Anyone have success with 357 hog hunting? Is it all about shot placement since it's a smaller round as friends want to go hunting, but they're using their 30-30. I would use my 357 lever.
Welcome to the Marlin Firearms Forum pdude !! I would imagine the .357 would drop the hog no problem... Let us know how the hunt goes...
Pdude...use the heaviest factory ammo (180gr) you can find. Of course if you are a hand loader find some heavy weight cast boolits. Good luck.
Look for 158gr Softpoint ammo to use or 180gr SP. Aim for the shoulder or right before or above it. Or shoot for the ear hole . IF the hog is facing you don't shoot between the eyes but at a spot about 1.5-2" above the between the eyes. Their brain sits higher in the skull and their internal organs sit further forward and higher than on a deer. A behind the shoulder shot will probably hit the liver. Here is a pic. A 357 in a rifle is about equivalent to a 357 Maximum out of a handgun with a 14" barrel.
Check out Buffalo Bores 180gr bear killers. From a carbine they match factory 30-30 energies. I bought a box for my single action army. Way to much for that gun and hurt it. But the rifle should eat em like candy. I made my own bear killers using Missouri Bullet Co 180gr slugs over IMR4227. From my 94C they go plumb through 19" of wet newspaper at 100 yds, and are mild enough the pistols can handle them.
All great answers thanks! I don't reload, at least not yet. So will try some 158 grain JSP I found (PMC & Federal). Also found a few boxes of 180 grain Fed Vital-Shock.
I dunno where they are getting the energy figures for the Buffalo Bore 180gr ammo saying they are equivalent to a 30-30 rifle The 170gr 30-30 load developes 1800+ ftlbs of energy at the muzzle and the BB 180gr at 1800fps out of a rifle developes 1300+ ftlbs of energy at the muzzle.
The 158 grains sounds like it may expand too fast with rifle velocities. Not sure but I think that load was built for pistols. 180 grain cast sounds like something worth trying. Not familiar with the vital-shok. I'm curious and will check it out. A fellow on another forum uses a 9mm carbine with 147gr fmj flat-points. he claims good results.
9mm carbine 147gr for hog hunting? That's something to consider too as I've been thinking of that kind of carbine but more just for plinking since ammo is much cheaper.
The 158gr SP works just fine for deer. Do a search on Jerry Lester on the other marlin forum for old posts. He shot a truckload of deer using the 158gr Remington SP and it works just fine. Just make sure its a softpoint. Using Lil Gun powder you can get that bullet up to 2000fps and over. Bryan Pierce did some loads with that using a Federal primer thats a bit thicker. Lil Gun has lower pressures than H110 or W296 even though I like the latter 2 powders and they are extremely accurate.
From their web site. https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=100 Their claim not mine.
Ya, I think they are comparing their load to the original load for the 30-30 which was a 160gr bullet at 1900fps circa 1895. We've made a few advancements since then. Still a 30-30 170gr in a 20" carbine will only get 2050fps chronographed or 2250fps with a 150gr bullet and your not going to get any more out of it unless you overpressure load it or shoot it out of a 24" barrel. You can load the 357 magnum in an 18.5" barrel to over 2000fps and a 158gr bullet using Lil Gun and they are SAAMI pressure loads. Add another 1.5" of barrel to match the 20" and see what you get.
That BB 180gr load was a SOB in my single action. The gun was well worn by that time, but 20 of those finished it off. Not for good I fix it back up, but they are way to much for a SAA. I agree putting a hog down with a 357 carbine should be easy.
Ya, those are Ruger only loads if your going to use a singleaction or Freedom Arms revolvers. My buddy in Texas shoots probably 30 hogs a year or more and uses anything from a 22 magnum on up if you shoot in the ear hole or about 2 inches above right betwen the eyes. He uses the 64gr Winchester Powerpoint ammo and it will drop them with above or right ahead of the shoulder shots and find the bullet mushroomed under the hide on the far side.
