I just purchased a like-new Ruger Super Blackhawk in the much maligned .357 Remington Maximum cartridge. The .357 Remington Maximum cartridge was originally designed by Elgin Gates for the International Handgun Metallic Silhouette http://www.ihmsa.org/ crowd. This wildcat round was quite potent out to 200 meters and would knock steel Rams down with authority. In 1983, the round was introduced into commercial production as a joint-venture between Sturm, Ruger & Co. http://www.ruger.com/index.html and Remington Arms http://www.remington.com/ Ruger released the Super Blackhawk in .357 Maximum and Dan Wesson Arms http://www.cz-usa.com/about-dan-wesson/ came out with their Model 40 revolver.
The big-name gun writers of the era wanted to see just what this round could do, so they stuffed as much gun powder as they could in the 1.6" case, and launched the lightest .357 bullet weights they could find. Needless to say that the velocities they were attaining were astronomical. These gun scribes began to notice a phenomenon called Flame Cutting began to appear on the top strap of their revolvers. Almost as quickly as it was introduced, the .357 Maximum was branded as too overpowered and unsafe because of the Flame Cutting issue. Ironically, the Flame Cutting would only cut into the top strap to a certain depth, and after approximately 2,000 rounds or so, the cut would not deepen.
Flame Cutting is commonly found on any revolver that is fed a constant diet of hot, magnum loads. Flame Cutting results from the hot gasses formed by the burning gunpowder as it escapes behind the bullet as it leaves the cylinder and jumps into the forcing cone of the barrel. Its the nature of the beast. Well, the .357 Maximum was unanimously pooh-pooed by the gun scribes, and because of these so-called experts, and excellent cartridge and the guns chambered for it fell by the wayside.
The .357 Maximum was always better suited to heavier bullets weights. The 158, 180, and 200 grain bullets were preferred by Silhouette shooters and handgun hunters. The .357 Maximum really found it's niche in the Thompson/Center http://www.tcarms.com/ single shot pistols. These single shot's have barrel lengths up to 14" and are not prone to the Flame Cutting phenomenon. The .357 Maximum cartridge really excels in the T/C. You can stoke the T/C furnace up to 1,800 FPS or more. It truly is a hand-rifle. The man to see about T/C barrels and custom work is Mike Bellm of Grant's Pass, Oregon. http://www.bellmtcs.com/store/
Because most pistols chambered for the .357 Maximum were discontinued early on, factory ammunition is almost non existent for this round as are unfired brass cases. I was surprised to see that Starline Brass does not offer any .357 Maximum brass. Remington still makes a run of brass a couple of time a year. There are also a couple of specialty ammunition manufacturers that make ammo for the Maximum but their prices are quite steep. I did find an outfit that reloads for the .357 Maximum. They are Tug Hill Cartridge, Inc. in upstate Camden, New York http://tughillcartridge.com/home
I have placed an order with Tug Hill for 250 rounds, loaded with the 180 grain Hornady XTP bullet. This load out of a 7.5" barrel should generate around 1,400 feet per second. My goal for the Ruger Maximum is to hunt Deer-sized game and Coyotes. This load should generate more than enough power for my intended purpose, including game up to large Black Bear. I haven't decided if I'm going to scope the Ruger Maximum yet. Being that I already have a couple other scoped hunting handguns, I may run the Ruger with iron sights for the time being.
The .357 Maximum project will keep me busy through the winter and it should be ready for the hunting trip that I'm planning to south Texas to handgun hunt a couple of the Super Exotic species this spring. I'm looking to hunt Fallow Deer, Axis Deer, and Blackbuck Antelope this time around. There is no doubt that the .357 Maximum should easily be up to the task at hand.
