Best general field/hunting ammo for New Vaquero .357 Mag

[coloradofarmboy]

If you were going to give advice to a new comer (who doesn't do his/her own reloading), what brand and type of factory ammo have you found give the best groups and performance for a stock New Vaquero .357 Mag for field and hunting applications?

 

[Hombre]

Howdy Farmboy
I have not shot factory ammo in my .357's in years, too danged expensive. I started reloading 38 Spec. and .357 in the early 1980's and even back then it was about $12.00 abox of fifty. I prefer 158 grn. jacketed in my .357's and 148 grn. HBWC in .38 Spec's. Good luck on finding any factory loads, cuz there ain't any around here.....anything you can find I would glom onto. I just would not shoot gun show reloads, and stick with the major brands.........Hombre

 

[coloradofarmboy]

. I prefer 158 grn. jacketed in my .357's and 148 grn. HBWC in .38 Spec's. Good luck on finding any factory loads, cuz there ain't any around here.....anything you can find I would glom onto. I just would not shoot gun show reloads, and stick with the major brands.........Hombre

Thanks for the advice. For the same reasons, I am out of touch with factory loads as well. Apparently Ruger uses 158gr Federals in the factory at 15 yards, so that's as good of any place to start I guess.

 

[wwb]

If you're gonna use it on feral pigs or deer, you want some hot loaded 180 grain bullets..... Cor-Bon or Buffalo Bore come to mind. Otherwise, 125 or 158 grain bullets in milder loads will do just fine.

Take up reloading.... you'll enjoy it, you'll be able to hand-tailor your loads to the task at hand, and you'll shoot more for the same $$$$ (after the equipment is paid for, of course).

 

[Hombre]

Ditto on what wwb said
I like to handload, and it can be quite safe to do it. I bought a Spear reloading manual in 1980, and learned by reading it. I still use that book even today, although it is outdated. Like I said in my previous post, I'm a tight A$$. If I need a new load for something, I'll go to a retail sporting goods store like Gander (don't like em) and look at the reloading manual for the bullet I am interested in, and write down the loading data. Then I put the manual neatly back on the shelf and walk out the door!

 

[coloradofarmboy]

If you're gonna use it on feral pigs or deer, you want some hot loaded 180 grain bullets..... Cor-Bon or Buffalo Bore come to mind. Otherwise, 125 or 158 grain bullets in milder loads will do just fine.

Take up reloading.... you'll enjoy it, you'll be able to hand-tailor your loads to the task at hand, and you'll shoot more for the same $$$$ (after the equipment is paid for, of course).

I agree on the hunting recommendations.

I'll try to get him to take up reloading as well, but was trying to get him on his way with a few boxes of factory loads for the .357

 

[batmann]

For what you are looking for I would try either Double Tap or Buffalo Bore. Their loads range from 125 gr SD to Double Tap's 200 gr solid.
Both are great to deal with and Double Tap is a little less expensive, but for the limited kind of use you are looking at, the price won't matter.
I have used both brands and found them to pretty effective loads.

 

[AzRebel]

Good luck finding .357 ammo. Gold might be easier to find these days, but it's not worth quite as much as the ammo.

About the only thing harder to find than ammo is primers to load your own with. If a fella didn't stock up when it was available, he's pretty much done with loading for now.

Yes, I stocked up, but I'm always looking...

Daryl

 

[Hombre]

Amen on that reply AZRebel

Had to do some trading to get 1k small pistol primers. The friend of mine would not sell the primers, but he did a trade with me on a bunch of once fired Lake City brass that I had laying around!

These DEmocrats has everybody scrambling, I wonder if the supply will ever catch up like it did back in the 90's? Everything is just nutz!
Will the hoarding ever stop?
Was talking to a dealer that buys & sells.........and Powder Valley in Winfiels Ks. sold 5 million primers in a week! I give up?