Whats the most miserly load for 357 mag you safely shoot?

[Tristan]

Hey softpoint -

Other than ventilating the metal building, that load did real well for you. Have you shot it for groups yet?

- Tristan

[softpoint]

Hey softpoint -

Other than ventilating the metal building, that load did real well for you. Have you shot it for groups yet?

- Tristan

Only at 15 yards on my pistol range, I wanted that load for plinking and small varmints up close, and the 1894c would generally put 3or 4 overlapping at that distance

[bart55]

same here 148gr wc tl with liquid alox 2.7gr bullseye ,or 2.7gr of WST have assainated a few skunks with same load and have won quite a few falling plate matches with that load ,trick is to hit the plate on top to give it leverage to go down . I am still shooting brass I bought 30 years ago with that load .

[Papa smurf]

Ha sheepdog-----------------I load 2.5 gr Red Dot in .357 with 140,150,and158 gr boolets with good results. Clock about 700 to 750 fps in my guns.
Good Shooting----------------Papa Smurf

[Old Ironsights]

Update! Since my first post on this thread, a skunk showed up in one of my outbuildings. Close as I could get was about 20 yards.(Safely!!) Marlin 1894 c, 357mag . 158gr. plainbase flatpoint, only 1.7 grains of Titegroup. Bullet went all the way through stinky, end to end, through the sheet metal shed wall, plowed a little furrow in the ground behind the shed, and bounced off into the underbrush. I didn't chrono that load when I put those together the other day, but now I think I'm going to. Very quiet load, pretty accurate to 25 yards in my marlin, and certainly miserly with only 1.7 grains of powder.

That's just about the load I was going to suggest... though I'm using pure lead 358156HPs (no GC)

[Nora]

Why would you want to gallery load a .357? That would be like squib loads for a .458 Win to hunt squirrel.

[Old Ironsights]

Why would you want to gallery load a .357? That would be like squib loads for a .458 Win to hunt squirrel.

Because I can shoot gallery load .357s in my basement without annoying the neighbors in the adjoning townhouses - and I can shoot the 'coons & possums that try to ge into my screen porch without alerting the cops...

I like Super Colibris, but they just don't roll a 'coon like a 500fps 158gr .357...

[sheepdog]

Ha sheepdog-----------------I load 2.5 gr Red Dot in .357 with 140,150,and158 gr boolets with good results. Clock about 700 to 750 fps in my guns.
Good Shooting----------------Papa Smurf

I loaded one set of 38 special with 158 grain lead and 2.8 grains of red dot and that felt almost too light. I can't imagine 357 with .3 grains less being safe! :O

I did load a set of 357 with 158s and 3.4 grains of HP, was pretty light.

You sure 2.5 is safe? (from a 4 inch barreled S&W 586)

[Papa smurf]

Ha sheepdog-----Papa Smurf here . Gave you a bum number yesterday ,2.5gr should have been 3.5 gr (better one lite than one heavy) sorry
Good Shooting-----------------Papa

[new cal shooter]

3.0 gn Rex #2 or Titegroup 38 spl with a 148gn HBWC, flush to case at 770 fps all day load

[sniper]

Why would you want to gallery load a .357? That would be like squib loads for a .458 Win to hunt squirrel.

Well, Why Not? The only wrong way to enjoy a hobby is unsafely.

A "classic plinking load" that I got years ago from an NRA "field editor" (somebody who answered their mail) was 3.5gr. Bullseye in a .357 case with standard primer and 158 gr. SWC.

Worked well, but I got a little nervous at the teeny little charges in the case. Soooo, I just use 4.5-5.0Unique for plinking, and 5.9 gr. for "other purposes"

BTW 5.5 gr. gets me 860 fps from my 4" Smith, sooo some of my loads might be a tad hot for your townhouse, but it works s very well. Less would probably be O.K. in 38 Spl. brass.

A starting load from a manual, maybe??

Lessee....7000gr. per pound of powder: @5.0gr.=1400 loads, less 5% waste is ~1330. Not bad atall atall.

[joedapro]

if you are worried about double charges look into trail boss powder. 3.5 grains should do it. a double charge will spill. also trail boss is becomming the reduced reloaders dream. i've seen loads for it in 300 win mag.

[chemist308]

3 grains of Bullseye will push 148gr. Wadcutters...

This is exactly what I've been targeting with. It's a gentle load and really easy on the wrist. It allows an inexperience pistol shooter like myself to accurately shoot one handed. Actually, that reminds me now that I'm casting and not buying my 38 bullets--I need a wad cutter mold...

[Bret4207]

Why would you want to gallery load a .357? That would be like squib loads for a .458 Win to hunt squirrel.

As another guy said- Why not? Isn't part of the reason we handload so that we can get the ammo we want? Low and slow is just as unavailable from the factories as the super duper stuff built for your gun alone. I don't have a 458, but I do have a 45-70 bolt gun and someday I'd like to make up a round ball load or a Collar Button load (assuming I ever find that mould) for plinking and small game. I can take that sucker up to truly punishing levels, but that's not fun for a guy whose whole body aches form previous punishment.

[Bret4207]

Update! Since my first post on this thread, a skunk showed up in one of my outbuildings. Close as I could get was about 20 yards.(Safely!!) Marlin 1894 c, 357mag . 158gr. plainbase flatpoint, only 1.7 grains of Titegroup. Bullet went all the way through stinky, end to end, through the sheet metal shed wall, plowed a little furrow in the ground behind the shed, and bounced off into the underbrush. I didn't chrono that load when I put those together the other day, but now I think I'm going to. Very quiet load, pretty accurate to 25 yards in my marlin, and certainly miserly with only 1.7 grains of powder.

My Dad converted a Remingtom #4 Rolling Block is 32 RF to 32 S+W Long. Using factory 32 S+W, not the Longs, all you heard was the hammer fall and "toomp". I was accurate enough to pop 10 oz. soda bottles ( that shows you how long ago this was) at 75 yards. Years, nay, DECADES later using the Lyman 311316 (my only mould at the time) pushed by SR7625 I found I got end to end penetration of skunks at less than supersonic speeds, no "crack" on firing just a light "bang". Sadly, I ruined the barrel and haven't replace it yet. I love that rifle.

Point is, don't discount those "low and slow" rounds. They work great.

[Trey45]

Just to throw my 2 cents in.
I use H&G #50 boolits, with 3 grains of Red Dot. I only lube the bottom 2 grooves, I could get away with only lubing one. VERY mild and super accurate in my Dan Wesson 4". It literally sounds like a 22 magnum pistol when fired.

[sheepdog]

Just to throw my 2 cents in.
I use H&G #50 boolits, with 3 grains of Red Dot. I only lube the bottom 2 grooves, I could get away with only lubing one. VERY mild and super accurate in my Dan Wesson 4". It literally sounds like a 22 magnum pistol when fired.

Right now what I'd really like to try is an ultralight load to let the wife/mom/kids shoot that is so quiet and light on recoil they can enjoy it. I tried 2.5 grains of red dot (i have alot of it around) behind a 105 Lee swc. It was nice recoil but still a little louder and faster than I want (around the 750 to 800 fps range). Worried about going too low, would like some advice from someone who's tried a load below this in red dot they like.

[only1asterisk]

Round balls and Red Dot.

[lylejb]

I too was looking for a very light load to introduce the wife and kids to shooting. i found a trick from accurate powder's cowboy action data. i'm using 158gr lswc, and the trick is to seat the boolit past the normal crimp groove, so that the first driving band is flush with the case mouth (see pic). this reduces the case volume down to 38 special, and helps with the large case +small powder syndrom. i've loaded 3.5 gr of aa#2 and this works fine. i could and may go down to 3.0 gr just to see how it works. i'm using aa#2 just because i have a can on hand. for a load this light i think you could use just about any FAST powder. bullseye, red dot, 700x, w231, aa#2 would all work fine. you said you tried 2.5gr of red dot with a 105 gr boolit, and that was faster than you wanted, try a 158gr boolit, that should slow it down.
ps. i use a slight roll crimp over the front edge boolit, just a little more than taking the flare out of the case, and because there little recoil, the boolits don't move.

[mroliver77]

I will prolly get flamed for this. Per Paco Kelley's writings I have use down to 1 gr of bulls eye in 38 casre. I use a wafer of foam cut from a meat tray. Most meat I buy comes in a foam tray and I use a gasket cutter or a sharpend case to make these. I push them down tight to the powder. YOULL RING YOUR CHAMBER!! I hear the screams allready. These things weigh next to nothing and very little flame consumes them and 1-2 gr BE aint a gonna blow up your .357 anyhow. I have shot many many straight cased loads tthis way and they work great. They are way more uniform with the foam. I have loaded down to the point of sticking a CAST boolit in the barrel to capture what was in the case. Powder and foam was consumed even at this low of charge. I have been told one cannot use an over powder WAD. Well I dont view this as a wad but more like using dacron. This is how I do it.
Also I have been using "titewad" powder as I got an 8 lb cheap. This stuff lites nice and burns clean in lite loaded .38 cases. Not very meter friendly in small charges though. If you looking for something with power dont discount heavier boolits loaded with small charges. These are a hoot! 2gr BE behind a Kieth 358429 is light and deadly.
Jay