Question about reloading for Marlin 357

[greg gremlin]

My new acquisition Marlin 357 says 357 mag. I tried to cycle 357 mag with 168 gr. swc. It is too long. I made a dummy cartridge with 38 spl. + P case and this bullet and it cycles. Is there a problem I have missed? Any info will help, best, greg [smilie=s:

[btroj]

Nope, that is just the way they are. I have had some success with the 168 Keith in magnum cases crimped over the front band. Short enough to cycle, seem to shoot well.
I have not tried them in special cases yet.

[EDK]

Uncle Elmer designed LYMAN 358429 BEFORE there was a 357 Magnum cartridge; it was intended for the 38/44 SMITH & WESSON...stone age version of +P+ in a 38 special revolver on the 44 frame. You can tinker with overall length and get the boolit to feed, but you ain't helping accuracy crimping on the front band if you use 357 brass. This boolit also has too long a nose (in 357 brass) for some revolvers.

Better choices would be LEE 358 158 round nose flat point, the similar LYMAN 358665 or the NIGHT OWL ENTERPRISES group buy 360 180 Wide Flat Nose. Go to lasc.us and look at Glenn Fryxell's article on 1894 MARLINS for a ton of good information.

:Fire::cbpour::redneck:

[405]

Go back and read most any loading manual. The normal loaded max OAL for the 357 is 1.590" Compare that to your loaded round OAL. Most loaded 38 SPL OALs are shorter than most loaded 357 OALs :) All gun models are slightly different but all currently manufactured 357 Mag magazine guns should feed that "normal" 1.590". Some will handle slightly longer OALs. Some will handle different nose profiles better than others. You can crimp above the top band but it may not do much as far as the original purpose of the crimp for tube magazines.... that's keeping the bullets from getting jammed farther into the cases during recoil. May not be a problem with 357 recoil but you can find out by testing :)

[ReloaderFred]

The Marlin .357 Carbine requires a loaded round at least 1.480" to reliably feed from the magazine. It also won't load anything over 1.590". The bullet shape also has a lot to do with smooth feeding. The SWC can be problamatic, since there are two sharp edges that catch on the mouth of the chamber. A Round Nose Flat Point works best for feeding.

With any tubular magazine, a firm crimp is required. The compression pressure from the spring with a full magazine exerts quite a bit of pressure on the rounds and will collapse any that don't have a firm crimp preventing the bullet from being pushed back into the case.

Between my wife and I, we run several thousand rounds of .38 ammunition through our Marlins each year in SASS matches. My experience with these neat little carbines has been gained through trial and error, and that's what I've found to work the best.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[robertbank]

My cast Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook lists 1.553 to be the suggested OAL for the 358429 boolit. I assume that is the boolit you are talking about.

Take Care

Bob

[GH1]

OAl is critical in a levergun, as you've just found out. Some folks get around this by trimming brass, using .38 cases, or seating the bullet deeper.
The problem with all three of these solutions is you end up reducing case volume so normal reloading recipes may not be able to be used due to pressure increases from the volume reduction.
A better solution, if you are determined to shoot these bigger bullets, is to modify the carrier to handle longer OAL. It's a simple operation that can be done with a file or Dremel. I did it on my first Marlin and it was quite easy. Worked like a charm.
I'll send you a PM with info on where to find this tip.
GH1

[btroj]

I don't worry about the reduced case capacity, my Lyman manual shows an OAL with the 358429 crimped over the front band. Since the data was developed using that OAL it is safe in any 357. No pressure issues at all because Lyman knows that this bullet in a mag case is too long for some guns.

[beagle]

Crimp 'em over the front band and reduce the charge by 10% and work up. They shoot well in my M1894 Marlin. Mostly I load them in .38 Special cases and use .38/44 loads and they shoot well./beagle

[Doc Highwall]

Ranch Dog just mention a new bullet for Marlin 1894C 357mag I would check it out I know I am.