# .357 effective range?



## flyingfrog509

Assuming the shooter is capable of doing his/her job...what is the effective hunting range of a .357 (assuming a 6" ported barrel) for a given round?  I can reload, but don't know exactly where to start and hope some of you guys with real world knowledge.  Please don't guess or throw out opinions if you haven't used it and killed it.  It really bunches my undies if I can't find and eat what I've shot. 

So in reality I'm looking for loads to try and how far out they are effective so I can get/make them,test them for accuracy in my gun,and then if I can group them think about using them in the woods.

Thanks guys...hope I'm not being to harsh, but in searching previous posts many of them seem to contain more opinion than fact.


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## thurmongene

I would like that info also.   I don't reload, but can try to find the needed round.


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## Sargent

I can't remember how I came up with this, but I limit myself to 30-40 yards depending on ammo.


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## Craig Knight

never killed anything with mine, but have shot it more times than I could count and with Buffalo bore ammo or some other hot loads I would feel comfortable out to about 60-70 yards but it would have to be the right circumstance. 30-40 would be really about as far as I would just up and take a marginal shot with one. By that I mean off hand no rest and a good broad side shot, or slightly quartering away.


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## turky93

I certainly wouldn't push it past 50 yards.


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## Richard P

It seems you have two problems. You can answer the reloading problem by searching :357 magnum reloading. There is plenty of load data. The second problem is the 357 itself. While it will certainly kill deer, most will tell you to limit shots to 35 to 50 yds. That is good general advice. If you either replaced the 357 with a 44, or added a 44, you'd increase the effectiveness when you hunt. 
   You can load the 44 down to learn it and use more powerful loads for hunting. I think most folks would agree that a 250gr bullet at 1200 fps (muzzle) is no slouch. The old 45 Colt and 44-40 were effective if properly used.  You might want to use hearing protection. rp


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## dertiedawg

Richard P said:


> You might want to use hearing protection. rp



For sure... 44 mags are LOUD!!


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## WTM45

It is totally up to the shooter's capability as to it's effectiveness.

Much game has fallen to the .357 Magnum at distances most (including me) would only dream of being able to get good hits at.
200yds is doable if the shooter is up to it.

Penetration depends on the chosen bullet and velocity that it is pushed to.
I have had 300gr .44 Magnum XTP's stop inside deer at 10 yards, and later had .357 Magnum 125gr JHP whistle right through at 21 yards.  It can be quite unpredictable as to how a handgun bullet performs.  Finding the balance between expansion and penetration is a good goal to have along with getting the best accuracy from your particular pistol.

My personal limit is 50yds with any handgun.  I do not seriously practice with them past that anymore.
The Federal 180gr Cast Core loads have been quite accurate in my .357, and they do penetrate like crazy for a factory loading.

Folks should not count the .357 Magnum as weak.  It aint' so, with the right load in the right hands.


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## jmoser

I shoot a 6.5" Blackhawk with iron sights and can hold 2"-3" at 50 Meters [54 yards.]  My load is a hot 180 gr XTP, it will have plenty left at that range to do the job.

I would feel OK going to 65-70 yards but thats about my personal limit all things considered, do not want a cripple / lost deer.

You could push the .357 to 100 yards but trajectory starts to drop steeply making range estimation critical to +/- 5yards max.  Iron sights on a handgun at 100 are dicey for most hunting situations, a scoped .357 rifle is a 100 yard gun but not a iron sight revolver IMHO.


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## tcward

50 yards broadside max if shooting at deer size game!


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## Larry Rooks

With a 357 mag and 6 inch barrel, I would limit it to 50 yards MAX, especially if shooting a large bodied Buck or
good size Hog.  And I would use nothing less than a 180 gr bullet.  My best hunting bullet for the 357 mag is the RCBS
180 gr Silh made from melted down tire weights.  There are several powders that work great, and use a cast bullet manual to get your data


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## Dub

tcward said:


> 50 yards broadside max if shooting at deer size game!



Takes a lot more practice than I first thought.  Just ask the deer I've missed!!!!!


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## swampbogger

I had a Tuarus Tracker 7 shot .357 with scope. Killed 3 deer with it, 2 neck shots at 10 yrds and a lung shot at 120 yrds. No not a typo...120 yrds. I wouldnt have attempted such, but I was videoing a friend who had just shot a doe, when another doe came out. I grabbed his shooting sticks and said I got to try. 1 shot,complete pass through, she feel on the spot. Now she wasnt a 200 lb doe but I was impressed. I was using 158 gr JHP...I want to say Rem.(several years ago,memory aint what it used to be) I will add pic of gun and deer. 
   Good luck with yours and I know If you can hit, It will kill it


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## flyingfrog509

Thanks to everyone...looks like about 50 yards max is where I'll start.  Really I was looking to keep it in under 100 yards any way & I am running a scope to help keep the groups as tight as possible.  Now it is time to go out and practice to see if I can do my job.  At least I shoot archery so estimating 50 yards an under is easy for me.


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## Richard P

Scopes help you on placement but can hurt you on being able to pick up the animal. If you can keep your shot at or under 50yd you might like to select a 2x scope or a ''red dot''. The red dots have no magnification. It isnt easy to hold shots into a ''kill zone'' at 50yds with an unsupported handgun.  It's less easy to do it quickly.  Practice.  Even using a .22 at 25yds would help and its cheaper. Select a small target.


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## flyingfrog509

Quick aiming shouldn't be a problem after years of shooting IDPA.  I'm lucky because I was trained to shoot with both eyes open and that for me actually carries over even when I use a scope (rifle or pistol) so I don't loose depth perception and still get a full field of view even though I have a 4x scope.  What I'm most concern with is learning how to steady the gun on what I have when hunting.  I'm going to practice a ton before attempting to take anything in the woods.


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## .60 caliber buckshot

*WFN Hardcast!*



WTM45 said:


> It is totally up to the shooter's capability as to it's effectiveness.
> 
> Much game has fallen to the .357 Magnum at distances most (including me) would only dream of being able to get good hits at.
> 200yds is doable if the shooter is up to it.
> 
> Penetration depends on the chosen bullet and velocity that it is pushed to.
> I have had 300gr .44 Magnum XTP's stop inside deer at 10 yards, and later had .357 Magnum 125gr JHP whistle right through at 21 yards.  It can be quite unpredictable as to how a handgun bullet performs.  Finding the balance between expansion and penetration is a good goal to have along with getting the best accuracy from your particular pistol.
> 
> My personal limit is 50yds with any handgun.  I do not seriously practice with them past that anymore.
> The Federal 180gr Cast Core loads have been quite accurate in my .357, and they do penetrate like crazy for a factory loading.
> 
> Folks should not count the .357 Magnum as weak.  It aint' so, with the right load in the right hands.



Amen! The variable performance of JHP handgun bullets has led me to depend on WFN Hardcast for hunting with any conventional handgun caliber from .357 on up.

I define effective range as the distance the shooter can keep all rounds on a 9" paper plate from field shooting positions.


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