357 magnum loads

[crappyplayer]

howdy! im gonna start loading 357 and had some questions that none of my manuals answer. first...do i use 0.38 bullets for a 357? second, im gonna be loading using cci small pistol primers, winchester 231 powder, and x-treme 158 grain plated round nose flat point bullets. do i need to use small pistol magnum primers? my manual says that small pistol primers will do. whats the difference between magnum primers and regular primers? pros and cons? is a heavy crimp necessary for 357?

and as always, i will be using lead data for plated bullets...but, can i go higher than the manual says since im using plated bullets and not straight lead bullets?

thanks for all the help eveyone!

[kurac]

I believe the plated bullets will be either .357 or .358, you will not be able to fit a .38 into a .357 chamber, that is if you could find plated bullets in that size.

For W231 a small pistol primer will be perfect, the amount of crimp required will depend on the amount of recoil you will be dealing with but since plated bullets typically do not have a cannelure, just give it a modest crimp and you should be fine.

[bbo]

yes you use the same bullet for 38 special and 357 magnum, you do not use small pistol magnum primers unless using a slow burning powder like winchester 296 or H110 I have heard that mag primers either burn hotter or slower take, your pick, a crimp would be used with a bullet that has a cannelure, usually plated bullets do not and if you used a heavy crimp you could destroy the integrity of the bullet (check Berrys bullets website)also check with your bullet maker for load data don't start guessing or taking info off website use published data

[XDRoX]

You'll want .358" diameter bullets for most revolvers. Some powders require mag primers some regular primers.

Personally I prefer my revolver loads to have a roll crimp so I only buy bullets with cannelures. But that's just me.

[Dark Mod]

I was using the same components for a while for .357. I found i had no problems finding a happy medium between lead data and plated data but as always, work up a load use at your own risk.

I found a great deal on some jacketed hollowpoints so that meant i could switch to H110 and get some real high velocities.

Small pistol primers worked fine with W231 by the way

[Fishslayer]

howdy! im gonna start loading 357 and had some questions that none of my manuals answer. first...do i use 0.38 bullets for a 357? second, im gonna be loading using cci small pistol primers, winchester 231 powder, and x-treme 158 grain plated round nose flat point bullets. do i need to use small pistol magnum primers? my manual says that small pistol primers will do. whats the difference between magnum primers and regular primers? pros and cons? is a heavy crimp necessary for 357?

and as always, i will be using lead data for plated bullets...but, can i go higher than the manual says since im using plated bullets and not straight lead bullets?

thanks for all the help eveyone!

If by ".38" you are referring to .38 Special, they use the same bullets. Jacketed/plated are usually .357" and cast lead are usually .358". The ".38" in ".38 Special" dates back to black powder & stepped bullets.

The reason plated bullet manufacturers suggest using cast boolit data is because plated bullets are soft lead with a thin plating. As with any load you are working up, start light & work up while observing for overpressure signs. Google is your friend. There is a ton of information on this.

Magnum primers are only necessary with hard to ignite ball powders and in extremely cold weather. Not necessary with W231.

With W231 powder the sole purpose of the crimp is to keep the unfired bullets in place under recoil. The bullets in the cylinder can actually move forward under recoil & bind up the cylinder. Google "jumping crimp."

With slower powders the crimp actually helps build pressure for more consistent ignition.

Be careful... It's good that you're asking questions.

[crappyplayer]

thanks for the info guys! looks like im gonna be messing with different things this christmas! definitely a good thing! oh! and merry christmas!

[Whiterabbit]

some folks say mag primers result in greater accuracy, more people I have read claim std primers yield better accuracy. You'll have to be the judge for yourself. I'm told revolvers tend to be more sensitive to primer choice than other firearms. Another thing to note is the price difference in mag primers (in general).

Personally, I rely heavily on neck tension in my straight wall cartridge to hold the bullet in place. Much more than crimp strength. That being said, I do not taper crimp my rimmed revolver cartridges (though I WOULD if the solution presented itself with effort and cheaply.) I've found light roll crimps just fine even for ultra-magnum strength rounds, unless I'm loading soft cast (and I mean VERY soft cast) lead. Anything you buy commercially will be hardcast.

[CEDaytonaRydr]

You can also use "trailboss" for plated bullets. I've been using a lot of it for my lead bullet loading. It makes for some very accurate loads!

[Whiterabbit]

Trailboss is the greatest powder ever for rimmed straight wall cartridges. Including 500 S&W. No limits on how great that powder is. It even shoots better in my rifle than 4895 and uses half the powder.

[ireload]

howdy! im gonna start loading 357 and had some questions that none of my manuals answer. first...do i use 0.38 bullets for a 357? second, im gonna be loading using cci small pistol primers, winchester 231 powder, and x-treme 158 grain plated round nose flat point bullets. do i need to use small pistol magnum primers? my manual says that small pistol primers will do. whats the difference between magnum primers and regular primers? pros and cons? is a heavy crimp necessary for 357?

and as always, i will be using lead data for plated bullets...but, can i go higher than the manual says since im using plated bullets and not straight lead bullets?

thanks for all the help eveyone!

1. Jacketed or plated are sized to .357" or sometimes .356". With cast bullets are normally sized .358"

2. Since you are planning to use Win 231 powder no need to go with a magnum small pistol primer. A standard would be fine. The magnum would be well suited for powders like Win 296, 2400, or H110 . It's basically for slow burning powders. Your current reloading manual would state if a particular powder would call for a magnum primer or not. Magnum primers can add more chamber pressure wise at least a couple of thousands pounds based on a article I read many years ago from one of the gun magazines that I cannot recall the name.

3. With plated bullets a light or almost a medium roll crimp would suffice. Too much of a roll crimp and this can happen to the plated bullet:

[IMG][/IMG]

[wtkaiser]

Magnum primers CAN be more consistent, shot to shot. But since you are using 231, you can forget about that and just shoot. Like they said above, keep it light. A plated bullet is basically a lead bullet, so shoot the lighter charges listed in your manual. IMHO, there's no need to have a fast bullet unless you are after a critter of some sort. For just paper punching, there's nothing wrong with slower bullets, and you'll save on powder in short order!