I used to just buy the 158gr JSP AE from Walmart. Cheap, and was always there.  Now that Walmart is no longer in the game, I've decided to try other things.

Rifle is a 16in Rossi.

What are u folks using? Any field results?
Hows the Leverrevolution?

Just to throw this out there on why I'm not sticking with the AE round.

My rifle shoots it good BUT groups it waaaayy out there vs Everything else.   For example.  I sight in with the AE load. Everything else is down and left by like 6inches.  I sight in with say Hornady, the AE is off in right field (directions are off the cuff)  even 38s will shoot lower than the 357 but the windage is ok UNLESS I'm sighted in with AE.

Pretty hot stuff in my 4" GP100, I need to try it on some hogs

Attached File

That looks interesting. Also a fan of Fusion bullets.

2200 FPS is required to exceed the elasticity limits of human tissue.

So temporary wound cavity is only temporary for conventional handgun calibers.

Including.357

Irrespective of caliber, spend money on a bullet that expands. An expanding bullet will crush tissue in a wider channel.

Higher inertia will crush to deeper depth.

Given a MODERN expanding bullet, caliber and bullet weight mean far less than they used to.

I like Fiocchi 158 grain JHP XTP in my 20" Rossi 92. The XTP is known for deep penetration in handguns and I figure it'll hold up better than most JHPs from a rifle length barrel. That said, I haven't shot anything other than paper with it so far.

Thanks Dave.  I had shot some before and I think I remember liking it.  I know I didnt hate it.

If I was only using a .357 rifle and not a handgun I’d only shoot a 125gr flavor. Fiocchi 125gr sjsp are what I would recommend (I’ve still got a few k of these for shtf). I reload now and load 158gr jsp zero brand bullets over 296 for use in my 16inch ss Rossi & 4-5/8 ss Blackhawk.

ETA: my BH does see some 125’s from time to time(hunting or carry), just not a steady diet of them. I am a huge fan of 125’s though.

I've been using the Remington(green&white box) 158grn JSP ammo in my Rugger 77/357.
Shoots well and has a lot of punch.
Still using the good old 125grn JHP in the handguns.

I've shot a couple of the Leverevolution out of my 16" Rossi just messing around and at 100yrds they were hitting higher than my usual 158gr.  I can't find where I wrote down how much but it makes sense with the different bullet weight and design.  I haven't shot anything other than a paper target with them so no comment on performance on critters.  

I've always loaded some old Speer 158gr SJSP for hunting but I'm almost out of them so I'm looking for something else as well.  I've got some of the 180gr hard cast Buffalo Bore but I've never shot them in the rifle.  


Holy crap- I just looked at MidwayUSA's website to get an idea what's currently being made and they are out of stock on .357 and list most other popualrcalibers as "temporarily unavailable".  

Took a doe with my 1894 using Hornady's 140 grn.Leverevolution ammo.Shot her  at about 60 yards.She ran about 10 yards and dropped.That round shredded her lungs.My only complaint is they slightly longer and can be a pain to load.

I just ordered a bunch of 158gr PC SWCs to load up & have enough 158gr XTP FP to get me by til things get back to normal.

How fast would you push a pc bullet before you were concerned about leading?




Thanks for this. A friend of mine got back to me and uses these for deer. He has no complaints (he uses a single shot) I'll try some down the road when things stabilize.

I've taken 3 deer (2 bucks and a doe) with handloaded 158gr XTP at about 1850 FPS from 2 different rifles. I have also used the 240gr version from a 44 Mag rifle on a very large buck and had similar results: almost complete or complete pass through with excellent expansion. Ranges were about 90 yards to less than 5 yards. These are perfect bullets IMO and really knock deer down.

I have never lost a deer with a PCC fired XTP and even one of them was very poorly shot (hit the windpipe with a stupid unsteady shot in the rain) and she only ran 100 yards.

There's a myriad of excellent loaded ammunition in .357 Magnum. It's what makes a carbine chambered in it so special.

Boutique ammo makers like Buffalo bore, Underwood, Grizzly cartridge and Double tap make HOT loads that are true .357 Magnum level. Expensive but that's an option. Hornady also loads the xtp fairly warm in their customline. Swift ammo has a really expensive load that is supposed to be hot. Federal has a new line out this year designed specifically for lever actions call the 'Hammer Down.' the gun shells should be getting it and testing it this month. I'd wait another couple months until real people start testing it to see what it will actually do and if it's worth the asking price. I noticed they're using the 170 grain deep curl bonded bullet in the 357 loading. I've never loaded it and I've always wondered what it will do in a carbine so this is interesting to me.

Last but certainly not least, Federal makes the American eagle 158 grain JSP which performs excellent out of a carbine. It's a fairly warm load but still not quite as hot as the boutique loads. It is reasonably priced at $18/50. Andrew from The chopping block (a member here) did a YouTube video review worth watching.

Load your own. 357 is a excellent caliber to learn reloading with, then you can make them as hot or mild as you like.