When introduced in 1935, the 357 Magnum was touted as the most powerful handgun cartridge in the world, a title it has since relinquished to other cartridges such as the .44 Magnum, 10mm Auto, and .41 Magnum. Even so, the 357 Magnum is still an extremely useful development. For plinking and paper punching, revolvers chambered for this cartridge usually shoot .38 Specialloads with acceptable accuracy, but for more serious work, the higher chamber pressure generated by the .357 enables it to produce almost three times as much energy as its shorter parent. The 357 Magnum is occasionally promoted as a deer cartridge. In the hands of an experienced hunter who calmly places the right bullet in the right place at close range, it will just barely get the job done most of the time, but when used by the average hunter, the .357 Magnum leaves a great deal to be desired in that role. As a hunting cartridge, the .357 is seen at its best when used on varmints or for close range shooting of the smaller game animals such as javelina. 

This text is based on information from “Cartridges of the World”, Hodgdon reloading manual, the cartridge designer and/or own resources.

Show all 26 loads

To narrow your search, choose the desired bullet weight, bullet name, or powder.