Just wondering if anyone could tell me what brand and grain bullet to try based on what has worked best on deer for you ?

There are a few to choose from: Barnes 140 gr XPB - like to be pushed fast, Hornady XTPs 158 and 180s ( prefer the 180 ); Remington bulk 158 JSP ( soft point ) and 180 JHP ( cheap and work great! ), WW 158 JHP bulk, see Rem note. I
like the Barnes or the 180s. The cast choice, I would stick with the wide meplat ( LBT WFN ) in the 180 range.

Doc

I saw some Nosler 180gr Partitions on a website the other day but I can't remember which one but it would be worth your while to look. I've only killed one deer with with the 357 and that was using Winchester factory Partition Gold ammo with the same bullet. It was a large barren mule deer doe probably close to 200lbs. I have used the Nosler Handgun Sporting bullets to kill one deer with a short barreled 44 special. I've shot two mule deer with hardcast, one was to put a wounded animal down, I couldn't get very close because he was thrashing and I hit him with a 335 CP out of a 45LC in the lungs and he didn't even know he'd been hit. The second shot I put through the neck and broke the spine. The second mule deer I hit with a .458 cal 440gr CP running 1650fps out of a 7.5" BFR, the only thing I can figure is I didn't calculate for the shorter range (35 yds) and I hit the non vital area between the spine and vitals. We circled for five hours out to about a mile and never found any blood or sign of him, that cured me of hardcast. As long as the shot breaks bone or hits the vitals your in trouble and even then the hydraulic shock from a premium expanding bullet will do much better especially in a small diameter caliber on light game. A deer isn't heavy enough to justify needing a super penetrating bullet.

Not trying to be argumentative, Rod, but what did you expect from a non-vital hit? An expanding bullet in a non-vital area is equally unimpressive.

There is absolutely no replacement for placement, irrespective of the caliber and type of bullet (as long as it can reach the vitals).

Swift is selling their A-frame partition in 158gr and 180gr for .357....

I've never hunted deer with the 357 Mag, but I use the Hornady 158 and 180 XTP's in my 357 Max with great results.

Personally I like a wide meplat hard cast, something with a meplat near .300". Trust me that me will leave a mark for sure and for certain

I guess you could mean factory loads.?

Just "over the counter" Win/Rem/etc., 158gr JHP's and JSP's do an amazing job.

I'd recommend you stay away from the light 125grs. Ive seen them used with success, but I prefer the 158s.

I've never tried anything above 158gr personally, never needed the extra mass.

For handloads Ive used 158gr JHP and JSP's from Speer, Sierra, Nosler.
All are excellent.

My first deer with a handgun was with a .357mag, using some old S&W 158gr JSP's my uncle gave me from the 70s.
That experience started me off into handgun hunting full force.
I don't carry it as often as I should, but I do take it out
some.

A great way to get an idea of how cool this site is, is no one has told you yet how undergunned you are with a .357mag.

It's nice being among actual hunters.

Good hunting.

It depends on the bullet and load. I've seen vitals missed by the actual bullet but turned to jellow from the hydraulic shock wave caused by an expanding bullet opening and depositing it's energy whereas a non expanding solid of any type takes the majority of energy out the opposite side of the animal when it passes through. That's why they say the perfect load is the one leaving the bullet just under the hide on the opposite side because then you have deposited all of the energy in the animal. The expanding bullet is slowing down many times faster than a solid therefore creating a larger shock wave which destroys innerds. I agree with you on shot placement and that's great in a perfect world but things don't always work out the way we'd like and anyone who says they've never pulled a shot on an animal either hasn't been hunting long or is lying. Like I've said before I load some hardcast in my larger calibers even though I hunt with jacketed 99% of the time but the 357 doesn't have the diameter I'd like with a non expanding bullet. If the gun were being used as a back up weapon for bear then I'd load it with hardcast to allow penetration from awkward angles. I do have one box of 357's loaded with the CP 187's just in case but now I just sold my last 357 to a customer to convert to 480ruger. I do plan on getting some .429 CP 255's and .452 265's but I have a special purpose for them. The 44's are for my wifes 44 Spcl she carries as a back up and the 45's are for my Walker with the conversion cylinder because your not supposed to shoot jacketed bullets out of because of the potential for increased pressure. I just figure deer aren't that heavy skinned or boned so the penetration from the hardcast isn't needed when a premium jacket bullet will do the job and argueably better in this instance. But as I've said to each their own, I'll never convert you cast guys to jacketed and you'll never convert me to strictly cast, I figure each has their place.

I have seen a lot of game taken with wide meplat hard cast bullet as well as jacketed and the wound channel with a wide meplat hard cast is not lacking in the least

So called "energy" dump is exactly what? Notice that "energy is not conserved




The wound channel is created by the 1- "amount of "direct applied force" which is a function of frontal ares. 2- the "amount of hydraulic pressure" which is a function of velocity. Also there is no secondary wound until at least a minimum of 2000 FPS velocity but not always at 2000 FPS
3- the amount of penetration.

Simply because a bullet is jacketed does not guarantee expansion as this 158 grain Gold Dot illustrates

I use the older Sierra 140 hollowcavities out of my 6 1/2 " Blackhawk.I used a factory 180 gr. hollowpoint on a 200 lbs. buck which took him down in 30 yards.I'd say any of the 158 h.p. or s.p. on up should do the trick

I like the 158 XTP and the 158 Gold Dot for deer

Hogs I would go with a 170 Spper FP or a 180 LBTGC

What you shootin it out of??

I've taken a lot of .357 deer. The best performer has been the Sierra 158 gr. JHC over 16.2 gr. WW296. I've dropped several good size bucks in their tracks and others have run less than 30 yards, very rare for a .357. The XTP and Gold Dot are a little hard and don't expand as much as the Sierra, therefore less shock effect.

Had a conversation with Hal Swigget about this caliber many moons ago and I found his advice to work like a charm." broad side shots and 50 yards or less and it is an amazing caliber,and eventually you'll want a bigger caliber" funny how right he was.

I didn't reload at the time but bought any 158gr ammo and went hunting.When the 180gr nosler came about it improved the results a little more.

The reality is, no matter what caliber ,a lot of us woods hunters shoot at 50 yards or less,and again its proper placement with any caliber that does the trick.Hal was not a proponent of the .357 mag and thats fine but there are a lot of hunters who love it,myself included.

Well, no .357 Mag is going to "jello" the insides of a deer on a nonvital area hit. It just doesn't happen, exactly the same as energy "dump" does not happen. Use a heavy enough bullet and inside of 50 yards deer can be taken easily with the proper shot placement with a .36 caliber bullet. If you access to someone who casts, the Lyman 358429 is an excellent bullet. If you do not, Federal cast cores work very well as the LBT still bullets have a good meplat. The 158 grain loads work also, but stay away from the JHPs, you wnat penetration over expansion.

if you like pencil holes and long tracking jobs unless you spine it.

no I can't let it go like that because that is the type of crap I'm tired of. I think doc knows about the shock value of the bullets he recommended but if I were going to use a hardcast in small bore I would want to hit a major bone mass or the spine otherwise it may be a longer tracking job.

You really need to let it go, because you ignorance is showing terribly. You are talking all over the board, comparing apples to cinder blocks and sound just someone who has gotten all your information from a gun rag or internet. You do not give me the impression you have much experience shooting game.

Your crap wears thin because it is exactly what I grow tired of from people who don't seem to have a clue.

Damage from a wide meplat hard cast




More damage from a wide point hard cast





NO LONG TRACKING, they went no where

This discussion has been pretty decent and even a little lively but when the name calling (does it make you feel better??) starts it is time to end.