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Old June 19, 2012, 09:47 PM   #1
fishhead1
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.357 Mag Practice Loads

Curious to see what you guys would recommend for low(er) velocity .357 Magnum target loads (.357 Mag cases, not .38 Spl). Have a variety of powders on hand, and use mainly off-the-shelf lead bullets (LWC, LSWC etc.).
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Old June 19, 2012, 10:03 PM   #2
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148 grain DEWC and 4.5 grains of Red Dot. Don't try this load with a hollow based WC.
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Old June 20, 2012, 05:52 AM   #3
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specifics

Open all your data manual(s) to the "Cowboy" section, and use those.
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Old June 20, 2012, 06:03 AM   #4
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158 Lead anything and 3.5gr TrailBoss
(Can you can "plink" )
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Old June 20, 2012, 07:50 AM   #5
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^ Yep, Trail Boss is awesome for light loads.

I also use Clays for making wussy loads. 3.2 grains of Clays behind a 158 gr lead bullet is a nice soft shooter. Or 2.8 grains of Clays if using 38 Spec. brass.
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Old June 20, 2012, 08:06 AM   #6
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38spl data works just as well in a 357 magnum case as it does in a 38spl case. 38spl +P load data is good for a bit of kick but still still very shootable.

Depending on who made your lead bullets they may be good all the way up to full 357 magnum velocity. Swaged bullets you should keep at 38spl velocities but most hardcast bullets are good to go for full power loads.
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Old June 20, 2012, 08:58 AM   #7
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Also 158gr anything with 5gr. Red Dot works nicely.

Quote:
Swaged bullets you should keep at 38spl velocities but most hardcast bullets are good to go for full power loads.
Not sure what you're calling hard-cast, but all of my cast bullets can and do run at full-house load velocities, and I keep my alloy for them down pretty low to accommodate my HP's. So long as the fit is good, he shouldn't have much trouble running things up on the standard ladder development, should he want to punch things up a bit.
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Old June 20, 2012, 09:31 AM   #8
Adamantium
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Soft cast = Bullet is air cooled.

Hard cast = Bullet is water cooled.

Quote:
but all of my cast bullets can and do run at full-house load velocities
That info will help everyone who is shooting your cast bullets.
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Old June 20, 2012, 11:29 AM   #9
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Quote:
That info will help everyone who is shooting your cast bullets.
The POINT is that there is already enough misinformation out there concerning lead bullets--Fact: Harder is NOT necessarily better. Fact: Hardness does NOT make up for a less than ideal fit to the bore. Fiction: Hardness is determined by the quench. *Hardness is more directly related to the alloy--specifically Antimony, and Arsenic less often these days but still relevant. Water dropping won't do squat without the proper alloy first.

The POINT was that you were directing the OP into an idea that a harder bullet is better for higher velocities: my statement was that it is NOT necessarily true, and can in fact be worse. Sorry you got your nose out of joint over it.
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Old June 20, 2012, 12:24 PM   #10
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+1 on Rangefinder. Harder lead is not always better.

A brief explanation is here:

http://www.tacticoolproducts.com/bullethardness/

I've been shooting target loads of 7.8gn-8.0gn of PP behind my casted 160gn RF bullets. It's pretty light on recoil as well

Just ordered some Trail Boss and will give it a shot next.
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Old June 20, 2012, 12:57 PM   #11
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3.5gr of HP38/W231 under 148gr LHBWC seated flush should do the trick. Or 4.1gr under 158gr LSWC seated normally (1.475" for mine)

Berry's has a plated 148gr HBWC that works nicely. I use VV N320 under those. Thats the cartridge I choose when I just have time for a quick range session and dont want to dirty the gun at all. You can shoot 50 and barely tell the gun had been fired. I use 4.2gr (also seated flush) for my .38spc loads. You could start at 4.6 in .357 cases and see how that goes. Berry's HBWC like to be pushed harder than lead. 800fps minimum (although they admit thats not a hard and fast rule)
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Old June 20, 2012, 01:00 PM   #12
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Now now Rangefinder, no reason you can't be civil. If you want to tell him that his bullets can be pushed to any velocity without knowing who made them or how they were made be my guest. Most hardcast bullets can, which was my point. Missouri bullets for example has some 357 bullets which are recommended only up to a certain velocity. For all any of us know he is shooting swaged bullets and even 5 grains of red dot will be pushing the envelope.
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Old June 20, 2012, 01:31 PM   #13
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^^Which would be why I said this: So long as the fit is good, he shouldn't have much trouble running things up on the standard ladder development

Note the BOLD print.
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Old June 20, 2012, 01:49 PM   #14
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Some of my favorite .357 target loads...

5.0g Red Dot (1090fps) under 125g lead bullet (TC/SWC) is a fine load...my goto load for this bullet. So is 5.0g of Trail Boss (865fps) under same.

5.0g Red Dot (1019fps) under 158g lead bullet (SWC) is my goto target load. 6.0g of Universal (1096fps) is another. 5.0g of Titegroup (1000fps) and 5.5g of Green Dot (1071fps) are fine loads too.

Get you started anyway!
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Old June 20, 2012, 03:02 PM   #15
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158 gr LSWC (MBC for me) w/ 6.6 gr of AA#5. Accurate and fairly mild without being completely dull.
Note: It falls below typical .357 power, but it's over .38 spec +p, so .357 brass only.
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Old June 20, 2012, 03:37 PM   #16
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Appreciate all the good words, guys. I have some 158g SWC's (".357 Action") by Missouri Bullet Co., but they're optimized for .357 velocities (BHN 18) which are higher than I really wanted for "practice" target loads. That's why I was looking for some good, tried and true, low velocity .357 loads (ie < 1,000 fps), so I could use standard .38 Spl cast bullets (148g SWC's etc). Got some good staring points. Thanks again.
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Old June 20, 2012, 11:10 PM   #17
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Quote:
Have a variety of powders on hand, and use mainly off-the-shelf lead bullets (LWC, LSWC etc.).
What powders ?
LWC,LSWC cast/swaged or both ?
Are these .358 dia. ? what is the cylinder throat dia. of the gun ?
Sorry, but more info(details) are needed to answer your question.
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Old June 21, 2012, 12:43 AM   #18
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I shoot a real mouse phart load for paper punching with .357 Mag: 148-gr home cast WCs over 2.8-gr of Bullseye. They cost me about the same as premium .22LRs.
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