[Lord Bodak]

Is there any good information on .357 hollow points (like the Federal 357B load) in a lever-action carbine?

Would I be unwise to stock up on Federal 357B as a good shared cartridge for my 1894C and GP-100?

[grimjaw]

You can find the Federal 357B load chronograph results on this page (http://grimjaw.net/ballistics.htm) from a Ruger GP100 and a Marlin 1894C, along with several others. I got these numbers less than two months ago.

I am personally leaning towards 158/180 grain hollowpoints, but the Federal load looks OK if you're just looking at the numbers. I haven't seen what the bullet does traveling that much faster.

jmm

[PO2Hammer]

My Marlin likes158's and 180's.

[epijunkie67]

I've been sticking to 158 grain soft points for my carbine. I figure if I'm using a rifle there must be some distance involved so I want more weight than the 110s or 120s range of bullets. I expect the soft points to give me a good combination of penetration and expansion but haven't had a chance to test that out

[Ranger J]

Supposedly the SP will give better penetration in a rifle length barrel than the HP, which are prone to ‘blowing up’ on contract at the higher speed the extra length gives. Now this is all ‘book larning” as I haven’t been lucky enough to have a deer walk out in front of my 1894 yet.
RJ

[Jayhawker]

My Marlin 1894c loves 158 grain Remington SJHP. I buy them 2000 at a time. Deadly accurate with 16.6 grains of Win 296 and a Win small pistol magnum primer. Actually, I've never shot that bullet with any load that was not accurate. One thing I could not get mine to do was shoot lead bullets accurately, however.

Pete

[slabsides]

Jayhawker, after you've put a few hundred jacketed bullets through your '94c, try some .358" hardcast SWC rounds. Worked for me.

[Jayhawker]

Slabsides:

Thanks, I'll give it a try. What would be a maximum velocity to avoid or minmize leading?

Pete

[Kamicosmos]

Before putting lead through a Marlin, make sure it's not a 'Microgroove' barrel. They are not to have lead put through them at all.

*que the 'hardcast lead' fanbois to come in and flame me for that statement*

[absolute0]

FWIW - Neither of my 44 cal 1894's will feed hollow point American Eagle ammo worth a crap so I've decided to avoid them alltogether and use JSP or FMJ