Nothing, if you know what you are doing.Originally Posted by megasupermagnum
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Nothing, if you know what you are doing.
I did not read the whole thread, but has anyone ever tried a 158 grain round nose flat point boolit in .357 Sig? I would powder-coat these, size them to .356 and shoot them between 900-1000 fps., sort of a semi-auto .38 Special if you will. That way I could enjoy shooting this caliber without chasing my brass into the next county.
Any thoughts on the matter?
exile
"There is not a single instance in history in which civil liberty was lost, and religious liberty preserved entire. If therefore we yield up our temporal property, we at the same time deliver the conscience into bondage." --John Witherspoon, The Dominion of Providence Over the Passions of Men. 1776
"The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times." Psalm 12:6 (E.S.V.)
I had collected so much 357 Sig brass that I felt obligated to buy a Lone Wolf drop in for my G22. A buddy carried a Sig Saur 357 Sig for a few years and gave me all of his brass, and 600+ rounds of factory 125 gr FMJ. Cool. The factory FMJ shot 1350 fps and was neat.
The profile of the factory round was exactly the same as the Lee 358-125 RF, so I worked up loads using that projectile. First rounds were lubed lead with no leading issues. Since then I began ASBBPC for everything handgun. I could go further with the load but stopped at 1325 fps, powder was/is Unique. I know that other powders could change results/increase velocity.
I buy Unique in 8 lb jugs and love the stuff. I don't need many types of powder for what I load. I figure if I can consistently hit tin cans at 100 yards using Iron Sights, I have found my mark. Recoil pulse is similar to my 40 S&W loads, but more of a push back and less muzzle rise. I don't shoot the 357 Sig round nearly enough preferring to shoot the 40 S&W I carry.
Although I would not feel poorly armed with the Sig round, I just stick to what my duty caliber was before retirement. If I want to shoot 357, I dust off my S&W M13, similar to the M10 that was my duty weapon for the first 25 or so years. There is something about the simplicity of a wheel gun, at the range where I just dump the empties in a coffee can without having to pick them up.
Common sense Gun Safety . . .
Is taught at the Range!
RNFP might work, but that is a pretty big boolit for 357 sig. I found that a 125 grain round nose boolit shoots nicely. They are gas checked and I have them moving in the 1300 or so fps.
WWG1WGA
It brings you full circle, why you didn't just stay with 40 S&W to begin with. But being different is good. 147 gr is good in 9mm Luger, so why not 158 gr in 357 sig?
I use 160 grain round nose bullets in sig and have used 185's. as long as you can fit them in the mag and find a good powder they are fine.
I shoot them in a 2011.
I shoot a lot of 40 S&W. My boolit with 40 is a 180 or so grain NOE HP. Great boolit. But it is going in the 8-900 fps range. I shoot those little 9mm boolits as 357 sig because there's nothing like the crack of a boolit exceeding the sound barrier. But the base of the boolit is just past the neck of the case at 125 grain... Bigger would put the base fully in the cartridge...
WWG1WGA
Thanks, all of you for your insight. I have loaded several hundred rounds of jacketed bullets in this round, but never cast, so my experience is extremely limited.
exile
"There is not a single instance in history in which civil liberty was lost, and religious liberty preserved entire. If therefore we yield up our temporal property, we at the same time deliver the conscience into bondage." --John Witherspoon, The Dominion of Providence Over the Passions of Men. 1776
"The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times." Psalm 12:6 (E.S.V.)
With how short the neck on a 357 sig is, any heavy bullet is going to be past it. I wouldn't worry about it.
Funny enough - I loaded some of my "go-to" 357 sig boolits in 350 legend and was able to send a 125 grain PC/GC pill with 1-2 MOA accuacy at 2650 fps...
WWG1WGA
These are fun!
WWG1WGA
The Lee 358-158 RF and NOE Elko 358-155 both work fine in the 357 SIG, right up to full house loads. I have loaded both myself.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Regarding both the boolits you mentioned, my thought was to start at ________ of Unique and go up 1/10th of a grain at a time until I achieved reliable function and velocity somewhere between 900-1,000 fps.
Regarding other powders, I have AA # 9, but don't want full house loads.
Not looking for load data, but just a place to start. Would you (or anyone else) care to comment on the wisdom of such a plan?
Obviously, due to the current situation, other powders may be difficult to obtain.
Thank you for your previous response and any further thoughts you may wish to share.
If you are not comfortable commenting on the use of Unique with these boolits I certainly understand your reticence.
exile
Last edited by exile; 07-22-2020 at 04:31 PM.
"There is not a single instance in history in which civil liberty was lost, and religious liberty preserved entire. If therefore we yield up our temporal property, we at the same time deliver the conscience into bondage." --John Witherspoon, The Dominion of Providence Over the Passions of Men. 1776
"The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times." Psalm 12:6 (E.S.V.)
I think I will refrain from advocating or discouraging a particular load that I have not tested or seen, what I will say is that a safe amount of Unique under either of these slugs, in this caliber, will have a good burn rate for their intended purpose. Keep in mind the propensity for bullet set-back in this cartridge-I solve this with a heavy taper crimp from the Lee fcd.
Last edited by Boolseye; 07-22-2020 at 07:47 AM. Reason: Safety
If you can get the 158grRN to seat properly & not be too long, it will take up a lot of powder space. I don't see why it wouldn't work, 147gr run fine, & Unique is fine with those bullets running 1000fps. Alliant says 6.6gr is max under a 147gr GDHP. Their wisdom is reduce 10% & work up, that is 6gr. So at 4gr, I bet you don't get good cycling, but certainly a place to start & then work it up 2/10gr at a time. A chrono will be helpful to see where you are going.
EVERY GOOD SHOOTER NEEDS TO BE A HANDLOADER.
NRA Cert. Inst. Met. Reloading & Basic Pistol
Thanks again for the responses. I will proceed with caution.
exile
"There is not a single instance in history in which civil liberty was lost, and religious liberty preserved entire. If therefore we yield up our temporal property, we at the same time deliver the conscience into bondage." --John Witherspoon, The Dominion of Providence Over the Passions of Men. 1776
"The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times." Psalm 12:6 (E.S.V.)
Give the NOE mould 358 - 124 - TC - Gas Check a try .
Can be sized .357 or .358 and the gas check allows magnum velocities .
I load this one with great results in 9mm Luger , 38 Super , 357 Magnum and 357 Herrett.
Boolits are cast 50-50 COWW - soft scrap lead , air cooled , sized and lubed .357 or .358 as required . The gas check and Lithi-Bee lube keep the leading away and allow 2100 fps in the Herrett . The softish boolit mushrooms like a J-word.
It should work like a charm in 357 SIG!
Gary
Certified Cajun
Proud Member of The Basket of Deplorables
" Let's Go Brandon !"
I have used 158gr RNFPBBs. Never hotrodded them though; just plinkers and they work fine. I used some surplus ball powder that's pretty close to AA#7. Never tried Unique with them.
Last edited by McFred; 07-23-2020 at 06:35 PM.
Plinkers, my thoughts exactly! Thank you,
exile
"There is not a single instance in history in which civil liberty was lost, and religious liberty preserved entire. If therefore we yield up our temporal property, we at the same time deliver the conscience into bondage." --John Witherspoon, The Dominion of Providence Over the Passions of Men. 1776
"The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times." Psalm 12:6 (E.S.V.)
Greetings! I love an ongoing conversation!
I am looking to develop a cast load for the 357 Sig in a P229. Based on what I've recently read, the Lee 358-125RF sounds like a usable bullet, which will be powder coated. I have seen loads referencing the use of AA9, AA7. and Unique. I understand not posting charges, but I have a minor problem. I haven't been able to find any sources for data using cast bullets. Can someone that is loading cast bullets in the 357 Sig point me towards a reliable source of data, or share a safe starting load for the above powders?
As always, thanks in advance for your help!
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