This year since I'm going to be hunting with my kids,I'm thinking about taking my 28-2.My 15 yr old will have the 30-30,my 11 yr old (who I will be hunting with/supervising)will hunt with a .410. I see no reason to carry a 9 lb m1a just in case.

Now my problem.I cant find a usable chart showing bullet drops for a 357,and the one I found seems unlikely and gives no sight in distance.Now before you start thinking I'm ignorant,and I know a lot of people on the internet are,I've just never shot it at 50 yds.+.
I realise it will depend on bullet weight velocity etc. I just dont want to spend $100 on ammo starting from scratch.
Maybe sight it for 35 yds and youll be fine to 60.I just want an idea what to expect.


I have a 6" highway patrol that I put hogue grips on. They have some nice looking 125gr at the store,do any of you think I should go heavier.
Thanks in advance and forgive me if this takes a while,I'll ck this thread in the morning, you know how work and sleep interfere with time on gun forums

Personally I would go with 158 grain JHP or JSP and site it in for about 1" high at 25-30 yds. and you shouldn't be more than an inch or two low at 75.

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The following is only my opinion. I have been shooting a 6" 28-2 of some sort for 30 years. I've fired them with all manner of loads from mild .38 Special wadcutters to screaming hot when I drop the hammer it's all over on the other end .357 Magnum loads that (I now realize) probably exceeded the limits of reason and the SAAMI. Whether poking holes in targets at a in-door range or breaking bits of concrete blocks at 50-70 yds., I've found that a good basic zero at 25 yds. is about perfect. If you can hold a 2 inch group at 25 yds., you'll not have any problems getting good solid hits at 50 yds. My favorite target is to spray paint a worn out harrow blade with white paint and use the axle hole for a aiming mark. If you can keep your hits inside of say 4-6 inches at 50 yds., you'll have no problems with a deer. And while from a machine rest it might be that you would see a slight amount of drop at 50 yds. from a 25 yds. zero, practically I don't think anyone is so precise in off-hand shooting to be able to see any difference. Load up with some heavy 158 gr. JHP ammo. Maybe take a look at Buffalo Bore. Practice shooting deer shaped targets at the distances you anticipate seeing deer. Maybe go to a zoo and get close to deer... look at how they stand and how they look viewed broadside, quartering, etc. Look to see where the organs are located when viewed from different angles. Then when the opportunity arises, take what you learned, take aim and put your Highway Patrolman to good use! Good hunting!

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A .357 Magnum out of a handgun is the minimum cartridge I would recommend for deer. I suggest 158gr jacketed soft points sighted at 50 yards. You need to know how well you can shoot at that distance before you start firing at game. A clean kill will require that you place the bullet into the heart/lung area and a JSP will help insure adequate penetration. Once it's sighted at that distance, fire a few rounds at 25 yards and note the point of impact.

Please don’t allow your son to use a .410 on deer. Do you have access to a 20ga?

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Try this calculator it should give you an idea or starting point. There is a BC caculator on the left side of the screen. You just need to know your approximate velocity and bullet diam. weight/shape design.
http://www.handloads.com/calc/

This whole situation isn't lining up for me. First, as mentioned, 357 Magnum is a very weak choice for deer hunting. At the very least use a good heavy bullet. Second, you've never shot your revolver at 50 yards, yet you intent to hunt with it? What range of shots do you intend to attempt? The fact that you are asking about "trajectory" suggests to me that you intend on longer shots which may result in a wounded, suffering animal.

How about you all share the 30-30 and fill three tags this season?

Are we talking deer hunting? Use 158gr
How far do you intend to shoot at game? Sighting at 35yds is awfuly short.

An iron sighted .357 zeroed at 70-yds is within 2 inches out to 85 yds and 4 inches low at 100.
Until you can hit a paper plate first time every time at range you should not be shooting at deer.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8305.html

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I thought the kids were hunting??

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Yea,but I want it mainly to finish,or in case theres more than one,or they dont run away fast enough.We have too many here in Mississippi.After you shoot one they tend to stand around and look at you.

As far as hitting I know what its doing to 40 yds or so with 38+p.I'm just trying to save myself some ammo when I "learn" what its doing with 357mag.It'll be at about the same range as the .410 about 50 yds max and I'll have a good rest.Also Ive been hunting my whole life,so I know where to put the bullet.Past 50-60yds is just just interest.

Thats exacly what I was looking for and is about where it shoots the magnums I've shot.I'm going to test hunting loads out prolly this fri. when I'm off.The .40 is too weak and has too much drop to try it

Don't use JHP. They lack penetration at hunting ranges. Believe me as I found out the hard way after finding several neck shots with JHP's at under 15 yards stopped at the spine without breaking bone. Ideally you will want to use 158gr or heavier hard cast lead SWC's. My own 158 gr cast lead SWC with gas checks zip through 9" of phone books at 25 yards like it is butter. Brinnel hardness was around 12-13. Normally I like lots of expansion in my rifle loads but revolver rounds don't have the higher energy and thus rely more on tissue/organ damage and hemorrhaging than shocking power. More like an arrow. Because of this shot placement is more critical than with a rifle. Practice mostly at 25 yards and some at fifty because we are not always accurate on our range estimates while afield. I like OKF's paper plate drill. Used to do the same thing when practicing for archery hunting with my recurve bow.
John

In a 357 Mag for field use I would use a 158gr SP or heavier.

Also I would hesitate to have a kid use a .410 for deer.

If his shot will be less than 30 yards I would have him use at least a 20ga, slug or buckshot.

I'm interested in why everyone hates the .410 for deer hunting.Triple ought buckshot(000) has if I remember correctly .31 cal pellets in a wad down a .41 cal. barrel.I have a friend who has killed several deer with one and at 50yards you can cover all three pellets with a dollar bill.Deer are usually under 200 lbs here.Last one I saw got 2 in the heart/lungs and one pellet in the bottom of the lungs.Stopped where she was.

It's not that everyone "hates" the .410, it's just that the .410 is difficult to shoot well and is lacking in power for Deer hunting. Nothing will ruin a hunt especially for a pre-teen as injuring an animal instead of a clean kill. No reason to take a chance on an animal suffering needlessly. IMO the only real deer gun you are mentioning is the 30-30. Like said above, don't you have access to a 20ga for your younger son? How about a .243?

BTW, 000 Buckshot are .33 Caliber.

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Divorce limited my arsenal.Actually if I can squeeze in a basset mount for the m1a theres some match grade deer loads it shoots under an inch.$50 bucks a box Actualy my oldest has a 20 ga he should be able to bring,but the ex is a,well let me stop there before I get banned.I'll just say it's complicated,and the kids lose the most.

Plus, in some states 20ga is the smallest bore legal to hunt big game with. As is the case here in NY....

I have to respectfully disagree with that to an extent.

I believe that a handgun round designed to penetrate a car door and still stop a full grown human (which is usually larger than your average whitetail) should be more than capable of dropping a whitetail. I know of more than a few great grand parents that used to pop deer with a .22 to feed their kids. If a well placed .22 can do it, why not a .357? BUT, one must use some discretion and only fire on an animal that is within range of the shooter and the weapon used. Don't go blastin away at a deer 100yds away with a 4" .357! Personally, I am confident I can place a good clean kill shot up to 40yds out with my 6" .357. Any farther and I would use my rifle.

I think a .357 is best limited to side-on shots at heart or lungs. This was confirmed by an article that I re-read this week, by Brian Pearce in, "Handloader." The issue dates from 2005, but is up to date, as little has changed.

Brian, who is the closest thing we now have to Elmer Keith (and a lot better writer!) confirmed that his .357 hunting of deer and bear convinced him not to take raking shots on game, although he did kill a running black bear with a deep-penetrating .357 Keith bullet. The shot angled across the body from right rump to offside shoulder. The bear was already wounded by a closer shot. The bear ran for about 40 yards and died. (What would have happened if the bear had run at him instead of away?)

He concluded that some discretion is needed when hunting with a .357, and prefers larger caibers.

Nevertheless,if you are a fine shot and a .357 is what you have, under the right circumstances, you can kill a deer.

I have a box of Remington's hunting load with 165 grain bullets. I'd carry those in bear country, as my most powerful handguns now are .357's. It isn't just the added bullet weight over 158 grains that matters; the bullets are structured to penetrate deeper. I'm not sure that Remington still makes that load.

A Federal spokesman told me that their 158 grain Hydra-Shok is an impressive deer killer, and he gets field reports.
He should know, and I think he's seen the results first-hand.

Brian Pearce's article praised the Speer Gold Dot, but he was handloading those to at least a couple of hundred feet faster than the factory does. However, the bullets held together and gave excellent penetration. You don't need cast bullets to kill game. In fact, the expanding ones create a wider wound channel and more shock.
But I'd stick to broadside heart-lung shots on game. (Coyotes are about the limit on raking shots.)

On criminals, a raking shot is far more effective than on game, although perhaps harder to justify to investigators. Even then, I'd prefer a frontal shot.

I do think the .357 is the best all-round handgun for most people. With the right.38 loads, it's fine for small game and most varmints. Most of us shoot those more than we would deer.

I am looking forward to getting a chance to try my custom loaded 158 grain Hornady XTP's on deer. I agree on only shooting at a deer that is standing broadside. Generally, I don't even take angled shots with my .270. I just don't want to take that chance of wounding an animal and not being able to find it and finish it off humanely. And I don't care for messy field dressing jobs....

I got a box of factort Hornady 158 XTP's and went by a friends Saturday night and he handed me some of his loads in it.I guess you could call it a "sampler".the velocities sounded good(he cronoed them in his 4" and gave me the spread) may go shooting with him Fri.and check them out.

Actually my opinion is cast lead will suprise you at lower velocities.Actually just a few years ago,well maybe closer to 10,I read an article,cant remember who wrote it but remember I recognised him as being pretty durn knowledgeable.This writer was still recomending plain lead round nose in .38 special for defense cuz lead worked better at .38 velocities.

I have hunted whitetails carrying only my Model 66.

Run of the mill (Remington?) JHP's at any longer range are definitely marginal for good sized whitetails. I have not tried any of the newer wonder JHP's, they may very well be better. I would go with a soft point or, better yet, a Keith-style hard cast. 158 grain minimum.

I do suggest you practice, though. I always maintain that people do poorly at longer ranges because they fail to practice at those ranges. Get a couple of boxes of Buffalo Bore and go out to the range/woods. It's the right thing to do.

I do agree with a previous poster that a wounded deer experience can really turn off the kids.

I’m in the minority here, i have used the 357 mag on deer for years (20+ ) and have also been shooting it for years. I HAVE dropped deer from 20yds to 135yds(with a rest) with my scoped S&W. My gun likes factory federal 158's jsp, and the gun shoots great. I have never recovered a bullet (as they always went through, even some through shoulders). I have the upmost respect for the round after seeing what it can do on deer and hogs.