.357 Magnum Reloads

[Jasmck]

I have been reloading .357 Magnum with 158 gr poly coated hard cast bullets, 12.8 gr of 296, and Winchester small pistol magnum primers. I am running low on small pistol magnum primers, but I have a lot of standard small pistol primers. Do you think the standard small pistol primers are hot enough to properly ignite this starting load?

[sghart]

yes

[zouaveherb]

Yes, you should be fine. The load might be 100fps slower. Meh.

[pchang1201]

I've been using standard primers since the 80's with .357 magnum loads and I've never had any issues that I can think of.

[Rizzo]

I have been reloading .357 Magnum with 158 gr poly coated hard cast bullets, 12.8 gr of 296, and Winchester small pistol magnum primers. I am running low on small pistol magnum primers, but I have a lot of standard small pistol primers. Do you think the standard small pistol primers are hot enough to properly ignite this starting load?

12.8 gr. of Win296 powder seems too low to me.
Isn't the recommended "do not go below" amount for the 158 grn. bullet 14.0 grains of Win296/H110?

[Sailormilan2]

12.8 gr. of Win296 powder seems too low to me.
Isn't the recommended "do not go below" amount for the 158 grn. bullet 14.0 grains of Win296/H110?

Winchester says to not reduce loads by more than 3% for W296.

[trackcage]

I've tested regular versus magnum primers using H110. Although I did so in 44 mag, not 357. Short story, regular primers work fine. I actually found the SD to be better with some charge weights using regular over magnum primers.

[Jasmck]

12.8 grains was the starting load in the Hornady Loading Manual

[the86d]

As a test, during the last primer/powder brought, I used SPP in my 5.56 Nato reloads, and .mil CCI #34 primers in 9mm, and "as I recall" there was about a 75fps change going to and from #34's. I understand the #34's are magnum.

I have never used magnum pistol primers, but have only had the .357 magnum for a year, and might there in the future, but same felt recoil was achieved with plated .357 magnum reloads and SPP's