Full loads CB 357 mag w/o gascheck

Good morning everyone
I'm about to start seriously reloading my 357 mag. Here in Argentina there is not much to choose from, for example, I do not have availability of small pistol magnum primers, so I will use small pistol std.
I have some unique, h2400 and win 296. Apart from that, I have a 114 grain wc mold, which I don't think is the best option for heavy loads, a friend is going to lend me a couple of Lee molds (90303 and 90318 ), I'm going to use them on a taurus 605 and a sw 626 of two and four inches respectively.
I'm going to make the boolits PC
Do you have any recommendations?

when i started reloading 45 years ago, i only used regular spp in my 357 because i didnt know you were supposed to us the magnum spp, never had any problems with it not going bang. heavy is not always better, hotter is not always better.

(90303 and 90318 )?????

Bullet descriptions such as 358--158-RF and 358-140-SWC woud be a lot more helpful than product numbers. Many won't bother looking up the product number.


With the 140 cast I'd try Unique first starting at 5.5 gr and working up to 7 gr.

With the 158 gr bullet I'd opt for the 2400 starting at 12.5 and work up to 14 gr.

13.5 of 2400 with 158-160 grain boolits is the standard load for .357 at our house.

I use the small pistol standard. I have experimented with small pistol magnum and absolutely cannot tell any difference. When shopping for primers, I look for the standard variety, but if I can't find any of those, and the magnums are available, that is what I'll use. Makes no difference. I think the "magnum" variety is just a marketing ploy.

If you think about getting near that 296 you'll need magnum primers, so stay to the 2400 and Unique. Nothing wrong with those.

Yes, Larry, I forgot that it's easier to call them by that number,
I have been told that 296 is difficult to light with std primers
Thanks for the information everyone

I use a lot of 296 in 357 Magnum, mostly for my Henry rifle. When I cannot get small pistol magnum primers I substitute small rifle primers instead of small pistol standard, and the small rifle primers seem to work well with the 296.

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Originally Posted by Hick

I use a lot of 296 in 357 Magnum, mostly for my Henry rifle. When I cannot get small pistol magnum primers I substitute small rifle primers instead of small pistol standard, and the small rifle primers seem to work well with the 296.

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That's what I would do if I continued using H110/296. Then only for the heavier bullets when using in a revolver as the 140 gr cast is a bit borderline in mass for consistent ignition.

I used the Lee 140 SWC with 6.5-7 grains of Unique in my 357 mag's with good results for many years. I didn't like the sharp nose on the 140 so I cut the gas check shank off a Lee 158 grain SWC and ended up with a 140 grain with a larger flat nose. I like it for my snub nose 38 special revolvers and use it in my 605 also. The Lee 158 RF is used in my lever action 357 mag with 12.5 grs of 2400, still playing with that one. I have one gas check mold that I seldom use as I don't shoot hot loads anymore. The H110 powder I have is being used up in my 410 shotgun.

I have been powder coating my pistol bullets, especially for my carry pistols. Leaving ammo in a hot car is not a good idea but sometimes it can't be helped. Powder coating does away with the problem of lube migration into the powder. Might not be a problem but makes me feel better about it. I have tried several powders but Eastwood Ford Blue works well.

Unique powder is your friend here... magnum primers are NOT needed .
Unique can give you respectable performance in 2" & 4" barrels .
All loads below are with Unique powder and standard pistol primers .
All cast boolits are sized .358" and fired in a Ruger Blackhawk w/ 6 1/2" bbl.

For the 140 gr. SWC - start with a load of 6.0 grs @ about 1000 fps .
and go up to a maximum load of 7.2 grs @ about 1235 fps .

My favorite load with the Lee 140 gr. SWC is 6.7 grs Unique @ 1129 fps .

With the Lee 158 gr. RF - start with 6.0 grs. Unique for about 975 fps. and
go up to a max load of 7.0 grs Unique @ about 1089 fps .

My favorite load is 6.5 grs Unique @ about 1035 fps .

I try to keep the velocity of these boolits around 1000 fps because of the plain base .

My all time favorite 357 magnum load is a gas checked 158 gr. SWC (Lyman #358156) and 7.5 grs. Unique @ about 1200 fps ... but you need a gas check for this one .

Good Luck
Load Safe
Gary

I use nothing but SPP in mine. Several different powders, unique, H110 (296) and a couple of others in the past. Every one goes boom. Fired off a couple of dozen 38sp and 357 today in my 6" taurus. Oh, all are PC. Zero leading and you can sure tell the 38s from the 357....

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I would recommend the MP MOLDS 359 hammer bullets with powder coat over h110. I've shot hundreds of them, very accurate. With deepest hollow point pins from my alloy it scales 155 grains. Loaded in 357 brass it fits the cylinder of Taurus 6 shot 357 magnum revolver.

I wouldn’t put any W296 down a 2” barrel. Unique would be my choice for that gun. Not because of recoil, but because slower powders need longer barrels in order to get the increased velocity and shot-to-shot consistency.

The Lee mold #90303 is the 158 grain round nose flat point, 358-158-rf. That's a great bullet and should work very well for you.

Either your Unique or 2400 should be excellent with standard primers.

Unique and 2400 should be fine with a standard primer, 296 requires a magnum primer. That 90303 is a good bullet and I've shot a bunch of them.

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Originally Posted by justindad

I wouldn’t put any W296 down a 2” barrel. Unique would be my choice for that gun. Not because of recoil, but because slower powders need longer barrels in order to get the increased velocity and shot-to-shot consistency.

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AND, the muzzle blast and flash are ENORMOUS!!!

My understanding has always been that 2400 prefers standard primers....could be wrong, but that's what I've always understood and used. That said, I don't load many hot Unique loads in the 357mag. But I do use 2400 quite a bit with heavies. I don't have my data on hand, but I use the Ranch Dog 190gr bullet with 2400 all the time. Velocity is probably around 1000-1050fps, it's not super fast. With a bullet that heavy and the proper lube or coating, you shouldn't need a gas check.

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Originally Posted by centershot

AND, the muzzle blast and flash are ENORMOUS!!!

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Not really, it's more of a waste of good powder. You need to get into a 4" bbl or longer to start to get the flash/bang you're talking about. Same goes for h110 & mp-300.