.357 reload questions

[Heydeck52]

I've just started reloading .357 about a month ago. I previously loaded .308.

I went out and bought 125gr xtp, 158gr xtp/fp, and 158gr LRN. I also bought 2400, unique, and magnum and standard pistol primers. I used both lymans and hornady reloading manuals to come up with a start load. I decided to start right in the middle for all 3 bullets I was loading for. All of my brass was once fired and mixed between blazer and I believe Fiocchi.

All of the ammo that I loaded was done on a single stage press with each round double checked with a digital and beam scale for powder loads. When I took them to the range last Sunday I had some interesting results.

The LRN loads with Unique were all around great. I did have one split case which I though was odd. No issues when it was fired but was hard to eject. I settled on 5.0grns of Unique.

The 125 and 158 XTP's were a little different. They seemed to perform better when loaded towards the max with 2400. The initial loads I made that were charged a little lighter had mixed results when firing. Some felt extremely soft with no flash or too loud of a report and some had more flash and a bigger boom.

My question I guess is when loading with a lighter charge will there be issues not having enough oomph to make the rounds reliably go off? I was surprised that some rounds would have that magnum feel and some felt under powered. They all had the same charge with a few having +.1 grain. I apologize if my wording is confusing. I would have to double check when I get home but I believe I was loading 14 grns of 2400 with the 125's and 11.4 grs with the 158s.

[Deedle]

The light loads or the "good" loads were "14 grns of 2400 with the 125's and 11.4 grs with the 158s."?

Here is the official load data for 2400: http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloade...9&cartridge=28

Extremely light loads can fail in really interesting ways, in general if you want a really light (low power) load use a different powder.

[Heydeck52]

The light loads or the "good" loads were "14 grns of 2400 with the 125's and 11.4 grs with the 158s."?

Here is the official load data for 2400: http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloade...9&cartridge=28

Extremely light loads can fail in really interesting ways, in general if you want a really light (low power) load use a different powder.

My intentions were to have the 125 and 158 xtp's loaded to magnum levels and use my lead bullets with Unique for my light plinkers. I'm noticing that Hornady is really conservative on what they list in their manual. Maybe I should start my loads closer to max when referencing the Hornady manual?

[Deedle]

My intentions were to have the 125 and 158 xtp's loaded to magnum levels and use my lead bullets with Unique for my light plinkers. I'm noticing that Hornady is really conservative on what they list in their manual. Maybe I should start my loads closer to max when referencing the Hornady manual?

I'll lead off by telling you that I reload a lot, but I don't reload a lot of 357; mostly my dad used to shoot 357 and I was 357 Sig, 10mm, 454 and so on. I do now have a couple 357 revolvers of my own so I do some but not a lot of volume.

If we want light loads for the 357, we reload some 38 spl .... but what you're doing should be fine.

A split case can just be the case. Brass gets harder as it works, and to soften it you can anneal it periodically. A lot of big rifle loaders do so but the metallurgy of it applies broadly. If you reuse your brass a lot consider softening it periodically, and always inspect cases carefully before reuse no matter how fresh they are.


Be aware that a 125 gr bullet is not identical to every other 125 gr bullet. Differences in OAL (of the bullet, which changes seating depth) and other factors make a difference, as does the manufacturer's tolerance for risk. The Hornady data and the Alliant data do use a different 125 gr bullet so the data is not going to be something that just maps across.

Always watch for signs of pressure and work up carefully.

[rsrocket1]

Your light loads of 2400 are probably way too light for reliable ignition. Powder position is likely much more important when loaded with a slower powder like 2400. If you tilted the gun back between shots, you'd get better consistency but you'll still get a big flash due to the slower powder.

If you want a lighter load, use a faster powder. For me, 5g Unique in a 38 special case is a good 158g load. If I wanted lighter recoiling loads, I go down to 2.7-3.0g Red Dot or Clays. They are very fast powders and are not position sensitive. With those powders, everything ignites so fast and the pressures are high enough that you get a good clean consistent burn.

Slower powders like to be in fuller cases where the primer shoots directly into the powder and not over the top of a small charge of powder resting on the bottom half of a mostly empty case.

If you are experiencing big differences in recoil, noise and flash, tilt the barrel back before each shot. If the variations go away, your loads are position sensitive and you need to change your loads. Either move up closer to the published max or if you want to keep the recoil down, switch to a faster burning powder and work up loads for it.

[Heydeck52]

Your light loads of 2400 are probably way too light for reliable ignition. Powder position is likely much more important when loaded with a slower powder like 2400. If you tilted the gun back between shots, you'd get better consistency but you'll still get a big flash due to the slower powder.

If you want a lighter load, use a faster powder. For me, 5g Unique in a 38 special case is a good 158g load. If I wanted lighter recoiling loads, I go down to 2.7-3.0g Red Dot or Clays. They are very fast powders and are not position sensitive. With those powders, everything ignites so fast and the pressures are high enough that you get a good clean consistent burn.

Slower powders like to be in fuller cases where the primer shoots directly into the powder and not over the top of a small charge of powder resting on the bottom half of a mostly empty case.

If you are experiencing big differences in recoil, noise and flash, tilt the barrel back before each shot. If the variations go away, your loads are position sensitive and you need to change your loads. Either move up closer to the published max or if you want to keep the recoil down, switch to a faster burning powder and work up loads for it.

My light loads with Unique seem to be fine. I just need to keep an eye on leading. My concern was with the loads with 2400. What your saying about being loaded too light sounds like what is going on. I'm always cautious when starting loads and tend to load them lighter to start with. Since the Hornady manual seems to give cautious loadings I think it will be safe to assume I can load close to max according to Hornady and start checking for signs of over pressure. I will say that I loaded another batch of the 125's with 2400 near 15 grs and they all performed great. I had a 7 shot group that was under and inch at 7 yds.

[nukeandjuke]

A 357magnum needs to be loaded to near maximum. If u want a light load, go with 38 spcl


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[robert101]

You can use 38 Special load data in .357 Magnum cases for reduced loads too. That is not a problem. The bullets will clear the barrel. I've shot and reloaded a fair amount of 38 and .357 Mag in my time. I like Unique. Alliant will tell you to never use Blue Dot for light powder charges in magnum calibers. This is especially true in 41 Mag. I don't use Blue Dot for any reduced loads (reduced below book value). I have shot many loads with Unique below book value with no adverse problems.

Have fun with that 357 Magnum. It is considered possibly the best all round gun and caliber for a pistol shooting. Hard to argue against that.

[Abenaki]

My light loads with Unique seem to be fine. I just need to keep an eye on leading.

Soooo. Tell us about your lead bullets. Did you cast them? Who made them?
What type of lube, ect,ect,ect.

If you are not using pure lead bullets. For fun try using a warm load of 2400.
You may like it.

I have not shot any thing but lead bullets in my 357's for years.
I load them from mild to hot. In 38 spl lead is all that I shoot.

Take care
Abenaki

[G-Man WC]

Don't use 2400 for reduced loads; it is at it's best in full throttle loads
Among its various uses Unique is almost perfect for mid power .357 loads. Old, but it has been around for a long time for a reason.
Check this out.
-g

http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/default.asp?Caliber=357%20Magnum&Weight=All&type=Handgun&Order=Powder&Source=

-g

[Heydeck52]

Soooo. Tell us about your lead bullets. Did you cast them? Who made them?
What type of lube, ect,ect,ect.

If you are not using pure lead bullets. For fun try using a warm load of 2400.
You may like it.

I have not shot any thing but lead bullets in my 357's for years.
I load them from mild to hot. In 38 spl lead is all that I shoot.

Take care
Abenaki

They are the Hornady 158gr lead round nose. Pretty soft so I dont want to run them too hot. Once I run through those I'm going to get some swc.

[Heydeck52]

Don't use 2400 for reduced loads; it is at it's best in full throttle loads
Among its various uses Unique is almost perfect for mid power .357 loads. Old, but it has been around for a long time for a reason.
Check this out.
-g

http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/default.asp?Caliber=357%20Magnum&Weight=All&type=Handgun&Order=Powder&Source=

-g

My goal was to use the 2400 for full power loads. I decided to be cautious and start in between the min amd max listings in my Hornady manual. Looks like thats too light though so I will try right under max and see how that performs. I'm keeping my eye out for H110.

[Bumslie]

I run 158 gr lead bullets with 14 gr of 2400. Stout but accurate and fun.

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[Bumslie]

My goal was to use the 2400 for full power loads. I decided to be cautious and start in between the min amd max listings in my Hornady manual. Looks like thats too light though so I will try right under max and see how that performs. I'm keeping my eye out for H110.

H110 is not recommended for lead cast bullets. FYI

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[Heydeck52]

H110 is not recommended for lead cast bullets. FYI

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Correct. I'm using unique with the lead bullets and using 2400 and eventually H110 with my jacketed bullets.