I received a H&R .223 last yea for xmas. Sent it back to have a .357 mag barrel fitted, then a friend rechambered for .357 maximum. The only rounds we have put through it were .38 special and what a treat that was. It felt like i was shooting a 22. I'm looking forward to shooting some maximums through it. If anyone has experience with this cartrige in this gun I would sure apreciate the advise. All other info has been from TC guns. I was thinking about starting with hornady 180 gr 35 cal over 18 gr of lil gun.

Welcome to Shooters Forum, Hooley! I think you'll find this is just about the friendliest and most knowledgeable gun site on the web.

The 357Max is a very cool little round. Are you located in Indiana, or a state where the MAX is used for deer hunting? Either way, there has been some EXTENSIVE range work done with this round by a couple of guys.

.357 Maximum

Another great site that is worth signing up for, specifically for the incredible knowledge to be found on the MAX, is David White's forum. David is a really great guy and has done the most extensive bullet testing for this cartridge that you are ever likely to see. He's also an absolute artisan with H&R rifles, although he's not currently accepting any work, from what I understand. Still, his thread on the 357 Max and various bullets is nothing short of seminal. I think you'll have some really good starting points on how to load your MAX after reading the two sites I linked to.

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Jason

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The .357Maximum website has been in some sort of difficulty for several days. You might also try Mike Bellm's website for some good info, also the H&R forum on gbo. My personal experience involves a Martini Cadet in that caliber using RD359175 and RD359190, also Beartooth 185's with excellent results. I use heavy charges of A1680, personally having poor results with faster burning powders. If you want, PM me about the loads, I won't put them here as there is some misunderstanding about pressures with this powder. Goat

Yes, I am in indiana and dear is what I intend to use it for. Thanks for turning me onto David Whites forum as it is chocked full of good info. This will come in useful to myself and a couple of friends that receintly purchased these sweet little rifles. I will keep you posted on our progress.

As GW stated, AA1680 is a very good powder choice for this cartridge. I like the 180gr SSP in my similar, though slightly larger bottle-necked round, the 358GNR. The Hornady 180gr SSP is designed for the velocity range you will typically get from the 357Max. They work very well in that 1,600 - 2,200fps range.

Some of the tougher pistol bullets work well, too...as shown in David White's testing.

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gbo = Graybeard Outdoors.
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357 Max is on my bucket list I love the 357 so bigger is always better right?