.357 for varmint

[Raging480]

I was wondering if anyone hunts varmints with a .357 revolver.  Any suggested loads, or pet handload recipes?  I know that I am going to have to go with a light, fast bullet, I'm just hoping someone has some insight.  I am going to put a 4x leoupold on my 686, I figure that'll work on 'called in' critters.

"An armed society is a polite society."

[RJ]

a125gr. in .357 will stop a charging wood chuck in it's tracks if you hit em well. same answer.... shot placement, have fun!

[PaulS]

Raging480,
I use my 357 magnum as a personal defense, varmint and camp food weapon. The load I use is one that has adequate velocity for shots within the lethal range for the weapon and a bullet that has sufficient weight for all it's uses. here it is:


WEAPON
MAKE        Ruger
MODEL      Security Six
BBL LENGTH                6 inches

CASE
MAKE   WINCHESTER
CALIBER   357 MAGNUM
HEAD STAMP   357 MAGNUM
TRIM LENGTH   1.29
OVER-ALL LENGTH   1.58


BULLET
MAKE   SPEER
WEIGHT   140
TYPE   JHP
DIAMETER   0.357
BALLISTIC COEFFICIENT   0.152


POWDER
MAKE   Hodgdon
TYPE   H110
CHARGE WEIGHT   17.4
PRIMER   WINCHESTER WSP
WAD   NONE


BALLISTICS
MUZZLE VELOCITY   1464
SIGHT-IN RANGE   67
GROUP SIZE   1.0 at 25 yds
EXTREME SPREAD   54.5
STANDARD DEVIATION   14.3

This is a great small game and varmint load. The hollow point will go through a coyote at 75 yards with enough power to open a clear channel through the animal, putting it down humanely and quickly.

PaulS

[Mikey]

Hay Raging 480:  I love the idea of hunting vermits with the 357.  But, don't shortchange yourself.

Years ago we used to shoot the 200 yd metallic silhouette course with 357s.  Some guys would use the 180 grain bullets, others the 200 grain.  And we could hit with regularity.

Some of the guys on the rifle forums asked aobut lightweight fast moving rifle loads for varmit with a 30-06, and my suggestion there is the same here - use the load you are most accustomed to and learn to shoot it at the longer distances you would for varmit.  You feel great when you can connect and even when  you don't it is darned exciting to be able to throw a heavy 357 slug out that far and make'm sweat.

Your heavy slugs will have a good arching trajectory but I think your lightweight fast movers may begin to drop off before you get the distance you want from them.  

IMHO.  Have fun. Mikey.

[Raging480]

I was thinking light, because of possible pelt damage.  I considered this for bobcat and coyote, not friggin woodchucks.  If I go up to the mountains and get a shot at a bobcat, I don't want to cut him in half, or punch big holes in the pelt.  But I can't bring my 22lr, if I come across a 90 lb. coyote.
I looked around and I am going to try to load some 110 grain hollow points.  I want to check other manuals before I go with the Speer.  Thanks for your posts.

[Old Cane]

You guys sure have some big coyotes up there! In OK where there used to be real coyotes, 35-40 was big. Now out here in TN I've seen some of those 90 pounders. Mixed with dogs they say. Coy-dogs. Saw one stuffed that was almost 8 feet tip to tail. Wondered why somebody stuffed a German Sheppard. We were corrected immediatley. Still, it's hard to get used to that.

[Jeff Vicars]

Light, fast bullets from a 357 will do more pelt damage than a slower, heavy bullet. All bullets shot from a 357 should exit a coyote or bobcat.

[Mikey]

Hay Old Cane:  regarding those heavy coyotes - it isn't coy-dog they have mixed in the gene pool, it's Canadian Wolfe.  Up here in NY, the coy dogs are smaller than the average coyote, even the western ones and it's more likely the coyotes would use them for food rather than packing up or mating.  What we do have is a proven influx of the Canadian wolfe gene in our northern Coyote and here the coyotes run up to 65 pounds.  If I saw a 90 pounder I would be more likely to cry wolfe, and probably not be too far off.  Mikey.

[Old Cane]

Wow.

[KING]

  OK Guys.     The bigest coyote that I have ever seen,or heard of anyone seeing is one that weighed in at an honest 68 lbs live weight.  We got it on a road kill when on of our K-9 patrol units got a call on it.  Had the animal checked at MSU and from as close as they can tell it was solid coyote.  No coy dog cross.   If a DNA print is done on any dog,or canine,it will come back as wolf,or 99 percent wolf..  Where do ya think we gots dogs from?  Never heard of any wolf/coyote cross,and most of the coy/dog crosses are a lot larger than the pure bred in the coyote.  It all depends on what was bred with what.  I have seen some crosses that look a little suspicious as to some of the parenting on the line might have been  labradore,or anything else that some idiots let run loose all the time.   :roll:  :roll: king

[les hemby]

i would agree with jeff light bullets will cause way more pelt damage velocity + hollow point + exit wound = wasted pelt

[Del]

Raging480,
If your hunting coyotes & bobcats w/your .357, and want to save the pelts, I'd suggest a 158 grn SWCGC or maybe a 125 grn Truncated Cone cast bullet!  You can usually get 50 - 100 fps more speed with a cast bullet over a jacketed bullet of the same weight, and the cast bullet won't expand like a JHP and make such a mess out of the hide.  Hit them through the "boiler room" and they're dead, take out a shoulder while your at it and they'll go down quicker!

A friend of mine shot a medium size coyote this winter, from 100 yards away with a .243 rifle, and it still ran 50 yards.  So nothing is going to put them right down every time.  

Your S&W 686 w/a 4X scope sounds like a good way to go, good luck!
Del

[Graycg]

I've got a 6 inch 686 with a 2x pentax scope, love the gun and the setup, I did extensive load development with it for both deer and varmit hunting.  I was looking to kill chucks with the 125s and 110s, but could never get the 125 yard accuracy with them that I could get with 180 grain Cast LBTs that I use for deer hunting.  My LBTs are loaded over max loads of H110 and kill chucks very well out to 125-150 yards if I do my part. Made my life simple, one load that is accurate enough for varmits, hits hard enough for deer and pigs.  I suppose that I could stretch the range on chucks with a more powerful scope, but I use the gun for deer also and don't want too much magnification.

regards,
 Graycg