that it hits the chickens so hard, it burries them in the berm.
Most of the other guys use jacketed HP bullets and they don't do much damage either.
I hope this helps.
If you come up with a good accurate load for the Max barrel, post it. I have a 10 inch Max barrel and haven't had time to work up a good load for it yet. Mine will be used mostly for hunting deer and antalope.
Sixgun :grin: