357 Magnum for Woods Walking - Out of Fashion?

[Encore64]

After adding the 7.5" FA97 357 Magnum, I'm thinking a 5.5" will eventually follow.

I've been experimenting with 180 grn Bullets in both the 38 Special and 357 Magnum Brass.

I'd probably opt for my 44 Special or my favorite FA97 45 Auto Rim. But, a FA97 in 357 Magnum could handle a lot...

[James]

Having hunted north east, north central and western PA I can agree with your 357.... many years ago I would carry a 22mag when in the PA woods...

[gsokk]

Oct 21, 2024 20:47:54 GMT -5 James said:

Having hunted north east, north central and western PA I can agree with your 357.... many years ago I would carry a 22mag when in the PA woods...

When I was a kid for years my uncle took me picking mushrooms and huckleberries and some fishing too in Luzerne and Wyoming county. I have never seen anything except small game and an occasional deer, I was told PA has 500 pound 600 and 700 pound black bear, are bears really a threat in PA, seen one on different occasions eating from the dumpsters at WB Muni and Jack Frost golf course, that’s it, and don’t think they were big at all.  Spending some time getting out in Monroe country enjoying the parks and trails so 357 seems like a good companion.

[rexgigu]

.357 Magnum suffices for anything in this part of Texas, so, until recently, a GP100 has been my general woods/field choice, since the early Nineties, when I bought my first one. The only reason for me to change is that long-stroke DA trigger pulling is now aggravating the second knuckle of each of my index fingers, causing me to suspend both live- and dry-fire training in DA mode, about six months ago. If I do not train with it, I should not carry it. I do not find the GP100 to have a hammer that is very friendly to efficient thumb-cocking. I have not yet settled on what my next favored woods-walking pistol will be, but, it seems that the differing geometry of pulling an SP101 trigger DA is less vexing to my arthritis, and, the SP101’s hammer is more thumb cock-able, for my hands. The longest barrel of any of my .357 SP101 revolvers is 3”, so, I may start looking for one with a 4” barrel, if I decide that I want to carry woods/field-capable Magnum ammo in these small revolvers. (It has been some time since I test-fired 180-grain hard-cast loads through an SP101; age has done a lot of catching-up with me, since then.)

Single action sixgun hammers have nicely-cock-able spurs, so, I have been looking at .357 Blackhawks. I have also been considering several Colt .357 DA revolvers, with hammer spurs friendlier to thumb-cocking, for my hands, than most Ruger and S&W DA revolvers.

There are several candidates for my next favored woods-walking gun, already on hand, that are chambered .45 ACP, .45 Colt, and even 9mm. These are not DA revolving pistols.

I will not be abandoning the .357 Magnum, regardless. It will remain a favored lightweight rifle/carbine cartridge, in my Browning B-92 and Ruger No. 1.

[bigbrowndog]

There are several 357’s that occasionally get carried in our family. The wife likes her sp101, and I used to carry an OM FT for pig trailing and scouting, plus a 3” SW13 is a house gun. However for 99% of my personal GP field carry I have gone to .4’s,………10mm, .41’s, 45acp/ar, 45LC. Lower crack and boom, more bullet weight (typically). In the event I really could benefit from lighter bullet weight, I tend to carry my Custom 38 Super Commander. Not that I don’t like a nice 357, it just doesn’t get much holster use.

Trapr

[needsmostuff]

One thing not mentioned that makes the 357 so versatile is how easily reloaded it is.
I don't think I have ever loaded a bad combination of powder and bullet. Anything seems to work, and work well!
Component brass and bullets are cheap. They are the small block Chevy equivalent of ammo components. Used brass is so omnipresent it is practically free.
Mild to wild. 100gr. cast pipsqueaks to 180gr (some say more) jacketed thumpers.
Convenient sized guns also.
What's not to like?

[Quick Draw McGraw]

Oct 19, 2024 10:32:36 GMT -5 needsmostuff said:

If stopping threats is the sole determining factor I guess it depends on where you live. I live in southern AZ. where the main "threat" level animals walk on two legs or slither on the ground. Most all other critters here will be very successful at avoiding any contact and you have to do stupid things and try really hard to get in a dangerous situation. And that includes the growing mountain lion population.
Snakes? If you have time take two steps and your safe. If you don't have time a gun is not gonna help you.
Bears? I would have to drive 300 miles and wear a pork chop necklace to find one.
Close to the border there are areas where well-armed smugglers are common but common sense should keep you away from there.
Nothing I've ever encountered on a walk-about requires more than a frisky 32 caliber of some sort.
Yeah, but I often carry larger things just because I can.

Not sure where you are at in southern AZ, but I currently reside in the greater Phoenix area.  I went to high school in Tucson (east coast transplant) and then went to college in Flagstaff.  I haven't encountered a ton of wildlife that put me on guard, but I have seen some animals that made me take notice.  I agree on the snakes, either you step outta the way or it's too late to do so.  I have spent a lot of time in the Santa Catalinas, Mount Lemmon specifically.  Seen black bears twice.  No danger as my distance was kept and I left the area.  I have run into javelina countless times as well as coyotes.  Again, distance is the best deterrent.  And only once, thankfully, I have encountered a mountain lion in Sabino Canyon.  He was 200 yards away walking towards me following a stream/creek.  He didn't know I was there so I changed direction and left.  I don't know if it's changed, but at the time I couldn't carry in Sabino Canyon.

I personally prefer to carry a .45 ACP or 10mm when I'm out hiking and camping, or if I am in black bear territory,  a .44 Magnum.  If the latter, I also carry a micro 9mm for any human threats.  Easy to carry and lightweight.  My brother used to carry a .357 Magnum S&W 586, but these days sticks to his Glock 19 unless he heads to bear country where he grabs his S&W 57 in .41 Magnum.  Honestly, I really think it's mostly preference on caliber, but I would prefer (save for bear country) a 9mm or .38 Special +P as a minimum.

- Side note:  My normal carry gun and home defense gun are in .45 ACP, so it's not abnormal for me to be carrying something in that caliber.

[ridenshoot]

I frequently carry a Smith and Wesson 327 TRR8 when I wander in the desert or mountains of New Mexico, Colorado or Utah.  The 327 takes 8 rounds of 357 in moon clips, has a 5 inch bbl and is built on the N frame, however, the Scandium frame makes it nice and light for carry.  I have had close encounters with all manner of mammals; bears, mountain lions, bobcats and coyotes but never felt under gunned with the 357 as long as my gun was carrying the right loads.  In all cases the animals went on their merry way, although twice there were tense moments with momma bears that probably could have gone sideways if we had been a little bit closer.  I always figured if a snake was close enough to strike me I probably didn't want to shoot a bullet into the ground that close to my person and yes, I could carry snake shot but rarely do.  I figure I could just sort of levitate 10 feet away from the snake faster than I could draw and shoot it anyway.

[bula]

Just home from 4 days at camp. I didn't go to hunt but amongst the crew there, 2 does and a nice buck were taken. So gut piles in the woods, deer hung, then butchered off near the building there were bears, real ones, not in theory as many of these discussions go. The LCR 38 goes , a fine companion for the drive, freeway rest stops and such. I still swap to the 44Spec Bulldog in the woods. I've been getting spoiled with the LCR here at home for yard work and been considering the 3" LCRX..but I remember how much I hate my friends 357's for that horrible noise. I know some tweeking of powder choices, heavier bullet choices by handloading will help, but, then Ya put a 38/357 on the table next to a 44spec/mag cartridge and my liking of multi-media loadings, and the LCRX 357 idea starts slipping away. 

[gnappi]

I guess it would depend on where you walk, south Florida doesn't really have state owned nature walks that allow firearms that I know of, and the most dangerous four legged animal might be a Florida Panther or otter. But whilst fishing well away from roads I carry either my Ruger 3 3/4" Vaquero in.45 Colt or SBH in .44 magnum.

[fv]

I think that with some on the available loads on the market such as HSMs .357 180gr FP hard "Bear loads" it's a viable ctg even in bear country. Some of the heavy Keith bullets hand loaded properly, would be also. It's a nice ctg. & In an N frame is pretty easy to shoot well.
PS: I contacted HSM & the 180gr FP has a hardness of 18BHN.

[bigbore5]

The Keith bullet, MP 359-640, and the MP 360-180 cover my 357 170-190 gr weights pretty well and I have killed a few nice black bear with them through the years. Correct shot placement and a properly designed bullet does the job every single time.

[sixshot]

bigbore5 just nailed it! Paco Kelly talks about taking several black bears over the years with his 357's & I'm sure Paco knows a thing or two about 357's. Heavy bullets help tame the noise a bit also.

Dick

[bigbore5]

Heavy bullets do more work, but there's a balance point as to bullet weight. John Linebaugh soke about this in larger calibers, but it holds true for the 357's as well.

In the 357 magnum, I have found that best on game performance is best optimized in the 1200-1300 fps range with a properly designed cast bullet in the 170-180gr range with a meplat of .25"-.30", cast at 15-18bhn if traditionally lubed. Powder coated and gc bullets can go a touch softer. If deer are the toughest animal that you may encounter, then a hollow point or soft nosed design weighing at least 158gr of a proven design intended for controlled expansion will work in the same velocity range. The htp is an example, but I usually use a Speer myself. They do well at 1275fps muzzle velocity. The 357max and 38-44 loads never see hollow points.

My preferred deer bullet is the Keith bullet, either in small hollow point from the MP mold or the solid from the Accurate 360 270J mold on Heavy Pistol powder. Either bullet version will punch through both shoulders, but the solid usually exits. The hp performs excellent through the lungs.

If I think I may run into a black bear, which isn't uncommon here, I usually have my Service Six 4" I carry around my place loaded with the MP 359-640 solid bullets (176grs). It's sighted in for that bullet at 25yds moving right at 1200fps. If I know there's a bigger bear hanging around, I pack my 45 Colt. If I'm tending to the baits, it's the 500L with BIG hollow points.

[45MAN]

bb5's "1200-1300 fps range" IS SIMILAR TO WHERE I LIKE TO BE WITH MOST OF MY "Ruger only" TYPE 45 COLT REVOLVER CAST BULLET LOADS, ESPECIALLY AT THE TOP END AS AT OVER 1,300 fps BULLET INTEGRITY STARTS BEING AN ISSUE.