best bullet for 38/357 plinky fun?

[mistermog]

Just picked up a Dan Wesson 715 and wondering what the best bullet type to play around with would be. I would be loading 357 mag brass obviously to loooower pressures.

I have the Lee 125 gr round nose mold already, not sure if I can use those or not, first revolver and all.

Suggestions?

[Jack Stanley]

That's easy whatever mold casts very easy and has six or more cavities depending on your thirst for bustin' caps an' burnin' powder . If the mold you have doesn't have you at the bench every night trying to keep up with the addiction you're fine . If you are casting once a week you might want to consider more cavity space .

Me ? I have and old six cavity wadcutter mold , a four cavity semi-wadcutter and four cavity round nose . It's nice to be able to run any of them :D Revolvers don't care much what ya feed them

Jack

[DrCaveman]

The Lee 358-105-swc is lots of fun, with minimal lead consumption. I can get away with quite low powder charges, too, meaning very low expense per round. Primer is the lion's share.

3 gr trail boss works great in all my revolvers, and I can get it (on sale) for $9.75 per 9 oz can. $13 regular, still not bad compared to many others. This is a very light load. I've never stuck a Boolit with this load, but you should follow the literature before you try mine.

[jmsj]

I load the Lee 358-105-SWC for plinking loads for my family. Do a search on the site and there will be lots of info on it. I have never tried them in .357 magnum but some people have.
As Jack already stated revolvers will shoot any style of bullet. Your gun will tell you what it will shoot most accurately.
Good luck, jmsj

[mooman76]

I also vote for the lee 105gr swc. I have shot them in everything from a 380 to a 357 with light loads. Good little plinker and accurate too.

[mistermog]

Yes, I would be loading them light, Im just using the 357 brass to not get the 38 ring in it.

[mistermog]

Also, the LRN mold I have using for my 9mm is a 6 cavity, so I do have quite a bit of that sizing them to 357 so I would have no problem just using those. I just didnt know if round nose is not a good idea in a wheelie.

[runfiverun]

round nose is fine.
i use the 38 cases, and the 358477 [swc] sized to 358. 3 grs of clays,4 grs of 231, and some titegroup, all have been about the same.
i have used that boolit/case combo in 4 different dans and have had a hard time beating it for accuracy.

[reloader28]

I think about 3 - 3.5gr Bullseye would work too.

[rexherring]

Another vote for the Lee 105 gr. I just loaded up 200 of them with 4 grs. of W-231 and they're fun to plink with. They also work well in snubby's.

[MtGun44]

358477 is great, as is RCBS 38-150 K, now called 38-150 SWC. Also some of the pure
wadcutters (H&G 50 for example) can be very accurate. Also, Lee 357 158 RF is extremely
accurate, too and a 6 holer is pretty cheap.

Of course, Elmer's 358429 is great, but a bit heavier and too long with .357 brass in some
short cylinders. No idea how long the 715 cyl is.

So - please report on the new gun. Everyone has been anticipating this for quite some
time, so let us know how it works. I handled one a few weeks back and it seemed quite
nice.

Bill

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

Don't overlook 3 grains of Red Dot. It is bulky and not position sensitive. I think it is cleaner than Bullseye. And, you can find it cheap when you buy the jugs popular with trap shooters. Graf & Sons now listing 8 lb jug for $115. I bought one last summer at a gun show for $85.

[bowfishn]

I have a 358-125-RF Lee mold I use with my GP-100 It shoots great. For Plinkers I use 5gr of 231 powder in the 357mag brass using small pistol primers. It's alot like shooting a 22LR
My wife wanted a 22LR to plink with so I got The GP-100 in a 6" barrel and with these loads it is not alot different to shoot than the 22LR, she likes it better than the 22 she used to have.
The next load up for her is the same amount of powder behind the 358-158-RF Lee bullet, it has just a bit more snuff to it, but still light on recoil.
For Magnum Loads I switch to the Nickel Plated Brass that way I know and she knows by a quick glance they are the Magnum loads. I have only shot 125 grain Remington Jacketed bullets in the mag loadings so far. I Use 22 grains of H-110 and Mag Primers for that, she hasn't tried the mag loads yet. I will be getting a MiHec 180 grain GC mold with HP pins for my Cast Magnum Loads, I will have to see what load works best using H-110 I am figuring I will be able to go about 14 grains with a mag primer. Although I see on load swap there are a few using between 15 and 16 grains of H-110 for the 180 -185 grain GC cast boolits, will have to work it up when I get it.
We'll see :)

[mistermog]

Well I already have the Lee 356 125 LRN mold for my 9mm, but it casts about 358ish so itd be economical to use that if I could. I might get another one later but for now Ill use that. The plan is to use 357 cases and 231 powder (since i already have that too).

This will be through the 6" barrel... im offloading the 4 and 8 that came with it to a friend that wants them. I'm not looking for 357 type pressures, so something nice and calm is good. :)

[bowfishn]

W-231 with 5 grains and 357 cases with small pistol primers is a real mild load, as I said it is very close to 22LR recoil. You could not go wrong starting there and going up or down depending on how it shoots.

[beagle]

Everyone needs a 148 grain wadcutter mould and there are all kinds of designs out there. Don't worry about the .38 Special ring. It cleans right out. I have an old Python that has had over 20K through it and most were .38 Specials. You can look at the cylinder and can't tell a .38 has been fired in it. You'll be long gone before the cylinder develops a ring. Clean between .38s and .357 Mags as sometimes the residue buildup will cause hard chambering and extraction with mag cases./beagle

[MBTcustom]

200 grain round nose. My 2 cents worth.