Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Handloading 357Magnum/H&R Handi Rifle

I'm thinking that one of the H&R Handi Rifles, break-open single shot, in 357Mag might be a cool little whitetail rifle for short range work. Has anyone loaded rifle type pointed bullets for the 357 and shot them out of a rifle? How did they shoot? Any bullet/powder combinations that pleased you? Thanks for any input or insight.

I've killed deer with Hornady 158gr Hollow Point XTP's in front of 15.5grs of H110 fired from a 16 1/4" Marlin 1894.

Here is a bullet that was recovered against the offside hide. Shot distance was 20 feet or so.

I think the case capacity wouldn't be too good for a 225, for example. Perhaps you'd be better off rechambering to .357 Maximum for added capacity, it should work better with rifle bullets.
A buddy of mine is drooling at those possibilities, but has done nothing about it, yet.

I see that Speer makes a 180 grain spitzer/flat nose in 180 grain .358 diameter and their reloading manual, Number 9, shows data for it out of a Winchester 92 20 inch barrel, 357 magnum, with a couple of powders, H110 and Win 296, showing a velocity near 1750's. I,m guessing that the H&R could handle those loads too. If accuracy was good I think I could like that.

hornady makes the 180 single shot pistol bullet.. ought to work well enough

Thanks for the heads up. I've always had good performance out of Hornady bullets,like the one pictured by Steelhead. Much appreciated.

Dont sleep on lead either, I think the .35caliber is getting big enough that the LBT style of hardcast slugs perform well even if they "overpenetrate"

You might try these. 140 gr. hornady FTX. The 44 mag FTX are awesome on deer. I would say these would be, too.


maddog

I'd go with a good 180 gr. cast boolit, or even a 190 or 215 gr. cast boolit. If you're interested in some 190 or 215 gr. cast boolits that I used on Iowa whitetails out of my .357 Max, shoot me a PM.

Thanks for the offer and information. I don't own the rifle but was pondering on the purchase. Just trying to get some feedback and from the replies I may just pull the trigger and buy one. What kind of points are on those cast bullets? I've loaded and shot 158 grain SWC's for years out of my pistol.

I use Win 296 with the Speer 158 gr Gold Dot for all my hunting in the 357 Magnum. Great load and works well with the Bonded Core Speer Bullet