125 gr .357 Round Comparison Question....

Z

Zebulon

New member
I'm trying to save some time and effort. Can anybody point me in the direction of a comparison of penetration between the 125 gr. .357 rounds available? Specifically between the Gold Dot and the Cor-Bon DPX......It's an issue more of time than laziness. I have a friend leaving for a boar hunt tomorrow.....He is looking for the "optimum" .357 Magnum round from his 6" 686.....Thanks Guys....Zebulon
 
Boar Hunting with a .357. I wouldn't, but I know very little about Boars. That 180 gr. hard cast bullet by Buffalo Bore is a nice round.
 
Boar Hunting with a .357. I wouldn't, but I know very little about Boars. That 180 gr. hard cast bullet by Buffalo Bore is a nice round.
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+1.

A 125 gr does not have enough pentration. Go with 180 gr. BB. Question? Does your friend really want to hunt Boar with a 357:eek: I would go with a 44 magnum to hunt boar.

I wish your friend luck.
Howard
 
Neither loading is optimal for the purpose you describe. Most 125grn .357 Magnum JHP's, and both the ones you listed, are designed for self-defense against humans. The anatomy of a boar is different enough from that of a human that a deeper penetrating bullet is needed. A 158-200grn JSP or Hardcast bullet would be a much better choice for boar hunting than a 125grn JHP.
 
The corbon 125 jhp for 357 are Some of the best ive seen (my favorite) as far as having a perfect mushroom/expansion combonation... Thats tested out of a 4" barrel, and shot through denim and into water, meant to mimic personal SD from human attack... All i can say is, if youre shooting large beasts, i hope youre a good shot and you can put one right in his eyeball and through his brain. If not, take something a lot larger, please. Id hate to see you get run through by a wild pig!
Good luck!
 
158 gr SJSP are good for most shooting hogs down hear, That's not counting
that big smelly :eek: Boar Hog you can smell 100 yrds away ; ) PS ^That's with 16gr of H-110 behinde em
Y/D
 
I have hunted with my .357s for many years and have arrived at some of the most effective hand loaded bullets in my opinion. I wouldn't personally go with the Gold Dot, although it does have a very dependable structure, being that it is a well bonded core. But my primary choice since having used the Gold Dot, is the Hornady XTPFP. I took a good sized mule deer with that bullet, and it delivered exceptional penetration, and maintained a good controlled expansion. In my opinion based on testing, is that most of the hollow poinnts for the handgun are excellent designs for self defense. I think the fact that they are designed to produce rapid expansion, makes them more likely to have limited penetration on a rather large game animal. Hunting something such as a boar, I would deffinitly lean toward a jacketed flat point or round nose, for reason I described above.
 
As others mentioned the loads and bullets you mention are intended for self defense and are designed and built to get about 12-14" penetration and expansion in 10% ballistic gelatin. This will do on a hog if you have a perfect shot but hogs are tougher and denser than humans. You would want a bullet that will penetrate at even a quartering shot.

All the major manufacturers make bullets for elk hunting with a .357 and these will take a hog. You can begin with a 158 gr. SJSP from Remington or Winchester at about 1300 fps or soand go up from there to 180 or 200 if your friend can shoot well with these loads.

Get a few boxes of different hunting loads and go practice and see what shoots best from the guns you will have. No good carrying a load that does not work for you from the guns you have.

tipoc
 
Nosler Partitions will work on any hog. Dont think they make a 125 gr. They have been making for quite a few years and whatever they do make will do the job. If they dont make it-there is a reason.
 
Try using the following .357 Mag for hogs:

  • Federal 140gr Vital-Shok with Barnes' all-copper XPB bullet (DPX)
  • Federal 158gr Fusion
  • Federal 180gr Hardcast
  • W-W Supreme 180gr Partition
  • W-W 145gr Silvertip hollowpoint
  • Speer 158gr Gold Dot
  • Hornady 158gr XTP
  • R-P 158gr & 180gr SJHP
The lightweight 125gr SJHP bullet selections are intended for self-defense as already mentioned above..
 
Some hearsay info here but 30 years ago I was in a gun shop and a fellow was buying a 44 magnum. Told me that he had shot a wild hog through the heart with an 8 3/8" bbl S&W 357 and the hog ran 100 yards before it dropped. No idea on bullet weight, design or even if it was a true story, but your post brought the incident to mind.
 
It's an issue more of time than laziness. I have a friend leaving for a boar hunt tomorrow.....He is looking for the "optimum" .357 Magnum round from his 6" 686.....Thanks Guys....Zebulon
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The "optimum" round is the one he has practiced with and can consistently hit to POA within the range he knows he is accurate with. Buying a box of shells and going hunting "tomorrow" without this knowledge is not being fair to his quarry. Hitting anything with a handgun without practice is relying on pure luck. IMHO.......Not the best choice.
 
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