Best 100 yard boolit for 357 Silhouettes

[crabo]

What boolit is giving you your best accuracy at 100 yards in a target load?

Marlin levergun for pistol cartridge silhouettes. The boolit I have been trying to make shoot, just won't do it. It is one I had Mountain Molds make for me.

[missionary5155]

Greettings
Depends on your barrel twist and how much pressure your particular firearm and boolit can take.
Big difference between shooting my Marlin 357 and my DW with a 6 inch 1-12 twist barrel.
Mike in ILL

[tomingreeneco]

We are talking about a lever gun .357 right?

[fecmech]

Didn't your Hornaday "clone" work in your Marlin with 231 in the 5 gr. range?? The Lee 158 TLSWC is a dependable 3moa or less out of my 16" twist Winchester. The lee 125RF is closer to 2moa out of my Rossi's and when I've shot it out of the Winnie it appears to be very accurate @100yds but I have not benched that load in that gun.

[357shooter]

If the Marlin has the 1:16 twist, I would think a 168 Keith or a 158 anything should shoot accurately. If it's a slower twist like the Ross'ies the Lee 125 is hard to beat.

[Wally]

Shooting at a 4" wide plate @ 150 yards with the Marlin 1894c I found that the Lyman 358311 and the Lee 158 RF (90303) hit it the most often. An RCBS 150 SWC was almost as good..the Lyman 358429 and the Lee 140 SWC (90318) were terribly inaccurate, but the Lee 120 RF (90574) was quite good. I used a rest and a 4.5X scope...

In summary it proved that the RNF style of bullet was the most accurate at such a range..the 358311 was also very good but a poor choice in a tubular magazine carbine.

[Bullshop]

For me in my guns, Ruger Bisley and Marlin 94 carbine its the RCBS 200gn rifle boolit with 13gn 2400 and standard SP primer.
Max load!!!!! Aproach with caution.

[Jeff82]

I have good luck with a Lee 158 RNFP in my Marlin 1894C as 100 yards. They're as consistent as I can get with iron sights. I have found them sensitive to alloy hardness (for me the accuracy is best between BHN of 9 to 14), and to the type of lube (I currently use the Lyman orange stuff). I size them to 0.359. It's still a work in progress.

[crabo]

Didn't your Hornaday "clone" work in your Marlin with 231 in the 5 gr. range?? The Lee 158 TLSWC is a dependable 3moa or less out of my 16" twist Winchester. The lee 125RF is closer to 2moa out of my Rossi's and when I've shot it out of the Winnie it appears to be very accurate @100yds but I have not benched that load in that gun.

I forgot about the clone, I'll give it a try.

[bobthenailer]

After years of testing with the 357 mag with cast bullets in revolvers, SS pistols & LA rifles the absulate best accuracy was from the RCBS 200gr fngc , these will have to be single loaded
I have 3, 180gr cast bullet designes and all are accurate the Saeco #354,396 and lee GB 180 gr wfn gc, i personaly would only use 180gr + for the absulate best accuracy . with the RCBS 200gr you can expect 1 inch groups at 100 yards with a good load .
Since the RCBS wont function from the magzine from my Marlin i usually use the lee GB or sometimes the Saeco 354

[Bullshop]

"""""After years of testing with the 357 mag with cast bullets in revolvers, SS pistols & LA rifles the absulate best accuracy was from the RCBS 200gr fngc ,"""""

That makes two.

[Silo65]

As you probably know, damaging targets will quickly make you unpopular and most clubs will not allow you to continue shooting after damage occurs. IMO +180gr bullets have high potential for target damage in PC LA silhouette. In addition all rounds must be fed from the magazine in NRA silhouette, single loading is not allowed. A slow moving subsonic 158gr or quicker 1400fps 125gr is more appropriate. Try SteelChickens.com for load discussions.

[6pt-sika]

Back when I still had Marlin 1804CB in 357 I also had a Lyman mold for a 215 grain GC SWC and it shot nicely in the CB as well as a 1894CP I had . Used H110 in both but don't remember the charge .

[6pt-sika]

As to target damage from 180 grain plus bullets . I never had an issue with the 215 grainers on the silhouettes and I loaded them close to max .

[Baja_Traveler]

I love my Dick Dastardly 158gr snakebit out of my Rossi 92. I shoot in the low to mid 30's with it - the best I'm capable of right now...

[375RUGER]

damage to 3/8" and 1/2" high alloy steel targets from a 357 sounds like a material failure to me.

Bullshop,
Were you able to magazine feed those 200s in the Marlin?

[45 2.1]

This one:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=150113

Witnessed, by several members here, long range approximately MOA groups shot in stainless Marlin 1894 357 Mag.

[Jeff Michel]

This one:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=150113

Witnessed, by several members here, long range approximately MOA groups shot in stainless Marlin 1894 357 Mag.

+1 This shoots great in my Marlin and My Ruger Bolt gun.

[fecmech]

damage to 3/8" and 1/2" high alloy steel targets from a 357 sounds like a material failure to me.


Many clubs (mine is one) have targets that are not AR500 or similar and are closer to mild steel. The silhouettes used for pistol cal lever guns don't really need 180-200 gr. bullets. The 100 yd ram is the hardest to tip over and I rarely lose one hit by a 900 fps 158 out of a .38 spl pistol.

[Bullshop]

375 Ruger
I cant remember. Seems like I did but maybe had to deep seat past the crimp groove.
With the load I was using the boolit would have been sitting on the powder so they could not have pushed further into the case.
With that heavy a boolit no crimp is needed to get the powder burning right.

[357maximum]

This one:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=150113

Witnessed, by several members here, long range approximately MOA groups shot in stainless Marlin 1894 357 Mag.





:mrgreen:He's lying...it never happened.:Fire:



That was sure a sweet shooting combo, if them Stainless guns were not so darn expensive I would have one. I guess my 20 inch 1894Cowboy will have to do for now. This gun will eat anything as long as it is moving along a bit.......it does slow ok, but it does fast alot better.

[HARRYMPOPE]

My Ruger #1 357 mag shoots the RCBS 250 SP the best.it also functioned in my WInchester 94 Legacy crimed a bit over the wiper band.No sub MOA "average" accuracy claims here 'cause i dont fib.

George

[dgslyr]

My friend shoots PC CLA in the mid 30'sx40 with a 125 rnfp and 10.8 grs. of 2400.I don't remember what mould he has.Maybe a Ranch Dog.My Marlin 357's accuracy was greatly improved with 125 gr. bullets for PC CLA.I haven't shot it since I got a Marlin CL 32/20.