What do you carry in your 357 Magnum when hiking? I carry in my 686 4 inch , Speer Gold Dot 158 gr in front of Win 296 16.6 gr's, Starline Brass, and CCI 550 Mag Primers

I haven't carried a .357 in the woods much in several decades. Today, when I do, I just carry my normal "carry" load, Federal 125 grain JHP factory ammo. Today's gun is a 3" J frame.

My two most-used .357s of the past were a 6-1/2 inch blued blackhawk and a 4" blued GP100. The GP100 came first. Back in those days Sierra made a 170 grain JHC. I loaded those with 16.0 grains of Win 296, in WW brass, with Fed 200 primers. With a rest that gun shot them into quarter inch 25 yard groups. I've never had another handgun like that. The Blackhawk came later. It seemed to be "loose" and required loads hot enough for the bullets to "slug up" for good accuracy. It lived on 17.5 grains of Win 296 under 158 grain XTPs, same WW brass and Fed 200 primers.

Today I still use that XTP load in my Contender but I'm real, real careful to keep those away from the S&W M60. I also have a small supply of Nosler 180 grain handgun partitions which I shoot with 13.5 grains of 296, again, WW brass and Fed 200 primers. I wouldn't be afraid of that load in the J frame.

A friend who carries an SP101 a lot in the woods carries a hard cast 180 grain factory load. Garrett, maybe?

Tom

When I carried my smith 66, it was loaded with 148 gr wc, loaded for small game, and 158 swc loaded on the hot side.
In the spring and summer, a couple shot shells for snakes, and the 158's.

I was carrying Winchester 145gr Silvertips. I loaded some Cast Precision 180gr hard cast wide flat nose bullets with a max charge of Accurate #9 I'll carry.

DoubleTap 125 Bonded Defense JHP. My revolver is a SS Ruger Security Six with a 4" barrel. Same one that's on my night stand.

170gr Keith style SWC over 5.0 gr Unique, in 38 Spl cases. About 900 fps from the 4" Security Six.

I'd have some 110, 296 or 2400 under a 180 wfn hard cast.

I also carry at times the 158 gr Hard Cast SWC loaded with 6 gr's Unique . This load shoots to the same place as the Speer Gold Dot load.

I have carried 125-grain CorBons in my 4" Model 66 for at least 20 years as an all-purpose load. However, I am down to my last box and apparently they have been discontinued. I just ordered a couple of boxes of Jamison's .357 Magnum 125-grain Guardian Grade to try. I intend to compare their penetration and expansion with the CorBons. If they work, I will be ordering a bunch.

I occasionally carry my 6 1/2" blackhawk and my woods load is a 200 gr WFN over a stiff charge of H-110. I haven't chronoed the load but expect it to be running over 1200 fps.

But given the unprecedented bear maulings this summer, I'm more apt to pack my 480 loaded with 400 gr lfn's leaving the barrel at 1200 fps.

I have been using the exact same load for years in my Smith M-13.

Hornady 180gr. XTP's in a 4" S&W model 28 Highway Patrolman

Before I switched to a S&W 25 in .45 Colt as my woods gun, I carried an S&W 19 4" loaded with Federal Premium 158 gr. Hydra-Shoks and CCI shot shells.

RS

If there is a chance of running in to bigger game, like black bears (which are particularly active in Alaska right now) moose, wolves, etc I would carry either a 180grain Hard Cast, or a 200 grain hard cast. Penetration goes a long way toward taking care of business. If you are more likely to run into bad people, than somewhere between 125 and 158 grain Semi Jacketed hollow cavity or even soft points.

I don't carry a revolver anymore on the trail. Ever since Phil Shoemaker shot and killed that grizzly with a 9mm, I just buy better ammo and press on with my Glock 43 or Glock 19.

I've got an old first gen Colt Trooper 4" blue, my trail loads are 140 gr Barnes copper hp's at 1400 fps with WW-296 powder, that load is a hell of a plow in home bullet penetration test media, hunting deer or smacking an irate hog or black bear would leave me absolutely no concerns on reaching the vitals on any provided I can place them correctly, that bullet at 1400 is an unbelievably amazing penetrator for an expanding bullet.

That revolver doesn't get a steady diet of those loads, just worked up and shot enough to verify sight holds, I shoot the 125 Barnes and XTP's at 1450 for good all around loads and practice, there's not much candy with those either.

Gunner I have been meaning to try the Barnes in my 357's your load sounds like a killer.

I carry a +P .38 special load. 140 grain Sierra HP over 8 or so grains of Blue Dot. Works just fine

It's a tough little customer Bea, God forbid, but the muzzle blast off that thing would discombobulate a close in crackhead, not to mention the slug punch.

Winchester 296 and its Twin H110 isn't easy on the ears regardless of the bullet you use.

True, the reason my 125 gr loads are but a few grains of power pistol, even as loud and flashy as power pistol is, it's much, much quieter than near twice the amount of 296/110.

another powder than gives the vel in the 357 without as much noise to the ears is VV N110 if you can find it.

I didn't even know a person could shoot jacket bullets out of a revolver.

Only in a bear area a few times a year and even then it's only an occasional black bear. But for a "just in case" situation I have a pet load that my 4 & 5/8" .357 Blackhawk seems to like. A Cast Performance 180 gr. WFNGC with 11.1 gr. of Accurate #9. That's a half grain below the Western Powder max. and chronos an average of 1159 fps from the Blackhawk and is real accurate. I sometimes carry a Glock 19 with 147 gr. hollowpoints as a woods gun but once in a while if I might encounter any bears I leave the 9mm home. If it ever came to a self defense situation with me vs. a black bear I figure the 9mm ain't gonna do it as well as that hard cast 180 gr. (unless I learn to shoot as good as Phil Shoemaker, ..LOL).

I have a Black Bear visiting my salt lick and on the trail cam regular and last year she had two cubs. This year i haven't seen any cubs so far. I have been carry my 357 mag with Speer 158 Gold Dots just for comfort

125 gr Hyda-shock 38 Spl +P in a 4" S&W 66 when walking around the house (little chance of running into a bear though they are around) and 180 gr Buffalo Bore bear loads in a 6.5" Blackhawk in 357 mag when checking bear baits during the season. I have yet to have an issue with a bear that a size 12 boot couldn't handle but raccoons and especially skunks have been my bane.

I carry 180 LBT style bullets over a full charge of 2400. I've shot them into various things and they penetrate into next week.

I carry a Ruger Security Six with 4" barrel and 180 LBT style bullets over a full charge of 2400. I've shot them into various things and they penetrate into next week.

Here she is, nice Black Female

I just picked up a drilled and pinned Model 66 that was a Georgia State Patrol piece in nearly pristine shape. It likes 180 hardcast Double Tap and I'm glad it does!

If a mama bear was known to be in the area, I'd suffer carrying the heavier 5.5" Redhawk in 45 Colt using a 335 or 360 hardcast wide flat nose.

I don't tend to overthink it. Whatever I happen to have in the console and glovebox and under the seat of the truck seems to work okay.

Pretty much always the 158 gr Gold Dot factory load for everything. But I've pretty much stopped carrying a revolver at all, even in the sticks.

when my wife and I hike during the spring I carry a 2.5 inch barreled model 60 with 180 grain remington SJHP's, moving away from that towards a G27 and heavy bullets.

158 grain XTP's, loaded in either the special with 4.4grn W231, or mag cases with 10grn Bluedot.

S&W M60, 3 inch with 158 gr Federal JSP

One load for everything that needs killed out of my 6" 686... 14 grains of 2400 pushing a 125 grain Barnes almost 1700 FPS. That makes it pretty simple.

16 grains h110 158 grain xtp
federal mag primer star line case

It's over book max and goes 1280 from a 4 inch pipe however the cases fall out of the gun quite readily.

I use 16.6 gr with no problem with the 158 gr bullet

16.5grs with the 158 XTP for me

If it's a double action I'll shoot jackets, only have two, a Colt Trooper 357 and a S&W model 1955 n frame 45 ACP, all single actions get cast lead.

I also prefer a 180 gr hard cast LBT WFN bullet at about 1150 FPS out of my 4 " Security Six or 2.5" S&W 66. I've never been able to "catch" one in all of the feral hogs I've shot here at the Ranch. Like Marlin said, Penatratiom goes a long way towards taking care of business. I suspect it would work great on Black Beats, too.

That's an accurate load in my 2" snubbie and sits right on 1050fps.