357 mag load using Bullseye

[SNEAKS]

Looking for a good starting point for 357mag loads using 125gr extreme, Bullseye, and standard primers.

[buffybuster]

Bullseye is not an appropriate powder for .357Mag loads. What you could do is make 38Spl loads in .357Mag cases.

[SNEAKS]

I know it's not ideal powder. I also have 296 & 2400( left over from 44mag) Power Pistol and Unique I can use. Just limited to on hand with standard SPP. Any info for any of those powders will help.

[Bill Steele]

My old Hercules book (before Alliant) says a maximum load of 8.3gr of BE for a 125gr jacketed soft point loaded to 1.570" OAL in a 357M case, yielded 1500fps in their test barrel 39,200 CUP.

That is a max load and for a true jacketed, not plated bullet, so you should definitely drop back at least 10% and work up in .2 gr rungs.

Edit, checked one of my older Alliant books (1995), it lists 8.4gr maximum, same OAL as above, same JSP bullet. 1550fps out of a 5.5" test barrel.

Again, maximums.

[SNEAKS]

Thanks Bill

[Bill Steele]

I know it's not ideal powder. I also have 296, 2400, Power Pistol and Unique I can use. Just limited to on hand with standard SPP. Any info for any of those powders will help.

Alliant lists loads for 2400, PP and Unique, all with SPP, for 125gr jacketed and plated (Gold Dots) on their website, they are all max loads, so drop 10% and work up.

[hambam105]

8.3? Bullseye! Yikes. Better man than me.

[stilly]

I know it's not ideal powder. I also have 296 & 2400( left over from 44mag) Power Pistol and Unique I can use. Just limited to on hand with standard SPP. Any info for any of those powders will help.

I have been where you are going. It is no fun there.

I shot it and was like- Whoopty ****ing doo... The Gun barrel actually bent back and looked at me and said- "Hey man you gonna shoot me or WHAT?" So I loaded up some stouter rounds (CFE pistol/ Red Dot/Unique/ Zip) and while I was shooting the gun looked back again and asked "Are they IN yet?" And I was starting to get embarrassed and the girls were pointing and laughing at me. I had to get out the Deagle to shut everyone up. So save yourself the embarrassment.

If you are going to use non magnum powder in making a magnum caliber, at least do it for a good reason. Get some Lee SWC 105gr pills to load up at least. Save the BE for .38 or .45, only use magnum powders in .357. When you use non-magnum powders in the .357, kittens die.

It is simply not worth it to me. And you are only supposed to use magnum primers when dealing with W296 IIRC.

But when I load up H-110, Enforcer, 2400, AA#7 or AA#9, Blue Dot, etc in my .44 magnum, I always use LPP because magnum primers are for chumps...

;D Yup. Rock solid- nono, DIAMOND solid advice there...

[Bill Steele]

8.3? Bullseye! Yikes. Better man than me.

Someone in the ballistician department at Alliant agrees with you as they dropped that load from their books sometime after 2005 (I have a gap). I also wonder about the velocity measured, as it seems kind of high.

To the OP, other than the W296 (where magnum primers are expressly called out), I think I would just use current Alliant website load data and some of your 2400. Standard primers are called out for 2400 and it has always worked well for me in 357M.

[ironhorse1]

Bullseye is A-OK

I wonder why all the hate for Bullseye in the .357. Is it because of the very small amount of powder in a long case?

One needs to be extra careful not to double or even triple charge a case.

Speer lists a do not reduce load of 4.5 grains of BE with a 125 grain jacketed bullet in the .38 Special. This is to prevent the possibility of a stuck bullet in a revolver.

I can see that in the .357 a charge of 5 grains with a plated bullet would be a good starting point. Since max 125 grain bullet loads are listed at 7.8-8.3 with velocities of 1239-1314 fps these loads would exceed the recommended velocities for plated bullets.

Another plus is Bullseye is not position sensitive and should work very well with 125 grain plated bullets.

Using Bullseye and plated bullets will be a good combination for economical plinking and target loads.

Another plus is using all .357 cases one will not get the carbon ring in the cylinder from using shorter .38 cases.

Find the sweet spot at possibly five to five and a half to six grains and have some fun. Be sure to not load a double charge or we will want pictures of the results.

irh

[stilly]

I wonder why all the hate for Bullseye in the .357. Is it because of the very small amount of powder in a long case?

One needs to be extra careful not to double or even triple charge a case.

Speer lists a do not reduce load of 4.5 grains of BE with a 125 grain jacketed bullet in the .38 Special. This is to prevent the possibility of a stuck bullet in a revolver.

I can see that in the .357 a charge of 5 grains with a plated bullet would be a good starting point. Since max 125 grain bullet loads are listed at 7.8-8.3 with velocities of 1239-1314 fps these loads would exceed the recommended velocities for plated bullets.

Another plus is Bullseye is not position sensitive and should work very well with 125 grain plated bullets.

Using Bullseye and plated bullets will be a good combination for economical plinking and target loads.

Another plus is using all .357 cases one will not get the carbon ring in the cylinder from using shorter .38 cases.

Find the sweet spot at possibly five to five and a half to six grains and have some fun. Be sure to not load a double charge or we will want pictures of the results.

irh

If you think that is hate you should be glad OP was not asking about RED DOT or ZIP in .357 magnum.

I have been there done that with the BoLee and I discovered that JUST because they had loads published does NOT mean that those loads should be used, but if you have nothing else, you can make them up, just don't tell anyone you did it.

To me the ONLY reason to load .357 magnum is because .38 could not get it done for you. If my complaint is performance when I drive my car in a race, it does not make sense to move to a faster car that has a governor on the engine that keeps me at the previous speed that I was going. That is all I am saying.

If you should hundreds or thousands of .38 in your .357 and you get that ring buildup at the end, well clean your damn gun to get the rings out... It is not that hard to do.

Bullseye is a fine powder, but it shines in things like .45, .38, 9mm, Etc.

Hey, I happen to fancy myself a decent shot with my .45 but put me against Lynn out in the desert making a 600 yard shot and I might not look so good with my .45 as he is with his whatever he uses with a scope and precision ammo...

[ironhorse1]

Hey Steve I see you did an edit to the best part of your post. Now Stilly quotes me as you played it safe.

Anyway I already know what you meant. Bullseye works great for me.

I'm getting ready to load a bunch in .38, 9mm and .45 auto.

The only reason that I do not use Bullseye with 125 grain plated bullets in the .357 is the lower POI.

In the .45 Colt Bullseye works much better than Unique with the 250 grain cast bullets. Five or six grains for plinking loads.

Anyway we can keep our Bullseye from those who are deeply afraid of its sinister qualities. That would be those who double charge because they didn't check before seating the bullet.

irh

[rm1911]

Treat xtreme plated like lead. I shoot 5.0 grains bullseye. Both 125's and 158's I use 357 brass.

Nice accurate mild shooting round. I also use power pistol, 5.8-6 grains. It's really about which one I have in the hopper at the time.

As for magnum powders, I like blue dot.

[Bill Steele]

Treat xtreme plated like lead. I shoot 5.0 grains bullseye. Both 125's and 158's I use 357 brass.

Nice accurate mild shooting round. I also use power pistol, 5.8-6 grains. It's really about which one I have in the hopper at the time.

As for magnum powders, I like blue dot.

There is a warning, or was, (you probably know about it), not to use BD and 125gr projectiles in 357M and never in 41Mag. Something squirrely maybe the ballisticians saw when testing it?

[opos]

125 grain jacketed (not plated)..2400..standard small pistol primers..the load is in the book..why fool with a winner if you got some 2400?

I shoot a Speer 4013 this way (good friend gave me the load and it's fully within book specs for this bullet.