357 mag reload problems

[Snyder30]

I've loaded some 357 mag rounds and I'm having problems with them not fitting in the gun. They start in and go about half way in and stop. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong

[lamarw]

Are you sure you are attempting to load them in a .357 Magnum revolver?

It sounds almost like your are attempting to load them in a .38 Special cylinder.

Tell us the make and model of the revolver. Tell us the name brand of the ammunition.

A revolver manufactured for .357 Magnum will also handle .38 Special, but a revolver manufactured specifically for .38 Special will not accept .357 Magnum ammunition.

[Snyder30]

It's a ruger Blackhawk 357 magnum. I'm using mixed casings. I went with a 140grain ftx bullet by hornady and trimmed the casings to 1.240 with 12.1 grains of accurate number 9.and a coal of 1.585.

[44 AMP]

We might possibly be able to tell but its tough without the gun and ammo to look at / measure.

There are two possibilities, there is something in the chambers blocking the rounds (carbon? crud/lead build up?) or you rounds are oversize, or possibly bulged.

Make sure your chambers are clean and your rounds are in spec.

Is it possible you didn't crimp, or remove enough of the case mouth flare?

The better the information you can give us, the better we're able to help.

[Snyder30]

How do you remove the case mouth flare. I deprimed and resized the trimmed the casings. Next put primers in and the expanded the casings. Could I have expanded the casings to much. I then added powder and then seated bullet. Checked the gun for debris and cleaned it. Nothing in the way. Is it possible I crimped the casings to much

[Ricklin]

Sounds like you may have a buildup in the cylinder from firing 38 special in it. Squeaky clean the chambers and try it again.

I like Butch's bore shine for a neglected bore. Get's out the crud.

[AK103K]

There are two possibilities, there is something in the chambers blocking the rounds (carbon? crud/lead build up?) or you rounds are oversize, or possibly bulged.

Have you been shooting .38's in the gun? If so, and havent been cleaning the chambers well, that would be the first thing I would look at. Its a pretty common problem, especially if a lot of .38's have been shot, and the gun isnt cleaned after each use.

Buldges are another thing, but usually not so much that they cause problems. I have seen some cases "buckle", especially if you are working the press quickly. Those buckles will cause a problem. Buldge or buckle, both are normally readily seen and felt. I would think youd they would be pretty obvious if they were the issue.

[Snyder30]

I've cleaned the gun my patches are come out clean. I've also used copper solvent on the barrel

[AK103K]

How do you remove the case mouth flare.

The crimp removes the flare. If you didnt set the die to crimp, that could be a problem, and would likely cause other problems.

[NoSecondBest]

I'd suspect that your crimp is bad. You're not removing the expansion you put in the case to start the bullet. Put them back in the sizer die and turn it down some more and check again. I'll bet if you have one that won't go in now, it will then.

[Snyder30]

Ok I will give that a try tommarrow. Thank you

[AK103K]

Patches generally wont get the fouling rings out of the cylinders, especially if they are heavy. You really should be using a brush on them and the barrel each time you clean the gun.

If you do have the ring problem, and they are pretty heavy, a quick way to get most of it, is to slightly over flare an empty case and then use it like a scraper in each chamber.

It could also be a combination of both. Ring and un-crimped round.

[AK103K]

If you havent crimped the cases, that in itself can bring a number of problems.

For one, the bullets can, and likely will back out of the case under recoil, tying up the cylinder/gun.

Another is, depending on powder and load, can cause the powder to not burn properly and leave bullets in the barrel, or forcing cone.

[lamarw]

OK, We are getting there. Lets totally eliminate 50% of the possibilities by attempting to load factory .357 Magnum ammunition. If it loads fine then we know it is not the cleaning of the revolver.

Have you laid six of your reloads side by side and/or checked the measurements with a caliper? Also check the measurements of factory ammunition with your new reloads.

[Snyder30]

Yes I've checked all of them. One thing I have noticed is the bullets don't seat all the way to the cantalure.

[USSR]

One thing I have noticed is the bullets don't seat all the way to the cantalure.

Then you haven't adjusted your seating die properly. Starting over, from a flared case ready for a bullet to be seated:

Raise your die up high (turn it counter-clockwise) until the bottom of the die is a good 1/4" above the bottom of the part of the press where it screws in. You do this so no crimp is applied. Now lower your seating stem way down and start seating the bullet in increments until the bullet is seated so that the bullet cannelure or crimp groove is level with the case mouth. Now raise the seating stem all the way up so it no longer contacts the bullet. Then, with the cartridge with the seated bullet raised towards the die, start screwing the die down (turn it clockwise) until it makes contact with the cartridge. Then, playing with turning the die down or up, set it so it removes the bell or flare, and crimps the mouth slightly inward towards the bullet. Now lock your die in place and lower the seating stem so that it contacts the bullet. You have just adjusted your seating die properly. Hope that helps.

Don

[UncleEd]

Snyder30,

You appear to be a novice at this.

Besides reading the manual/manuals for
your die set I suggest you double check
how your measuring powders and that
your scale is properly set up.

[THEWELSHM]

If you resized the brass, see if it chambers prior to any more activity. You might not be resizing your brass far enough down??

Thewelshm

[Bob Wright]

Had a similar problem recently. I was using commercial cast bullets, and they were sized to .360" for use in the .38 S&W cartridge.

Bob Wright

[smoking357]

Originally Posted by Snyder30

I've loaded some 357 mag rounds and I'm having problems with them not fitting in the gun. They start in and go about half way in and stop. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong

You need to run a bore brush through each chamber in the cylinder and try again.

After you've done that, let us know if the problem recurs.

I'm going to presume you read the manual on how to set your sizing die.

Does a piece of fired but unloaded brass slide in and out of each chamber freely and easily?

[Chainsaw.]

Did you resize the cases?

[Northof50]

Snyder - sounds like you may simply need to adjust your dies.

1-Make certain the sizing die and the expander die touch the shell holder.

2- After that set the expander portion of the die so that is just bells the mouth enough so the base of the bullet sits on the top of the case [the bell is put there so the bullet doesn't peel or scrape as it is seated].

3-For the crimp/bullet seat, I put a factory round in the shell plate, raise the ram, then screw the bullet seat/crimp [with the bullet seat raised as high as it will go] until the crimp makes contact with the case [you will feel it]. At that point, lock the die down then lower the seating stem until it hits the bullet. Lower the ram and remove the factor round. -

Your dies should now be set to produce rounds that will fit in any 357. If all this is done correctly and you still experience issues, you are no doubt following the Hickok45 cleaning program - which is to never use brushes. Following this program will, no doubt, leave build-up in the cylinders, which may prevent rounds from entering and being removed.

[44 AMP]

One thing I have noticed is the bullets don't seat all the way to the cantalure.

If you are crimping, and its not in the cannelure /crimp groove of the bullet, the case can bulge, which might be why your rounds don't chamber correctly.

Bullets made for revolvers have cannelures or crimp grooves and are intended to be seated so the case mouth can be crimped into the groove.

They can be seated to any depth, but if you do, you lose the benefit of the crimp groove, and can create other issues.

Revolver recoil acts like a kinetic bullet puller, the direction is reversed, but the effect is the same. A revolver recoils "away" from the bullet, and without a crimp case neck tension is seldom enough to keep the bullets in the cases.

With many guns and loads a crimp is virtually a necessity. Done right, its a good thing, done wrong, its a source of multiple possible problems.

[TJB101]

Try dropping a resized case in, sans bullet, into the cylinder.

[RGRacing]

Lee Factory Crimp Die - Some like it - some don't - I do.