.358 J words in a .357 bore?

[texaswoodworker]

I wasn't sure where to put this thread. I'm working on a project that involves rechambering a .357 Magnum Handi Rifle to a wild cat round that uses a .358 bullet. Obviously this wouldn't be a problem with cast bullets. The cartridge is designed to shoot 200+ grain bullets at over 2000 FPS. .357 jacketed bullets of that weight are not the easiest thing to find. .358 bullets are though.

So could I safely shoot these .358 jacketed bullets in a .357 bore? I know the pressure would probably rise some, but would they still be safe with moderate loads?

[Hickory]

So could I safely shoot these .358 jacketed bullets in a .357 bore?

It shouldn't be a problem.
Start with a reduced load of 10-12% and work up from there.

I have a T/C Contender in 32-20 and have on occasion used .312 diameter Hornady bullets in the .308 bore with no problems.

[Djones]

If it is a problem, could you swage the bullets down before loading?

[texaswoodworker]

If it is a problem, could you swage the bullets down before loading?

Possibly. Maybe a LEE sizing die would work? It's only 0.001"

[texaswoodworker]

It shouldn't be a problem.
Start with a reduced load of 10-12% and work up from there.

I have a T/C Contender in 32-20 and have on occasion used .312 diameter Hornady bullets in the .308 bore with no problems.

Thanks for the info. :)

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

the lee sizing die should work I was reading an article about handloading for odball J-word cartridges and the guy was sizing down several bullets using push through sizers to get the size he wanted i think one of them was sizing down was a .277 to make a fat 6.5 needed in some of the 6.5s that need .268

I also found this http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?135426-Can-I-size-jacketed-bullets
5th post down one of our own explains how he sizes down .323 to .314 for use in fat .303 bore

[gpidaho]

I have shot a lot of Speer 311 Hot cores and Hornady 310 sps in my 762x39R Encore 308 bore with no problems and great accuracy. Until I started shooting cast through it I hadn't slugged the bore and just assumed they were a fit. Don't think the extra .001 will make much difference. GP

[Garyshome]

Did you slug the bore? That may be the correct size for the bore!

[nekshot]

you will have no problem with your bore as asked about but I did a real Rube Goldberg one time. I had a carcano 6.5 and I sized jacket 270's down to fit cartridge neck, which was larger than bore and I started reducing the loads to see how slow I could go and got one stuck in bore and tried everything but could not get it out. I ended up cutting the barrel at the stuck jacket and short of a sharp cold chisel that jacket appears to be a bronze bushing in the bore. It kinda looks neat and if you wanted it out it would need a cold chisel to seperate it.