I'm looking for a good 100 yard (or less) deer load for my new Marlin .357 Mag. carbine. The rifle will be equipped with a 2.5 Leupold compact for use by my 6 and 13 year olds. I am concerned that the 158 gr. HPs I use in my handguns may be too explosive at rifle velocities. Any suggestions on factory or handloads? By the way, the kids see deer nearly everyday and get lessons on "where to hold" on them for broadside shots.

Try 180 gr. GoldDots. If they shoot well in your 1894, they'll flatten deer. Otherwise, find some LFN cast 158s and go to work.

Also, here's an article on the .357 in a Winchester 94 carbine that might be helpful: article.

You might try Federal 180 gr CastCore Shells. There will be more punch but the bullet itself should do the trick. Even if it doesn't expand a 38 size hole through the animal is still pretty big.

See leverguns.com for Andy of England's African photos. He's using 158s (SPs I think) for legal/availability reasons. The 158 XTP-FP over 18 gr. of Lil'Gun should give you about 2000 fps and you won't have to be concerned with "explosive" expansion. If that doesn't do it for you you can do what I did and use the Remington 180 gr. SJHP (made for these velocities from the .357 Maximum pistols) over 15 gr. of Lil'Gun for about 1675 fps. Although this is a HP it is designed for these velocities and won't over expand.

Thanks for the responses. Don't have the scope mounted yet but tried some Lyman/Thompson 358156 cast bullets with 15 grs. 2400 at 50 yards. Five made a nice round two inch group at 50 yards in fading light. I know this load will kill deer from a handgun and should be better from the rifle. I'm very interested in those 180 gr. bullets and the Lil'Gun powder.

You might also take a look at the Remington 165 gr Core-Lokt HP that is designed for hunting. Should be a good balance of expansion and penetration.

I would take a look at the 180gr partition gold bullet, once it loses it petals it should penetrate like crazy, im thinking of experimenting with it in my BLR in .358 win for deer.

Can't speak of bear, but a buddy has been getting pass through shots with the 140 gr. Hornady XTP HP's. Two of three deer shot broadside went down almost in their tracks, and in the 3rd case, the shot was at an angle and it was found under the hide on the offside shoulder. He's getting 2000 fps on the chrono with that load, a max load of WW-296 powder from the manuals.

Everyone I've heard of who's used the 158 gr. Horn. XTP HP's or the Speer Gold Dots have had very good results on deer, and some out to about 150 yds., too. It's mainly where you hit them. Deer just aren't that hard to kill, if you know anatomy and angles and can put them where they'll do the most good. Past 150, the velocity and bullet drops pretty quickly, and it's best to pass and come back another day.

I haven't shot any 158 Sierra JHC's in a long time, but they used to be pretty violent, and I don't think I'd choose their bullets for deer unless I shot some into some decent media, like wet newsprint, to prove them first. The XTP's and Gold Dots hold together pretty darn well, and yet expand well too in the rifles. Either should do well in your rifle for deer. Can't say about bear, since I haven't shot any, but they've obviously got heavier bones than deer, and it would seem likely they'd be best dealt with using a heavier/stouter bullet. My cousin learned a valuable lesson hunting the Savannah River Swamp once. He was on a deer hunt, using dogs, when a 600+ lb. wild boar came out instead of a deer! That deer was shot a total of 19 times, mostly with buckshot, but also with a few Foster type 12 ga. slugs, and being very soft, they never penetrated the huge gristle plate he wore, and which made him darn near bullet proof! He wasn't expecting it, of course, but had his '06 handy and shot it with that. The gristle plate gave up to the 180 gr. RNCL bullet, and it finally fell. Trying to get up, he put a finisher in the neck.

If I were going into bear woods, I think I'd carry a bear bullet, even if hunting deer. You just never know what's going to present itself to you in the woods, sometimes. If bear were in the woods, I think I'd use the 180 gr. Nosler Partition handgun bullet. The front core's pretty small, but that shank will give some pretty impressive penetration, and if you don't penetrate to the vitals, you and/or your quary are in a bad way.

Wish we had some bear around here. Would sure spice up my deer hunts! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I acquired some Hornady 180 XTPs and Lil'Gun at a gunshow this weekend. I will report my finding when I get some loaded up. too darn hot to shoot right now!

Blackwater we have plenty of bear to the east but not here on the homestead. The only dangerous critters in these parts walk on two legs.

I don't have a Marlin in .357, but my old Rossi Mod. 92 is a great little carbine in that caliber. One favorite load has always been the Speer 146 grain LSWC HP over a pretty fair amount of SR4756. My Chony shows over 1650 fps, and its deadly on Whitetails. The load feeds smoothly also.