Hi, I have a 686+ with the 4" barrel that I would like to take hunting this season. I will also have my 30-06, so I'll use that for anything over 40 yards or so. On hand I have125gr Remington JSP, and 158gr Blazer JHP. I can also load my own, but I have yet to find a good load.

I know the 125's are good for defense, but I dont know about use on deer.

Right now I'm leaning towards the 158gr Blazer's. I had also thought about picking up a box of Buffalo Bore 180gr. Obviously this would be the best, but the only place local is selling for $3/round.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

13.5 grains of H110, magnum primer, Remington 180 SJHP

I would NOT use a bullet meant for SD against humans to hunt deer. I'm also not a fan of the .357 Magnum from a 4" barrel for deer either. From a Carbine it's a different story.

If you must I would suggest a fairly heavy hard cast bullet pushed to the highest safe limits without degradation of accuracy. You balked at spending $3 a round for Buffalo Bore ammo but doesn't the animal you are wanting to hunt deserve the respect?

Here is a great bullet from Cast Performance. http://www.grizzlycartridge.com/stor...ref=CP38%2F180
It's the same bullets used in Grizzly Cartridges ammo, it's sister company. They are very effective in a Carbine and probably in a revolver too.

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Blazer aluminum cased JHPs are pretty anemic. They are plinker loads, not a hunting load. I don't recommend any HPs for hunting deer with a .357 because one needs the penetration more than the expansion. For factory ammo, Federal's American Eagle 158gr JSPs are very good as is Federal's 158 gr Fusion load. Remington's 158gr JSP is also a good factory round for deer. For rolling my own, I prefer Remmie 158 gr JSPs, Speer's 158 gr JSPs or Hornady's 158 gr XTP-FPs(not their HP). Last two deer I took with .357s were with a 158gr XTP-FP over 16 gr of H110/W296.

I have harvested several large body white tails with the 357 magnum, and I agree with the two above posts:
A. Not fond of the 4" 357 for the task.
B. you need a 158 gr. to 180 gr. bullet driven at max velocity, to maximize the effectiveness of the 357 magnum.
C. 125 gr JHP's or SD bullet is not appropriate for deer hunting.
I shoot a GC hard cast SWC 160 gr bullet over 15 gr. of 2400, I have shot several deer with this load in my 6" M-28, 6.5" black hawk and 10" contender during the past 40 years.
I keep my shots within 50 yds and go only for broadside sides where I can punch into the heart/lung zone.
I am looking for max penetration.....expansion would be nice, but that is not my emphasis wit the 357. Truthfully, the 357 magnum is not my choice for deer hunting, much preferring the 41 mag, 44 mag or heavy loaded 45 LC in conventional handguns, or my TC super 14 with Leupold scope and 35 rem chambering for the real deal closer. I have put meat in the freezer with all of these and they are all much more definitive on deer, than the 357 mag.

i will be using Ted nugent .357 Mag 158gr Speer ammo...i got a great deal on some of these, however they have all the power you should need...will tell you for sure in two months when it is legal to take deer with a firearm here...

and to the person who doesn't recommend using a 4 inch 357 magnum for deer why not exactly? it has all the power you need to DROP a deer(remember people, hunting is all about placement)

I dropped a large Nevada Mule deer standing broadside at 50 yards with a shot placed right behind its shoulder and just above the elbow. He never moved, just went straight down.

S&W mod 19 with 6" barrel and an old 160gr speer SJFN bullet that was pushed along with a maximum load of Unique powder.

My new 686 6" likes the 158 XTP with a max load of 2400 but the main thing is an accurate group. High velocity means nothing if you can't get a 5" group or less at 50 yards. My guns are stock iron sights for minimum problems in the field but a scope or Red Dot is also nice if you don't mind the extra equipment.

You can also try the 170 Lead and 180 Jacket bullets, never know what your gun will like best.
Good luck.

+1. And I say that having killed 2 deer with a 6" Model 686 in .357 Magnum. Moved on to the .45 Colt for deer hunting.

Don

A friend has taken several PA whitetail using my old Dan Wesson(Pistol Pac) I sold him years ago with scoped 8in barrel and Fed. Am. Eagle 158gr JSP. Most shots were under 70yds and the deer didn't travel too far when hit in the vitals.

I understand the SD vs Hunting topic. I was simply stating what types of factory ammo I had, with no intentions of using the Critical Defense. Right now I'm leaning towards a 158gr (or heavier) semi-wadcutter at a fairly high velocity. I'll make some loads and see what works for me.



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Yes. I am fine with paying $3 a round, but for $60 a box, why not find a load that may work better? Even handloading can be made "custom" to what I like and what functions best. I have never tried BB ammo, so I cant speak from experience when it comes to hunting.

By the way, its the brass cased Blazer, not aluminum. I shot it out of my model 60 and it was pretty hot, so I was just seeing if anybody had any experience with it.


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My first handgun deer was with a 4" model 19 and 125 gr JHP. I crested the hill and shot down on a fork horned Mule deer. I hit him between the shoulder blades, breaking the spine and I have never since had as blood shot mess as then. There are better choices in bullets, I don't remember the last time I shot a 357 with less than a 158 gr bullet and I own 3.

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If you dont mind me asking, what kind of hollow point?

I'm still undecided between a 158gr Grizzly Cartridge and a 180gr Buffalo Bore. Both seem to do the job well, both have 5-star reviews, and both are $30-$40 a box.

Anybody have real-world reviews on either? Accuracy, power, etc.?

Only negative was on the BB, where cases were expanding excessively and causing speed-reload issues. However, I wont need more than one shot; maybe two.

Many years ago, I killed a nice Mule Deer with a 6" Model 19. I was using Federal 158 grain JSP factory loads. These Federals had large meplats.
I double-lunged the Deer @ maybe 80 yards and it expired quickly. The bullet went thru and thru. 80 yards is gettin' out there; 50 would be better.

I would go with the Grizzly Cartridges ammo but I'm not sure I would use the 158gr JHP bullet. I would rather use the ammo that's loaded with a 180gr Hard Cast bullet instead.

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Grizzly is a 158 gr SWC. They do have a JHP, but I was looking at the lead bullets.

I'm picking up a box of commercially made cast bullets tomorrow. They have a lot of different kinds, so I'll see what they have. Two other questions:

Can most (or any) store bought cast bullets be pushed to magnum velocities? They are non gas checked and pan lubed.
Can these be made accurate at a high velocity?

Years ago, I shot three deer (one Colorado mule, two Texas whitetail ) with a ruger Blackhawk 6 1/2 ".

I used Speer 160 half jacket SWC and more 2400 than I'll publish here. They would really part your hair!

Still have some of those reloads but the ruger is long gone.

Through and through, dropped promptly: ranges about 70, 40, 20 respectively.

Since then, I've shot some deer with 1911 45 acp 200 gr SWC at about 1,000fps at under 50 yards. Much more pleasant, just as effective, easier to carry.

The best in my 6" is a hardcast lead SWC loaded to 1100 fps. goe,s through both lungs and any bones it hits. Leaves a hole to let air in and a hole to let blood out. HP is a waste of time and lost deer.

Seems the general consensus is to stay with a SWC loaded to approx 1000-1200 fps?

Big bore revolvers with heavy cast SWCs do easily give
complete penetration on deer sized game it seems at
velocities around 950 fps or above. At least according to some
well known gun writers. These same experienced hunters are
quick to point out that this does not apply to the 357 mag
and it's smaller and much lighter bullets. I have to agree with
some of the others in thinking a 4" 357 is very marginal for
deer. If you intend to stay with 158 gr cast bullets I would
think you would want to load to at least 1300 fps and take
close broadside shots only. There's no sense in wounding
game if it can be avoided.

If you're going to hunt with a 4" .357 Magnum revolver i highly suggest you do plenty of practice beforehand. I'm not talking about shooting off the bench at the range, I'm talking about practicing in the field under the conditions you will see while hunting. I would also have someone along on the hunt with a rifle at least the first few times you try revolver hunting. Maybe someone with a quick swinging rifle like a 30-30 levergun or something similar that can be used to prevent a animal from running off hurt.

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There is a split on opinions between heavy hard cast , and heavy controlled expansion JHP.

A Keith or LBT loaded hot should penetrate as well as a real cal , just make a smaller hole.

A Gold Dot or XTP loaded hot would probably penetrate far enough on lung shots , and make a somewhat larger hole doing so.

I have not had a deer cooperate while hunting them with a .357 revolver. But I have shot Boar with .357 from revolvers and rifles. The Boars were minimally impressed. But they tend to be minimally impressed with a hit with anything not to CNS.

Of course 3 min after posting a fitting analogy struck me.

Hunting with a .357 is like self defense with a .380 .:

Some people do it , and at least some of the time it works out for them. Some people think it's too small , and even those who give conditional aproval consider it marginal. I frequently make the comparison to "Bow hunting with a pistol" , refering to the need for close ranges and careful shot placement.

Shot placement is particularily critical.

Ammo optiopns tend to run to either no expansion and lots of penetration , or lots of expansipon and limited penetration.

I've rarely (once, actually!) had deer go down immediately after hitting them with a .44 slug in the chest cavity. The bullets always sail through. Might leave a blood trail or not. But haven't lost one yet either, even though it might mean tracking them upwards of 300 yards. You ought to figure a good hit with a .357 Mag will be somewhat less effective and plan accordingly. Close range and no question whether you can put the bullet exactly where you want!

Nosler makes a 158gr JHP .357" hunting bullet I would trust because I trust Nosler. Sporting Handgun Revolver ? Nosler The Nosler bullets might be a little better than the Hornady XTP bullets but I have not tested them against each other. Nosler sells them in 250 count bulk boxes too. (usually under $40)

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