Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Heavy bullet for 357 Magnum?

Can't think of anyone I'd rather have, keeping a big bear off my six...

DF

Buffalo bore 180 hard cast load in my 357 mag outpenetrated my brothers 44 mag buffalo bore loads my other brothers 460 Rolland buffalo bore loads and my nephew in-laws 500 SW! Shooting into a hard piece of fir firewood

Pretty sure I am far from undergunned with that load concerning bear protection and yes the 357 mag rocks when it comes to penetration



Trystan

Where can one get equivalent 180 hard cast bullets to reload?

IIRC, Buffalo Bore offers loaded ammo, not components.

DF

Might check out Beartooth Bullets.

When it comes to bears, .357 is a placebo. Pick something comfortable to shoot in the 158-160 grain range and be done with it. You will either need it or you won't. If you need it, it will either work or it won't.

Frankly, her being unwilling to carry a single action shows that having her way is more important and taken more seriously than the perceived problem or the perceived outcome. Ether that or you are coddling her foolishness which is foolishness of your own. Consider giving her good bear spray, you pack your single action, and *work as a team*. It's what I did with one of my friends who is afraid of guns. I taught her to go first and if something happened, drop to a knee low to my left out of the line of fire, prep the bear spray / use if in range and the need isn't going away, and above all else **do not touch me.**

Tom

Because only a single action is an effective bear gun?

If she ever shot a .357 FA 97, she may change her mind. It's not a big gun, but the way it's set up, the grip design, excellent trigger, makes it easy to shoot. And 180 gr. bear loads aren't that intimidating with this one. It's built like a bank vault and accurate. Of course you'll need a higher front sight with heavy bullets. Tell the folks at FA what you're shooting and they'll let you know the right height. Swapping is easy, just need an Allen wrench.

DF

In testing 357 mag ammo into blocks of firewood there is a huge difference in penetration depending on which bullet was uses. 180 Buffalo bore ammo penetrated as much as 16" while some ammo/158 gr hollow points penetrated 3"

Personally I would prefer a load that I know will reach the central nervous system with zero issues so that the it will either work or it won't leans heavy toward it definately will work if the operated does there part.




Trystan

Yeah, hard cast 180’s would be my choice.

DF

This isn't really answer as much as it is an additional question for the original poster. Summing up some highlights of the original post:



I understand her not wanting one too much recoil, but since the original poster didn't address it, I'm wondering if it doesn't come down her to not wanting to pack the extra weight of a bigger, heavier gun? Or maybe the grip size of the others just doesn't fit her hand as well as her current 640-1? (You didn't address her reaction to the model 28.) A quick perusal of the 'net shows a pretty significant weight "penalty" (for packing as opposed to shooting) over the J-frame 640 at 22 oz, with the K-frame 4" 28 at 41 oz, and the Freedom Arms at somewhere around 36 oz- depending on barrel length.

I buy Cast Performance 180s.

I shoot book max with H110 out of my 4" 586 and they are a pussycat. Accurate, and waaaaaay less muzzle blast and discomfort than either 125s or 158s.

Shot one cylinder out of my wife's mod 60. Don't plan on a second.

Not a bear (or anything else!) expert but why not an 8 shot 627 or Taurus 608? Same weight as your 28 and two more shots. Far as 180 .357's I used .38 special cases and I don't think Mr.bear would want more than two shots.

The buffalo bore .180 .357 outdoorsman is a potent round. I didn't find recoil objectionable in my 2 3/4" M66-8 (not even close to Mag Level loads in a 4 1/4" M97) -- from which they clocked 1,320 fps on my labradar (1,894 fps from 16" Rossi Carbine)




As mentioned above, both Beartooth and Cast Performance offer the 180gr LBT type for the .357. In the past Beartooth deliver times leave a lot to be desired. Here are some more sources:

RimRock says they are the supplier for BB 180gr load

https://rimrockbullets.com/xcart/g-ch-38-357-180-gr-lbt-wfn-per-100-in-plastic-ammo-box.html

Montana Bullet Works is always a good source for quality cast bullets

https://www.montanabulletworks.com/shop/?filter_caliber=357

If you want some that a bit more economical try these (either traditional lubed or coated)

https://missouribullet.com/results.php?pageNum_rsCWResults=1&category=5&secondary=10

Paul

Good info.

Thanks

DF

The model 28 Highway Patrolman is an “N” Frame not a “K” Frame.

Oops, yep, you're right!

Not at all. I suggest returning to the original post and re-reading. He states that his GF does not want to shoot a single action. The simple fact is for many people .. not everyone, but many people .. a single action manages recoil a lot better than a double action so the choices are to shoot a very abusive double action or a fairly soft shooting single action ... chambered for the same cartridge or one even more powerful. I good example from my own meager collection is my .357 DA revolver vs my single action .44 revolver. The .357 is vastly, vastly more abusive to shoot yet much less "potent" on critters.

Sometimes a person needs to step back, look at the desired result, and figure out the most effective way to get there. Y' can't always have both the destination you want AND the route you want to take. One doesn't lead to the other. As described by the OP, I think his girlfriend has put herself in that position.

Tom

none of this is applicable unless you reload:
I have fooled around with these bullets, go up to 230 grains
https://www.pennbullets.com/38/38-caliber.html

Following something written by shoemaker years ago were 180 grain fmj's
and i have hard cast keith style 170 grain bullets for 357magnum. These i cast myself.
off the top of my head they were not max loads, but around 1000fps or so.
I do know shooting them into river rock, which is hard rock, they were cracking the rock.
impressed the snot out of me.
I was firing them out of a model 28 too.
i have never believed in a big bore handgun than on recoil is hard to manage for the second shot, given how fast a bear is.
My wife shoots a model 66 smith better than most men can.
She is 80 years old.
i think those 170 grain keith bullets is gonna stop anything she might be faced with two legged or four legged.

DA with less power for faster follow-up shots vs SA with more power and much slower follow-up shots. The age-old question......

And I don't have a definitive answer.

But I'd go with what she shoots best. I will say that the felt recoil issue with DA is quite often not dealt with properly. Few people really search out the best grip shape for them, and ironically, the potential variety of shapes is one of the biggest advantages of a DA revolver. With a proper hand-fitting grip, a DA can be quite comfortable with fairly heavy loads.

It's subjective. I prefer a S&W double action .44 magnum over a Ruger Blackhawk .44 magnum all things equal. I definitely prefer the Bisley grip over the plow handle in heavy recoiling single actions.