Current "Best" .357 Hunting Load

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squid8286

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I am sort of out of the loop on what is the most effective load for a .357 with a 4 or 6" barrel for medium game these days. I recently posted about my "woods gun" intent for a '68 Highway Patrolman that I picked up. I don't know that I will actually be hunting, but when I fiddle around in the woods, I usually carry a good-sized revolver on my belt. What is a current commercial load that is decent for deer, black bear, etc? Would it still be a 158 grain JSP or JHP? If not, what would you recommend?
 
squid8286 said:
I am sort of out of the loop on what is the most effective load for a .357 with a 4 or 6" barrel for medium game these days. I recently posted about my "woods gun" intent for a '68 Highway Patrolman that I picked up. I don't know that I will actually be hunting, but when I fiddle around in the woods, I usually carry a good-sized revolver on my belt. What is a current commercial load that is decent for deer, black bear, etc? Would it still be a 158 grain JSP or JHP? If not, what would you recommend?
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Dunno about bear, but mulies, whitetails, and treed mountain lions fall nicely to any 158 grain bullet - I've used both JSP and JHP without concern and with good results. American Eagle 158s are just fine, although you can spend as much as you want for designer ammo. :)
 
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You might try one of the hard-cast 180 grain loads from Buffalo Bore, Double Tap or Grizzly. They also make a 200 grain hard-cast as well. I think one of those might be ideal from a Model 28.

I have heard it said that 200 gains at 1000 fps is the minimum you want for bear protection. Seems reasonable, but I have no first hand experience with that round.
 
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When I used to carry a .357 in the late 80s/early 90s, I usually stuffed what I was carrying with 110 gr JHP for a K frame, or 125 gr JHP for a larger frame. But I was thinking that neither of these would really work as well on what I might encounter in the woods in North Carolina. When I used to hunt with a handgun, I carried a 6" Model 29 loaded with 240 gr JHPs. However, I don't hunt any more, and I think a .357 would be a good "walking around in the woods gun" these days. I will get a few boxes of some Federal 158s or something similar. Thanks!
 
K Harris said:
You might try one of the hard-cast 180 grain loads from Buffalo Bore, Double Tap or Grizzly. They also make a 200 grain hard-cast as well. I think one of those might be ideal from a Model 28.

I have heard it said that 200 gains at 1000 fps is the minimum you want for bear protection. Seems reasonable, but I have no first hand experience with that round.
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I have seen a few Black Bears wandering in the woods in Eastern NC before, but I never have had the need or desire to shoot one. However, a 200 gr. bullet might be handy to have if you encountered an aggressive one. They can and sometimes do become aggressive, but I have never encountered one that was. Usually around here, that occurs around campsites and campgrounds where people think "Oh they are so cute; lets feed them." I think a .357 would work pretty well on a Black Bear if the need arose.
 
biku324 said:
Dunno about bear, but mulies, whitetails, and treed mountain lions fall nicely to any 158 grain bullet - I've used both JSP and JHP without concern and with good results. American Eagle 158s are just fine, although you can spend as much as you want for designer ammo. :)
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One animal I never ran across in the woods was a Mountain Lion. But they are mostly seen in the more western areas of the state here. (I guess that's whay they have that name!) I know that we have them in NC. I would hate to encounter one unexpectedly!
 
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biku324 said:
Mountain lions want nothing to do with people. Unless you hunt them with dogs, you're really unlikely to see one in the wild, and then you'll likely see them running away.
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I have just read stories about them attacking hikers out west and stuff along those lines. I did see a video of one charging some guy on a road out in California or somewhere out that way. The thought occured to me that I would rather have had a revolver or pistol in my hand rather than a camera! I don't have any experience with them (and never have seen one) personally.
 
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PMC makes a .357 'hunting' load which uses a 158 grain JSP advertising 1471fps giving a ME of 759 foot pounds. We use it in our 686 and 28. It is very accurate and stout.
 
.455_Hunter said:
I am partial to the AE 158 gr JSP for most non-urban carry applications.
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If I have to carry factory in either of the 3 1/2 or 5 inch 27s that AE 158JSP is what I carry. As far as cats anything 357 is fine. I walked up on a mountain kitty one day when trying to sneak on 5 or 6 mule deer. He or she was intent on the same deer I was hunting.... at about 10 feet it looked over it's shoulder at me and hissed just like a house cat...only louder. Tail hair stood up and so did mine. it took off down the slope towards the deer...they scattered like a covey of quail. that was the end of that hunt. Felt like I had 2 inch hair standing straight out on my butt. I see that cat or another like it a time or two every year...but not for long. They are truly spooky critters. When they travel past the house in the winter they walk down the empty irrigation canal. You can see their tracks in the sand or snow
 
Cougars will generally only attack a human if surprised or desperate for food. A few months ago a group of bicyclists were attacked by what seemed to be a young and hungry one will riding in the woods along the Cascades.

Cats are generally capable of some pretty significant violence if they have an incentive (even a house cat - give one a bath and tell us how fun that was), but even cougars are pretty fragile with regard to decent ammo and placement. I am pretty sure that even low cost generic .357 ammo with a reasonable bullet shape will suffice.
 
biku324 said:
Dunno about bear, but mulies, whitetails, and treed mountain lions fall nicely to any 158 grain bullet - I've used both JSP and JHP without concern and with good results. American Eagle 158s are just fine, although you can spend as much as you want for designer ammo. :)
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+1 The Federal American Eagle .357 Magnum 158 grain JSP is a good traditional load that Vista Outdoors hasn't managed to water down yet. 1250-1300 fps out of a 4" barrel. Penetration and expansion are excellent. Stock up before they mess this one up.
 
squid8286 said:
I am sort of out of the loop on what is the most effective load for a .357 with a 4 or 6" barrel for medium game these days. I recently posted about my "woods gun" intent for a '68 Highway Patrolman that I picked up. I don't know that I will actually be hunting, but when I fiddle around in the woods, I usually carry a good-sized revolver on my belt. What is a current commercial load that is decent for deer, black bear, etc? Would it still be a 158 grain JSP or JHP? If not, what would you recommend?
Click to expand...

I would use the Keith 173 gr. LSWC in 38 Special cases over 13 grains of 2400.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a finer Magnum load for what you're intending on doing.
 
One thing I would avoid is some of the new crop of bullets that are designed to meet the current FBI standards of penetration and expansion. I think they would work well in most situations, but might lack penetration in certain circumstances.

I'll recommend either factory or handloads using the Hornady 158, or 180 grain XTP bullet. I have a lot of experience on big game with the 240 grain .44 mag version, much less, but some with the 158 grain in the .357 mag.

They expand at magnum velocities, just not as quickly or violently as some of the "modern" SD bullets out there, hold together, and penetrate deep.

Larry
 
i should add even further:

I WOULD STAY AWAY FROM JHP OR JSPs!

Handguns kill via bore diameter and penetration. If you look up Ross Seyfried, Elmer Keith, John Linebaugh, etc. they are big advocates of SOLIDS in handguns.

LSWCs work great and will ensure a .357" hole through what you're shooting at. JHPs are great for human targets at self-defense ranges. For tough animals, with the relatively low velocities that handguns generate (vs. rifles), I would go with a sharp shouldered LSWC, with at least Lyman #2 hardness.
 
smithra 66, I loaded that same one in 357 cases for my 77-357. Good accuracy. The 77-357 is sold now, but the ammo is still viable in my GP100, and shoots well in it, too. Glad the GP100 is a heavy barrel underlug. It needs the weight to help with the recoil. Not something I'd shoot in a Smith. ;)
 
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