Back in my youthful days spent reaching for the maximum performance potential of the .357 magnum cartridge I settled on Blue Dot with hard cast lead bullets. Excellent powder selection for top performance without excessive pressures. My loading notes from that time show very good results with 150-grain LSWC-HP and 10.5 grains Blue Dot. Very stout load with minimal flash and blast from a 4" barrel. Shot a deer with that load, broke a rib on entry, pulped a lung, lodged under the hide on the far side. Shot through a couple of coyotes end-to-end, not a quiver when they dropped.

Now, being older and not so much concerned with such trivia, I shoot a lot of .38 Special at more modest levels. The .357 magnums that I load are much less potent (my 'mini-magnums', greater performance than .38 +P but not brutal to shoot). Easier on my good guns, easier on me, and no complaints from the targets yet.

Finally realized that there is nothing to be gained by using any machine at its maximum capacity all the time. Also, if I feel the need for more power I can just choose a larger caliber.

YMMV.