38 special in a rifle... Ruger 77/357?

[kawasakifreak77]

Last time my friends & I were out shooting someone brought along a 357 levergun. My friend starts shooting this levergun with 38s & it was QUIET! Like, really quiet. I was taken back, sounded like a 22 at most. I felt it was easily hearing safe.

The rounds were just cheapo lead 158s.

This got me to thinking seriously about a 357 carbine. I have a pre-zit 686 with tritium sights & the new Ruger GP100 match champion plus I already load & cast for 38/357. I've got about every kind of load out there from Lehigh defence super bullets to tracers like the Air Force used to issue pilots. So no money spent on feeding one since I already have buckets of ammo / components. I like to keep my calibers consolidated.

But I'm not a big levergun lover anymore. Which brings me to the Ruger 77/357? Anyone here have one?

I'm thinking that might be one heck of a versatile little carbine. Light 38s for small game & plinking, super duper barrel burners for varmints & pigges!

If you have one, what's your favorite load for it? How far out can you make good hits? Why else do you like it, etc?

[Outpost75]

I use 190-grain Hunter's Supply lead flatnose in .357 brass, loaded subsonic with 4.2 to 4.5 grains of Bullseye in a BSA Martini Cadet with 6x Unertl small game scope and have no trouble staying in 2 inches at 100 yards. Shoots well in my Marlin Cowboy II also.

If you want to cast your own I recommend either the Accurate or NOE designs which do likewise.

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[DerekP Houston]

don't have a ruger but I have the rossi 357 and I shoot 38's all the time in it. I would be comfortable with it hunting in the 50yd range but that would be my limit with it. At the 25yd indoor range I can manage 1-1 1/2" groups offhand / no rest. 50yd range is outdoors ~2-3" for me. I have plenty other calibers that are for longer range so I don't really push it with that gun. I've found best groups to be from S&B 158gr 357 magnum and the worst armscore 125gr 38spec. For short distances the POI for 38 isn't really that big a factor vs the magnum round but it became quite clear at the outdoor range. I just put a scout scope on it and have yet to sight that in. I am hoping it will get me out to 100yd with a bit better grouping.



I mainly use it for a toy gun with the battleship targets vs my wife =).

[Mica_Hiebert]

I tried some freedom arms 38 special 158gn Rnfp plated in my 77/357 and it was about 22 mag quiet but it wouldn't group them into a paper plate at 25 yards. It will put 357s into a 2 inch group at 100, this has all been Comercial ammo one of these days I'll get some of my hand loads through it and report my findings. I've herd they like the noe 360-180 wfn in 357 so I got a mould for that. I'm going to try to lee 200 grain in 38s once I get brave enough to try 38s again. Fwiw over a chronograph those freedom arms 38s has an 11fps standard deviation out of my 3 inch sp101 and nearly a 110 SD out of the rifle. What ever the powder/primer combo in those was not happy in a rifle length barrel.

[Scharfschuetze]

I think that any load for a Marlin or Winchester lever gun should work well in a Ruger 357 bolt rifle. Lever guns have limited OAL of the rounds and as I understand it, the magazine is the limiting factor for OAL in the Ruger rifle too. Given that and if the OALs are about the same for both, a good load in one should be a good load in the other. I have no experience other than with a 22 Hornet in the Ruger rifle, so I'm just speculating.

My Marlin 1894 Cowboy with its long barrel is a ***** cat with 38 Specials, but I can get very high performance with 180 grain boolits in 357 loadings out past 200 yards with it.

[rollmyown]

Altheating on this board has loads of experience with this rifle and cast. Do a search. I've shot the Lee 125gn RF at subsonic velocities using TB and special brass. Accuracy has been mediocre, but they have been very effective on small game. Heavy bullets apparently produce better results.

[fecmech]

If you want quiet and accurate play around with the Lee 125 RNFP and 3-4 grs of Bullseye or the 158 gr version. As long as you stay subsonic(<1100 fps) they will sound exactly like .22 std velocity rounds.

[castalott]

I have both the Marlin and Ruger. Both are accurate enough at 25 yards but with the Lee 105 grain bullet, the Ruger will just eat a hole in the paper. I was doing this testing before 22LR became available again. The Lee bullet load was 'as cast' soft with Ben's latest lube ( with the floor wax) and a 38 Special load with WW231. ( think under 1100 fps in the rifle here.)

I never tested any further than 25 and really don't expect the 105 gr boolet to carry well out to 50. But you can probably do better than I can...Let us know how it works out.

[rockshooter]

I have a couple of favorite loads for my 77/357. Using .38 sp, the 356402 ahead of 6.0 gr of unique is like a fat .22LR. For general purpose, I use the 358477, NOE GC version with 15.0 gr of H110. The latter load gives me 1805 fps and is extremely accurate out to 100 yds.
Loren

[kidmma]

I had used 158 gr semi-wadcutter over 5 gr Unique in magnum brass. just a little pop about like a cap gun.

[wlc]

Not a bolt gun, but I do regularly shoot 38spl out of my 357max barreled encore. It is a hoot. If you have a suppressor its an even bigger hoot. easily as quiet as a 22lr with a much bigger thump on the target.

[kawasakifreak77]

Awesome tbanks for all the ingo guys! Sounds like it'd be a great little camp gun.

[Jeff Michel]

I have a 357/77 and it isn't picky what you feed it. Two inches or usually less at a hundred. The only one I could not get any sort of accuracy out of was the Lyman 358477. The lee 105 SWC or 358432 is my choice for walk around P dogs or squirrels. It seems to be a bit "handier" than my Marlin, which isn't anything to complain about either.

[Mica_Hiebert]

Something I found about my 77/357 is there is a huge vertical change when shooting any load other than what it is zeroed for I have a 1-4 leupold on mine and at 100 yards zeroed for lever evolutions it hits 6 inches higher with some hot speer 140 grain hand loads and is almost 2 feet low with 38s. Seems like I need to find 1 load and stick to it or get a bdc reticle scope and a cheap sheet to tell me which aim point works for various loads.

[fecmech]

I have a 1-4 leupold on mine and at 100 yards zeroed for lever evolutions it hits 6 inches higher with some hot speer 140 grain hand loads and is almost 2 feet low with 38s.

That's standard when shooting light 38's compared to hot .357's. You're talking at least a 700fps difference in velocity. Just mark your vertical dial with different colored magic marker for 38's vs .357's and just click back and forth between them.

[postban]

... Which brings me to the Ruger 77/357? Anyone here have one?

I'm thinking that might be one heck of a versatile little carbine. Light 38s for small game & plinking, super duper barrel burners for varmints & pigges!

...?

One of my favorite guns^.
I have a 77/357 shortened and threaded for suppressor.
I developed a super heavy sub load for it using a SAECO 352 245gr PCCB and 7.7gr Lil'gun in 38 spl brass
7.7gr 1042fps 590fpe
Wow does it rock the steel targets!!!
more info


65yds



I've also tried it with some light bullet max loads. 110gr Sierra Blitz, max load of H110. Turns jugs to mist. Recover only lead flakes.

https://youtu.be/MplejsRoAWc

[kawasakifreak77]

^that is awesome man!^

Update: I finally found a 77/357 locally, going to go pick it up Thursday.... I can't wait! I've always wanted a 357 rifle to go with all my handguns.

I gotta bucket of 38s loaded up with 358429s & 3.5gr bullseye for my '51 Smith already. I stoked to see how quiet they'll be out of a rifle!!

[308Jeff]

Do you mind if I ask how much you paid? I've been wanting one for a while.

[Texas by God]

Our Rossi .357 shoots 3x more .38s than .357s. 150 gr Lee SWC 3.8grs Bullseye is just pure fun and a small game harvester deluxe.
Best, Thomas.

[kawasakifreak77]

Do you mind if I ask how much you paid? I've been wanting one for a while.

600 even. I thought that was decent, it looks basically new. Once they were discontinued, prices went up