What is your best all-round 357 magnum load?

[fatelvis]

I'm looking for a good, middle of the road power 357 mag load for paper and steel shooting from 25-200 yds. Not competitive shooting, just informal shooting. I'm using a 4" S&W 686. Thanks Guys-

[DrCaveman]

This might be hotter than what you are looking for, but with all my 460 magnum shooting lately, it's seeming very tame. But accurate, and hard hitting

Ideal 358429 boolit
50/50 wheel weight/pure lead + a little tin, water dropped
Lithi bee lube
Sized to .358"
12.5 gr alliant 2400 powder
WSP primer
Roll crimped over front drive band

This works damn well in my 6" gp100. Others may suggest that you skip the water dropping, and that you crimp in the crimp groove. I think the 686 cylinder is long enough to take it, but a tad more powder might be good if you do that. Id say my load is a good start however

[243winxb]

13 gr Alliant 2400 with cast 158 gr swc.

[quilbilly]

If you are just shooting targets, you could consider 4.7 gr of Bullseye for about 920 fps. It is very pleasant to shoot with 150 to 160 gr cast plain base boolits and quite accurate for me anyway.

[gray wolf]

12.5 gr Alliant 2400 is a very doable load with cast 158 gr swc.
Your 4" barrel is going to be a little handicap for 200 yards IMHO, doable but with a lot of come up for the sights.
The more speed the flatter the bullet, get it shooting at 50 and 75 first, then try it at 150 and 200.
You may want to Re-think the barrel length, Don't get me wrong it's doable, but it ain't gonna come easy.
Shoot off some good sand bags. I like to use two bags, a firm bag up front that I press the rigger guard into and a smaller softer bag for under the but. ( under my hands actually ) the but does not hit the bag.
I test all my loads this way and pick the most accurate. When you leave the sand bags it's then up to the shooter to shoot up to what the pistol can do, or what it showed you it could do.
10 and 20 yard shooting can be done with many loads depending on what level of accuracy is acceptable for each shooter.
50 to 75 yard shooting leaves a small margin for error so loads need to be worked up for some pretty good accuracy. 100 to 200 yard--well your on or your off, I don't like hit or miss Kentucky windage unless it's for dung and giggles at the sand pit.
For myself, I want to know how the bullet shoots and at what place on the target it will hit. I make small sight adjustments when it's practical. For a steady diet of hits guessing will get you more misses.

[fatelvis]

I realize 200 yds is a stretch for a 4" bbl. I compete in IHSMA with other, more competition ready pistols, and dial in the come-ups regularly. This load would be for general carry, plinking, and informal steel practice, without adjusting the sights. I don't mind aiming at the treeline in order to hit the rams at 200. Lol

[luvtn]

I have a Ruger SP-101 3 inch barrel. My general purpose load is 158 gr lswc over 13.5 gr Alliant 2400. Accurate and pleasant shooting.
lt

[Grizzly Adams]

My favorite .357 mag. load is the one in the gun when I reeeaaaally need it (Sorry I couldn't help myself).

[PAT303]

Does anyone use 4227 in their 357?,I want a good boolit for 100mtr shooting but can't get 2400 were's AR2207(H4227) is readily available. Pat

[BruceB]

Lyman (Cast Bullet Manual #3) lists 11.4 to 15.2 grains of IMR4227 with 358156, 155 grains. This bullet seems to be a decent choice for 100 meters and beyond (WAY beyond, based on a lot of shooting over open water where impacts are clearly visible).

Velocities from a 4" test barrel are reported by Lyman at 973 to 1254 fps with the above charges, and the top load gave 41,300 psi.

I've used 4227 in all three magnum revolver cartridges (.357, .41, .44), and it worked well for me. Mostly from habit, I prefer 2400..... but 4227 WILL work.

[Cherokee]

There are many good 357 loads. I've used 358477, 358429, Lee 158 RNFP, RCBS 150KT, etc. 2400, AA9 and HS6 have given me good performance. Right now in my 5" 686+ & 8" 686 I am using the Lee and 9 gr HS6, but I don't shoot past 75 yds.

[Whitespider]

Lyman #358477 from wheel weight metal + tin (air cooled), Federal #100 primer, 6.0 W231.
Colt King Cobra, 4"... something just shy of 1200 FPS.

Very first load I ever tried in that revolver... always end up going back to it.

[gray wolf]

9 grains of HS6 with a 158 SWC was also outstanding for me,
But I only had a small amount left in a jug for testing at 25 yards.
No more 4227 = no more testing ( shame )

[SteveS]

I really like 12gr. of 2400 under a 160gr. cast swc.

I just wish I could find some 2400. lol

Lately, I've settled on 12.5gr. of sr-4759 under the same bullet. A little more punch than the 2400 load and a little dirtier but accuracy is pretty good.

[41mag]

I'm REALLY starting to like 13grs of AA-9 under the MP 358-360's with the large hp. With my alloy they drop right at 160grs.

The not only shoot VERY well but they open up like they are supposed to. I can hardly wait to find something on 4 legs to try one out on.

[T-Bird]

8gr AA#5 under Lee 358-158 1175 fps from a 6" S+W 686. I shoot 2" at 40yds from a rest with a 2 power scope (can't see irons). Someone who could shoot could do better. Same powder charge does well with Ly358429 at about 1100 fps.

[fatelvis]

I see a lot of 2400 fans. Is it true that AA#9 is almost interchangeable with 2400?

[**oneshot**]

9.2grs HS-6 NOE 360160 WFN, Win SPM. Very accurate!

[USSR]

9.2gr HS-6, Mihec .359-640, Tula SRP.

Don

[harley45]

9.0 grains of Blue Dot under a MP 358-156 is a great combo for all of our 357s

[runfiverun]

i use 7.0 grs of herco and a 158gr cast rnfp.
it's my 357 cased just above the middle of the road, get a bunch out, shoot stuff, and use it for deer hunting if i gotta to load.
it feeds in the leverguns, rolls through the revolvers, hits to the sights and works with the sliding ladder on the rossi-92.
if your off a tenth or two, the load don't care, change primers [shrug] don't matter, get the alloy off some [whatever]

[Big Steve]

158 gr LSWC/7.0 gr Unique

[PAT303]

So I'll go on with this,should I be looking at getting a GC boolit for 100mtrs or PB?,I'm thinking GC would be better.Great thread. Pat

[Whitespider]

Gas checks are for sissies and Cub Scouts... :bigsmyl2:

[GP100man]

AA9 is closer to H-110 in data & characteristics , very fine powder meters well & likes upper end pressures .

2400 is more tolerable to med pressures , but even 2400 burns/cleaner at the upper spectrum.

2400 & the NOE 358429 is a good combo in all my GPs, 12gr. is a good load for 12 bhn alloys.

[Throwback]

I see a lot of 2400 fans. Is it true that AA#9 is almost interchangeable with 2400?
Sometimes the two work similarly. I haven't enough side by side experience to help you with the .357. I like AA#9 almost exclusively now. Its primary advantage is that it is flash-suppressed.

In my experience more accuracy is obtained using standard primers. But, with equivalent charges of powder, magnum primers deliver more velocity. The data in the manuals provides maximum charges with magnum primers. Still, I have rarely cared to exceed them - just something to be aware of. I am more than willing to trade a little speed for better accuracy.

I have frequently noticed a tendency for extreme spreads to tighten up as charge weights and velocities increase and then comes a point where the velocities no longer go up. This sweet spot becomes my maximum charge, and it is often right about where the max in the manual is. This has helped me in the .41 magnum and .45 Colt when loading data was scarce. If you develop one of these loads with standard primers and later switch to magnum, be sure to back off your charges and work up again.

[Beerd]

For fun shooting I like the idea of using a charge of medium-slow pistol powder that gets me 1000 rounds out of that one pound can that is so hard to find.

Hit that ram high on the horn and he will go down (or not).
..

[jeepyj]

Gas checks are for sissies and Cub Scouts... :bigsmyl2:

I must be one of them there sissies or a cubby scout cause I use 13.5 gr 2400 over a Lyman GC 358156 for a tame 357 load. I get outstanding grouping with this in my ole blackhawk

Jeepyj

[gwpercle]

I'm a cub scout.
Lyman #358156, 155 gr. SWC , with gas check. COWW, air cooled. sized .357
over 7.5 grs Unique. This is my favorite revolver load.

Gary

[Bohica793]

My two favorite load for my .357 Magnum are a Lyman 358477 over 15 grains of IMR4227 and regular primer and a Lyman 358429 (crimped at the crimp groove) over 12 grains of 2400 in a .38Spl case with regular primer.

[captaint]

Just out of curiousity, what do you guys use for charging cases with Unique ?? I have a full pound that I have been avoiding cause I can't get it meter worth a hoot. I use the Uniflow, too much variation, use the Harrells, too much variation..... Just wondering, because lots of folks use lots of Unique !! Mike

[zxcvbob]

8.0 grains of Herco with a 158 grain cast boolit.

I haven't picked a favorite boolit yet, but the Lee RNFP (they call it "RF") is a certainly in the running.

[Harry O]

13.5gr of 2400 with a 358156-GC. 12.0gr of 2400 with a 358429. Both are accurate in my guns, but the GC load has the edge.

[whisler]

My Lee Pro Auto-Disk measure seems to load Unique very consistently... and I check every 10 rounds.

[rockshooter]

NOE 358477 GC with 15.0/H110 gave me 10 shots in one inch at 25 yards today- from a Ruger 77/357. About 3" at 100 yards but it's still a work in progress (receiver sights).
Loren

[jonp]

About 7.5gr Unique under a 158gr lswc. 200yrd shots are going to require a little holdover..

[Larry Gibson]

If you are just shooting targets, you could consider 4.7 gr of Bullseye for about 920 fps. It is very pleasant to shoot with 150 to 160 gr cast plain base boolits and quite accurate for me anyway.

fatelvis

I'm looking for a good, middle of the road power 357 mag load for paper and steel shooting from 25-200 yds. Not competitive shooting, just informal shooting. I'm using a 4" S&W 686.

I concur with quilbilly. My most used .357 magnum load is the 358477 or TL358-158-SWC over 4.5 gr Bullseye in magnum cases. should run 900+ fps out of your 4" barrel and be quite accurate. All the power needed for punching holes in paper and I bust a lot of rocks even out to much farther than 200 yards with it. A very pleasant load.

Larry Gibson

[jmort]

"Just out of curiousity, what do you guys use for charging cases with Unique ??"

Powder Dippers, but that is all I use for everything

[sleeper1428]

9.0 grains of Blue Dot under a MP 358-156 is a great combo for all of our 357s

Agree on Blue Dot as a great powder for the 357Mag. However my standard load for boolit weights between 150gr and 170gr is 10gr. I've shot countless number of these through my three wheel guns chambered in 357Mag, a 6" S&W 686, a 4" Ruger GP-100 and a 2" Taurus Model 65 (a model discontinued long ago). Accurate and clean burning. Oh, by the way, I size to .359 as this is the chamber size on all three of these revolvers. My moulds include models from RCBS, SAECO, Lee, NOE and MiHec and I can't say that I have any single favorite as they all cast some nice looking and shooting boolits.

sleeper1428

[youngmman]

I shoot an LBT 155 gn WFN, Sized @ .358", 14 BHN W/LBT Blue lube, CCI magnum primer, over 10 gn Blue Dot. It's a one hole shooter, from a rest, at 35 yards from my Mo. 28, 6" bbl S & W

[texassako]

My current favorite load is one of several different 158-160gr SWCs over 9.6gr Blue Dot.


Just out of curiousity, what do you guys use for charging cases with Unique ?? I have a full pound that I have been avoiding cause I can't get it meter worth a hoot. I use the Uniflow, too much variation, use the Harrells, too much variation..... Just wondering, because lots of folks use lots of Unique !! Mike

I use fixed rotor pistol measures. RCBS Lil' Dandy would be the current available choice, but I have various old ones that work the same way.

[captaint]

Thanks for the responses on the "measuring Unique deal". I do have the old Lee dippers. I'll have to give them a try. Thanks again, Mike

[gwpercle]

Just out of curiousity, what do you guys use for charging cases with Unique ?? I have a full pound that I have been avoiding cause I can't get it meter worth a hoot. I use the Uniflow, too much variation, use the Harrells, too much variation..... Just wondering, because lots of folks use lots of Unique !! Mike
I made myself a dipper . Cut down a 38 super case until it would throw 7.5 grs. of Unique, Made a nice little handle with heavy stiff copper wire , soldered it to the case, then practiced my dipping technique until I had the hang of it. I will confess to being a dipper !
Gary

[grampa243]

Just out of curiousity, what do you guys use for charging cases with Unique ?? I have a full pound that I have been avoiding cause I can't get it meter worth a hoot. I use the Uniflow, too much variation, use the Harrells, too much variation..... Just wondering, because lots of folks use lots of Unique !! Mike


I use the Dillon powder system with less then a .1 grain variation in loads.

[dougader]

I started shooting IHMSA with the only gun I had at the time, a 4" S&W 686. Lyman 358429 over 10 grains Blue Dot and a standard primer was good medicine on the 200 yard rams.