357 Herrett for 2012 Deer Season

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Talked to D&T today. What a genuine Christian man!

We spoke about the pro's and con's of the 35 Rem/357Max issue. He is of the opinion that the 357Max is the perfect answer for our type of shooting here in Indiana. If we ever go to a real high powered rifle for deer hunting, he would go with something else entirely. That is a different discussion though.

He said a 357Max needs no trimming, can be loaded with 357Mag/38spl dies, takes the same shell holder, uses pistol powders, wide selection of bullets and plenty deadly for even hogs. He has taken quite a few of them with his.

His other gun would be a 445 Super Mag. (The 357Max is the 357 Super Mag. Are you seeing a pattern here? )

I told him about my quest for a longer case for my Encore in 44Mag. He said he could rechamber mine to 445 Super Mag for under $100. That may be what gets done!
Although, I don't need it. I have several 44Mag guns as well as my .358/25 WSSM. I also have a 45 Colt levergun, several shotguns with rifled barrels and one or more handguns that would be suitable for deer here in Indiana.

So...........deer gun rich here. Might get the conversion done just cause I could. Have to wait to see though.

 

[Broom_jm]

Yep, David White is a top-notch rifle-smith and a Christian of excellent character. Whatever you can dream up, he can build, and he'll usually help steer you toward an even better solution.

The 445SM is a 200-yard deer gun that kicks about like a 270 Winchester. If has the range of a very accurate 12 gauge slug-gun, with less than half the recoil. I wonder what a 444 Marlin, trimmed to 1.8", would shoot like? Probably not enough of an increase over the 445SM to make it worth it? As long as my thoughts are rambling and we're discussing wildcats, maybe I could talk JD Jones into making one of his 358 JDJ cartridges in a 1.8" version?

 

[kludge]

Jason, did you give up on the MX?

 

[Broom_jm]

Jason, did you give up on the MX?

Yeah, I kept thinking about how obscure the 338MX is and how likely it will be obsolete in another few years. Unlike a lot of other cartridges being discussed, there are no other rounds based on that particular case, so I'm guessing it will truly disappear when Marlin drops it. It seems like they aren't destined to be around much longer at all, particularly with Marlin having so many problems with quality control. I read a rumor they won't be building any lever-guns until the end of 2012.

The 356 or 444 will do basically the same thing as the 338MX, but both of those cases will be around for many years to come. At this point, I would go with a 35WSM 1.8 or a 35X460, if I decided I needed more than the 35 Remington. Even the 357 Herrett, which is what this thread started out discussing, is a smarter bet than a wildcat based on the 338MX. It wouldn't be as potent, obviously, but this is what I meant when I said David White will sometimes talk you out of BAD ideas!

 

[kludge]

It's a shame... IMO the MX was the best thing to happen in lever actions in 100 years.

Sometimes too much history can be a bad thing.

 

[Denny L]

I have 2 Handi rifles by David White and I concur with the feelings of his gunsmith work and his faith. A true gentleman. Both of these rifles are trimmed to 16 1/2" one is setup for the 357 Max, the other the 445 Super Mag. I live in southern part of state and most shots are under 100 yards my last doe was 20 yards. The 357 I use the 158 JSP with a dose of 296 that pushes about 1900 FPS. I shoot clay pigeons at 100 yards and it gets boring. The 445 needs a little help since most the bores on the Hnadi rifles are not a true .429. I would slug my barrel and order some gas check bullets from Montana Bullet Works for accuracy. My current project is a Pro Hunter in 460 - 35 a 460 S&W necked to .358 using a 147 FTX bullet. Right now its in the planning phase for me but a couple of gents on Davd' forum are into this since it meets the 1.8 OAL

 

[Broom_jm]

I have 2 Handi rifles by David White and I concur with the feelings of his gunsmith work and his faith. A true gentleman. Both of these rifles are trimmed to 16 1/2" one is setup for the 357 Max, the other the 445 Super Mag. I live in southern part of state and most shots are under 100 yards my last doe was 20 yards. The 357 I use the 158 JSP with a dose of 296 that pushes about 1900 FPS. I shoot clay pigeons at 100 yards and it gets boring. The 445 needs a little help since most the bores on the Hnadi rifles are not a true .429. I would slug my barrel and order some gas check bullets from Montana Bullet Works for accuracy. My current project is a Pro Hunter in 460 - 35 a 460 S&W necked to .358 using a 147 FTX bullet. Right now its in the planning phase for me but a couple of gents on Davd' forum are into this since it meets the 1.8 OAL

You're going to shoot a 140gr FTX out of a necked down 460S&W case? I'm not aware of a 147gr FTX, so I presume you mean 140 grain, but I can't imagine using that bullet at the speed you'll get from the 460 case...that bullet will just blow up on contact. It's made for the velocity of a 357 Magnum. I could see maybe using the 200gr FTX, but even that might not be sturdy enough. I believe I'd go with something like the 180gr TSX or maybe the 200gr Core-Lokt.

 

[fireball168]

By the time you neck the .460 case down to .358" with any reasonable neck length you've lost so much case capacity you might as well as go with something already developed.

 

[Broom_jm]

By the time you neck the .460 case down to .358" with any reasonable neck length you've lost so much case capacity you might as well as go with something already developed.

A lot of folks have investigated the 460 as a good parent case for Indiana, only to find out exactly what you have explained is true...you don't get nearly as much as you might think. Then again, you don't get a lot LESS than you would with any of the other wildcats, either. The strength and operating pressure limits of the 460S&W case allows for good performance, as compared to rounds like the 35 Remington, 357MAX and the Herrett.

There are many ways to "get there" with Indiana-legal wildcats. It's more about what excites you than what makes the most sense, because they are all just barrels spitting bullets. I love the fact that you can do just about anything you want, with a good gunsmith who is willing to explore the possibilities.

Make mine a 35 Remington, using a bore cut for a rimmed case and 303 British parent brass. You get close to 358 Win performance from an inexpensive rifle, factory dies and no need for a custom reamer, either. Case prep will suck, but that's all part of the "fun".

 

[gemihur]

35 caliber Contender

Here's my Ultimate 35 by David White
.358 Alpo
You do however need to 'Hang On'!