I bought a Henry big boy x in 357 mag with the idea of it being a closer range/woods gun. I'm looking for some of yall to share thru experience what ammo, whether it be factory or hand loads, that has been good on Georgia deer.
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357 lever gun hunting round
- Thread starter bsanders
- Start date
158gr hornady XTP
You will want to shoot a variety of ammo to get an idea of what weight bullet shoots best.
I prefer the lighter bullets with a maximum charge of powder. They shoot flatter and most of my shooting is at the range. So, there is no brush to shoot though. I do not think the 357 is going to be a good choice for shooting through brush, and, with this in mind, I circle back to the lighter flatter shooting bullets for the woods or the range. If you are going to try deer or pig hunting with the 357, the heavier bullets will probably work better.
I use a 125 grain Jacketed Hollow Point, with Winchester 296 powder, that I load myself. Without overloading-going beyond recommended load data, its velocity is over 2200 fps when fired from a 16 inch Marlin/Ruger. The energy level exceeds most heavier bullets.
Personally, I know the 357 can work for deer, but I would use a more powerful cartridge—just for my own confidence in a fast kill.
I prefer the lighter bullets with a maximum charge of powder. They shoot flatter and most of my shooting is at the range. So, there is no brush to shoot though. I do not think the 357 is going to be a good choice for shooting through brush, and, with this in mind, I circle back to the lighter flatter shooting bullets for the woods or the range. If you are going to try deer or pig hunting with the 357, the heavier bullets will probably work better.
I use a 125 grain Jacketed Hollow Point, with Winchester 296 powder, that I load myself. Without overloading-going beyond recommended load data, its velocity is over 2200 fps when fired from a 16 inch Marlin/Ruger. The energy level exceeds most heavier bullets.
Personally, I know the 357 can work for deer, but I would use a more powerful cartridge—just for my own confidence in a fast kill.
^^ This is almost exactly what a 7.62x39 round runs at. I hunt with the 7.62x39 SST rated at 2350 fps and have killed a bunch of deer with it. Shot placement is always more important that power levels. People using 300BO subsonic rounds prove that every season.
Who actually purposely "shoots through brush" anyway? In my training and experience, that's an irresponsible shot to take anyway. You're shooting at a deer, not gooks.
What I was referring to as “brush” is the surrounding environment in which a small limb might unexpectedly blow into the path of a bullet. I was not trying to say that anyone would intentionally shoot through debris to hit a deer.
If you’re shooting with iron sights, you can’t always see the small things as you focus on the target.
If you’re shooting with iron sights, you can’t always see the small things as you focus on the target.
357 isn't my first choice on deer. Almost every deer I ever shot with a 357, I had to shoot a second time. OK, that being said. If you use 125gr, use the flat point bullet. Otherwise it won't be wide enough to use the rifling in the barrel. In other words, not accurate at all. The 125 or 158gr flat points are probably the best. Forget about 180gr. You'll get better velocity and performance out of the 125 or 158. Use a max load, factory or reload. I always use a jacketed bullet. To me, 357 is rather limited. Especially with large game, but it's still a great cartridge.
158gr Gold dot +p's get the job done for me.
Or if you can find any, the old Lawman 357mag rounds are excellent on deer also.
Or if you can find any, the old Lawman 357mag rounds are excellent on deer also.
