I have been doing some research on the .357 for another project of mine, and it seems to me that the .357 Magnum, much like other rounds, is not what it used to be. I was going through my old loading manuals, and to look at what those old loadings used to be, the stuff being churned out now is darned anemic.
According to the Lyman 41st Edition printed in 1957, a load of 15.5 grains of 2400 for a max loading gave a velocity of 1538 fps (no barrel length was listed).
Now take this into account vs the current 158 grain semi-jacketed soft point (Remington) moving at an advertised 1235 fps. This is nearly a 300 fps difference! Granted even in that old manual, the data is listed for use only in large frame revolvers, so no Model 19's for this stuff.
What about the 125 grain hollow point, like the Remington Golden Saber, long touted as THE defense load for the .357 Magnum?
The advertised muzzle velocity for that round is 1220 fps. Even Lyman's Pistol & Revolver Handbook, 3rd Edition from 2004 lists various handloads for the 125 grain jacketed hollow point for various powders from 1350-1500 fps for the max loadings, well above the listed velocity for the Golden Saber. The barrel length used for the loads in the Lyman Pistol & Revolver Handbook was 4-inches.
So what has happened to the once mighty .357 Magnum? Is it because the quality of the guns has gone down? Are people more recoil sensitive? Personally I can only imagine a 1,400 fps load out of a J-frame revolver being quite snappy. But maybe this is why the .357 is not the hunting round it used to be? With variations of 300 fps in some loads, I would imagine that would make a difference on a whitetail deer. It makes one wonder what a 1,500 fps 158 grain cast SWC out of a 6 inch barreled revolver would do on a whitetail. It might be worth exploring.

__________________
Vaya con Dios