- Running at a velocity of somewhere between 1500-1600 fps for 158 grain stuff.

- Will be used for deer and hog at ranges 50 and in.

- Or do I opt for a 180 at slower speeds?


What say you? Learn me on it ...


P

Heavy bullets=slower velocity=less damage=more penetration.
What's good for deer may not be good for hogs.
I think one bullet stands out as good for both animals- Swift A-Frames. Soft nose for good expansion, encapsulated base for good penetration.

I have some 158gr Swift I want to use on something from my model 27
S&W...one of these days

If I were hunting either with my 357s, it would be with the Swift A-Frame as well. I would probably just find a good shooting load with the 180gr for both, but you could make a case for using the 158 for deer.,

My previous reply was for a combo bullet useful for both animals. If you're going for deer only, then my #1 choice is the 158 gr. Sierra JHC. I have taken over a dozen deer with this bullet including 5 very large bodied WV bucks. No deer has run more than 30 yds. from this bullet. I believe the enlarged cavity creates more damage than other HPs, especially XTPs.
I was shocked at it's performance on the first deer I took with it. It still never ceases to amaze me.

Any thoughts on using 158 grain jacketed bullets in a Ruger 357 Maximum versus a 180 grain bullet? I may be overly concerned about barrel face erosion with the lighter bullet, but I'm leaning toward heavier bullets for that reason.

Seminole,

You need not worry about Gas cutting on the frame NOR gas cutting on the forcing cone when you load proper with the proper Powders. Go with the Swift AFrame since it will handle any deer and pretty much any hog. You BEST powder choice, is going to be 4227 either H or IMR as they are the same, and these have been interchanged by many shooters. Another choice might be AA 1680 but it may not be as accurate as the 4227.
(BTW: I do believe that Hodgdon finally went all IMR )
There have been some faster burning powders such as Enforcer, experimented with, but this is a medium burning powder, that simply does not perform as well as the slower burning powders.
Stay away from fast burning powders totally in the Max.
I do hope that you have the 10" barrel. While not being quite as wieldy as the 7 1/2" the velocity gains are quite welcome and appreciated.

In the 357 the most erosion has been with 110gr fodder.
The 357 Maximum really shines with 180gr bullets, weather cast, or expandables. For practice 18.5grs to 20grs of 4227 with a 180 SWC hard cast, makes for a fun day at the Range. Save the Swifts for Hunting.

Thanks for the good information Cherokee. I do have the 10" Ruger and look forward to hunting with it this fall. It will be loaded with an Aframe one weight or the other. Photo on Bragging Board.

When researching bullets for my TC 10" Maxi barrel, I initially wanted lighter, faster loads. I ordered a box of 140 gr. XTP slugs. This was a long time ago and the XTP was king. Further research showed that the 180 was going faster at 100 yards than the 140. So, I never even loaded the 140's. Under 50 yards I doubt it matters, but much further and the 180 shines in the 357 Max.

Already been mentioned, but I'll throw my +1 in for the A-frame as a solid choice.



Eric.

Three recommendations: A-frame, A-frame, A-frame... :-)

So far ...

#1 on Deer and Hog = 158 grain A-Frame.

#1 Deer only = Sierra 158 grain JHC.

I'm liking what Doc is saying about the Sierras... Have you done any work with the Sierra SP? I figured somebody would suggest pushing a Barnes XPB fast as well.

P

I shot a few deer many years ago with the Sierra SP. Was not impressed with damage (less than JHC) and recovered most bullets (like to see complete penetration). Never recovered a JHC from any of my deer including the large, heavy boned bucks I killed.
I've never used Xs in .357, in fact, I've never seen one. Seems like someone here said the tip of the .357 X had a very small opening. If that's the case I'd not be a fan of them. In my single shots Xs in 6.5 and lower with very small openings performed poorly with less penetration than Xs with larger openings. I also noticed that in .500 Xs with 275 gr. "large openings" causing much more damage than 325,375 gr. "small openings".
I'll stick with bigger "openings" in my revolver/auto bullets.

158gr XTP
180gr XTP

Doing well for me.

I looked into the 357 xpb and always thought the petals looked awfully thin and the cross sectional area seemed skimpy on all the expanded bullet pics I saw. I guess that might be what you need for expansion in a 357 mono bullet. I have moved on to something larger and faster for hunting.

FWIW: When I was gearing up for the TC 357 Max I bought 180 gr Barnes TTSX, XTP and some Remington JHP. I also cast some 180ish LBT WFN and some Saeco LFN (both water dropped wheel weight). My Max became a 35-30/30 so still similar. In the upper half of the load ranges, the velocity was not enough for the TTSX - in phone books it appeared like a FMJ so load was too slow. Both cast penetrated the deepest as would expect with some nose smearing. The XTP did very well and the Rem JHP was inconsistent so the 180 XTP was my choice. I'm only hunting deer so A frames not needed. I do plan to try the 158 XTP over the summer since they work well in the 357 Mag load

I shoot the 158 XTP HP's right at 1500 fps in a 6" 357 Mag, and they certainly expand quite a bit at those speeds, I think the 158 XTP FP's are rated for higher speeds. What speed are you planning on pushing your 158's?


Eric.

I don't think I get that much with 4 inch barrel, memory tells me 1250 with 180's in the 1050 range. I will have to dust off the chrony and see if it still works once I find a consistent load.

How fast can you push the 158 gr Sierra and not have it blow up? I am getting 1916 fps out of my 357 mag CVA Scout. Is that too fast for deer?

A bullet that has yet to be mentioned that may be worth giving a try is the 158gr Speer Deep Curl. It is a bonded bullet, but in the price range of the XTP?s. They shoot good in my 686 and GP100. I?ve yet to have a deer willing to be test media, but I?m sure there?s one out there somewhere. I intend to give them plenty opportunity. I?ve taken one deer with a Deep Curl in 41 mag and it performed well. It was a quarter to shot, lots of internal damage with signs of good expansion, and complete pass through at about the 70 yard range.

That was my experience with the Remington 180 JHP, and I concluded that it was just a bit too tough for the Max.

Fast is good on deer but necessitates good bullets. At those speeds I would definitely use the A-frame.

On my other thread I posted a load of 14.5 grains of 2400 under a 158 grain XTP is yielding 1513 FPS from my new MGM barrel with great accuracy.

Yesterday I picked up some 158 grain XTP-FP. Anyone have experience with the FP? I'm wondering if the same load/velocity would be acceptable with this bullet?

P