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Post by hunter01 on Jan 15, 2024 17:36:19 GMT -5
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Post by bigbrowndog on Jan 15, 2024 18:05:55 GMT -5
I’ve had good success with 357max and JHPs, and those velocities can be duplicated with 357mag from a FA. Impact velocities are more important than muzzle velocites, if you keep those at 1100-1200 you should be good with most jacketed bullets. Cast bullets will depend on alloy variations and hardness, as well as whether HP, or WFN.
My 357max is one of my favorite for medium game, deer, pronghorn, pigs, etc. out beyond 100 yds.
Trapr
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Post by handgunhuntingafield on Jan 15, 2024 18:45:09 GMT -5
Well, I had all but given up on the .357 after a dismal experience with a mule deer buck a few years ago. Now, I realize after shooting some very hot 45 colt loads today that my right wrist just won’t take the punishment like it used to. I can shoot a 44spl 250gr at 1150 no problem and a 44 mag at a couple hundred more fps is tolerable, but that’s where I’m going to have to draw the line for bench shooting. Will those of you who do HUNT with the .357 be so kind as to share some of your favorite loads. I’m most interest in cast bullets and I’ve been shooting the 200gr rcbs clone in a HP MP mold out of a BFR 357 at +P+++ with no issues to my wrist but I’m worried about the tiny meplate should the HP fail to expand. My alloy is 1/2 COWW, 1/2 range scrap, and a little tin. I water drop from the mold, powder coat, and air cool. I have no clue what the BH might be and don’t really want to “experiment” on flesh. Mr Sixshot turned me on to the MP carbine mold but I haven’t ordered it yet and was hoping for other opinions as well. Id really prefer to stay with a softer alloy an no HP if satisfactory results can be had. Have a handgun hunter here running 140 cutting edge at over 1700fps. He took a big horn sheep, speed goat, and I think a mule deer with it so far with bang flop results. I believe he’s using aa9 |
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Post by hunter01 on Jan 15, 2024 20:56:14 GMT -5
I’ve had good success with 357max and JHPs, and those velocities can be duplicated with 357mag from a FA. Impact velocities are more important than muzzle velocites, if you keep those at 1100-1200 you should be good with most jacketed bullets. Cast bullets will depend on alloy variations and hardness, as well as whether HP, or WFN. My 357max is one of my favorite for medium game, deer, pronghorn, pigs, etc. out beyond 100 yds. Trapr Thanks guys. I think the BFR 357 has more steel around the cylinders than the FA but I’m not sure. I think the “353 casull” loads would be no problem if I want to sacrifice the brass. What are your favorite cast bullets for the max? I hate to tie myself down to a premium jacketed bullet that may be unobtanium at any given time. |
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Post by sixshot on Jan 16, 2024 3:24:07 GMT -5
If you are powder coating don't water quench those cast HP's, just load up some test loads with that alloy & give them a test drive, I think you will be happy with the results. They will expand at reasonable revolver distance. The accuracy part is on you.
Dick
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Post by bigbore5 on Jan 16, 2024 6:30:46 GMT -5
Favorite 357 bullets:
Accurate 36-170J
MP 359-640
MP 358429
MP 360-180 carbine
All have proven to be the most accurate with being excellent killers up to 450 pounds inside my 125yd limit. The 360-180 is best inside 75yds though.
They are all good at standard magnum velocity as well as 353 loads.
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Post by hunter01 on Jan 16, 2024 10:28:03 GMT -5
Favorite 357 bullets: Accurate 36-170J MP 359-640 MP 358429 MP 360-180 carbine All have proven to be the most accurate with being excellent killers up to 450 pounds inside my 125yd limit. The 360-180 is best inside 75yds though. They are all good at standard magnum velocity as well as 353 loads. I do have a 358429 mold I havnt tried in this gun yet. I do like the 358640 design and am interested. I know dick loves the 180 carbine but I would definitely like to be able to reach 100yds minimum and 125 would be better. A lot of what I hunt is big open country and shots on wheat fields can be as long as you like but sometimes very little cover to make them short. The 200gr rcbs is a beautiful bullet and I think it +- 1500fps it should do good work IF IF IF the HP will expand some. I guess I need to sacrifice a pig and see. |
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Post by hunter01 on Jan 16, 2024 10:31:55 GMT -5
If you are powder coating don't water quench those cast HP's, just load up some test loads with that alloy & give them a test drive, I think you will be happy with the results. They will expand at reasonable revolver distance. The accuracy part is on you. Dick Yes sir. Been air cooling after PC to keep the hardness down. Would I be better off with straight range scrap and save the WW for bigger calibers that I don’t care as much about expansion with? |
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Post by sixshot on Jan 16, 2024 13:35:12 GMT -5
Depends, some range scrap can be mostly rimfire reclaim & then it's really high in antimony making it a little on the hard side. I would experiment with both to see what kind of expansion you are getting. If you can get some of the old Ray Thompson GC style HP's you might have a better long range bullet for your 357 magnum. It's a very accurate bullet & will shoot flatter at distance. You will be able to lean on it pretty hard with good results. Miha probably has a clone but I haven't looked. My longest ever revolver kill was with an 8 3/8's S&W 357, it's a very good caliber that gets overlooked.
Dick
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Post by bradshaw on Jan 16, 2024 14:18:41 GMT -5
If you are powder coating don't water quench those cast HP's, just load up some test loads with that alloy & give them a test drive, I think you will be happy with the results. They will expand at reasonable revolver distance. The accuracy part is on you. Dick ***** hunter01.... POWDER COAT eliminates the leading caused by driving velocity of a bullet cast soft enough for plastic deformation on thin skin game, such as deer. As critters the likes of Dick Thompson and Jeff “Tank” Hoover have demonstrated for some years now, the anneal of baking the powder coat bullet creates its own category of performance. Bullet-types* Cast. * Jacketed----jacket forward; jacket rearward; electroplate; swaged half-jacket. * Monometal lead-free----copper, brass, zinc, etc. * Powder Coat Cast. The Bradshaw-Martin .358 cast 194 grain SWC Gas Check is designed in mind of POWDER COAT, it keeps conventional size & lube in mind. It’s worked so well, we haven’t tried the grease. For an example of cast powder coat, fired into water jugs at different velocities, see DB photos Vol. 120, in the Gallery section. David Bradshaw |
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Post by bigbore5 on Jan 16, 2024 14:28:50 GMT -5
Depends, some range scrap can be mostly rimfire reclaim & then it's really high in antimony making it a little on the hard side. I would experiment with both to see what kind of expansion you are getting. If you can get some of the old Ray Thompson GC style HP's you might have a better long range bullet for your 357 magnum. It's a very accurate bullet & will shoot flatter at distance. You will be able to lean on it pretty hard with good results. Miha probably has a clone but I haven't looked. My longest ever revolver kill was with an 8 3/8's S&W 357, it's a very good caliber that gets overlooked. Dick The Thompson design bullets are pretty good in the magnum, but leave much to be desired in the Maximum/ 353 velocity range. The longer bullets perform well on ground hogs to extreme ranges. The Thompson looses accuracy for me past 150. But I limit myself to 125yds max on deer. |
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Post by ss30378 on Jan 16, 2024 14:56:22 GMT -5
I’ve had good success with 357max and JHPs, and those velocities can be duplicated with 357mag from a FA. Impact velocities are more important than muzzle velocites, if you keep those at 1100-1200 you should be good with most jacketed bullets. Cast bullets will depend on alloy variations and hardness, as well as whether HP, or WFN. My 357max is one of my favorite for medium game, deer, pronghorn, pigs, etc. out beyond 100 yds. Trapr Thanks guys. I think the BFR 357 has more steel around the cylinders than the FA but I’m not sure. I think the “353 casull” loads would be no problem if I want to sacrifice the brass. What are your favorite cast bullets for the max? I hate to tie myself down to a premium jacketed bullet that may be unobtanium at any given time. I have a custom 6 shot 357 blackhawk bisley built by Reeder with an oversized cylinder that's about the same size as a bfr cylinder and I've shot 353 level loads since day 1 with it. Being able to load long is where the extra horsepower is. My cylinder throats were originally at .357 so I couldn't run the .358 cast bullets without sizing them down. I opened my throats to .3585 and now I can run anything I want as is. My favorite "cheap" cast bullet is the Missouri Bullet pugnose 180g WFN (powder coated version with a .280" meplat) at 1.805" OAL. With h110, I broke 1800fps from the 6.5" barrel without leading (yes over 1300lbs of energy from a 357 magnum). I scale this back to 1650fps for hunting (my most accurate load) and it has worked well on 150-200lb pigs which seems to be about the biggest I've seen in the area I hunt. Brass lasts a few loadings at 1650fps but is a one and done at 1800fps. I've also run a re-cannelured 140g XPB Barnes at 1.800" to just under 2000fps and I had great accuracy but I've yet to whack anything with it but I would imagine on deer coyotes or the like it will do very well. That BFR will give you excellent results once you figure out what it likes. |
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Post by northerngos on Jan 16, 2024 19:04:45 GMT -5
Well, I had all but given up on the .357 after a dismal experience with a mule deer buck a few years ago. Now, I realize after shooting some very hot 45 colt loads today that my right wrist just won’t take the punishment like it used to. I can shoot a 44spl 250gr at 1150 no problem and a 44 mag at a couple hundred more fps is tolerable, but that’s where I’m going to have to draw the line for bench shooting. Will those of you who do HUNT with the .357 be so kind as to share some of your favorite loads. I’m most interest in cast bullets and I’ve been shooting the 200gr rcbs clone in a HP MP mold out of a BFR 357 at +P+++ with no issues to my wrist but I’m worried about the tiny meplate should the HP fail to expand. My alloy is 1/2 COWW, 1/2 range scrap, and a little tin. I water drop from the mold, powder coat, and air cool. I have no clue what the BH might be and don’t really want to “experiment” on flesh. Mr Sixshot turned me on to the MP carbine mold but I haven’t ordered it yet and was hoping for other opinions as well. Id really prefer to stay with a softer alloy an no HP if satisfactory results can be had. Have a handgun hunter here running 140 cutting edge at over 1700fps. He took a big horn sheep, speed goat, and I think a mule deer with it so far with bang flop results. I believe he’s using aa9 Was he using iron sights? |
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Post by handgunhuntingafield on Jan 16, 2024 20:36:43 GMT -5
Have a handgun hunter here running 140 cutting edge at over 1700fps. He took a big horn sheep, speed goat, and I think a mule deer with it so far with bang flop results. I believe he’s using aa9 Was he using iron sights? Scope I believe. |
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Post by sixshot on Jan 17, 2024 2:28:05 GMT -5
If you are happy with your accuracy of your cast bullet load, both HP & solid then test them for expansion using milk jugs filled with fine sawdust & water, over night. Antifreeze jugs work better but are harder to come by. Remember, deer are a little deeper than they are wide, so you don't need a lot. If you're unsure then take the high shoulder shot, its final. You're going to get some expansion with that HP alloy on a deer, probably even with your powder coated solid.
Dick
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