Favorite .357 lever gun load?

[MT Gianni]

Light load Lee 125 rf 4 gr BE.
Medium load in 357 358156 HP in 38 cases crimped long and 13.5 gr 2400.
Heavy load NOE 160 RF and a healthy dose of H110.

[CoolHandMoss]

What luck. My 94 is getting a custom stock made and this thread comes up. I'm going to load up some of the loads suggested so I can try them out whenever I get it back!

So far my favorite load is 170 gr Keith swc over 11.7 gr #9.

[Bzcraig]

Plunder-125gr Lee over 5gr BE
Full power- 200gr Lee over 10gr 2400

[indian joe]

Do you have any idea of what velocity you are getting? This is quite interesting.

Didnt chrono it and a mate has the rifle now - I may have understated the load too (will get back to you on that) from the sound of it and the way it shot - seemed like a decent load for blackpowder (1100Fps or so) It was a 1970's era Rossi 92 carbine made just a really cool, accurate little BP rifle. . The LEE boolit takes enough lube to keep fouling under control. Didnt have any problems with blowby residue into the action. It was just easy and fun.

[AntiqueSledMan]

Hey Guys,

I haven't been loading the 357 for quite a while,
my load was a Lyman 358156 w/gas check above 15 gr. Hercules 2400.
Maybe to hot for handgun, I can't remember.
We shot these through my Rossi 92, and my son's 94 Marlin Cowboy.
They shoot very good.

AntiqueSledMan.

[badguybuster]

This was a 158 grain Keith style hard cast, a few years ago i made a passel of these. Over 17.5 grains of Lil Gun. This group was shot at 75 yards out of my Winchster 94 with a 24" barrel.

[outdoorfan]

357 mag cases. 360640 (150 gr version in hp form), 6.3 gr's unique, 1300 fps. Same bullet, 18 grains lilgun, 2050 fps. 185-190 grain wfn (Lars design), 16 grains lilgun, 1800 fps. Rossi 92

[Jim22]

Hmmm... Sounds like many are using cast boolits to good effect in their Marlin 1894's. I have been avoiding their use because of the microgroove rifling. Guess I'll have to give 'em a try.

My heavy load is 18.4 grs. of W296 behind a 158 gr JSP and a CCI small rifle primer.

[robg]

165gngc boolit 13.5gn 2400=1550 fps
195gngc boolit 11.5gn 2400 =1350 fps
in my trapper both very accurate 5 shot groups around an inch at 50 yards 2 inch at 100.

[saturn]

38 cases- 358429 PC'd over 4.5 w231 win spp
357 cases- 180gr LBT wfn PC'd over 13.5 WC620 CCI 550 primers
Both work great in rossi 92 and GP-100

[ChuckJaxFL]

Full power, cast: 358156 over 17.8gr 300mp (50 yard target)


Full power, jacketed: 158xtp over 17.3gr LilGun (100 yard target)



Plinker: 000 buckshot over 3.5gr Trail Boss (38spl case)


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[Cheyenne4090]

My load in a 1892 Rossi with a 26" Octagon Green Mountain 20:1 twist barrel is 13.5 gr 296 and a 180gr MBC Coated striker bullet doing 1,600fps. I have won several offhand gong matches shooting out to 200 yds with this combination.

[imashooter2]

A 26 inch octagon barrel! Do you carry it to the line in a wheelbarrow?

[indian joe]

Didnt chrono it and a mate has the rifle now - I may have understated the load too (will get back to you on that) from the sound of it and the way it shot - seemed like a decent load for blackpowder (1100Fps or so) It was a 1970's era Rossi 92 carbine made just a really cool, accurate little BP rifle. . The LEE boolit takes enough lube to keep fouling under control. Didnt have any problems with blowby residue into the action. It was just easy and fun.

For White Cloud
I did understate the Blackpowder load - 26 grains of FFFg (scale weight) was what we did not 21.

[indian joe]

A 26 inch octagon barrel! Do you carry it to the line in a wheelbarrow?

Winchester model 92 ....38/40 .....26 inch half octagon half round - it weighs 6.55 pounds -------no wheelbarrow required

My favrit offhand cartridge rifle!!!

[chickenpot]

Favorite full power for Rossi 92 - 15gr H110 over Lee 158 swcgc- 2500 lube, flashing gas check, srp -I put a Marble tang sight on the rear and a Lyman 17 globe on the front, and it really makes for a good shooter. Can't recall a time i sat down and got a 100 yd group, because I spend all the time dusting clays off the berm at the same line

Fav plinking load - lee 158 rf over 5.0 gr unique, 2500 lube, spp. this does around 1150 out of the lever gun

[sghart3578]

Hmmm... Sounds like many are using cast boolits to good effect in their Marlin 1894's. I have been avoiding their use because of the microgroove rifling. Guess I'll have to give 'em a try.

My heavy load is 18.4 grs. of W296 behind a 158 gr JSP and a CCI small rifle primer.

Size your cast bullets to .360" let the magic happen.


Steve in N CA

[Jack Stanley]

For plinking , a 158 grain Lyman round nose and 3.5 of bullseye in a 38 case . Something just a little more , an LBT 180 grain flat nose with 4.7 Unique in a 38 case .

For the magnum the same LBT bullet with gas check and enough Accurate Arms number nine to make you smile . Works great in "N' frame Smith revolvers and the .357 carbine .

Jack

[Ron in PA]

My plinking load is 6 gr of Unique and a 158 lee rnfp bullet.

[Conditor22]

not a lever 357 but yesterday I had good results with:

HS-6 10.2grn 7/8" group...... 158 RF.... .358 sized

in an IMI 357 mag Timberwolf pump rifle