I have a Model 686-1 with a 6" barrel. Deer firearms season in IN starts Saturday, and while I'll be taking and using my rifles, I'd like to, given the opportunity, harvest a doe with my revolver. Would keep shots inside 25yds. I have 3 different rounds to choose from, all shoot well from my gun. Of these 3, which would you choose and why? Thx

140gr Hornady Leverevolution
158gr Winchester JSP
180gr Underwood hardcast/flatnose

The Hardcast bullets would travel a Whitetail front to back and wouldn't damage as much meat. The 158's would pretty much drop a deer pretty easily also. The only one I personally wouldn't use is the gummby tipped rounds. Hit a bone and thats going to wreck a lot of meat. I'll get a lot guys saying I'm crazy but I have had plastic tipped bullets blow up inside an animal. Never using them on Wild game. Good luck Deer hunting. Another great .357 round is the Federal Premium 180 grain Swift bullet. Expensive and probably unavailable now. But think of them for next year. You can buy Federal Ammo right from there website but a lot of ammo is out of stock now.

I believe any of those three would do the job easily, especially at the distance you're shooting. Assuming a similar level of accuracy in my gun, I'd probably grab the 158 jsp load. I want my bullet to open up and do damage.

I will prefer 158 grain Winchester JSP .

My special deer bullet for Nevada Mule deer, was the old Speer 160 gr jacked lead tip FN bullet.
It had no problem putting 250 pound Bucks or bigger down with a lung or heart shot
that was inside of 50 yards, for maximum energy's, out of a 6" barrel.

I only used it for close shots that came up, othewise my 270 got the job in the wide open state.
I usually did not walk the Quakies or high Sage, for deer, unless I had a
second hunter, down the hill with a ride, waiting for me.

I only shoot deer in the neck or head. Never found a recipe for antler anywhere, so I would use the pointy Hornady load, which would mangle a neck or head beautifully.

I'd say either the 158gr Winchester JSP or the 180gr Underwood hardcast/flatnose.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

I use 158gr JSP over 296 out of a 8 3/8 bbl Model 686 mounting a 2X Leupold. Shot deer to about 80 yds, coyotes 100+. Also takes the head off turkeys at 20 yds.

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Science plus Art

Hardcast, all day long.

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Jorge

The Win 158 JSP would be best all around bullet for deer and agree with your range limits. There is a big difference between Deer Hunting & Deer Killing. While 357 is perfectly capable of killing at 100yds, not practical for deer at 100yds +.
I know 357 fans will get bent out of shape over this. There are those who do extreme stuff will the various cartridges but it doesn’t represent the average shooter. I would guess a long barreled 357 mag with an optic and shooting at a stationary deer from a rest would kill at whatever range the shooter was capable of. That is killing not hunting.

Don't say what kind of deer= a HUGE difference between a Montana or Wyoming mulie and a Coues deer in AZ or a coastal blacktail.

For mulies (what I've hunted), I'd use the Underwood!

This S&W would be used in a (hopefully big) Indiana doe. So, not a massive deer. And I always take a vitals shot, I aim for the lungs/heart

Consensus seems to favor the 158gr JSP I use soft points in both of my rifles(.30-06 and 30-30), Hornady American Whitetail Interlock cup and core bullets. They always work.

For the folks who chose the Leverevolution and/or Hardcast, why did you choose them? I figure the 140gr LE may cause more internal damage due to rapid expansion. Might put them down faster?? Downside is possible no pass thru/less blood trail. And the hardcast will surely pass thru from any angle, but won't expand at all(smaller hole, less blood).

I don’t hunt deer with a 357, but I occasionally carry one in the woods backpacking. I use BB 158 heavy hard cast or similar hand loads. I would be confident with this load for hunting deer, black bear, etc.

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213th FBINA

If you're talking a middle-of-the-road deer like a midwest White Tail, I would go with the 180gr Remington SJHP. You'll get plenty of penetration for a deer and it will open up and stop.

Ammo-wise, at this point, I got what I got. I haven't seen .357 mag on the shelves anywhere for months. The only other rounds I have are Hornady Critical Duty or Defense self defense rounds. I'm sure there are BETTER rounds than what I have, but I can't get them in the next 2 days, so others aren't an option right now.

I would use the 158s

when i lived in SC i used to carry a rev. w/ me, but after climbing w/ the tree stand several times i didn't take the rev. one morning. so about 11 am, urine bottle full, checked 360 deg. around the tree, lowered the back pack/ lowered unloaded rifle onto the ground, on the way down come to a knot in the tree, bottom part of the climber slid down the tree, thinking i just alerted every deer w/ in 100 yds., pulled bottom back up, got my feet on the ground but didn't reloaded my rifle but emptyed my kidney, looked up an 20 yds. comeing out of the hardwoods was a 10 point, looking at me like wth is going on. even though i had the rifle rds. in my pocket, the reach for the rifle was just a thought. oh yea, 357 hornady leverevutions, suggest a 2 hand grip. long story long. learned to stick to 1st. thoughts when makeing your pack up.

The hardcast at 25 yards will punch a cute little hole through one side and out the other. And unless you happen to hit something extremely vital on the way you can plan on tracking that deer for awhile. Been there, done that. Deer are soft and not that hard to kill, hardcast is absolutely unnecessary and certainly not the best choice. Anything that would be good for a human will be good for a deer. Especially at that short of a distance.

Given your barrel length and the fact that Whitetail are relatively thin skin deer, the 158 gr. JSP, or similar load, should be fine. Good luck in your hunt.

Given your three options, I would go with the 158 JSP, or the 180 gr hardcast. I have harvested several Hoosier big bodied corn fed deer over the years with a 6” model 28. My loads have always been my own hardcast 160 SWC over 2400 or a 158 JHP over the same charge of 2400.
Set my ladder stand up last weekend, will be in the woods also.
Good hunting.

I’m more inclined to use a rifle pattern Model 92 in .357 Mag than a pistol, but either way Model 92 or 6” Model 66, my preference is the Federal 158 gr JSP in either the American Eagle or Champion box.

It works well on mid sized game. I have never shot it into ballistic gel from a rifle or carbine, but if I get time this weekend I may have to do just that.

My cast 168 gr SWC pushed by 15 grs of #2400 dumped a big 8 pt with about 2 Ft of penetration. Chest cavity up into the neck.

I killed a running buck with a 1911 45 loaded with Fed Hydrashoks. Both penetrated through his body and kept going.

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S&W Accumulator

When I was young and could "Run the hills" and had great eye sight and steady nerves.........

I would hunt with my 270 on my left shoulder and a 6" Magnum on my right hip.

Back then I did not have any 2400 or slower powders, due to the fact that I shot a LOT of .410 to 12 Ga. at birds and trap clays and Unique had to do for my revolver loads.

Here is a picture of one of my targets shot at 25 yards at the range off of a sand bag. The triger and iron sights are "Stock" right from the factory.

Today, I have to use a rifle due to old age.

I'm with this. The hardcast would probably perform best on a quartering-away shot and the JSP on a broadside. Hard to predict what you're going to get. What the heck, alternate them in the cylinder.

There is no actual way to determine what will happen at any shot on animal. Have had deer run half a mile or more with a .308 jsp through the lungs. Have had deer run with the lungs COMPLETELY gone a half mile.

That was a great bullet, and I wish they still made it. There was a 146 gr HP version as well. Soft lead for expansion, 3/4 jacket = no leading, SWC shape even if it didn't expand. I cast my own version of it, SWC solid or HP, gas checked, somewhat softer alloy, (about 50/50 wheel weights to pure lead, very scientific).

I've only killed two deer with a .357, both with 173 grain Keith 429358 bullets, cast of wheelweights, so I am sure they did not expand. Did not recover either one, but both deer (~125# on the hoof Alabama whitetails) dropped within 25 yards. I have to say I was surprised that hard bullet put them down that quickly, but to borrow from Elmer's book title, "Hell, I Was There."

I have no reservations with a good .357 gun and load for deer at close ranges, but I prefer a heavy bullet that will be likely to expand some, hence my newer . 357 bullet mold. I will carry my old 6" pre-27 or old model Ruger flattop .357s at times because I just like them and they feel right, even though I've a safe full of .44s that I suppose are technically " better" killers (but dead is still dead, right?)

Of the options you mentioned, I'd pick the 158 soft points.

For years there was nothing but lead bullets. The jackets and JHP & JHP.
I don’t recall anyone having trouble killing deer with them. Now there is a special bullet for everything. If you are having trouble killing deer it is more likely poor shooting. Deer ain’t Cape Buffalo.

Very well said. Put a period at the end because theres not much more to say.

Any of them will work. The 140gr tipped Hornady bullets were designed to run through lever action rifle magazine tubes, and not create a risk of ignition in the tube under recoil.

I've run those 140gr bullets at 2500fps in a single shot custom 357 Maximium CVA APEX. They get about 8-10" of penetration at that speed on Iowa whitetails, and they drop like a sack of potatoes. But then so do the 140gr Sierras I've used also. The six recovered bullets all weighed about 40gr.

I use the factory 140gr Hornady loads in my new 4" Colt King Cobra, they shoot well, but have not taken a deer yet with one from the revolver. I'd have no reservations about shooting any whitetail inside of 80 yards with that combo. I just bought but have not yet shot a Marlin lever action rifle in 357 Magnum. My planned load for that gun is the Hornady 140gr tipped round.

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Captain Dave Funk