dhains1963
Single-Sixer
I have an sp101 357mag and saw a 357mag rifle at my local gun shop. Can anyone attest to their effectiveness. What type of ammo for hunting deer, grain weight, effective range.
Thanks
Thanks
357 magnum rifle
- Thread starter dhains1963
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Hopefully someone with a bunch of "real world" experience will jump in, but the impression I've always had from previous discussions is heavier bullets (158gr to 180gr) are better, use soft points rather than hollow points, and best results are at 100-150 yards or less. Maybe someone else can also comment on the Hornady 140gr LEVERevolution polymer-tipped ammo (if still available), which might shoot flatter & possibly extend the effective range.
I have a Winchester Trapper in .357 Magnum which is a great combination with either my Blackhawks or Police Service Six. The 158gr JSP works well in it and you can use .38 Special of course. I also have a PC Carbine in 9mm if I want to carry the 9mm cylinder in the convertible Blackhawk
OP
dhains1963
Single-Sixer
So the American eagle 158-grain jsp would be a good whitetail round? I take it this would also be a good coyote gun too?
As Leper said, due to the large increase in velocity(energy) due to the longer barrel you need to choose ammo carefully. Some hollowpoints will open too soon and come apart before suitable penetration is reached. I’m going through this myself with my recently acquired Deer Stalker 44.
There should be some quality hollow points that will stay together to get the job done or just stick with good soft points as mentioned.
There should be some quality hollow points that will stay together to get the job done or just stick with good soft points as mentioned.
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I am sure that it would be good for both applications with that round. Probably for wild hogs too. I am not a hunter anymore so can't tell you from practical experience. Just make sure you know how much the projectile drops and don't over extend the range.
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Which rifle? ; I have a Encore 357 20 inch, Rossi 20 inch and Henry 357.
Never hunted with them but they are fun to plink with. Any kind of Cast bullet from 125 grain to 200 grain will work.
If your using 158 grain Jacketed Hollow Points in your SP then they will work fine in most any 357 rifle.
Never hunted with them but they are fun to plink with. Any kind of Cast bullet from 125 grain to 200 grain will work.
If your using 158 grain Jacketed Hollow Points in your SP then they will work fine in most any 357 rifle.
57springer
Buckeye
I have been told 158 gn as well , and compare it to a 30-30 on the effectiveness.
As mentioned earlier, Hornady 140gr LEVERevolution is a good option out of a rifle. These are specifically designed for use in tube feed lever guns. I used a Ruger 77/357 bolt gun on a trip to Ohio and took 2 doe with broadside lung shots. The range was less than 50 yards but they both dropped within sight. The next day I took a very large 8 point with a quartering toward me shot through the front shoulder. Again the range was short but the bullets performed better than I would have expected.
One thing I learned while shooting my Winchester Trapper was NOT to use plain lead or even my own hard cast bullets. The leading was so severe after just a few rounds, that it took forever to clean all the lead from the bore.
My granddaughter and I have taken wtd with my Marlin 357. I cast so I use a 190 gr FNGC ( RanchDog) and the Lee 125 RF. Accuracy with both is great and both used to take wtd. The heavier boolits uses H110, the 125, Unique. I have not taken a wtd with a 357 handgun. Like the 45 Colt, the 357 is awesome in a long gun.
I have a Marlin 1894 Pre-Safety in 357 Mag
I have shot one deer with it 127lbs dressed
Punched her through the lungs at 75 Yards and she ran about 70 yards and piled up.
While effective I would not take it past 100 yards. And if you will be using 158gr XTP Make sure you buy the Flat Point XTP they are made for rifle velocity the standard XTP blew up on that deer. Definitely use 158-180gr bullets.
I have shot one deer with it 127lbs dressed
Punched her through the lungs at 75 Yards and she ran about 70 yards and piled up.
While effective I would not take it past 100 yards. And if you will be using 158gr XTP Make sure you buy the Flat Point XTP they are made for rifle velocity the standard XTP blew up on that deer. Definitely use 158-180gr bullets.
Hi how much penetration did you get with that bullet I have been thinking about using my m77 357 for deer here in new england
Gramps
Gramps
David Lee Valdina
Single-Sixer
I too have killed deer with the .357 out of a rifle. I can't say with certainty what bullet was used, but I would always opt for heavier and tougher bullets, even at the trade off of less expansion. Bullets need to get in to the heart to kill quickly. I had a good friend who would often use a .257 Roberts for deer and many use a .243. Those bullets may expand to the same diameter that the .357 starts out as, so I was always comfortable with what I was using. And a large diameter flat nose bullet can make for a good blood trail to follow.
mrs50sls56
Single-Sixer
You should stick with only jacketed bullets, in the deerstalker, as the gas port could become clogged with lead.
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I've taken two deer with my Henry single shot. Both down in forty yards from a pass through lung shot. I'm using the Hornady 140grain Leverevolution rounds. Cabela's just got a shipment in.
So that shot was around 80 yards if I recall correctly. I was using .08 grains over Hodgens listed max (this is the load Buffalo Bore uses, I duplicated it). The projectile passed through the left front shoulder transected the entire deer and was stuck in the hide just above the right hip bone. The buck acted drunk after the shot, he stumbled around for about 4 or 5 seconds and dropped, never moved again. This was from a 24" barrel btw using a trijicon rmr.
BuckRimfire
Single-Sixer
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Are you handloading or buying commercial ammo?
It used to be that Lil'Gun powder gave the highest velocity of pretty much anything (no guarantees of it being best accuracy, though). There are stories of it being too hot in revolvers but OK in rifles. I've used it sparingly and got some ammo that felt quite spicy; can't remember if I chronoed any of it. Not sure if the newest powders (Alliant MP300, Accurate 11FS) might have equaled Lil'Gun. Of course, if you're not greedy for that last 75 or whatever fps, good ol' H110 should do fine.
Look up the twist rate of the rifle you are interested in before you buy too many bullets. My Rossi 92 is too slow-twist to stabilize the longest bullets (200 grain+). It's fine with 158 grain. I can't actually remember how it does with 180s. I'm almost certain it fed and fired the true Keith SWC (mold 357429) bullet OK, which is usually said to be 173 grains, but I can't find any notes to confirm it. I know it fed fine with Xtreme plated SWCs, but those are very short-nosed, so that proves nothing. Sorry not to have more specifics, but I'm not a big rifle shooter. Also, my Rossi has a Skinner aperture rear sight installed by the previous owner, which is nice except that it needs to be paired with a taller front sight. All bullets heavier than 125 grain shoot too high with this sight combination. I've been procrastinating for years about getting a new front sight. I've run small amounts of heavier ammo through it, but I have to aim at the lower edge of the bullseye.
Only shooting paper, so I can't say much about hunting other than that a DuckDuckGo search for ".357 rifle deer hunt" turns up a lot of positive articles and I didn't see a bunch of things saying "that's crazy." Certainly not something I'd try at over about 75-100 yards with irons or maybe 150 with a scope. Those chubby bullets are going to slow down pretty fast as they get out there farther.
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I own a Henry X model .357/38 and I like it. To me felt recoil was minimal even with .357 round. It makares me crave a revolver in .357 like yours to complement it. I know this cartridge can handle deer up to 100 yards. the rounds I fired through it were not too hot 158gr flat nosed range ammo. A Henry all weather in .357 would be a candidate for a real hunting rifle. ammo much less expensive than 30-30
CHEVYINLINE6
Blackhawk
mixup98 on YouTube did a review today on a Rossi R92 in 357 magnum. Sounds like a great rifle. Shoots 38 special also and has the large loop lever.
CHEVYINLINE6.
CHEVYINLINE6.
Every rossi rifle I have handled needed internal modifications to function properly. A couple of them looked like they had been machined by a drunk with epilepsy. Lots of chatter marks on the bolts, huge scrapes and scratches on the internals. One required a completely new bolt to be sourced, got it from Nate "Kiowa" Jones. He also instructed me, over the phone, on how to fix all the messy bits
I traded into a brand new Rossi M92 .357 a few years back; my gunsmith (who was into cowboy action shooting) had suggested that I look for an older Rossi without the safety, but a new one became available first. I love it; I had always been a Marlin guy (.357, .44, & .35 Rem), but the Rossi action is fast & smooth as silk in comparison! No reliability issues at all, and it shoots my 110 gr .38 Special +P reloads into one ragged hole. It may not be as nice inside as a Winchester or Browning Model 92 (I have not had it completely disassembled), but it didn't have a Winchester price tag, either!
As always, IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc., etc.
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CHEVYINLINE6
Blackhawk
About 15 years ago I bought a Rossi model 518 revolver in 22 rimfire. It did not shoot well and was spitting lead between the front of the cylinder and the rear of the barrel. After looking it over very carefully I discovered it had no forcing cone. From the time I bought it Interarms had went out of business and the new importer would not fix the problem. I got on my computer and bought the proper tool from Brownells to cut a forcing cone in the rear of the barrel. It's a good shooter now.
CHEVYINLINE6.
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Arizonagunsmith
Single-Sixer
I have a Ruger M77/357, a Winchester 1873 and a Marlin 1894 all in 357 mag. Nice handy cartridge in a rifle.
Once in a while, things will sneak past quality control - even in American factories. Back in the late 1970s, a family friend who was a deputy sheriff purchased a brand new S&W Model 19 for personal use (through an LEO discount program, IIRC). After he got it home, he discovered there was no rifling in the barrel. I don't recall if Smith replaced just the barrel, or the entire firearm, but they made the situation right. More recently, my newest 10/22 slipped out of the factory with the barrel canted so far to the left, that Ruger ended up having to replace the receiver. I don't need their help very often, but I really do appreciate Ruger's great customer service folks!
As always, FWIW, YMMV, IMHO, etc., etc.
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