You won't be disappointed with a properly constructed 158gn bullet up too that distance.

The .357 mag's performance far exceeds it's appearance.

 

I agree with a 158 gr. well constructed jacketed soft point in a rifle, loaded with H-110, IMR-4227 or 2400

 

I have a box of Federal Hammerdown .357 that is a 170gr bullet, once I go through that box (1 shot kills, 1 per year, I got 16 years) I’ll probably go with 170gr bullets for my rifle but 158 for my pre27

 

I have killed a number of deer with Paco Kelly's H110/158 XTP load in .357 carbines. These carbines had 16" and 18" barrels. I use the hollow point version of the XTP. All were one shot kills. All were double lung shots with a pass through so no recovered bullets. All shot deer left good blood trails averaging 30 yards maximum. I would guess my average range to be 60 yards. Bucks around here average 150 LBS and have increased in size since I started feeding them via food plots.

I have a 158 grain LSWCGC load with the same 100 yard point of impact as the XTP load. This is handy for practice. The Paco Kelly load works just fine in my Ruger GP100 and Security Six revolvers. I would not want to fire said load in a J frame .357. I think I will have more time for .357 load development after hunting season and plan to test Lil'Gun with 158 and 180 grain XTPs. If someone told me that they were going to standardize on .357 for their all purpose cartridge for revolver and carbine, I would think they had made a great choice.

 

I have killed a number of deer with Paco Kelly's H110/158 XTP load in .357 carbines. These carbines had 16" and 18" barrels. I use the hollow point version of the XTP. All were one shot kills. All were double lung shots with a pass through so no recovered bullets. All shot deer left good blood trails averaging 30 yards maximum. I would guess my average range to be 60 yards. Bucks around here average 150 LBS and have increased in size since I started feeding them via food plots.

I have a 158 grain LSWCGC load with the same 100 yard point of impact as the XTP load. This is handy for practice. The Paco Kelly load works just fine in my Ruger GP100 and Security Six revolvers. I would not want to fire said load in a J frame .357. I think I will have more time for .357 load development after hunting season and plan to test Lil'Gun with 158 and 180 grain XTPs. If someone told me that they were going to standardize on .357 for their all purpose cartridge for revolver and carbine, I would think they had made a great choice.

It’s good to know that the regular XTP work well. A lot of the internet talk says you need the flat point version or you’ll get a nuclear explosion when it hits.

 

A healthy dose of H-110 and 158 xtp will work fine. Just add a crimp at the cannelure.

 

I am not suggesting that the 158 grain XTP is better for deer than the 180 grain. I have no hunting experience with the 180. My wife and I have been building a barn on our farm for the last two years and my reloading time has been limited. This summer's plans include working up some loads for the 180 grain XTP and if accuracy is good, then try them next fall. My experience with the 158 grain spans a good number of years.

As a side note, I have a Ruger M77/357 and a Marlin CSBL. The accuracy of the 158 grain XTP and 158 grain LSWCGC from an RCBS have been excellent in the CSBL. I am almost 71 and the CSBL wears a small red dot sight so we are not heading to bench rest hall of fame anytime soon. I lay no claims of being a master bullet caster either. Still these two bullets routinely shoot 2" groups at 100 yards. The Ruger wears a 1-4 Leupold scope but has never shot as well. I have no theories as to why that would be.

 

I have killed 3 deer with the Hornady XTP flat point and 2 deer with a 180-grain cast (all propelled with Hodgdon Li’l Gun). The 2 shot with the 180-grain casts ran a bit less, but all five were pass-thrus and all left a followable blood trail. Hope this helps.

 

Have killed a few with a 6" S&W but never owned a rifle in .357 . I tried the 125g and ended up shooting 158 g when all was said and done. I use 2400 and any good name brand 158g jacketed SWC or a Keith 358439 HP home cast. Can't really tell much difference between the lead and the jacketed .

 

I run Hornady 158gr XTP hollow points over a stout load of Win296 (15.5gr) and get great results on pigs and fallow deer.

That projectile is my all time favourite for hunting with the 357 lever gun.

 

Thanks all. I have some 158 gr XTP-HP bullets and Sierra Sports Master 158 gr JHC. I think I’ll load some up tomorrow to test. I don’t have any Lil Gun powder, but I have plenty W296 and IMR 4227. I think that’ll get me to at least 1700 fps, but I’ll test a variety for accuracy from my rifle.

 

I've killed 4 deer with my 1894 in 357 mag. Two were with factory hollow points and two were with my handloaded jacketed soft points. All were 158gr. All my kills were DRT and two sided penetration.

I was able to push my handloads to about 1900 fps with good accuracy.

One thing to consider is bullet construction. Many 357 handgun bullets are designed for defensive performance at handgun velocities, say 1100-1400 fps. If you're pushing those to 1900 fps you may get more expansion than penetration. That's why I switched to JSP from the JHP. (Although the factory JHPs I used did a good job on those two occasions.)

I've not used the XTPs, and I've not heard any bad things about them. Hornady's site lists them for Varmints <50# Medium Game 50-300# and Personal Defense. Deer fall within those applications.

As for 180gr bullets. Some guys like heavier bullets. Heavier bullets should have increased penetration, as long as bullet expansion is similar to their 158 gr cousins. The trade off is a bit less velocity. Since most 158gr users are reporting pass throughs on deer, I'm not sure what additional penetration is necessary or desirable.

In summary, I've been happy with the performance of 158gr bullets in 357 mag in my Marlin 1894, sample size of 4.

Good luck.

 

I have a couple boxes of Hornadys #35780, 158gr FP-XTP's for set aside for hunting with my Marlin. In Hornady #10, the suggested muzzle velocity is 1150-1800fps. This bullet c/w H110 would be my prefered combo for deer hunting with my Marlin.

Hornadys suggested muzzle velocity range for the #35750, 158gr XTP is 700-1400fps. From my experience this bullet is pretty devastating on racoons & opossums @ 1775-1800fps.

 

I'm not too sure about heavier bullets. My choice would a heavy loaded 158 grain. Just my opinion, for what it's worth.