ruger service six and hot loads?

[WVcowboy1997]

ive reloaded for awhile so i know the basics, but im new to reloading pistols. anything different than rifles? and how hot is to hot for the ruger service six??

[Will-j]

Some service sixes were chambered for .38 SPL. if I recollect. You didn't say what your chambering is.

Either way...It will take the max in any manual......and then some.

WILL

[WVcowboy1997]

its a 357, sorry didnt think about that loll. but i was reading on some reloading forums and some people are pushing 158 grain bullets at 1500 fps. is that safe for my ruger? or should i keep around 1200 with 158's

[WVcowboy1997]

trying to figure out what bullets, and speed i need to push them at for hunting around my area but i want to find a kind of do it all bullet i can either buy off the shelf or handload the same grain bullet for the different task at hand, to keep cost down so i dont have to buy different powders and bullets for everything im doing with the gun.....i live in the southern part of west virginia, no rifle season down here for deer, but we have rifle season for bear and hogs have some big black bears (300-500lbs), lots of coyotes and some pretty rough people. we also own land in a county up north where gun hunting for deer is legal, ive managed to get my hands on a ruger service six 357 mag with a 4 inch barrel. i have a few questions.
1. are the ruger service sixes built strong enough to handle hot loads?
2. what would be a good all around bullet for taking down bear, hog, coyote and 2 legged predators, as i can encounter any of the 4 in the woods here lol
3. whats a good bullet for deer hunting around 40-60 yards?

and lastly if i consider hog hunting or black bear hunting with the 357 how close should i keep my shots?

[Dan-O]

1. yes
2. 158 gr speer gold dot
3. 158 gr lswc hard cast, or 180 gr lfn hard cast

[WVcowboy1997]

how close should i keep my shots?? i was thinking 60 yards or closer not sure if i need to keep them closer than that or if i can go out to 80 yards or better.

[old bear]

ive reloaded for awhile so i know the basics, but im new to reloading pistols. anything different than rifles? and how hot is to hot for the ruger service six??

WV, I don't think that anyone will suggest you try loading their favorite hot load. Doing that is waiting for a law suite to happen. All I'll suggest is try several reloading Manuals they will offer minimum and maximum loads for different bullet weights. Always remember to start on the low end and work your way up to the hot rod loads.

Good Luck

[Homerboy]

The Ruger was a direct competitor to the K frame .357 S&W revolver. But unlike the K frame S&W, it was designed from the ground up to be a .357, as opposed to the K frames that were .38's modified to shoot .357. The Six also does not have the flat spot on the 6 o'clock position of the forcing cone that was the weak spot in the K frames.

The Six will shoot all the .357 all you can feed it. Not nuclear loads, of course. They'll wear down any gun.

I reload too, but stick with .38. Just because I have 2 other .38's and don't want to keep adjusting my dies. For punching paper, why shoot .357?

But every now and then, I shoot a few cylinders of 158 grain .357. Mostly just for giggles. I don't worry about my Service Six. It's everything the K frame Smith (and I love those, too) should have been.

[burrhead]

re: Hunting. 80 YARDS!! That's a long way with a 4" gun. I would call 50 yards to be about max. Before you do that, make sure you can consistently put every round in a 6" circle before you decide to hunt with it. You owe the game that much.

[WVcowboy1997]

i thought 50 or 60 yard would be max, just wasnt sure. every now and then just for the fun of it ill shoot human torso sized targets with it at 100 yards lol groups arent great but i get them on paper 50 yards shouldnt be a issue but im used to shooting 125 jsp's so stepping up on bullet weight may affect that

[Will-j]

WVc; Turn those torso targets on their side and then see how you group on them. An upright target is easier to aim at and vertically dispersed groups are better. When turned sideways...it's a whole different scene. More often than not.. you'll probably group low on, if not out of, the target's [kill zone]. At whatever distance you can keep your groups in the kill-zone....Consider that your max hunting distance.

Check the components and firearm/barrel length used. Expect somewhere around 25-30 FPS loss per inch, avg., if your barrel is shorter than what is used for the manual's data, though, for some inexplicable reason, RUGER firearms tend to yield higher velocity per equal barrel length than other makers' barrels do.

Good Luck.

WILL

[Homerboy]

The Service Six doesn't even have much of a sight. Just the milled in groove on the back. It was designed as a service weapon, not to hunt with. Until you can reliably hit a 6" target with that gun at 50 yards, I don't believe you should hunt with it. Not right causing an animal unnecessary pain and suffering.

[44 AMP]

some people are pushing 158 grain bullets at 1500 fps. is that safe for my ruger?

Yes, and no.

Safe, meaning will it blow up your gun? Yes, I think it is safe not to blow up your Ruger. Other than that, "no".

But there is a difference between "safe" and "useable".

The original 1935 level .357 load was a 158gr @ 1550fps from the 8 3/4" barrel of the Registered Magnum. (S&W later reduced their 8" barrel length to 8 3/8" to comply with an NRA match requirement, and that length has been their standard long barrel ever since)

You cannot get a 158gr to 1500fps from a mid size 4" revolver. #1) there simply isn't enough barrel. #2) The "strength" needed simply isn't there. And here, we are not talking strength to fail (blow up) but "strength" to operate normally.

The Service Six is the fixed sight version of the Security Six, and while it is beefier than a K frame S&W, it is still a mid size revolver, and simply isn't up to operating at the original load levels of the .357 Mag. Based on my personal experience with K & N frame .357s, and a 6" Security Six, if you push a 158 to the 1500fps level (or as close as you can get) in a mid size gun, it will fire, BUT odds are VERY high that you will NOT be able to extract the fired cases by hand!!!

SO, while loads at this level won't blow up the gun, they are not "usable" unless you accept the fact that you will need a small hammer and a rod to remove the empties from the cylinder.

Bigger beefier guns (N frames) will handle those screaming top end loads (worked up CAREFULLY) and still allow normal hand ejection.

As for what range to limit yourself to while hunting? I think the paper plate method works well enough. Use a regular paper plate. At any range that YOU can hit near the center of the plate (from the same positions you will use in the field) you are good to take game.

If you can regularly hit the plate somewhere (but not near the center) move closer until you can hit near the center. That should be your max range. 80yds or 40, or somewhere else, TEST yourself, and stick within what you can do.

Your Ruger will handle any standard .357 load you can buy. If you want/need something more than that, you should look into getting a different gun.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

3. whats a good bullet for deer hunting around 40-60 yards?

Two dead deer say 125gr HP's or Flat Points. They will have the most energy and shoot the flattest. Also the most accurate in my weapons.

I'd suggest loading a bunch and see what you like best.

[Will-j]

COWBOY: Listen to Sneaky Steve. Been there with my 4" GP100 and 125gr XTPs @ 1583 FPS --CHRONO. Keep it to 25-30yds. and you won't go wrong.

WILL

[Greguw]

I would limit the hot loads to the GP100 , years back had a buddy running hot loads threw a security six and cracked a frame . I don't think rugers investment casting and inspections were as good as they are today .
Most guys who hot load .357 run them threw older redhawks were available in .357 and they can handle just about anything you load that was and still is a .44/45LC base frame.
I would prefer over kill than tanking a chance .

[subhuman]

let me recommend one of these for hunting deer or pig either one, I really like the way the XTP bullet performs and it is widely noted for accuracy.
Hornady;
357 Magnum HP XTP 140 566 ft-lbs 1350 fps.

357 Magnum HP XTP 158 548 ft-lbs 1250 fps

[SaxonPig]

Rugers are cast frames. Many people think Ruger revolvers are really strong because they are so bulky. Actually, they are bulky because cast metal is weaker than comparable forged metal so they are thicker to compensate. Cast is inherently weaker than forged. How much so I don't know. I'm sure they are perfectly safe with factory loads or anything found in a reputable manual. As for going into orbit with experimental "hot loads..." maybe not a great idea. Or maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. But when I hear "cast" in gun making, I lose confidence.

Anyone old enough to recall this magazine ad?

[pete2]

It would be best for you to stick with the loads shown in the reloading data from the bullet/powder companies.