158 grain Zero JSP- deer hunting?

[wolfman]

Apologies if this belongs in another sub forum- mods, please move if appropriate.

Buddy of mine hunted his new Rossi 357 Magnum this year & took a mature whitetail doe using Buffalo Bore 180 grain hardcast. Through & through the lungs, but she did make it ~100 yards or so on a dead run. He recovered the deer without much drama, but wasn't pleased with the blood on the ground, or that the exit wound was no larger than the entry wound. Buffalo Bore doesn't advertise the exact BHN of that bullet (that I could find), but I'm guessing it's pretty high. My 2 cents to him was that the results were pretty much what I would expect. Plenty of penetration - the energy is certainly there - but unlikely to show any expansion unless it hits something really hard on the way. Great for punching through a bear skull in an emergency, but maybe not ideal for a soft whitetail boiler room. Suggested a 180 JHP or 158 JSP would be more likely to expand.

The only 357 Magnum load I've killed a deer with is the 140 grain Hornady FTX load, & it did fine on my one example. So that might be an option, and I know the 158 grain XTP JSP has a good rep. The easy button would be to get some of the XTPs & load them up for him, but the flat points are nearly unobtainium. Heck they were hard to come by even in the good old days.

He spied some of my handloads with 158 grain Zero JSP, & asked if that would be a good deer load. Couldn't answer with any authority; loaded with 16.5 grains of H110, the energy is there- but don't know what to expect from the bullet. Might slice one open to see jacket thickness & how hard the lead is, but have nothing with which to compare.

My S.W.A.G. is that it's standard cup & core. Given the still low price of these (thanks Zero!!!), would expect that the jacket is on the thin side, & the lead alloy is whatever is cheapest to obtain- not sure if that means near pure, or heavily alloyed.

My concern is that it might be too lightly constructed. Wasn't able to turn up any testing/experience on the web, so might do some homebrew testing to get an idea (a Paul Harrell-esque "meat target" might be in order), but thought it would be wise to check with the gang here to see if anyone had thoughts or experiences to share.

[JEBar]

since the mid '60's 357 hunting load has been 15.9g of H110 pushing a 158g JHP or JSP .... our go to 158 has been made by Nosler .... we've fired untold thousands of Zero Turn 158 JHP and JSP .... if I couldn't get Noslers, I wouldn't hesitate to use them .... we've taken deer that they passed through and left a easy to follow blood trail .... we've also taken others with no exit wound .... it all depends on where you hit them and at what distance .... bottom line, they were all put in the freezer

[Cofisher]

Ditto on Jim's comments. I would not hesitate to use the Zero if the preferred choice is unavailable. I have. Still prefer the Nosler, thanks to Jim.

[wolfman]

Appreciate the replies gentlemen!

Know I was probably over thinking it, but it's always good to hear from the voice of experience.

Thanks also for the tip on the Noslers. Plenty of time before next deer season, so will keep an eye out for some of those. If we can't get any, will load him some with the Zero bullets.

[JEBar]

Thanks also for the tip on the Noslers.

to find the best prices on Nosler bullets it pays to keep an eye on Shooter's Pro Shop ====> https://www.shootersproshop.com/ .... they handle Nosler "BLEMS" .... that means Nosler products that have minor blemishes .... I've used them for years and have yet to find a blemish on the finish .... at any rate whatever the blemish may be they promise it will have no impact on the bullet's performance .... you can signup for a notice when they have what you want in stock

[wolfman]

Signed up... thanks again JEBar!

[JEBar]

the only negative I have found with buying from SPS is their product shipping .... their standard $13 shipping fee is great on large orders .... they ship ground which for those of us on the east coast can be pretty slow .... in personal service before, during and after the sale is very good .... all in all, I really have no complaint

[ol'pole]

I don't know about the JSP I've always used the JHP by Zero. Took deer with my Security 6 4" using 158gr JHP handloads, these bullets hit hard and expand great

[Rifletom]

wolf, another option are the 180gr coated rnfp from Missouri Bullets; either the Striker or Pugnose. Both have hardness of 18. .357 and are excellent bullets. For jacketed, pretty hard to beat the Nosler's tho.

[fortyshooter]

A 180 hardcast in 357 Mag would be instant kill with a head shot on a deer. But then most hunter probably want to save the skull/antlers.
I know it will clobber a steel target at Mag speed!

[Rifletom]

You ain't kidding forty. I mentioned the 180's as wolf said his buddy used BB 180's. Thinking those may be harder than 18, dunno.
I've just about always been a heavy for caliber loader: 180/30-06, 150/270 Win, 120/25-06, 170/30-30, 154-160/7x57 and 160-175/7mm RM.
I just like anchors for some reason.