357 sig

[Blammer]

Can you use 40S&W brass to make 357 sig brass?

[ReloaderFred]

Some people do, but it will come out too short for proper neck tension. The 357 Sig case is also designed for higher pressure. I've never found finding 357 Sig brass hard to come by, so that's what I've always used.

If you can't locate any, PM me. I don't want to get rid of a lot of it, but if you're in a bind, I'll lend you a hand.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[khmer6]

Its possible. Look into 357 head spacing and using once fired 40 brass. Interesting article.

[Blammer]

thanks for the offer and the info guys.

does the 357sig headspace on the shoulder or case mouth?

[khmer6]

It is debate able. In the early days of reloading for the sig I had many failure to fire. A second strike would usually set it off. Like I said there is a ton of info and debate on the head space. What gun is it for? Mines a p226

[Blammer]

beretta 8357

[ReloaderFred]

There are actually two datum points, the case mouth and the shoulder. Everything you read will tell you it's the case mouth, but if the shoulder isn't set back to the right length for your chamber, the round won't fully seat. RCBS sets up their 357 Sig dies to set the shoulder back, but they also say to turn the die in one full turn after making contact with the shell holder.

My Springfield XD has a relatively short chamber, so I ended up milling a few thousandths off a shell holder in order to get the shoulders set back properly when tight up against the sizing die. I've only run into about half a dozen cases that were too long in the case mouth, and they were Federal nickel cases that I picked up off the range. I did trim those half dozen cases, just to see if it was worth it. Those were the only handgun cases I've ever trimmed........

When I reamed a barrel for one of my Witnesses to 357 Sig, I made sure the chamber matched my XD, so I'd only have to worry about one shoulder set up when loading for them.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[TXSlade]

Read this article. It has tons of info, and the website has more articles on the 357 sig.
http://www.realguns.com/Commentary/comar65.htm

[khmer6]

beretta 8357

A beretta in 357 nice first time, I have heard of this beast

[Bwana]

Here you go:

http://www.handguninfo.com/Archive/www.Pete-357.com/#Top

[rodsvet]

I've been shooting this caliber since they first appeared in the Sig229. Treat it like a rifle cartridge and use "your" barrel to headspace on the shoulder and you will be more than happy with the performance. That way you can use .40 brass if you want, I don't. Use a powder that is a compressed load and choose a bullet that feeds smoothly. Fun cartridge and really accurate. Rod

[khmer6]

+1 on this. Do a drop check in the barrel and make sure the face is flush and not too deep or primer strike will be week. I use a carbide 40/10 die to size and the steel 357 sig die for the shoulder and mouth. This way I don't have to fuss with lube. I suppose a carbide sig die would work but expensive as hell. One of the reason I haven't gone to the 9x25 wild cat of the 10mm

[ReloaderFred]

I shoot three bottleneck handgun cartridges, 357 Sig, .400 Cor-Bon and 9x25 Dillon. None of them are hard to load, but each has it's quirks. I do use the Dillon Carbide dies for both the 357 Sig and 9x25 Dillon, but if I had it to do over again, I probably wouldn't have bought them. The only reason I did was because I got them for a good price and they were practically new.

The 357 Sig is easier on brass than the 9x25 Dillon is. I've gotten many loadings from 357 Sig brass, but 9x25 brass usually only lasts about 3 loadings before it fails. Pushing a bullet that hard is rough on brass.

For the 357 Sig, I've found Accurate Arms #9 to give the best accuracy and a slightly compressed charge. It prevents bullet setback and the bullets go right where the front sight is pointed. I can't ask for more than that.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[khmer6]

You are discouraging me from the 9x25. Does it blow your ear drums when you shoot it

[ReloaderFred]

The 9x25 Dillon is a great round! And it is very loud, but I've invested in good earmuffs, so it doesn't bother me. It's also inherently accurate, just like the 357 Sig.

I've got two pistols in 9x25, one comped and one plain. The comped one is a 1911 and there's no muzzle flip at all. Double taps are easy. The plain one has very little muzzle flip, but it's noticable after firing the comped one. I love the round, but it's hard to find a bullet that will stay together at 1,600 fps. FMJ bullets literally turn inside out when they hit the soft berm. I've going to experiment with some cast bullets from straight linotype and see if they'll run through it ok.


Hope this helps.

Fred