.357 Bain & Davis

[Capt. F.]

I have a Model 28 with diamond magna stocks that just seem to fit my hand well, that I’d love to use for next year’s deer season.
However, I’m skeptical of using a standard .357 for deer.
I have a spare Model 28 cylinder and have been toying with idea of having it rechambered to .357 B&D.
Ballistics show a significant improvement over standard loads for the same weight bullets.
The cost of re-chambering should be reasonable and with the gun itself not having to be altered, its value not diminished, the only question is would the benefit be with it?
Like to hear from those with experience with this round.

 

[colt_saa]

357 Magnum works just fine for Florida deer. But our dear are on the small side. And as always shot placement is KING. I am not too sure how big or tough the deer are in Maine

The only firearm that I have chronograph data for both the 357 Magnum cartridge and the 357B&D is my 10" Thompson/Center Contender

Not listing any actual velocities, I can tell you that the 357B&D yields a 20% to 25% velocity increase over the 357 Magnum

I would expect the 6" revolver to get an equivalent benefit

 

[1sailor]

I contemplated converting a model 27 to the B&D 357 some years back. At that time I remember checking the velocities available in my reloading manuals. I seem to recall that I wasn't going to get anywhere near the 20 to 25 percent that colt saa was able to obtain. I recall it being less than ten percent. But it has been a while maybe things have changed. Also, I was basing that off of published material, not personal chrono experience.

 

[Doug M.]

Wow, there's a blast from the past. I haven't heard of that wildcat in a long time.

 

[Bald1]

I’ve killed many deer with a 6” 686. 158gr JSP and JHP. Always a pass through on 50 yds broadside shots. Back in the day Winchester made a 180gr Partition Gold load just for hunting. I didn’t think it performed any better. There are some Buffalo Bore and HSM loads made for deer/hog hunting. Not sure it’s needed if you take ethical shots and are accurate.

 

[loc n load]

I have taken several large body white tail deer with a 6" model 28 and my handholds of 158 gr JHP over a max charge of 2400 powder. All of my shots were 60 yards or closer and only required one shot.
As with any round,, shot placement is critical. Don't know that you would have any real advantage with the B&D round that would justify the expense.

 

[44wheelman]

Would bottleneck setback be a problem in revolvers?

I know squeaky clean chambers in a jet are a must.

My 547 has extra pin ("Limit Pin") to help this, and it's just a slight taper.

 

[colt_saa]

Would bottleneck setback be a problem in revolvers?

I know squeaky clean chambers in a jet are a must.

My 547 has extra pin ("Limit Pin") to help this, and it's just a slight taper.

Yes and No

It is dependant on the shape of that bottleneck. Long slow tapers are the tough ones on revolvers

Shapes with a shorter taper or that are closer to a traditional bottleneck are far less likely to be an issue

The 224 Harvey Kay Chuk worked better in the Smith and Wesson revolvers than the 22 Jet

As to the model 547's Limit Pin, that is not actually necessary in 9MM revolvers. It may have only been required because of the exotic extractor design

Since the discontinuance of the Model 547 Smith and Wesson has produced many different Models of 9MM revolvers over the years and in far greater quantities than the 547 exists

This includes the Model 940, the Model 627 which was offered in both 9MM and 38 SUPER, the Model 929 and the Model 986

Two of my Model 627s now have extra cylinders chambered for 9x23 Winchester. This cartridge has the same body taper as the 9MM parabellum (.381" at the mouth/.3911" at the base) but instead of operating at 36,000 psi it operates at 55,000 psi. I have no stuck cases issues or set back issues with the setup

As a bonus, with the revolvers, since auto loading cartridges in Smith and Wesson revolvers headspace on the moon clips, all of the shorter cartridges of that family can be safely chambered and fired. This includes 38 SUPER, 38 ACP, 356 TSW, 9X21, 9MM Parabellum, and 380 ACP. I think there are a few others but they don't come to mind at the moment

While I have not put tons of ammunition through my 357 Bain & Davis Model 27, I have had no extraction issues with the revolver and full power ammunition

 

[Skeet 028]

I had a 28 in 357 B&D. It's true yield was about 0% over the regular 357. I also had a 10 in Contender...it got a bit more...but fixed bbl. My 357 Max beats the B&D