My new .357 Handi-rifle

[federali]

My new H&R Handi-rifle arrived yesterday. It's a .357 Mag which I plan to use mainly for target practice at my gun club's 50-yard outdoor range. I have at least a dozen other rifles more suitable for eastern deer hunting. I was truly impressed with the chamber wall thickness. I have no doubt that this baby can safely handle the stoutest published .357 loads although my first effort will be to use up coffee cans full of misc. .38 Spl street loads.

When I do get around to reloading for it, I've got my first reloading manuals, published in the late 50s and early 60s in which maximum loads were stouter than currently published loads. If these were safe in thin-walled revolver cylinders, they should be of no consequence in a hand-rifle. I'm half-tempted to exceed maximum loads but this is unsafe, particularly should any of them find their way into someone else's revolver.

Anyway, thanks for listening. I'll mount a scope on my rifle and let you know how it shoots.

[zoner]

congrats on getting the 357....mine is my favorite rifle even tho i own several more expensive guns. I grew up hunting deer in the woods of north-central Penna....killed my deer with a m94 32 Special and it did an excellent job,but when i think back,given the ranges most shots come at there i coulda done the same job with a 357 handi,with less recoil.

[Cayoot]

I have enjoyed hunting rabbits with my Marlin in .357 (using .38 wadcutters), and I think it was a great trunk gun.  However, I had to sell it earlier this year.

I've given it much thought, and I believe that I'll get at least as much enjoyment from a .357 Handi for both rabbit hunting and perhaps deer hunting.  (My regular deer gun is a 7 1/2" Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt, but I think I'd like to try a .357 just for a change of pace.)

Mostly the Handi would be for fun plinking and rabbits (.38 wadcutters moving at 650 fps do a near perfect job on rabbits).

This will be my first Handi, and the more I think about it, the more excited I get!

Did your.357  Handi come with iron sights, or is that not an option?

Anyways, please provide a detailed report of your range time...I'm really looking forward to your impressions after your first range session!

[federali]

I don't know all the Handi-rifle options. Mine came with a synthetic stock, a scope mounting rail that accepts standard rings and came without iron or open sights of any kind.

[Graybeard]

My first .357 Magnum was a S&W Model 19 with a 6" barrel and with it I won my first ever trophy shooting silhouettes at a gravel pit where my club held matches. In those days I shot two loads thru the gun. One was my hand load of 6.5 grains of Bullseye and a Hornady 125 JHP and the other was a factory load under the Browning name most likely loaded by Norma for them.

That factory load pushed a 158 JSP at 1550 fps. These days you can't even find a 125 grain load advertised at that speed. Back in the early days of the round it had some teeth to it and worked just fine in my S&W revolver. Yes I'm sure such would still be safe in rifles and even handguns of today but I'm sure it would shake some of the lighter revolvers apart eventually. SAAMI backed way off the specs from those early day loads. But I'm old enough to remember back when the round packed some punch and haven't forgotten the loads we used in those days.

[LaOtto222]

I would not want to put through some of those heavy loads in my 4" S&W model 66, it would eventually shoot it loose. I run mostly light loads through it and medium heavy once in a while.

As far as the 357 Handi - you really need to ream it to a 357 max. I recommend it to anyone shooting a 357 Handi. It does not hurt accuracy with 38 special loads and you have the option of loading it up much heavier than a 357, if you want. The Max really handles the 180 and 200 grain bullets well. Some guys push it out at a high rate of speed (2100 - 2200 fps), but if you load the 180's up to around 1800 fps, you get all you really need out of it and when using pistol bullets they will perform well.

Good Luck and Good Shooting

[petemi]

As far as the 357 Handi - you really need to ream it to a 357 max. I recommend it to anyone shooting a 357 Handi. It does not hurt accuracy with 38 special loads and you have the option of loading it up much heavier than a 357, if you want. The Max really handles the 180 and 200 grain bullets well. Some guys push it out at a high rate of speed (2100 - 2200 fps), but if you load the 180's up to around 1800 fps, you get all you really need out of it and when using pistol bullets they will perform well.

Good Luck and Good Shooting

+1 on LaOtto.  Check out ammobank.com and Reeds Ammo for cartridges.

Pete