finnbear

I think it would work fine on the hogs and maybe small bear...but again I don't think I would trust my life to a solid lead bullet!!
they can be unpredictable. heck any bullet can do some mighty strange stuff once it hits flesh and bone, particuarly BONE but solid lead bullets more so hardcast or not!!! here in the state of washington that would not be a legal hunting round

Elmer Kieth shot a deer at 600yds with a 4in barreled pistol.... I know he was a great shot, legendary, unrivaled ...but do U really think that it was nothing short of pure luck that he got that deer,not to mention a totally unethical shot it would have been so easy to just wound the deer only to have it run off and die a SLOW painful death due to lead poisoning!!!

yes solid bullet do well on penetration, sometime they over penetrate hardcast or soft with no expansion...ask the NYC cops of the olden day they carried S&W mod 10 for the most part with 38 special 148grn solid lead bullets ...not a man stopper by anymeans...even after transitoning to newer .357's they still were regulated to shootin the .38's in them even though the rnd performed poorly

I want a bullet that will open and transfer even more shock to the target.....just sayin

adventurebidz

When I am out in the woods with grizzlies in Montana, where I live, I carry a 44 mag with solid lead bullets, but the most important thing to me when up against a big bruin would be penetration. Just any lead cast bullet would not do because they are too soft and they flatten and do not penetrate as well on tough hided game. I use hard cast bullets that will not deform very much and so will penetrate. A friend years ago shot a grizzly at a few feet with a jacketed bullet from a 44 mag 5 times behind the shoulder. The jackets separated and the lead only penetrated 3 inches! Not what you want.

Go to www.adventurebidz.com, there will be some great deals on handguns soon. Example: right now they are selling a New Browning X Bolt with a reserve of $37.00!!

Atom03

Anything short of bear sized game but gor reference deer ,wild hogs ,mountain lions inside 30 yards

hardcastonly

personally Id prefer 1400 fps with a hard cast gas check bullet at about 175 grains cast from 95% linotype and 5% pure tin
but having shot completely through several large hogs and deer with my 8.375" barrel length, 357 mag revolver
13 grains of accurate #9 (work up to this slowly its a max load)a jacketed 180 grain maxs out at 11.7 grains




the mod 686 S&W with the same length barrel, also works



just a point worth knowing, a 8" barrel, 357 mag revolver loaded with hard cast bullets,
like the 175 grain bullet like the NEI design above over a stiff load of h110, accurate #9
or 2400 powder is remarkably effective.
(use a heavy crimp, and practice frequently)
https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/rev...s-test/#357mag

http://www.neihandtools.com/catalog/index.html

Id say that if your not killing what your shooting your simply not hitting the vitals
a load like that will certainly punch holes in any bears skull as it punches through and exits many hogs
and the chest gristle plate and breaking bones is rather tough
if you doubt the penetration, load some up with bullets youve cast and test them as listed
cast with that alloy and load some up for testing, compare penetration to anything else,
in a easily carried hand gun, the load easily out penetrates 200 grain 10mm in my glock
in this video he got full penetration of a bear skull with comparatively low quality ammo in the 357 revolver
, the hard cast hand load I suggested penetrates noticeably better and more consistently

https://cdn.gun-tests.com/media/pdfs...AL-DEFENSE.pdf

https://gunblast.com/MilesFortis-AKC...uffaloBore.htm

http://www.doubletapammo.net/index.php?route=product/product&path=125_179&product_id=336
have you considered a 44 mag or 480 ruger?

Daveboone

Fast effective repeat shots with a 200 grain bullet, loaded to effective velocity, will not be a easily controlled round without more practice than most will do. I used to shoot a 180 grain jacketed sp, and a similar weighted cast, and both were pushing the limits of my model 28s cylinder length...I stopped using them because after seating to the limit (both used needed crimping cannelures) I would still occ. bind on cylinder rotation. A lot of the maximum wt .357 projectiles are intended for single shot pistols/carbines.

buffybr

Wow! This thread is almost as old as I am. But the topic is still relevant.

The two black bears that I've killed with pistols were each killed with a hard cast bullet, cast from wheel weights. The first was with my Gov't Model 1911 .45 acp shooting a 220 grain bullet (Lyman 452460), and the second with my Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 magnum shooting a 250 grain bullet (Lyman 429244 GC). Both were DIY spot and stalk hunts, and neither bear went more than a few feet after being shot.

I've lived and hunted in grizzly country since 1975, and the only grizzly that I've had to run off was one once near West Yellowstone that was trying to steal some elk or moose meat from the back of my truck. He was about 30 feet from me woofing and clicking his teeth. He didn't react at all when I shot two .44 mag bullets over his head, but he ran away when I threw and hit him with a rock.