357 mag ammo

[hunter966]

I picked up a new production Colt King Cobra Target pistol with the 4” bbl and was wondering what bullet weight anyone can recommend.

Probably use it for protection and varmints if I get a chance.

 

[Ready_fire_aim]

I picked up a new production Colt King Cobra Target pistol with the 4” bbl and was wondering what bullet weight anyone can recommend.

Probably use it for protection and varmints if I get a chance.

Can’t go wrong with the good ‘ole 158gr lead SWC for paper punching.

I tend to stay away from the really light bullets. Supposedly they’re hard on the forcing cone, and they eat up powder.

 

[hunter966]

I’d heard about lighter boolits being not good but didn’t know why.

 

[Firpo]

IMO 158 grain cast is great for 38 Special (it’s what I load with 4 grains of W231) but doesn’t seem to come close to utilizing the potential of the 357 Mag. I’d either load screamin’ 125 grain jacketed or 180 grain cast.

 

[hunter966]

Right now it’s just going to be factory ammo, I reload for other pistols just not any 357/38 special.

 

[retrieverman]

The only 357 ammo I’ve loaded so far was with Missouri 180 gr cast bullets.

 

[hunter966]

They make some good bullets, I shoot them in my 44 and 45.

 

[Foxfire5]

IMO 158 grain cast is great for 38 Special (it’s what I load with 4 grains of W231) but doesn’t seem to come close to utilizing the potential of the 357 Mag. I’d either load screamin’ 125 grain jacketed or 180 grain cast.

125 Grain JHP IMHO best manstopper.

 

[sklfco]

Right now it’s just going to be factory ammo, I reload for other pistols just not any 357/38 special.

Local vendor has these.
They will suffice for your stated purposes.
With the added bonus of a bunch of once fired brass to load to your preferences at a later time.

 

[Moparman485]

Those above PPU are great for small to medium 4 legged and 2 legged critters. If you get a wild hair and decide to hunt with it as a primary, I would recommend heavier or thicker bullet designs of course, possibly with a JHP design (soft points tend to over penetrate compared to JHP/BalTip in my opinion, and tend to expand less). I’ve used 158/180 bullets with great success on paper and hunting. One thing to note if you do reload, don’t hot rod it like you can a Ruger, but with 357 mag, there’s really no need to push the limits anyways. I have found the 125gr )factory and handloads) to have a more harsh recoil (on the wrist) than the 158/180s, so I’ve steered away from them myself. I have also heard the forcing cone issues but have never seen it in person. Just stick to brass cases and avoid steel/aluminum if you can.