Messed with cast in my 357 Sig.

[Tackleberry41]

They do not sell a FNS pistol in 357 Sig, nor can you get a barrel. So it meant buying a 9mm conversion barrel and rechambering it. I guess the rented reamer was worn out. It did not cut the neck enough to even chamber a cast load. It had issues with jacketed. A 9mm reamer fixed it in about 2 min. Figured I would see what would work out of molds I have on hand. Set back is an issue with the 357 Sig. But not had any problems with either bullet I tried. One is a NOE 360-154gr WFN w hollow point pins, comes out to about 145gr. Other the standard Lyman 147gr. No way either would work set to spec OAL. But they fit in the magazine and do a plunk test. Worked fine. NOE .357 expander, then the Lee flare tool, an extra step but what you gotta do.

Being PC, they can be pushed pretty hard. I used the 147gr jacketed data, start with min. Used 800x. A mid range load of 8.5gr with the 145gr gets 1346fps, with not a hint of anything left in the barrel.



Am tempted to get a lighter mold, the Lee 124gr trunicated cone seems popular.

[Phlier]

Very cool.

When the Sig 320 X-Five is released, I'm getting one in 40 S&W so that I can just drop a 357 Sig barrel in it and start shooting. I've read that the 357 Sig isn't a very popular round, but I love it.

Nicely done.

[Tackleberry41]

357 sig is not popular often due to self fulfilling prophecy. The ammo is expensive, so nobody wants to buy it, so since few want to buy it, they dont make much and its expensive. No idea why 357 is considerably more than 40S&W or 9mm. Not like it uses special powder or anything, the 9mm bullets are common, the brass isn't something special.

[dondiego]

Lack of mass production causes higher costs. Same reason .410 and 28 ga. are overpriced.

[dkf]

In the last couple years .357sig ammo has come down, at least online. You can get Speer TMJ online for under $16 for 50.

I usually shoot heavier cast in .357sig myself, 135gr-150gr.

[Krieger82]

Love casting for 357 sig. Just got set up to do hi-tek coating, so hoping to finally crank the velocity.

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[bruce drake]

I agree with you on the bottleneck cases. I use a 400 Corbon in one of my 1911s more than I do its original 45ACP barrel. I load both 150 and 170gr cast lead in those 400 Corbon cases and they are definitely a different type of pistol then the original 230gr Punkin chunkers (in deference to the 45ACP, I actually prefer to shoot 200gr SWC through that barrel than I do the 230gr RN ball ammo.

[yondering]

Tackleberry, who'd you rent the 357 reamer from? I'm about to rent one for an Uzi barrel, would prefer not to get the same one.

I suggest trying the new-ish Lee 95gr RF bullet in that 357 Sig, it seems to be a good fit. I bored out the TL lube grooves in mine, mo betta now since I coat them anyway and better grip on the rifling. Accuracy is good in the 357 Glocks and one CZ P07 I've tried.



This was just from a hot 9mm, but 1500 fps into water jugs with that bullet, impressive results on target.

[Tackleberry41]

I'm not sure on which of the places I rented the reamer, been about a year. Would be no way to know if one rented has been over used. You could still see a little lip in the neck where the 9mm chamber was. Left a mark on ammo chambered. A sized case plunked, but a loaded round got stuck, cast wouldn;t begin to work. Buying a 357 reamer was $179 and special order, a 9mm was $79 and in stock. Took all of 2 minutes to fix it. Debating about selling the reamer, get part of my money back on it. Soon as I sell it I will wish I still had it, like other reamers I have bought. I had been looking at converting a 40cal XD single stack if I could find a 9mm barrel. Or dig up a 9mm conversion barrel for the CZ75 in 40 I have on layaway.

I have the 2 molds already. Theres a Lee 124gr TL on the shelf, but the nose looks a bit long. And theres a Lee 102gr. Ream out the lube grooves on them for better neck tension. Powder coated they could be pushed pretty hard. But Im pretty happy with the 1350fps with the 145/147gr. That was a mid range 800x load, so could be pushed harder.

[yondering]

Yeah that's a nice fast load for the 145gr. Nothing to complain about there.

I agree with the nose length on that 124 TL, but you seem like a guy handy with tools, so one option might be to hollow point it. I did this with the non-TL 124 (125?)gr TC Lee bullet, and cut the base down at the same time. Boring the cavities for .250" hollow point pins left the noses shorter, so that one would be appropriate for 357 Sig now if I go back and bore out the lube groove (it's in a bad location for the 357 case neck). Just throwing out ideas if you're interested. Here they are: