Deer load

[jmeadows76]

Can anyone recommend a good factory deer load for my gp 100 357 mag, will only be using with in bow range, as i have not shot past 40 yds yet.

 

[Rumrunner]

Mine loves the Federal 180 grain cast bullet load.

 

[stevemb]

A +1 to Runrunners opinion. The gourmet loadings with pretty much the same bullet tweek another 100fps from the loading. That would buy you some range,which you don't need. So, the Federal CastCore load is a good one for you. I've bought the load for my FIL, and bought the bullet from Cast Performance, though haven't used it n game yet. I have taken deer with the .44mag version.

 

[DGW1949]

As factory ammo goes, for serious use with a .357, I'm partial to a 158 HP.....but....I've shot a number of deer using Remington's 125HP "service load", and ya know what?... the dern deer still fell dead.

Seems that I remember something being said about "shot placement"...:lol: .

DGW

 

[stevemb]

He asked about a load.

 

[5of7]

I would go with the 180 grainer on deer just in case the deer presented an angle that required a little more penetration. 8)

 

[Pal Val]

After my pal Jeff put three rounds of .357 Mag into a doe and then we had to search for a couple hours for it because it took off running, I decided not to shoot deer with a .357 mag.

Just a personal opinión, not meaning to take the wind off your sail.

 

[Three44s]

There is no doubt that the Federal 180 would present the most punch through but at the price of no expansion.

The reason that many of us like the bigger guns is that you are not hemmed in by the constraints of the .357.

An expanding bullet can kill very well out it .... but if something goes wrong, ...... not goes so well.

Placement is golden in all circumstances but with the .357 ....... it's even more golden.

I like my .480 as it's already pre-expanded before it even leaves the case.

Best regards

Three 44s

 

[DGW1949]

He asked about a load.

Yeah he did, and I responded to that with what I know for sure works.
At 40 yds and under, what exact brand he picks aint going to make nearly as much difference as where the shot is placed will make. I'm perty-sure that I mentioned something about that too. :roll:
But....if my not specifying a brand bother's ya; Winchester, Federal, Remington...they all make good .357 ammo, and have for years. If he can actualy find all three sittin' on a dealer's shelf, about all he's gotta do is close his eyes 'n point. And if not, one is still about as good as another.

DGW

 

[Corbi]

I have shot exactly 1 deer with a .357. By no means am I an expert.

I used a Hornady 158 grain XT P flat point and a max load of Lil gun. At 50 yards it whacked her hard.

Corbi

 

[Rumrunner]

There was a poster on another forum a few years back that shot many deer with the 357. He preferred a 158 grain soft point. He did use a rifle for a lot of his kills, but also a handgun. I think he used the standard Remington 158 grain load.

 

[Slenk]

.357 Mag. 180 gr. cast works for me just fine. Heart lung shots only. Take your time , do your part.

 

[gramps]

CorBon has a 200 gr load.
gramps

 

[muzzleloader]

I took 2 middle sized Michigan whitetails with my 610 and 180 grain XTPs. I know, not 357 but close enough and the deer didn't know the difference. First was hit in the heart and went 10 yards. Still have that bullet, looks like and advertisement. the buck was hit too low hitting rib/sternum and blew bone into the hear and lungs. only went about 50 yards with a good trail, I got lucky on him. just pick your shots and hit where they live. good luck