Best .357 Bullet for Hunting/Woods

[geoff40]

Do you hand load? If you do, you should be looking at the Keith 173 grain bullet. 14.0 to 14.5 grains of 2400 is my personal top end load, but some people go a little bit higher. Of course you want to start lower and work your way up.
A lot of people will say "it's just a heavy SWC" and to a point that is correct. But it is arguably the best SWC ever made. A typical 158 grain SWC has a center of gravity in the base of the bullet, but in the Keith it is up in the nose, weight forward. This gives you consistant, long range accuracy like no 158 grain I ever shot will give you.
If you ever try some of these bullets, you will be pleasantly surprised by them.

 

[mkk41]

A friend has taken several deer with a plain 158gr JSP American Eagle factory load. The Federal 180gr WFP Cast-Core looks good too.

 

[michael thornton]

i stick with a 158 jsp and a max charge of 2400

 

[Win75]

I reload the Nosler 180 partition in my 357 for deer, etc.

Nosler quit making the bullet for some reason. It is a great bullet but expensive.

 

[zorba]

I have used 140 gr. JHP and 158 JSP with conventional cup and core construction fired from a 4" barrel model 19 on mule deer bucks at ranges of about 50 yd. Both were one shot kills with the buck running less than 25 yd. when hit. I now consider the .357 magnum (from a 4" barrel) inadequate for mule deer at any range greater than 50 yd.

I generally prefer 158 gr. JSP to any JHP or hardcast on game larger than a coyote. When fired from a 4" barrel, a typical JSP will be traveling too slowly at impact to get much expansion. The expansion I have seen has been minimal with little or no mushrooming (expanded diameter from .40 to .45) This is near perfect performance IMO, since greater expansion would probably limit penetration. These minimally expanded JSP often penetrate nearly as well as hard cast, but I have no doubt that a properly designed hard cast will penetrate deeper than any expanding bullet.

Speer advises in their most recent manual that Speer JSP require an impact velocity greater than 1300 fps to achieve optimal mushroom type expansion. They recommend JSP over JHP in carbines for greater penetration.

Hornady XTP bullets are HP, but they usually hold together and penetrate as well as JSP produced by some other companies.

I consider a .357 with 4" barrel inadequate or barely adequate for black bear except in an emergency. Yes, I know that it has killed many black bear over the years, it's all about shot placement, a .22 LR will kill with proper shot placement, etc., etc. But there are many better choices which will give you a greater margin of safety.

 

[K1500]

It seems a 158gr SJSP like the Federal AE load would work well. It should penetrate deeper than a JHP and still give some expansion.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Since this is the ammo section and not the reloading section I'm going to guess you don't reload so here are a few good choices for factory. (IMO of course)

Grizzly Ammo My first choice!

Double Tap

Federal Ammo

Buffalo Bore

I'm sure there are others but the above are a good mix of choices and all considered quality ammo.
(I like Grizzly Ammo and Cast Performance bullets best!)

 

[gkitch]

Rim Rock

I recently bought some very nice gas-checks from Rim Rock Bullets out of Montana. Truly a premium product.