What would you shoot?

[Spokerider]

I just developed a sub-sonic load in .357 max.
240gr flat nose, wheel weight alloy, with a MV of 900fps.
At 25 yards.....would you use it on lion? black bear? coon?

It has a TKO index of 11.
For comparison.........

A .22 LF has a TKO of 1.33, and a 30-30 170gr has a TKO index of 15.

[Mike Leonard]

This load approximates a heavy bullet loaded in a 38-40 rifle. This load will most certainly penetrate well and dispatch any of the critters you spoke of at close ranges. With the solid cast bullet you are going to get the drive thru cookie cutter effect and with the .358 bullet you will create some severe leaks quickly. On the larger animals however do not look for any type of shock effect unlis you hit central nervous system . In other word you are going to have to let them bleed awhile before they expire. No big deal up a tree but in a bay up or touchy situation it may create some added excitment. LOL!

you mentioned coon, and although this is sort of a hammer for these guys it sure would be fun but it might make the neighbors think you are poaching deer out of their lettuce patch.

[bay'emup]

That would be the perfect recipe for someone looking to full body mount a lion or black bear. With a lung or heart shot out of a tree it would dispatch quickly and leave little patchwork for the taxidermist to deal with. I have a S&W 686 .357 that I load a 180 gr. cast bullet for that my taxidermist loves! Like Mike said, It might make a bay up more interesting due to the longer expiration time of the animal.

[Spokerider]

This load approximates a heavy bullet loaded in a 38-40 rifle. This load will most certainly penetrate well and dispatch any of the critters you spoke of at close ranges. With the solid cast bullet you are going to get the drive thru cookie cutter effect and with the .358 bullet you will create some severe leaks quickly. On the larger animals however do not look for any type of shock effect unlis you hit central nervous system . In other word you are going to have to let them bleed awhile before they expire. No big deal up a tree but in a bay up or touchy situation it may create some added excitment. LOL!

you mentioned coon, and although this is sort of a hammer for these guys it sure would be fun but it might make the neighbors think you are poaching deer out of their lettuce patch.

Thanks for the reply Mike.
Kinda what I was thinking too. Wasn't expecting any hydrostatic shock effect with such a round, lol. Mostly wondering if the penetration aspect through the boiler room was going to be there. Yes, a ground bay-up...... . It is a single shot carbine, but at least it's not a muzzle loader.
Using TrailBoss powder, I was able to get the same slug down to 650 fps. Sounds like a "hand clap" coming from the 22" carbine barrel. Perfect for bouncing out the odd coon without a sonic muzzle report.

[Spokerider]

That would be the perfect recipe for someone looking to full body mount a lion or black bear. With a lung or heart shot out of a tree it would dispatch quickly and leave little patchwork for the taxidermist to deal with. I have a S&W 686 .357 that I load a 180 gr. cast bullet for that my taxidermist loves! Like Mike said, It might make a bay up more interesting due to the longer expiration time of the animal.

Interesting that someone else hunts with a .357 mag. I rechambered mine to .357 max.
Have you actually taken game with it? with the 180gr bullets?

I too have loaded up some 180gr WFN cartridges, chrono'd at 1850 fps from my carbine. Haven't shot any critters with them yet. It will be lion medicine for sure, but was wanting something with a little more reserve over the 158gr .357 mag loading, for poking a black bear that may be intent on mauling the mutts. With the sonic crack, it's not a mild report however.

[bay'emup]

I have taken several black bears and two mountain lions with this load. I forget the specifics of the recipe- it's been about four years since I loaded them. The mountain lions dropped out of the tree within 30-40 seconds. The bears have all taken the first shot and bled out in short order within a minute. Penetration on the lions was complete pass-thru, on the bears I usually find the bullet under the hide on the far side. I would like to try drilling a small hollowpoint in the bullets to see if I can get a small amount of expansion for those ugly bay-ups. I usually load my .357 with 158 gr. Cor-Bon hollow points and carry a speed loader of the cast bullets on me, that way if I walk into a bay-up I'm ready, but if I get to the tree and want to take the animal I can quickly change bullets to the cast (taxidermist-friendly) bullets. I'll look at the exact recipe for the cast load and post it on here in the next few days.