357 Max and Speer 180 Gr.

[oldsnow]

#1
Yesterday I shot a doe with my Encore using a 357 MGM 16.250 barrel and a Speer 180 Gr. hot core. She was 125 Yds. quartered to me the bullet hit her just behind the right shoulder breaking two ribs and traveled through her and stoped under the skin of her left hindquarter. The bullet retained 170 grains of it 180 grain weight

 

[horsemen61]

What was the animals reaction? DRT or did she go a bit what?

 

[oldsnow]

She ran about 100yds.

 

[murf]

so, what was the load for that "bad boy"?

murf

 

[Captcurt]

A state trooper once told me that he liked the Speer HotCor because it would stay together in his 41 Mag. Sounds like a good choice for the 357 Max too.

 

[oldsnow]

so, what was the load for that "bad boy"?

murf

A compressed max load of Win 296.

 

[oldsnow]

A state trooper once told me that he liked the Speer HotCor because it would stay together in his 41 Mag. Sounds like a good choice for the 357 Max too.

I think Speer uses a harder lead. I make a lot of sinkers and bucktails for fishing. You can make a scratch mark on pure lead with your fingernail. I could not scratch the exposed lead on the bullet with my fingernail.

 

[Fyrstyk]

I use the Remington 180 gr hollow point in my Max in a 10" Contender barrel. I load using WW 680. I have shot several deer with the load and most drop within 25 yards of where they were shot. I only take behind the shoulder shots. I have only recovered one bullet that went thru the opposite side shoulder blade and stayed just under the skin, It mushroomed to about 1/2 dollar size. I usually get complete pass thru with a heavy blood trail.

 

[murf]

mag primer, too?

murf

 

[oldsnow]

mag primer, too?

murf

Federal 205M primers

 

[25-20 WCF]

I took several Kodiak Island blacktails with the 180 Speer in my 14” .35 Remington Contender. Only recovered one bullet, which looked similar to the OP’s recovered bullet. This is a lever action rifle bullet not really designed for lower velocity use. It is not a soft handgun bullet but clearly it worked here. By design Speer HC bullets don’t expand to a large diameter but they penetrate - and kill - well.



.

 

[Varminterror]

This is a lever action rifle bullet not really designed for lower velocity use. It is not a soft handgun bullet but clearly it worked here.

Many folks have been using the 180 Hotcor 2435 in specialty pistols for a very long time. It’s a well known entity.

When I built my 357/44 B&D Redhawk, I contacted Speer and half a dozen other bullet makers to identify the appropriate muzzle velocity and impact velocity windows for their bullets - including the 2435 Hotcor. I expected, at that time, 2200fps max muzzle velocity, and 1,000-1,200fps minimum impact velocity, so this was my question for Speer et al. Speer confirmed the Hotcor would survive the speeds I’d attain at the front, as it always has, and would still expand, however less, at 1,000-1,200fps impact velocity. So even the manufacture is confirming the 180 Hotcor is suitable for specialty pistol use at moderate velocities.