357 magnum rifle

[dhains1963]

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

 

[the_leper_colony]

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.

 

[Watertender]

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

 

[dhains1963]

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?

 

[RC44Mag]

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.

 

[Watertender]

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?

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.

 

[dannyd]

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.

 

[57springer]

I have been told 158 gn as well , and compare it to a 30-30 on the effectiveness.

 

[MikeJinVT]

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.

 

[Tenbore]

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.

 

[Wvfarrier]

I hunt primarily with a Winchester 1892 in 357 mag. My hunting round is a 158 grain XTP pushed by a full charge of Lil Gun and it reaches 2100+fps. It has taken bear, deer, coyote and an passel of groundhogs

 

[Sapo]

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.

 

[MGP]

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.

 

[Wvfarrier]

Underwood and Buffalo Bore both make excellent hunting rounds for 357

 

[Wvfarrier]

Here is a 158 grain XTP recovered from a 200# whitetail buck from a few years ago

 

[GRAMPS 51]

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

 

[David Lee Valdina]

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]

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.

You should stick with only jacketed bullets, in the deerstalker, as the gas port could become clogged with lead.

 

[Mus408]

I have a Henry 357 lever rifle. It loves the Missouri Bullets coated 180 gr. bullets with 11.6 of Alliant 2400. No leading issues and they do hit hard!
They shoot great out of my revolvers too!

 

[Achigan]

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.