Good .357 mag FMJ for my 1894 rifle

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SWCs are just fine in a lever gun also. If you wanted to handload some FMJs for target shooting, no harm done, assuming you could find them. Sierra makes one in 170 grains, but it's pretty pricey for paper punching, and SWCs are better at that anyway.
 
I have 1 box of fmj ammo for my 1894c. It is made by sellier & bellot. It has a 158gr copper washed steel jacketed bullet. I bought it for woods carry in my 586 and 1894c.

Fiocchi and magtech also make a fmj loading and if memory serves, wolf at one time offered it too.

As others have said, for hunting and self-defense you'd be better off with a jsp or jhp. For plinking lead or cast will get you more trigger time for your dollar. If your rifle doesn't like lead or cast bullets there isn't enough cost savings to recommend fmj over jsp or jhp. I think fmj has a place in the 357 magnum but it wouldn't be my first, second, or third choice for anything.
 
In my experiences, FMJ ammo is cheaper to shoot and I'd like to practice more than I do.
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Why don't you practice with .38 Special loads (assuming they'll feed)? They ought to be a bit less expensive the .357's.

Ok FMJ is horrible for my application...why?
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Presumably because FMJ bullets don't turn into pretty little copper & lead mushrooms that the ads in hunting magazines lead us to believe are absolutely necessary to inflict a mortal wound into flesh. It's also worth noting that much of the "premium" .357 hunting ammunition loads hard-cast, flat-nose lead bullets that do NOT expand.


I find it mildy amusing that some of the posters here have all but said the a .357" FMJ won't do much more than cause mild discomfort to anyone or anything that happen to be shot by said projectile.
Funny thing is, I bet most of us wouldn't feel at all unprotected if we were carrying a 9mm loaded with a clip full of 124 gr. FMJ's. As I'm sure most of us know, a 9mm bullet is almost exactly the same diameter bullet as a .357 Mag and I personally wouldn't care to be shot with one even if it IS significantly less powerful than a .357.

Getcha a box of inexpensive FMJ ammunition and rest assured in the fact that no being, be it two or four legged, will wander very far off with a hole nearly 3/8" in diameter through its innards.

35W


35W
 
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Sellier & Bellot
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I keep seeing this stuff and wondered if it was any good. Thanks for the link.

It's not that I mind practicing with .38spl but I mentioned that I'd rather practice with the ammo I'll be using during a defense situation. I don't know if you've shot .38's out of an 1894 but they feel like you're shooting a .22LR. When you fire a .357 out of the 1894, it feels more like a .243
 
I find it mildy amusing that some of the posters here have all but said the a .357" FMJ won't do much more than cause mild discomfort to anyone or anything that happen to be shot by said projectile.
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That is because we've tried FMJ's on critters and found that it does not work very well. Completely different from a good SWC or LBT design. FMJ's typically are round-nosed with no meplat. The meplat makes all the difference, as Elmer Keith and others found out 80yrs ago.
 
I've shot the S&B FMJ in one of the little J-Frame stainless magnums and it's HOT stuff! Out of the Marlin it'll be fun. Remington used to load a 165gr SP that I liked in the carbine. Pretty much any factory ammo out of the carbine will do what needs doin', though I favor the 158gr GoldDot for its' bonded core.
 
ryanrichmond said:
I suppose I'd just like to get used to the power of the .357 since that's what I'd be using in a defense situation.
Sorry, RC, if I came off a little jerky. I know you were trying to give me sound advice and I appreciate it. You guys have actually gotten me thinking more about bullet weight. Before, I just assumed a heavier bullet would mean better results but now I realize that's not necessarily true. Thanks for the info.
I guess I'll just practice with HP
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I see that you have decided to reload. Congratulations.

There are three areas of study in which you will be interested.

Interior Ballistics: What happens between primer strike and the bullet exiting the muzzle of the barrel.

Exterior Ballistics: What happens during the bullet's flight from muzzle to target.

Terminal Ballistics: What happens inside whatever it is you hit.

The terminal ballistics of the 125 grain hollowpoint is phenomenal (on people and thin-skinned game. On large bears, it just makes them more irritable). But the ammunition is spendy.

One reason to reload is that you can assemble cheaper cast or plated bullets whose Interior Ballistics and Exterior Ballistics match the more expensive ammunition, and practice with those. (Put more succinctly, practice with ammunition you loaded yourself that feel the same and shoot to the same point of impact as the expensive ammunition you keep for "real" shooting.)

Lost Sheep

(I posted here because I was compelled. I read this thread because I was researching your previous posts so that I could provide a better answer to your other thread, #622356)
 
RR, I just picked up a couple of Win 94's in .35's for my son and I to shoot. I have been studying the .357 pretty hard to pick on load that will do the most for us. I have settled on the 158 bullet loaded over H110 powder. It seems to have the best combination of velocity, power, and trajectory out there.

The .357 is easy to load for and it looks like you just got yourself 250 good cases to save and start with. I like the S&B ammo and shoot it often.

I am going to use bulk Remington 158 SP for practice and Hornady XTP for the good stuff. I would like to test the Remington bullets and if they perform as people have stated, I might just stick with them. I have shoot a deer and some pigs with the XTP and was impressed.

Good luck and most importantly have fun!

Matt
 
If you handload:

Hornady 158 XTP bullets
14.0gr 2400 powder
Federal Magnum Pistol primers
Winchester 357 Magnum cases

My Marlin 1894 shoots cloverleafs at 50yds with this load.

M
 
That is because we've tried FMJ's on critters and found that it does not work very well. Completely different from a good SWC or LBT design. FMJ's typically are round-nosed with no meplat. The meplat makes all the difference, as Elmer Keith and others found out 80yrs ago.[/QUOTE

If someone made an FMJ with a fat meplat and sharp corners, would this be a good projectile for hunting and defense?
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NoirFan said:
That is because we've tried FMJ's on critters and found that it does not work very well. Completely different from a good SWC or LBT design. FMJ's typically are round-nosed with no meplat. The meplat makes all the difference, as Elmer Keith and others found out 80yrs ago.[/QUOTE

If someone made an FMJ with a fat meplat and sharp corners, would this be a good projectile for hunting and defense?
Click to expand...
I am not sure you would get better performance that with a good hard cast lead bullet and a gas check, but it would be much better than a FMJ round nose. Interesting idea. I would imagine they might be hard to make, but maybe could be plated onto a lead core.
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If someone made an FMJ with a fat meplat and sharp corners, would this be a good projectile for hunting and defense?
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Appropriate JHP's would still be a good sight better, IMO (mostly because ones that don't expand into disks still have a tendancy to go through, from .357's) but it would be a lot better.

In fact, it would be about the same as a SWC. I've bought plated SWC in .45 for a friend, can imagine you can find them for .38/.357.

EDIT: Forgot how long I had stepped away from this page! ECV got it right, too.
 
Don't discount SWC's for defense or hunting

SWC's work pretty damn well as a hunting round, perform better than hollowpoints on thick skinned game and are pretty well proven on deer.

They will drop a boar in it's tracks, so I imagine it would do well as a defense round. I'll use it as a carry round in a second.
 
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