Originally Posted by
Semisane
Heck, it's probably pretty close to a 150 grain 30-30 load which most consider a 150 yard cartridge. Dang, I've got to do a little reloading data research.
Don't be mistaken about the velocity and energy increase you get from the .357mag in a rifle. Yes, it's leaps and bounds ahead of the .357mag in a revolver, but "pretty close" to a .30-30 it ain't.
I have used a "Glenfield" 30A .30-30 (marlin 336) a Win 94 Trapper .357mag (FANTASTIC little truck gun) for deer, and in my experience, there's a pretty wide gap between the .357mag and the .30-30. Knocking down a deer at 150yrds with the .357mag was as challenging a feat as knocking down a deer at 250 with a .30-30. The speed and energy just isn't there.
A 150grn .30-30 should be trucking in the 2300fps ballpark, whereas a .357mag 158grn will be stretching to hit 1800fps, over 25% more muzzle velocity for the .30-30. Run that out and you're talking about muzzle ENERGY of 1750ft.lbs. for the .30-30, to 1150ft.lbs. in the .357mag, 55% more energy in the .30-30. If you compare "Marlin" loads, both rifles could push up the pressures slightly, so if you really pushed a .357mag to 1900fps, you could equally push the .30-30 to 2400fps+, but both will be over SAAMI limits. If you really think about it, the .30-30 is taking 50% more powder than the .357mag, which adds a lot of extra energy (50% more powder, 50% more energy, coincidence? I don't think so).
Then add in the BC of the bullets. A 150grn .30-30 should be in the realm of .27 BC, whereas the 158grn .357's will be in the .15 ballpark. Neither are "great", not really even what I'd call "good", but a .27 flatnosed spitzer looks a whole lot more aerodynamic than a .15 JHP handgun bullet to me!
Run all that together through some software and the .30-30 is moving faster and has more energy at 150yrds than the .357mag from a rifle has at the muzzle. Both sighted in at 100yrds, the .357mag will drop 12" by 175yrds, while the .30-30 will run to 225yrds before dropping 12".
My point is, yes, the .357mag Levergun is a great deer rifle out to 100-150yrds, even carrying enough energy to do the deed at 200yrds (within the range of normal scope adjustment without an angled base). But no, it's not a .30-30.
From an ammunition standpoint, if you're only planning to shoot 150yrds, yes, both will do the job equally well, so why not go with the one with the cheaper ammo cost. From that aspect, the .30-30 is a lot more expensive for factory ammo, usually selling for about the same price for 20rnds vs 50 of the .357. Plus for the reloader, again, it uses 50% more powder, so the .357mag is a lot cheaper to reload as well.