I was thinking about going with the 170 grain flat point Speer Gold Dot for whitetail deer. Top weight would be 160 pounds. Is that my best bet? Or should I go with the 180 grain Hornady. I figured the flat point would hold together better that a HP XTP. Thoughts?

wouldn't a 150 gr. cast bullet take a deer down with less recoil??

I think either the 170 or the 180 would work, I like the XTP - my primary jacketed bullet.

In a .41 mag or larger, I'd say the cast would be fine. I'm certainly no expert, but I'd prefer an expanding bullet in the .357, which is leaning toward marginal for deer. If you must use a cast, I would at least opt for a heavier bullet such as a 170 Keith or 180 LBT.

My own favorite cast load is a 170 Keith at 1400.

Good luck,
Jason

Have a look at the Remington 180 hollownose softpoint. It is accurate, penetrates deeply on whitetail, and when bought as a bulk bullet from places like Midway the least expensive 180 you'll find. Good hunting!

Have you had first hand experience with the 180 grain Remington?

Also, would a 158 grain be more than adequate?

quote:

Have you had first hand experience with the 180 grain Remington?

Yes. It's about all I run through my T/C Contender 10 inch 357 magnum barrel (wearing a 2x Burris scope). I use Speer #11 data for 1500 fps. That load runs dead on at 25 yards, about 2 inches high at 50, and 2 inches low at 100 where it routinely groups five shots inside two inches. I've shot precisely one adult whitetail doe with the load at about 20 yards from a quartering angle. Hit her too far back and took out only one lung before the bullet drove through a corn filled paunch and exited. She staggered about 30 yards and gave up. Found the bullet embedded in the tree she was trotting past when the shot broke. The hollowpoint softnose of the bullet was gone and the scalloped portion of the jacket was folded back over the cannalure. It expanded to about forty caliber and weighed about 140 grains. The customer reviews at Midway are pretty similar to my experience http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=149498 FWIW the 180 gr Hornady HTP hollowpoint was just as accurate over both Contender and conventional data but it costs a couple bucks more per box and I never had a chance to bump one into a deer.

quote:

Also, would a 158 grain be more than adequate?

Might be. Never tried a pistol bullet that light on deer. I'm normally a "wider is better" kind of guy and usually draw the lower limit at a .429 240. Good hunting!

I have used both the (1) Sierra 170 gr hp and the (8) Hornady 180 gr hp on deer .
Out of my 10" Dan Wesson Model 15 the 180 gr XTP is more accurate.
Over the years I have harvested 9 deer with that 357 .
The deer after after being hit have gone 0-40 yds .
IMO 75 yds is a good MAX range for most gun/load

Johnch

Here in Illinois our handgun season is antlterless only so the deer I have taken with my 8" 357 Python have been smaller in size. Around 100lbs to 130lbs.
I have used several different factory loads with various bullet weights and have found that the Rem. 180 hollowpoint to be the best all-around performer, plus grouped real nice in my gun. I sighted my gun right at 75 yards, I think this is good for the .357 and deer. You will find out real quick that a deer hit even solidly will show no sign of being hit, it will simply take off running so make sure you follow-up on all your shots. The 180 will give you better penetration if you happen to make a less than desireable shot. All the deer I have shot have never ran more than 60 or 70 yards before dropping.
Good Luck

My Dan Wesson has factory iron sights so I will be keeping my shots much closer. 30 yards max as of now. Maybe a little longer with practice. I plan on brining it with me along with the 270, so if anything major walks out I will have him covered.

I checked out Midway and they are sold out. Go figure! What powder are you guys using?

I would recommend the Lyman 358429 or Keith 170 grain cast bullet. If you can't get this one, I'd try a 160 grain SWC or LBT bullet.

For me AA # 9 produces great groups .
I load 13.5 gr for 1375 fps out of my 10" Dan Wesson
It is toped with a Millit 30 mm red dot.

Johnch

What type of Dan Wesson do you have? I was wondering because I too would like to add a red dot scope and wanted to know what base you used. I have a DW CTG, the one that came with the 2,4,6,8 inch barrels back in the 70s.

quote:

Originally posted by MS Hitman:
I would recommend the Lyman 358429 or Keith 170 grain cast bullet. If you can't get this one, I'd try a 160 grain SWC or LBT bullet.

That 170 is the same cast bullet I mentioned earlier. If you don't cast your own, Dry Creek is excellent. If you go this route, I use 15.0 H-110 (below max), crimp over the front band (for OAL purposes), & get 1400 out of my Blackhawk.

Good luck,
Jason

I agree, Lynn Halstead makes some fine bullets. I never have been fond of crimping over the shoulder; neither was Mr. Keith. That bullet was originally designed for the .38-44 cartridge. Of course, shooting .38 Spls out of .357 chambers gets back to that ringing the chamber issue again.

I have used both the 180 xtp and the remington and both do a fine job with good placement.

good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by MS Hitman:
I would recommend the Lyman 358429 or Keith 170 grain cast bullet. If you can't get this one, I'd try a 160 grain SWC or LBT bullet.

I have taken just one deer with a 357 Mag, a small doe at about 30 yds. Hit her through both lungs with the Kieth 170 SWC and she ran off about 40 yds and curled up and died within sight on my treestand. I was using a 10" TC Contender.

quote:

Originally posted by David Craig:
Here in Illinois our handgun season is antlterless only

David

You can use your handgun during the regular Illinois firearms season too, the law was changed last year I think.

quote:

Originally posted by Monticello:
What type of Dan Wesson do you have?

I have a Model 15 ,Blue ,from the late 80's
I use Burris base & rings ( I think they droped it)
With a Millit red dot

I have picked up over the years a 2 , 4,6,8 and 10" barrels

Dan Wesson still makes a 715 stainless gun ( last I checked)

Johnch

Monticello, I haven't taken but one deer with a .357, and I shot her with a 158-grain hard cast (my own) out of an 8-3/8" 686. It punched straight through both lungs and out, and she ran about 40 yards and piled up.
My dad shot a 7 point TX hill country buck about 10 years ago with the same bullet, and the buck fell on the spot. That one's neck was broken...
I have several different bullet moulds for the 357, from 158 grains all the way to the 200-gr RCBS. Any one of them should work for you, but if you want to try a handful of each to see how they group, email me. I will send them to you for the cost of shipping. I suspect you won't need but about 25 or so of each. You prob have a pet load for a cast bullet anyway, and if you don't, I can tell you what I load...
doubless@beamans.com

The Speer Gold Dot 170 SP and the Federal 180 CastCore are proably the two best factory loads for hunting with the 357 mag pistol.

Thats what i use in my 6" python

180g REM HP is a good bet. I use 15g of IMR4227 in my GP and have been pleased. The soft lead tip will smash away but the jacket will not tear past the cannelure. It looks like a poor man's partition.

RB in GA

Kinda light for deer, but I shot my best buck with a pretty hot loaded 125 XTP at 20 yards.
He dropped like lightning struck him.
Gun was a 6" 586 with open sights.

I have taken 11 black tail with a Ruger B/H 4 5/8" .357. All with a hard cast 158 gr.swc. All went down, Pronto. I don't think White Tail should be any different. I like the sharp shoulders on these. and the hard hold up very well.

Don

Has anyone tried the Barnes X bullets for handguns? They have always done great6 for me with rifles. I was going to try some for my ruger 45 LC.

riodot

I've taken two whitetail with my 8" Colt Python shooting 125gr JHP's. One was dropped right where he stood, the other I had to track for less then 100yards. Mind you, I was shooting max loads which have crono'd over 1850FPS at muzzle.

Bullets fragmented completely, making the heart and lungs an utter mush.

A heavier bullet might be better for those who dont wait for <30yard shots or tend to have bad bullet placement luck.

I have been using remington 158 sp out of my marlin carbine and 357max 14 TC. 1800fps for the mag 2150 for the max.

Between my daughter and myself we shot around 20 deer with these and they have preformed well.