.357 Maximum?

[VAdoublegunner]

What exactly are your needs for the 357Max? Heavy bullets for hunting would be my guess since lighter ones for varmints don't exactly seem an application for a double rifle. 125 grain bullets will scream out of a rifle!

I just googled 357Max factory ammo; it appears to be scarce and expensive. I found that 2 boxes of Fed 180 grain went for $130 on gunbroker. Wow!! I still have most of a box of that I got way back in the late 80's. It is a great cartridge in my T/C Contender, but I have been handloading it for a long time. You should really consider taking up handloading for it, particularly considering that factory ammo is scarce/expensive and even brass is sometimes uncommon.

 

[Bell Charter Oak Holsters]

What exactly are your needs for the 357Max? Heavy bullets for hunting would be my guess since lighter ones for varmints don't exactly seem an application for a double rifle. 125 grain bullets will scream out of a rifle!

I just googled 357Max factory ammo; it appears to be scarce and expensive. I found that 2 boxes of Fed 180 grain went for $130 on gunbroker. Wow!! I still have most of a box of that I got way back in the late 80's. It is a great cartridge in my T/C Contender, but I have been handloading it for a long time. You should really consider taking up handloading for it, particularly considering that factory ammo is scarce/expensive and even brass is sometimes uncommon.

Primarily for deer and similar sized game, and Reeds has as I mentioned earlier, a very generous variety of loaded ammo. Prices seem to average about a dollar or so per round. I have no time for reloading, I wish I did. For the amount of use it will see, a couple of boxes would last for quite sometime. I'm thinking the heavier 225 gr. pills @1650 FPS, they offer them in several different bullet styles.

Cheers;
Lefty

 

[Jebus35745]

I have the 12" hunter bbl for my contender. Haven't shot it for abt 6 yrs. The energy at about 100 yds is abt the same for a 44 mag at the muzzle. I loaded some 180 gr spitzer bullets for a single shot pistol but the accuracy wasn't as good as the 180 XTP's. I'll be deer hunting again this year with it but I'll only shoot a nice size buck. Neat cartridge, especially in a single shot rifle. Larry

 

[VAdoublegunner]

I have the 12" hunter bbl for my contender... I loaded some 180 gr spitzer bullets for a single shot pistol ...

I have a 14" bull barrel. Mine likes the 180gr XTPs but also does about as well with the Hornady Single Shot Pistol bullets. I've had very good performance from them with AA1680.
I assume you must be talking about these:
Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Bullets :: Handgun :: Choose by Bullet Type :: InterLock®

What it really likes is the Rem 180 JHPs with the petal type jacket. Using them, it rarely delivers groups over an inch and a half at 100yds if shot from a good rest, often less than that.

Oldflatfoot, it would be interesting to see how the Hornady SSP bullets work in your double rifle. That would certainly make an appropriate looking cartridge to use in a double rifle. I imagine the velocities it could reach are a good bit higher than the T/C pistol barrels, particularly with a slow powder. A .358 rifle bullet might even be appropriate since a hollowpoint bullet designed for pistols could be driven so fast it exceeds it's performance envelope. A gaschecked hard cast bullet may be OK. No doubt about it though, a 357 Max double rifle made from a sleeved Damascas barrel shotgun certainly sounds like a very interesting gun and concept!

 

[Peter M. Eick]

I have both of the main maxes and shoot them a bunch. It is one of my "funnest" rounds to shoot and works great. I think nothing of tossing 180's at 1600 fps with these guys.

I only shoot 158's or heavier and only use stick powder to keep the gas cutting down.

I have yet to do the contender. Maybe soon.

It is a great round. Fun to shoot, fun to own and easy to load for.

 

[Bell Charter Oak Holsters]

.357 Maximum Custom Double Rifle

Finally shot a few pics. Thought you might enjoy seeing these.

Cheers;
Lefty

 

[ACP230]

Cool rifle!

I just wrote an article in which the .357 Maximum was mentioned briefly.
I hadn't thought much about mine for a while.
Now I may have to go shoot it again, once all the snow lying around here melts.

 

[J. R. WEEMS]

357 MAX

I think I have some, maybe nickle, brass somewhere around.

 

[bossharp]

I had a 8" vent heavy 357 max and mine was the most accurate pistol I have ever shot. Bar none! I had a big bag of 38 target wadcutters that I used to hunt squirrels with. They had a inch to jump in the cylinder but were amazingly accurate. Because of the weight, it was a really heavy gun, it was like shooting 22's.I carried it deer hunting but never got a shot. I'm looking at prices for one now and it looks like they have held there value over the years. It really is a special piece and cartridge. Over the years I have read so many people that thought it would make a great rifle round I'm glad to hear someone did actually have one. Even with as old a thread as this! I always considered the 357 Max to be the Weatherby of handguns along with all of the Supermag versions. I had to trade my Dan Wesson for a transmission for my Blazer back in the early 90's and of all the guns I have owned over the years that is the one I regret letting go the most. I think it's a real shame the 357 max was effectly killed by a few gun scribes who way overreacted on the flame cutting.It was like a little kid who finally found something wrong he could tell mom about. Some folks with a lot more experience long range hunting and shooting than me considered the 357 Max and the Dan Wesson the best combo ever made. I think there right.

 

[Nemo288]

Holy Toledo! 3.5 year old thread gets stroked!

The 357 Max is far from dead. It's going strong in the Contender and Encore.

Mike (and son) Bellm make guns and load ammo for this round and consider it
one of the best deer cartridges for a handgun.
Some might argue about a 12" Encore being a "handgun" but it sure gets the job done.

The Great .357 Remington Maximum Revival

It's the 445 that's kind of the orphan from the Dan Wesson days.
I went to an Encore for that as well.

===
Nemo