.357 Ammo

[simon1]

What do you use in your .357? Hunting, defense, target shooting, etc.

I'm no help on hunting loads as I don't use the Three Five Seven for hunting...if I'm doing handgun hunting for the bigger stuff I use the old Ruger 3 screw .41 Mag. with 220 grain SWC bullets.

If I'm going after the smaller stuff, which is more often, I use the old Colt New Frontier .22 with round nose bullets so as not to tear up much meat. I've bowled over more than one running rabbit with that thing.

The Smith .357 is used as a defense/house/carry gun loaded with Buffalo Bore 158 gr. LSWC-HC GC .38 Special +P for the lower recoil than the full-house .357 rounds. They have a very good track record.

For target shooting I use the .38 Special 148 gr. WC ammo or low velocity 158 gr. SWC.

What's in your wallet?

 

[nortac]

For anti-personnel use, I've always carried the 125 gr. .357 mag load as a duty round and a CCW round. Old data suggests a 97 % one round stop for a center of mass hit. That being said, my semi retired 4 in. S&W 686 is loaded with 158 gr Federal Nyclad .38 spl loads in deference to SWMBO's potential use. I still carry 125 gr.s in my S&W 66 for occasional CCW carry. If I were to hunt with a .357, I'd use at least a 158 gr. load. But I'd be more likely to hunt with a .41, .44 or .45 cal pistol.

 

[OkieStubble]

I'll probably never hunt with a handgun, but do keep Gold Dot 135 gr. +P in .38 SPC and 110 gr. .357 Winchester Silvertip for defense. I do have some .357 158 gr. SWC's I could carry in the woods or use maybe for taking deer?

 

[bberg100]

Only a couple 357 loads make legal hunting power in Colorado. I prefer a 41 myself, a 480 Ruger if I am intentionally handgun hunting. Range in the 357 can be anywhere between very low powder wadcutters to full house 158 jacketed stuff, carry is 158 XTP, usually a factory load just in case I run into that one DA who wants to make a name for himself and my "deadlier" than normal reloads.

 

[Acmemfg]

Hornady Critical Duty in the Ruger GP 100. Gold Dot in the S&W 640. Never use reloads or anything even semi-“exotic” in a sidearm used for defensive purposes

 

[Ad Astra]

Like many, I carry .357 rounds - Gold Dot or whatever - and shoot .38 reloads.

I really should run a box or two of full-house magnum rounds through, at least once in a while. Sure I have some from the 1980s.

Odd that I don't mind dragon/over-the-top .45 Colt loads, but think .357 "blasty."


AA

 

[jar_]

I only have two remaining 357s, my Highway Patrolman that was actually a 1967 California purchase (long story involving a murderer escaping and threatening to kill the judge, jury, attorneys and staff that included my wife at the time) and a J.P. Sauer Single Action based on the Colt SA.

Range ammo is usually what's on sale 38 special and neither gets carried much any more.

 

[ColtRevolver]

Nothing but handlooads for all uses here. No way I could afford to shoot factory ammo. I usually shoot 12k+ of centerfire handgun ammo yearly.

 

[MarkM10431]

I'm in the hunt for a handgun that will stop wild hogs and maybe a smaller black bear. where I do astonomy we hear them occasionally. I was originally thinking a Sig Sauer p220 chambered in 10mm, but I have recently been rethinking maybe a .357 or .41 mag. I'll have to get to a range that has them for rent to see how much recoil they have and if I would enjoy firing them

 

[machinisttx]

The .357 has been used on game up to the size of big bears. I wouldn't consider it good for that use, but it will work. The .41 mag is pretty much a reloader's gun...not much selection in ammo and as far as I'm aware, it's all full power stuff. The same can almost be said of the .44 mag, but at least you also have the option there for using .44 specials(very pleasant to shoot, btw). Don't forget the .45 Colt either, though typical off the shelf ammo is loaded down to weenie levels to keep people from blowing up antique blackpower era Cults. Ruger is the way to go if you choose .45 Colt.

If you reload, buy whatever you want. A 240-250 grain hard cast semiwadcutter at 1000-1100 fps is very capable for your uses, and pretty pleasant to shoot. If you don't reload, I would suggest sticking to the .44 mag simply because of ammo selection.

 

[Acmemfg]

10mm and .44 magnum are pretty much the go to handgun rounds for dangerous game up here. Until very recently, 10mm was mostly an auto pistol round; Ruger changed that. Because of readily accessible ammunition (I don’t reload) and its proven track record, I rely on a S&W Model 629...44 magnum.
Here’s the rig I carry when wandering around the hills:
S&W 629/Milt Sparks PMG holster
Ammunition varies
Randall “Sgt. Model”...also varies

 

[Ad Astra]

I'm in the hunt for a handgun that will stop wild hogs and maybe a smaller black bear ... where I do astonomy we hear them occasionally ...

As a fellow astronomer, this thought gives me serious heebie-jeebies.

There you are, enjoying views of the Orion Nebula or any of the Messier objects, when, in the total pitch-blackness, another "astronomer" comes over ... "to see what he could see."

The Bear Went Over The Mountain Lyrics - Kid Song Lyrics - KidSongs.com - Kidsongs

"NO YOU CAN'T USE THE DOBSONIAN! GET AWAY! SCAT!"

"Where is the 45mm Plossl eyepiece?"

"The bear ate it."


AA

 

[jar_]

Forgot about the model 19 as well, but still shoot 38 special mostly.

 

[OkieStubble]

As a fellow astronomer, this thought gives me serious heebie-jeebies.

There you are, enjoying views of the Orion Nebula or any of the Messier objects, when, in the total pitch-blackness, another "astronomer" comes over ... "to see what he could see."

The Bear Went Over The Mountain Lyrics - Kid Song Lyrics - KidSongs.com - Kidsongs

"NO YOU CAN'T USE THE DOBSONIAN! GET AWAY! SCAT!"

"Where is the 45mm Plossl eyepiece?"

"The bear ate it."


AA

Lol'd.

 

[noelekal]

It's handloads here and 158 grain bullets rather than lighter ones. Generally fueled by 2400 whether cast or jacketed. I do have some Remington 158 grain ammunition on hand. In my retirement I do overnight gun show security for some promoter friends of mine and it was the Remington that was loaded up for the San Angelo show back in July.





A Sierra 158 grain JHP under enough 2400 to give a muzzle velocity of 1406 fps took this Texas whitetail doe a couple years back, fired from a six-inch Smith & Wesson Model 27. The bullet whacked her on the point of the right shoulder, passed through the heart, exiting a few inches behind the left shoulder. Dropped her where she stood.

 

[Ad Astra]

It's hard to think about hunting when it's 97 degrees out and thunderstorming - with 6,000% humidity - but that photo above is making me want deer chili ...


AA

 

[ex-bugonaut]

As a fellow astronomer, this thought gives me serious heebie-jeebies.

There you are, enjoying views of the Orion Nebula or any of the Messier objects, when, in the total pitch-blackness, another "astronomer" comes over ... "to see what he could see."

The Bear Went Over The Mountain Lyrics - Kid Song Lyrics - KidSongs.com - Kidsongs

"NO YOU CAN'T USE THE DOBSONIAN! GET AWAY! SCAT!"

"Where is the 45mm Plossl eyepiece?"

"The bear ate it."


AA

A bunch of us were doing camping/astronomy on the Peace River in Florida when late at night we heard numerous low-pitched grunts from obviously good-sized animals nearby and approaching quickly . We ran lickety-split into our tents, and it turned out it was a herd of wild hogs. Maybe they were just curious, but were pretty scary when they come at you at night!

 

[Ad Astra]

A bunch of us were doing camping/astronomy on the Peace River in Florida when late at night we heard numerous low-pitched grunts from obviously good-sized animals nearby and approaching quickly . We ran lickety-split into our tents, and it turned out it was a herd of wild hogs. Maybe they were just curious, but were pretty scary when they come at you at night!

Yes! (this is what I'm talkin' about!) No! (this is a nightmare/bad vibe!)

Camping alone once at night, I recall hearing someone walking through the woods ... shuffling their feet, thrashing the leaves, making all the noise in the world. Coming right up to my campsite.

Fingers tight on whatever weapon I had, there suddenly bursts into the campsite clearing ... in the light of the fire ... a big, stupid armadillo.

A bear, while peacefully stargazing, would be worse. Less noise. I've already had one creep up on me in daylight.


AA

 

[simon1]

I'm in the hunt for a handgun that will stop wild hogs and maybe a smaller black bear. where I do astonomy we hear them occasionally. I was originally thinking a Sig Sauer p220 chambered in 10mm, but I have recently been rethinking maybe a .357 or .41 mag. I'll have to get to a range that has them for rent to see how much recoil they have and if I would enjoy firing them

As for hogs and maybe a small black bear...I'd go for the .41 mag. at the least. But I have no experience with black bears. Like has been said, the .44 mag has better ammo selection and the last .41 rounds I got I ordered online. I reload but haven't in awhile. I ordered the HSM Bear loads and looked at the box again yesterday...they are 230 grain instead of 220. I got those specifically for hogs when they were tearing up the ground around my pond a couple of years ago. Their website says 1233 fps. for them, but that's the claim and doesn't say what barrel length. I never got a .44 as I didn't see the point since I've had the .41 for decades that I bought used in '73-'74. Serial number puts it made in 1969.

Bear Load | HSM Ammunition

A 10mm should work just fine on hogs or a small black bear, but you're not going to get the raw power out of a semi-auto that you will out of a magnum revolver. Buffalo Bore puts out some pretty hot stuff. Just depends on what you want.

HEAVY 10MM OUTDOORSMAN

Heavy .41 Magnum Pistol & Handgun Ammunition

Heavy 44 Magnum Pistol & Handgun Ammunition

Heavy .44 Magnum +P+ Pistol & Handgun Ammunition

 

[noelekal]

The 10mm is a horse for an auto pistol round, but the .41 Magnum is a distinct and powerful step above it.

Both Buffalo Bore and Underwood 10mm loads have been tested over the chronograph here and they're all that they are cracked up to be. Still pales to the great .41 Magnum though.

I agree with you Mike. The .41 Magnum is the one that shines.

Both the .41 Magnum and .44 Magnum live here. I've had way more experience for many more years with the .44 Magnum and yeah, it's top dog, but the .41 Magnum is my favorite of the straight-walled Magnum revolver cartridges.