[Golfbuddy45]

Please limit this discussion to Factory Ammo. I know all the good things about "rolling your own" but I am not into reloading yet.

I recently bought some .357 ammo to try out my two new 1894CSS rifles. On the left is the FEDERAL 158gr JSP (Jacketed Soft Point) and on right the FIOCCHI 142gr TMJ (Truncated Metal Jacket).

The lead on the front of those Federals is so soft I can form it with just slight pressure of my fingernails - and I do not have particularly hard fingernails, much to my displeasure in my guitar picking!
Even out of the box the soft points are not a smooth round shape. The Fiocchi's have that perfect cone shaped bullet and they were far more accurate than the Federals. I started out shooting at 25 yards to sight in my scope and on a good bench rest I had some fliers out 4 inches away from the general mass and only 25 yards away. I thought I was going to be really disappointed in the accuracy of this rifle but then I shot the Fiocchi's and I made a nice inch wide hole in the target.

I have been trying to get some of the new Hornady ammo but nobody has any in stock and when they get them it sells out right away. I don't want to order a batch until I know for sure what will work the best for me. One shop has some Aguila hollow points for $19 I was going to try and Wally World has Remington and Winchester but again only hollow points. I am not using this for defense and only interested in target shooting accuracy so it seems the FMJ would be more accurate than hollow points.

Let me know what you like in Factory Ammo . . . . .

Thanks,

GB45

 

[44-40 Willy]

Mrs Willy's 1894C has been in my family since it was new in '82. The cousin I got it from used el cheapo Rem 125gr JSPs in it for years and killed two to three deer annually with that ammo. I like the factory Winchester 145gr Silvertip JHP ammo and it fed those great too. But mostly we've run handloads with that Silvertip bullet in it.

 

[GH1]

I've read good things about Winchester White Box ammo, but I have no personal experience. I've never shot factory ammo out of my 1894.
GH1

 

[planeflyer21]

Before reloading, I used what was available to include both Independence and Fiocchi. The latter one both hollow point and FMJ and both worked fine in my guns.

Jon

 

[LuckenbachTexas]

Blue and white box independance 158grs work great for me for the best all around use. I've shot everything from Buffalo Bore, Doubletap, and Leverevolution.

I used them all to include 38, plus p, I decided that for cheap killing power and consistancy, these work great. Any flavor of the cheap 357 158's work equally as well.

If you aren't going to shoot it much you might find some of Buffalo Bores offerings to do you well. If you are looking for more speed but don't want to speend the money the 125 gr loads do pretty good too.

It really depends on what your using it for. For all round plinking and killing, standard 158's work best for me.

 

[lilwoody]

For hunting Leverevolutions have worked flawlessly in my 44, 1894. On paper they are minute of deer out to 150. My son hasn't shot anything yet with his 357, 1894 but we hope this changes early next month on our turkey/hog hunt in N. FL.

 

[AINT NO FISH]

I found Fiocchi 142 FMJ to shoot really accurate. I have been informed by one of our MO brothers that he wouldn't shoot Fiocchi through his rifle, why, he would not reply. I posted a question on the forum asking how much cheaper reloading is for this caliber, got a lot of responses, considering reloading.
I have a new to me, just fired for the first time last weekend '94 .357 CBL 24" barrel. I took Fiocchi, Blazer and range loads to shoot last weekend. The Blazer (JHP) and range loads (FMJ) were both 158 gr. Iron sights with rear elevator half up sight, shooting Fiocchi at 100 yds, all of them in a 6" target. When I shot the Blazer and the range loads at the same sight setting, they shot a full foot lower, but pretty accurately. I ramped up the rear sight to max and was back in the uypper target 6" zone. The rifle appears to be real accurate. I really liked shooting the Fiocchi, and I can get it at local gun shows for $17 + tax 50 rds. which is as cheap as it gets.

I'd still be interested in knowing why Fiocchi is not the stuff to shoot through a Marlin.

 

[AINT NO FISH]

Oh, a little bit more. All these bullets ran through the rifle perfectly. I think it might be the vintage and quality of that rifle. 1999 yr. of mfg. I really liked the Fiocchi 142's, but all worked well.

 

[44-40 Willy]

Aint no fish, Marlin recommended not using Blazers if they're the aluminum cased ones. Don't know why they didn't seem to like the idea. I haven't tried them in a 1894, but aluminum cases worked okay in a 1892 clone that I have.

 

[AINT NO FISH]

Aint no fish, Marlin recommended not using Blazers if they're the aluminum cased ones. Don't know why they didn't seem to like the idea. I haven't tried them in a 1894, but aluminum cases worked okay in a 1892 clone that I have.

Willy, thanks for the tip, I didn't notice that they were aluminum cased when I bought them. They fed ok, I shot 50, but I don't think I'll do that again, I like my new (to me, '94 .357 24") I'll just use them up in the Smith and Wesson.
You got any problem with those Fiocchis?? Or why they would be a problem.

Thanks again,Greg

 

[suboptimal]

FWIW, I’ve had my 1894c for about a year now, and I’ve put several hundred of the Fiocchi 142gr. FMJ-TC through it with no problems. The price for these seems hard to beat. I’m entirely new at this, and the 1894c is my first and only rifle, so I wouldn’t necessarily take my word for it -- YMMV.

When I first got the rifle, I had read here on MO about how picky some rifles can be about which ammunition they prefer, so I tried a box of just about everything I could find locally (which wasn’t all that much). I had no feeding problems with anything in .357 or .38spl including: MagTech 158gr SJSP, Remington Express 158gr SJSP, Fiocchi 158gr XTP-HP, Extreme Shock 90gr frangible, and Glaser 100gr Pow’R Ball.

Since I’ve never tried hunting, I just use the 1894c to punch holes in paper. I’ve tried the Hornady LeverEvolution 140gr FTX and these seem to be the most accurate in my rifle so far, but are too expensive for range practice. I keep a couple boxes on hand just in case I decide to use the rifle for other purposes (or if I’m just really angry at the paper target).

I thought I could stick with the Fiocchi 142gr FMJ-TC and get about the same performance (accuracy/POI) as the LeverEvolutions. While they’re obviously not the same, they are close enough for me, especially with my poor marksmanship in general. Depending on where you look, the published figures for the Fiocchis (1420fps, 650ft/lbs) seem very similar to the LeverEvolutions (1440fps, 644ft/lbs), but even I can tell that the Fiocchi’s aren’t of the same quality the LeverEvolutions. A couple months ago, I found another set of figures for the Fiocchis buried on their website that seem a bit more realistic: 1310fps, 541ft/lbs. Of course that page has since disappeared and the website is now under re-construction. The 2011 Fiocchi catalog still shows the original numbers.

So, my ammo box is generally full of Fiocchi 142gr FMJ-TC with a box or two of Hornady LeverEvolution 140gr FTX. However, just a couple weeks ago, I couldn’t resist buying a couple boxes of Buffalo Bore 158gr JHP. Out of an 1894c, these are supposed to achieve velocity levels near that of a 30-30 (2153fps). I haven’t gotten to the range to try them out yet. Of course, if I really like the Buffalo Bores, I’ll have to give up on the idea of having a comparable practice load. I am going to re-try some other 158gr practice ammo choices anyway, though none can reach this speed.

I never thought that perforating paper could be so much fun. I find it very easy to use two or three boxes of ammo every time I go to the range, so I understand why so many of our fellow MO’s choose to re-load. Unfortunately, that’s not allowed in my house .

 

[spuzzly]

PMC Bronze 158 gr JSP.

Here's what they shot like at the range after I got the scope dialed in...

 

[44-40 Willy]

.
You got any problem with those Fiocchis?? Or why they would be a problem.

Never tried Fiocchis, so I can't really say about them one way or another. I haven't bought any factory ammo in several years other than 22LR.

 

[Pat/Rick]

Pretty much just shoot remmie green box 125 grain SP's or HP"s, no issues at all. have shot a few winnie white box 110 grain HP's and no issues for what I've shot. Have only run a few 158's through it, but not enough to tell one way or the other.

 

[gyrhed]

That federal soft point is a great rifle load for a 357. It is destructive to soft tissue, cycles well and in my gun it will shoot an 1-1/2" group at 100 yds with a tang mounted peep.

I have fire the winchester white box, the buffalo bore, and the corbon hot loads. as well as a lot of 38s.

I pretty much just shoot the federal sofdt point now.

 

[fuzzymuzzle]

+1 for the Federal 158gr jsp in American Eagle or the Walmart load. My 1894cs (97 yr) shoots them accurately with no issues. Also, I have shot Federal 38 special 158gr lrn through mine with accuracy and no feeding problems.

 

[papabear]

Mine digests everything I have ever fed it from 110 gr .38s to 180 gr .357s. The Rem .357 soft points are decently accurate. The 180 Buffalo Bore are the most powerful. Depends on what you need/want. Best wishes, Jack

 

[Belt-Feeder]

Mine feeds everything fine. I have found the .357 American Eagle 158 JSPs to be very accurate in my gun. Also, I love to shoot .38's because of the lack of recoil and report. I just have to adjust the zero on my Aimpoint to switch between the calibers.

I tend to distrust jacketed bullets at the velocities that the long barrels produce, for serious hunting. My hog ammo has been Grizzley's 180gr gas-checked hard cast loads, although I've yet to shoot anything with them. Any ol' .38 is great for raccoons!

 

[Golfbuddy45]

I have noticed the 158gr cartridges have more kick than the 125 to 142gr cartridges. Anyone know if this is due to the heavier weight bullet firing through the barrel or if it a larger powder charge? My thought is more weight more recoil but just a wild guess.

GB45

 

[Belt-Feeder]

I have noticed the 158gr cartridges have more kick than the 125 to 142gr cartridges. Anyone know if this is due to the heavier weight bullet firing through the barrel or if it a larger powder charge? My thought is more weight more recoil but just a wild guess.

GB45

It certainly is the heavier bullet.

Personally I have had no interest in bullets that weigh less than 158grs. I like the 158s and 180s.