357 Carbine loads?

So I have a Lee 358-158 mold, no gas check. I am thinking 12.5 grains of 2400 out of a Model 92 for whitetails. Probably use straight wheel weight alloy. Anyone use a load like this? Am I in the ball park? Any info appreciated, thanks, Craig.

I shoot a powder coated NOE 180gr WFN plain base over 13grs of 2400 for hunting with the 92...it does a good job.

You should be ok up to 1500-1600 fps in velocity if you make sure you size 1-2 thousands over the barrel groove dia. and use a very good lube. I myself use White label 2500 for my 357 mag rifle loads and revolver loads with good results.

Elbow -

Howdy !

FWIW -

14.5gr WW296 and SP Magnum primer worked great under 158SWC's in my M1894SC .357Mag " carbine ".
That was the minimum charge of WW296 listed in the old Winchester/Olin reloading pamphlets.

Accurate and clean burning ( IMHO ).

Should have energy > or = 12.5 2400.



With regards,
357Mag

2400 is the only powder I have, do you think 12.5 grains from a carbine barrel is sufficient and will it avoid leading at that charge?

Elbow

If you want to push magnum handgun level 357 loads out of your carbine with a PB'd cast bullet you may find accuracy to be lacking. The reason is the velocity level in the carbine with such loads can exceed a PB'd bullets ability. For your carbine investing in the GC'd version of Lee's 158 bullet and a thousand GCs will give much better results, especially for hunting with magnum level loads. If used for hunting the thousand GCs will last a long time.

From experience with pistol cartridge handgun/rifle combo's I suggest developing the accuracy load with the rifle staying within handgun data. Every handgun has, for me, shot the load developed for the rifle extremely well.

Larry Gibson

Good advise, one more question, is it ok to use magnum primers with the 12.5 grains of 2400?

Match the primer to the powder. 2400 does not require magnum primers. My .357 rifle prefers 2400 over any other powder.

I use that boolit in my trapper ,7..5 gr of true blue woks well with no leading ,GC boolits with 8.5 gr true blue or 13.5 gr 2400 give great accuracy and about 1500 fps .hope this helps.

Really like that Lee 358-158-RF in both my H&R and Marlin. I find that Red Dot/Promo 5.0 gr will produce very small groups at 50 yds. It's also an excellent handgun load.

Don't hate me my load is 296 pushing a 158 XTP about 1700 out of our 20"Rossi. 2-1/2" @100yds. Some day I'll use it maybe.
Best, Thomas.

My son used my 20" M92 with a discontinued Lee 150 gr swc and 14.6 gr of early 90s vintage 2400 to get his first deer. It was a 22yd broadside shot on a decent sized N Tx doe. Entered at the back edge of the front shoulder and exited just behind the other front shoulder. Everything in-between was liquid.

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Originally Posted by Elbow

Good advise, one more question, is it ok to use magnum primers with the 12.5 grains of 2400?

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Old reloading data, actually specified magnum primers with Hercules 2400 powder. The new manuals, do not, with Alliant's version. Many reloaders, I for one, still use the magnums. Throw in the fact that Winchester doesn't offer the two versions. Their pistol primers state on the box " for magnum pistol use". For less than maximum charges (12.5 grains), you don't need to worry.

BTW, my pet load for 158 SWC GC bullet with 2400 is 14.5 grains of 2400 developed for my 6" Python. I have shot this in my Rossi carbine, with good accuracy. RCBS's Cast Bullet Manual gives 14.5 grains (magnum primed)
as 357 Magnum (rifle) minimum to a maximum of 15.5 grains, for 1740 and 1798 fps, respectively in a 18 1/2" Marlin carbine.

The only bullet mold I have for a 158 SWC has a gas check. However, I have a three cavity NOE 180 RNFP mold that drops both, (1) checked and (2) unchecked bullets. Consequently, I use more of the unchecked bullets. I reserve the checked ones for the heavier charges, in the carbine. The RCBS's Cast Bullet Manual's data for their 180 SIL ranges from a minimum 11.0 grains of 2400 to a maximum of 12.0 grains. I have not exceeded the 12 grain maximum, as yet. Lab Radar gives me an average of 1452 fps with the 11 grain charge and 1511 fps with 11.5 grains. I have tested these loads with both checked and unchecked and have found no significant difference in accuracy. Neither load leads the barrel. Ranch Dog's data for 180 grainer is 13.1 grains of 2400 (maximum charge) for 1722 fps. I just loaded some with 12.5 grains and currently waiting for the weather to cooperate, so I test them for accuracy.

Winelover

Howdy Elbow
What brand is your 357 Carbine ? A Marlin will have a few other parameters to address... We have a Marlin and a Rossi and they are two different beasts.
Mike in Peru

Mine is a 16" older Rossi Puma.

My Rossi likes an RCBS 38-162 SWC gc over 15.7 grains of H110, or 14.5 grains of 2400. The H110 load is slightly hotter, the 2400 load might be a shade more accurate (possibly, maybe-they are very close.)
I have not had great results using plain base boolits in the 20 inch carbine barrel, but your 12.5 grain 2400 load may work well

I use the rcbs 180 sil boolits in my win trapper 11.5 2400 chronos at 1250 fps ,not that quick but the most accurate load drops about 2 ft at 200 yards ,so I think of it as a 100 yard round.will group about 2 inch's at that distance.

My go-to load is the LEE 358-158 RNFP cast of air cooled WW, paper patched, sized .358 and backed by 16gr of 2400 (my favorite) or 19gr of Lil Gun. The patches are wet-wrapped drafting vellum, lubed with a 4:1 LLA/liquid carnauba mix. With PP, I'm not limited to the usual lead-on-steel limitations.

um.. about the comment about Small pistol primers and Winchester.. they do have two separate primers for small pistol.. Small Pistol Standard and Small Pistol Magnum. I've done some testing with some different calibers and powders and the Small Pistol Magnums always produced more velocity all other things being equal. This was with 231, Titegroup, and Herco.

Now the Winchester Large Pistol primers do indeed state on them "For standard or magnum pistol cartridges". Winchester does not make a Magnum Large pistol Primer. Winchester also only makes one small rifle primer but makes both a separate Large rifle and Large rifle Magnum.