What bullets for lever action in .357?

[bigarm]

Well, I was in town today and a local place had 10% off their guns. They had a stainless 3" Smith and Wesson Model 60 and since I have always liked them I had to buy it. I need a .357, don't I? So now I think I will have to add a lever action in .357 sometime. Do most of them feed 158 semi wadcutters fine? I don't have any .357 moulds so now I need to get one.

[Jack Stanley]

I don't remember that last time I tried semi-wadcutters in the lever rifle , form what I hear it works at least some of the time . I have tried the Lyman and LEE "Cowboy" moulds in the hundred fifty-eight grain range and they work perfectly . Also have an LBT mould made just for my Marlin that is exceptional .

Your reasoning for getting a rifle sounds flawless to me except for one facet . You do need to budget for a progressive loading press in addition to what you already have . Also don't forget powder and primers and about ten thousand empty brass and some more lead and ............

Jack

[FergusonTO35]

My 1970's 1894 loves the Lee 358-158-RF and 358-125-RF. Mine will feed SWC's if you cycle the lever smartly, however those boolits I mentioned work so well I don't bother.

[Jupiter7]

I've used thousands of the 358156 in my Rossi. Nary an issue

[Ed_Shot]

My Marlin 1894C .357 loves SWC's. Lyman 358156 in my favorite loaded in either 357 or 38 Spl cases. The Lee 358-158-RF also give excellent function and accuracy. The round nose Lyman 358142 (120 gr) and 358311 are also superb loaded in either 357 or 38 Spl cases. I've never been satisfied with the accuracy of the Lyman 358477 in my rifle.

[Scharfschuetze]

I'm a fan of the 180 grain RNFP style of cast boolits or the 180 grain Remington jacketed HP in my Marlin 1894 Cowboy rifle. They hold very well out to 250 yards and maintain their accuracy well. With a good Lyman or Redfield aperture sight it is easy to adjust for the various ranges that I shoot at. I load them to just under 1,700 fps out of the 24" rifle barrel and they ring a 200 yard gong with authority.

By the way, my carry gun much of the time is the 3" Model 60 in .357 like the one you just bought. You made a good choice as they are among the most versatile of carry guns. I've had mine since 2000 if memory serves and it is still as tight as the day I bought it after 14 years.

[bigarm]

I don't remember that last time I tried semi-wadcutters in the lever rifle , form what I hear it works at least some of the time . I have tried the Lyman and LEE "Cowboy" moulds in the hundred fifty-eight grain range and they work perfectly . Also have an LBT mould made just for my Marlin that is exceptional .

Your reasoning for getting a rifle sounds flawless to me except for one facet . You do need to budget for a progressive loading press in addition to what you already have . Also don't forget powder and primers and about ten thousand empty brass and some more lead and ............

Jack

So is this the Lyman die?: LYMAN-358-665 (http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/1199/1/LYMAN-358-665)

[GoodOlBoy]

158gr RNFP. Works every time.

GoodOlBoy

[mac266]

My Marlins all feed SWCs just fine (but not all do), but my Uberti / Cimarron copy of the 1873 Winchester won't feed an SWC to save its life! Each gun is different, you just have to try.

On the other hand, most cowboy action shooters like the Round Nose Flat Point bullet style. I think the Lyman mould number is 358665.

[dragon813gt]

Every firearm is an entity unto itself. Mine will feed SWCs w/ no issues.....until one randomly fails to feed. My Uncle's hangs up almost every round. Only way to know is to try it in your firearm.

[Alexn20]

I have no issues with SWC in my lever gun. That's about all I shoot in it. It will hang up if you baby the action though. If I let someone shoot it who is not familiar with lever guns have feeding issues frequently. Work the action like you mean it. Don't be timid. If you can make up a dummy round and see how it does before you buy it.

[fouronesix]

I have no cycling/function problems in my Marlin 94 pre-safety 357 with 130 gr SWC cast or Hornady 140 gr Cowboy RNFP swaged. Also, there is something to be said for the previous post about "cycle them like you mean it". That's the whole idea about a short cartridge, carbine lever gun to begin with.

[seaboltm]

For plinking I like the Lee 158 SWC TL. Works for me.

[Jack Stanley]

Bigarm , that's the one . For my particular carbine it was a bit more accurate than the LEE design . Both of them though are flawless in their feeding habits .

Jack

[Michael J. Spangler]

i use a 358156 for all of my 38s and they run beautifully in my marlin carbine.
i load the 38s to the bottom crimp groove (long)
and i load the 357s to the top crimp groove (short)
i might be lucky but my marlin feeds anything it seems. even 38s with the 358495 wadcutters in there.

[Djones]

My Marlin 1894c 357 loves......LOVES the NOE 360-180 WFNGC boolit over 14.5 grains of lil gun.

[bigarm]

I see that NOE is having a sale for a couple more days. What about this bullet http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?products_id=1156&osCsid=70ht6qbfas1o6tveqm71c33oa7 ? or this http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?products_id=1155&osCsid=70ht6qbfas1o6tveqm71c33oa7 ? I think the only difference is brass vs aluminum. I have used neither. Which would you choose or this their one a little heavier that would work? I see that there is a 200 grain round nose. Would that be too long?