357 question

[KD Texan]

I am looking at getting a Henry in the 357 Mag caliber, currently have a Ruger GP-100 in 357 Mag and given the challenge of finding ammo would prefer to have this rifle be chambered the same.

Can y'all please advise the useful range with a 357 Mag and expected bullet drop? A bit concerned about bullet speed as compared to 30-30. My plan for this rifle is to use on the ranch for coyotes and other varmints, occasionally deer, and general target practice.

Thanks in advance,
KD

[CT_Shooter]

I am looking at getting a Henry in the 357 Mag caliber, currently have a Ruger GP-100 in 357 Mag and given the challenge of finding ammo would prefer to have this rifle be chambered the same.

Can y'all please advise the useful range with a 357 Mag and expected bullet drop? A bit concerned about bullet speed as compared to 30-30. My plan for this rifle is to use on the ranch for coyotes and other varmints, occasionally deer, and general target practice.

Thanks in advance,
KD

Welcome to the forum from CT. Glad you joined us and I'm sure you'll hear from other members with answers to your question.

If you plan to use your gun on bigger game or at ranges past 100 or 150 yards, the .30-30 is your clear choice.

If your gun is likely to be used primarily for recreational shooting, hunting medium game within 100 yards, or defensive use, the .357 is superior. Its higher capacity and lower recoil are more suited to such applications where the extra power and penetration of the .30-30 would be wasted.

https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/lever ... 57-magnum/

[Rifletom]

Welcome to the forum from Ca. Your stated uses for the .357 around the ranch will be about perfect. That second paragraph from "The Truth About Guns" is spot on. You'll really like the Henry in .357, as they tend to be very accurate.

[ESquared]

Solid advice above, to be sure. When it comes to specifics about bullet drop, lots of variables come into play, of course, which is part of the fun. It'll be easy to dial in, however, especially at the 75-125 yd range suggested above. Great fun to shoot, fun to reload. Very versatile, minimal recoil.

Lots and LOTS of 357 owners here who will chime in, but you can't really go wrong. Please keep us posted as you make your decision!

[rugrat]

Welcome to the forum Sir! Which ever Henry rifle you choose, you cant go wrong because after all, it is a Henry!

[North Country Gal]

I agree that the 357 mag is basically a 50 yard revolver and 100 yard rifle cartridge as far as deer go. For varmints, you could certainly extend that distance, but you'll be dealing with bullet drop with standard loads. On the other hand, with the Hornady 357 FTX lever evolution loads, you could definitely turn the Henry into a flatter shooting 357. As always, the 357 is a very versatile cartridge and always fun to shoot.

[JEBar]

we have both a 357 and 30-30 .... with the way we lode our ammo, out to 100 yards the trajectories are pretty close .... for your listed uses, I wouldn't worry about any difference in effectiveness .... over 100 yards, I'm much more comfortable with 30-30

[KD Texan]

Thank y'all for the great feedback and assurance on the 357! This would be the 2nd Henry in our family, I bought my son a 22 carbine with the big loop for Christmas a few years back. I've been nothing but pleased with that little carbine and it's a ton of fun to shoot.

This is going to be a present to myself when we marry our daughter off in late December and I want to get this caliber right. Thank y'all!!!

[JEBar]

This would be the 2nd Henry in our family, I bought my son a 22 carbine with the big loop for Christmas a few years back. I've been nothing but pleased with that little carbine and it's a ton of fun to shoot.

great to hear about the performance of your son's Henry 22 .... be sure to follow the link below and add it to our community's total .... in a little while when you get you 357, come back and add it as well .... good luck on the wedding


http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.p ... 89#p150989

[rugrat]

Thank y'all for the great feedback and assurance on the 357! This would be the 2nd Henry in our family, I bought my son a 22 carbine with the big loop for Christmas a few years back. I've been nothing but pleased with that little carbine and it's a ton of fun to shoot.

This is going to be a present to myself when we marry our daughter off in late December and I want to get this caliber right. Thank y'all!!!

Good luck on your daughter's wedding! Just a heads up, you will most likely shed some tears at her wedding.

[Vaquero]

Yes the 357 is very capable of taking deer out to 100-120 yds. I myself took one several years ago now at roughly 90 yds. He made a step or two and dropped.
I can consistently ring a 8"gong at 100 yds.
Very fun, you won't regret the 357.
Several of us here reload a 180 gr cast bullet and gotten some good accurate loads.

RP

[MarkB]

Ballistics By The Inch has data for the .357 Mag in barrels from 2" to 18". This should give you a good idea of what to expect. I've included .30-30 data from Gundata.com.

http://ballisticsbytheinch.com/357mag.html

Gundata.org has info on the .30-30.

http://gundata.org/cartridge/54/.30-30- ... e%201890s.

[RanchRoper]

Welcome from Alberta.

[MarkB]

I found an additional extensive article on the .357. The article has bullet drop charts also.

https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowle ... agnum.html

[TN Mark]

I'm also a Ruger GP100 fan which is one of the reasons I also got the 357/38 All Weather. I use Federal 158 grain JSP in the Henry without a single issue, ever. These two are an awesome combination. All the best to you.

[Oldbrass]

I also have a Ruger GP100 the 6" stainless model. Also a new Henry all weather 357. My "woods" load for the Ruger is a sierra 158 soft point/ hot ose of W296. It's also very accurate in the henry. My zero is 50 yards, I'll be stretching that to 75 yards soon. That will be no hold over well past 100. The Ruger is no slouch either !