heavy bullet loads for a 4 inch .357

[CouchTater]

Merry CHRISTmas, folks. After my checkbook gets through the end of year slaughter, I'm thinking about getting a 4 inch GP-100 for home defense and as a trail gun. For the latter purpose, two legged predators are the main worry, but I'd also want to have the most power for feral dogs, hogs, sabertooth tigers, whatever. Which means I'd want a hunting oriented load, either 158 or 180 grain.

But hunting-type loads appear tricky for a 4 inch barrel. Most published reloading data is given for 8 or 10 inch barrels. I believe the normal rule of thumb for shorter barrels is to use faster powders, but somewhere recently I think I saw mention of slower powders even for snubbies. So many unknowns: Will JSPs and JHPs mushroom properly at 4" velocities? Can a 180 grain hardcast or JHP get enough speed out of a short barrel? What powders work best in that length barrel?

If anybody has experience with heavy bullet loads in 4 inch barrels, let me know, especially if you've done chrono work.

[ricciardelli]

http://stevespages.com/page8f357magnum.html

[Badnews Bob]

180 gr solid cast LBT style bullets work very well on just about anything.

[Catfish]

I would recomand the Serria 158 grn. JHC bullets. They will do an excellant job for you. If you are wanting something heaver you might try thr Serria 170 grn. JHC bullets. I it a deer in the shoulder with one fired from a .357 max. and totally destroyed the bullet, I would guess that it would give desint expantion at your veloities.

[Mikey]

Couch tater:  try a 200 gn hardcast semi-wadcutter over 12.4 of WW296.  Listed at 1335'/sec from their loading data but probably from a longer barrel than the 4".  I used that load to shoot silhouette from a 4" S&W Model 19.  It is accurate and hard hitting.  I think it would be better hog medicine than any of the lighter weight bullets.

I am just not impressed with the 180 gn loads for the 357.  Neither the velocity or results sell me on that weight bullet but the 200 gn swc I mentioned above clearly outperforms the 180 and lighter weight bullets - at least from my experience.  HTH.  Mikey.