357 pistol bear loads?? help needed
Question:
> Federal Premium 180gr Cast Core
Agreed, and I’d also add for consideration the newish Remington 165 grain Core-Lokt offering, and a handload using Speer’s 160 grain semi-jacketed semiwadcutter over a max load of Win 296. — MOLON LABE. – Leonidas of Sparta, 480 B.C. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
> I would like to carry my S&W 357 with me when I hike in the Adirondacks next > month, but I’m a little unsure of what style of bullet to use and what load > it should be??? I do NOT plan on killing anything, but rather I’m just being > cautious about being in the woods for long periods of time with the wife and > kids, you never know what the hell you might come across… > I would like info on loads that could stop a Adirondack black bear if needed
<snip> Tim – A .44 would be a better choice, but I understand you use what you have – been there with a 9mm for the same uses you describe. Given that, your best choice for bear is a deep penetrator – a heavy-for-caliber bullet in a non-hollowpoint design. I’d recommend hardcast lead with JSP’s as a second choice. (These may not be the best for two-legged varmints, but they will still be effective.) If you must go with hollowpoints, I’d recommend Nosler Partitions or Speer Gold Dots. By "heavy-for-caliber" I’m talking about 158 grains minimum, 180 or more might be better. Last fall during one of the deer/elk seasons, three hunters were out in western Colorado. One member of the party (the son) was attacked by a black bear. The dad had a handgun but couldn’t get it to go bang, so he threw it at the bear. The third member of the party picked up the gun and shot the bear, which then wandered off and was found dead the next day. Don’t know the caliber or stle of the handgun, but the moral of the story is to be familiar with your gun. If you don’t handload, check out the Cor-Bon loads. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
> Tim, don’t expect to stop a bear with a .357. The only way you could > do it was if you got lucky and hit the brain. Not a likelyhood under > stress. If you must carry, load it with 158 gr Federal Hydrashock > ammo. This is the most powerful factory load for the .357. If you do > see a bear, shoot the ground. Splattering it with dirt, and the noise > of the gun will probably change it’s mind.
I would respectfully disagree but I’m not sure how you are defining "most powerful." Personally I’d feel better about Corbon’s 200 grain hard cast: http://www.corbon.com/357magnum.html Question: does anybody here ACTUALLY have any experience with a charging bear or know (firsthand) somebody who’s lived (or not) through such an event? Or is this all just speculation? My hypothesis would be that you’d want to shoot for the brain if you had the time to draw any handgun, regardless if you are carrying a .357 200 grain, .44 magnum or a hot ".45 Long Colt Magnum" or anything else fired from a similar (medium to medium/large frame) sidearm. (I am assuming here that an angry mother bear would still have time to kill you even after a heart shot with any of those guns or even bigger ones like .480 Ruger, .475 Linebaugh, etc., but correct me if I’m wrong on that.) Does anybody have any emperical (or even solid anecdotal) evidence that a .357 has significantly less chance of an instant stop with similar placement in the brain? Cheers, Al or even first-hand anecdotal evidence > Bob > Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it. > Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: > http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
I would like to carry my S&W 357 with me when I hike in the Adirondacks next month, but I’m a little unsure of what style of bullet to use and what load it should be??? I do NOT plan on killing anything, but rather I’m just being cautious about being in the woods for long periods of time with the wife and kids, you never know what the hell you might come across… I would like info on loads that could stop a Adirondack black bear if needed (again, I’m NOT planning on killing one out of season!), but with so much ammo out there could anyone steer me in the right direction as to what would be the best for stopping bear (if that’s possible with a 357..)? Make and description of ammo would be helpful. I’m new to pistol shooting so any and all help would be most welcome! Regards, Tim Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text —— Original Message —– > I would like to carry my S&W 357 with me when I hike in the Adirondacks next > month, but I’m a little unsure of what style of bullet to use and what load > it should be??? I do NOT plan on killing anything, but rather I’m just being > cautious about being in the woods for long periods of time with the wife and > kids, you never know what the hell you might come across… > I would like info on loads that could stop a Adirondack black bear if needed > (again, I’m NOT planning on killing one out of season!), but with so much > ammo out there could anyone steer me in the right direction as to what would > be the best for stopping bear (if that’s possible with a 357..)? Make and > description of ammo would be helpful. > I’m new to pistol shooting so any and all help would be most welcome! > Regards, > Tim
Tim, don’t expect to stop a bear with a .357. The only way you could do it was if you got lucky and hit the brain. Not a likelyhood under stress. If you must carry, load it with 158 gr Federal Hydrashock ammo. This is the most powerful factory load for the .357. If you do see a bear, shoot the ground. Splattering it with dirt, and the noise of the gun will probably change it’s mind. Bob Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
Tim, Check out Corbon. They have some very heavy .357 loads meant for hunting. up to 180 and 200 grains, I think. Hard cast for deep penetration. They are not cheap compared to other commercial ammo. I would definitely sight in first with these heavier loads and be sure the over-all length is compatible with your firearm. .357 is probably not the best choice, but I understand that not everyone can afford purchase a firearm for every specific situation. Sometimes we must do the best we can with our single "all-around" firearm. On a trip to Alaska many years back I saw 3 different solutions to the problem. 1) Wear bells on your shoes, so the bears hear you, and scoot away.(bears hate surprise parties). 2) carry big cans of Bear "Pepper Spray". 3) On gent had a very sawed off shot gun under his coat loaded with slugs. Good luck, don’t get eatin’ Pizza Man
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I would like to carry my S&W 357 with me when I hike in the Adirondacks next > month, but I’m a little unsure of what style of bullet to use and what load > it should be??? I do NOT plan on killing anything, but rather I’m just being > cautious about being in the woods for long periods of time with the wife and > kids, you never know what the hell you might come across… > I would like info on loads that could stop a Adirondack black bear if needed > (again, I’m NOT planning on killing one out of season!), but with so much > ammo out there could anyone steer me in the right direction as to what would > be the best for stopping bear (if that’s possible with a 357..)? Make and > description of ammo would be helpful. > I’m new to pistol shooting so any and all help would be most welcome! > Regards, > Tim > Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: > http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
>I would like to carry my S&W 357 with me when I hike in the Adirondacks next >month, but I’m a little unsure of what style of bullet to use and what load >I would like info on loads that could stop a Adirondack black bear if needed >(again, I’m NOT planning on killing one out of season!), but with so much >ammo out there could anyone steer me in the right direction as to what would >be the best for stopping bear (if that’s possible with a 357..)?
I recently bought a pistol, a .357 too, for just the reasons you talk about. So I asked the same questions, and the answer I got that at best a .357 MIGHT give you a chance, a small cahnce, against a truly pissed large bear that intended to kill you or yours. While it’s a powerful round, a bear is a big, heavily muscled animal and adrenelin is powerful stuff. The 357 is a great man-stopper though, at least as pistols go. I’d load my gun with that in mind, with heavy, hollow point rounds. Those wouldn’t be ideal for bear (you’d want heavy, FMJ or soft point bullets for maximum penetration) but would be a good compromise, as the ideal bear bullet is a poor bullet against people since it would go right through without expanding much. Since people are a more likely problem, I’d go armed for self protection from people with bear running 2nd. That’s my philosophy. Man, hiking around there, I’d not be able to get that scene from "Deliverance" outa my head ("squeel like a pig, boy!") <g>… The beauty of the pistol you got is that you can practice (a LOT) with .38 Special loads cheaply. You should, if you haven’t already. A pistol is amazingly hard to shoot accuratly. I bought mine about a month ago and I’ve put well over 500 rounds through so far. I can keep 6 shots into a torso-size target out to about 40 yards, firing double action. In single-action "quick" mode, more like Minute of Torso out to maybe 10 yards!! But I’m workin’ on it. -jeff Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
Federal Premium 180gr Cast Core Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
The odds of flat out stopping a pissed bear with a .357 are low. Generally, the odds of finding a pissed off bear are pretty low so it doesn’t matter. What I’d do is two-fold: First, stay out of areas where problem bears are known to be. Talk to law enforcement and forestry officials to find out where problems have been reported, then go somewhere else. Second, keep in mind that you’re far more likely to have problems with other people than you are with bears. By being a little bit smart, you can just about eliminate the chance of a bear problem. At that point, when bears are out of the picture, the .357 becomes a very viable protection cartridge. My favorite backwoods cartridge is the .44 magnum, but if I seriously thought there was a high probablity of a bear problem on any one particular day, I’d carry my rifle instead. The pistol is like my seat belt … I wear it on principle, not because I plan to need it. Back in the days when I did carry a .357, I handloaded Sierra’s 170 grain JHC to fairly high pressures (acceptible then, but far over today’s pressure standards) in a 4" GP100 … and got sub inch 25 yard groups. Among factory loads, I’d look at Remington’s 165 grain load or either of federal’s 180 grain loads. If I couldn’t do any better, I guess I’d pick Hornady’s 158 grain JSP. All are inadequate, but among inadequate these are the least inadequate. Tom Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
