Loading for the 357 Magnum

[B. Lumpkin]

Finally, I have all my reloading chores done. BY chores, I mean loading for the bottom feeders, lol.

Now I get to crack open the AA#9, Federal SRP, starline brass, and dig into my stash of 158gr SWC GC bullets...oops, I only have 13 of them in the jar, lol. I dig around the shelf and come up with a fresh box of 100 158gr Hornady XTP bullets. That will do for now!!

Of all the calibers I load, I enjoy loading for the venerable 357 Magnum the most, and pretty much enjoy shooting it the most.

The 357 Magnum is an incredibly versatile caliber that can go from mild to wild. It is a great woods and hiking caliber. It is easy on the hands (all things considered) and easy to load.

Really not much more to add, and I'm just waxing eloquent on a lazy Saturday evening. So, what is YOUR favorite pistol caliber to load?

[380AUTO]

41 magnum hands down for me.

[marlin39a]

38 Special. My first 40 yrs ago. Mild to wild.

[NC_JEFF]

357 here also, since my gun is a 357 I count my 38 loads as one in the same. It's def my "if I could only choose one" gun. Easy to load for and fun to shoot

[GhostHawk]

.357mag makes an awesome pistol caliber carbine. Mine is in a Handi rifle and has a 4x12x40 scope on it.

It will stack them on top of each other. Easy to cast for, easy to load, and fun to shoot.

My best loads are in .360DW brass, .358 158 grain round nose and 4.6 grains of Red Dot.

I do not use the extra length for powder room but to put my cast boolit as close as can be to the rifling without actually engaging it.

[bluelund79]

44 magnum, followed by 44 special, then 357 magnum, then 38 special. They are all fun in their own ways, and we hunt with both magnum calibers in carbines.

[shoot-n-lead]

44 Special, for me.

[Murphy]

If I were to take inventory of my molds, I'm pretty sure I have more in 38 caliber than anything else. WC's, SWC's, RNFP's, HP's.

Yep, I do like my .357's!

Murphy

[Scharfschuetze]

If I were to take inventory of my molds, I'm pretty sure I have more in 38 caliber than anything else. WC's, SWC's, RNFP's, HP's.

Yep, I do like my .357's!

Murphy

On my end, I have three 357 Magnum revolvers, but only two moulds for the calibre and its predecessor, the 38 Special. I probably shoot more 38/357 rounds in a year than any other handgun calibre, so I get good use out of my RCBS and my Saeco moulds. I should add that I get good results with the 147 grain 9mm boolit in both calibres in addition to the purpose designed moulds.

[Multigunner]

Its been many years since I've pwned a .38 Special but I'm considering getting one now simply because a late relative left me hundreds of rounds of .38 Special ammunition along with quite a lot of other neat stuff.
Actually he had left me a .380 auto pistol and his mom who is still living had sent me boxes of .38 ammo (and perhaps a thousand once fired cases) she found in his gunsafe thinking these were for the little auto loader. The rest of the handguns were divided up among his closer relations.

Anyway I gave a few boxes away to friends who have .38 revolvers and don't shoot much and I still have hundreds of rounds stashed away.

So its about time I get another .38 revolver I suppose.

I handloaded for the .38 revolvers I had in the past.
First handloading was with a Lyman Nutcracker. Later on having sold the nut cracker I used a simple home made outfit consisting of a steel plate with hole drilled and polished to resize cases by driving them into the hole with a rawhide mallet. I decapped with a small punch with the casehead centered over the same hole, and capped using a piece of brass tubing in the chuck of my drill press, the table braced on a 4X4 and the tube inserted in the case. The case being pressed down over the primer on a steel plate to seat then flush.
The flat nose semi wadcutter bullets bought in bulk were seated using a bolt head ground flat and also placed in the chuck, the advancing handles providing more than enough leverage.

I have a Lee hand press now, and can use it with proper dies.

Some of the cheapest imported .38 revolvers have proven to be amazingly accurate, though I'll likely look for a good used S&W with enough dings and finish wear to bring the price down within reason. Service Pistols with a lot of holster wear usually have been carried much and fired very little.

[OptimusPanda]

For me I think it'd be the 45 auto. Something about all the pieces being large and hard to fumble. Also, the satisfying sound of the finished cartridges plunking into the catch bin out of a progressive press.

[emorris]

Ok I'll be the odd duck in this. Mine is the evil and kaboom prone 40 S&W. :roll: Mostly because that it what I shoot the most of, and I like shooting my Glock 23 the most. I'm a little OCD and I have to trim rimmed cartridges like 38 special and 357 mag to uniform lengths for that perfect looking crimp. 45 acp follows close behind 40 S&W due to the cost savings of loading my cast boolits vs buying factory ammo.
I just finished loading up approx. 3800 rounds of 9mm over the last few weeks. This was with plated bullets though. It takes that long for me because pf my OCD. Tumble, wash with lemishine, sort by headstamp, Winchester brass gets sized with a regular sizing die. Federal, Blazer, CCI, and Speer gets sized with a lee undersized die to ensure proper neck tension. Remington gets saved for cast boolits. All the other brands and military brass get stored for hard times. I then prime on my RCBS bench primer. Then they make the circuit on the LNL AP for final loading. I use case lube to lube cases even with carbide sizer dies so the loaded rounds spend a ;ittle quality time in the tumbler with corncob and nufinish. Next up is marking them with a sharpie for brass identification and vacuum sealing in 50 count bags since they are going into storage. Man! This hobby is a lot like work.

[huntrick64]

Chalk me up for 41 Mag as well, then 45 Colt, then 357 mag.

[Fernando]

44 spcl here

[sundog]

Yessir, the 44 Spl is pretty special. So is 357 mag.

[Driver33]

I think I'm gonna have to go with the .327 federal. That's the one I shoot the most . 2nd choice would be the .41mag

[dragon813gt]

Depends on the platform it's going to be shot in. For rifles the 357 Magnum. For handguns the 327 Federal. Now if someone would make a lever action in 327 Federal I'd only have one answer :)

[dbarry1]

I like the 357 too. 300-mp being my wild powder. Almost too much muzzle blast and fireball. All those mentioning 41 mag - making me want one again.

[B. Lumpkin]

I've never really fooled with the 41 Magnum, but I have heard good things about the cartridge!

[ebner glocken]

Depends on the platform it's going to be shot in. For rifles the 357 Magnum. For handguns the 327 Federal. Now if someone would make a lever action in 327 Federal I'd only have one answer :)
+1 This is a great chambering. I would love to see a 92 action with a 16" bbl in 327. I don't have a pistol caliber lever gun but would have one pretty quick if they would put out a decent quality 92 in this.

Ebner

[tygar]

I have "several" favorites, but my most favorite has got to be the 45ACP (autos & revolvers) since I have 20+ & shoot them the most, for combat practice & just plain fun. Coming in second would be the .454, then .44mag, .22s, 500 S&W, 38s, then 357mag, then various autos 40, 9mm, 380 bringing up the rear. Have a .480 but never shoot it - why?, 454 is better.

[richhodg66]

My favorite is the .45 Colt, but have to admit, the .357 is probably the best thing going in handguns. It was the first handgun cartridge I ever loaded for and I still think it'll fill most handgun applications better than anything else.

[joatmon]

.38 spl but all this talk on the 327 has got me wanting to deepen the chamber on the little Marlin.
Aaron

[lar45]

45 Colt for me. I have it chambered in derringers, revolvers, single shot pistols and a M92 Rifle as well. It just makes me happy :)

[9.3X62AL]

I have an abiding fondness for "mid-caliber" handguns--30 to 32 caliber, self-loader or roller. But as all-time favorite/most useful/most carried? 357 Magnum, hands down. A 4" double-action 357 Magnum revolver does more things well than just about any other handgun obtainable. Sure do wish I could find a strong levergun in this caliber.

[B. Lumpkin]

I like the 357 too. 300-mp being my wild powder. Almost too much muzzle blast and fireball. All those mentioning 41 mag - making me want one again.

I've never used 300-MP, having always had a good supply of 2400 and AA#9. Does that powder (300-MP) give the velocities that are advertised?

[OS OK]

For me I think it'd be the 45 auto. Something about all the pieces being large and hard to fumble. Also, the satisfying sound of the finished cartridges plunking into the catch bin out of a progressive press.

kerplunk...kerplunk...ditto!

[B. Lumpkin]

Just got back from the range and sending 50 rounds down range. 13.8 gr of AA#9 still prints 6 shots into under 1 1/2 inches at 25 yards. With XTP's under $20 a box of 100 bullets, I can shoot a very good load on the cheap!!

[9.3X62AL]

The thread morphed a little bit, I should more closely hew to the original poster's question--which was more specific than "My Favorite Caliber"--it was "Favorite caliber to LOAD for". No real change, actually--one's favored caliber tends to be the one you spend the most time reloading for. Funny how that works out. 357 Magnum again leads the pack--so darn flexible, adaptable, and ACCURATE. Easy to make accurate loads for, too--just figure out what bullet your pet 357 likes, and life is great. Not real consumptive on components, either--for my usual carry load duplicator (W-W 158 grain JHP) I use Lyman #358156 atop 14.0 grains of Alliant 2400 for 1235-1250 FPS from my 4" Model 686 and about 1325 FPS from the Ruger BisHawk x 7.5". This last platform gets my "research & development" loadings--a polite term for the combos that run #358156 to 1525-1550 FPS. Not giving recipes for THOSE loads, no way. I can only imagine what such loads would do to a J-frame 357 Magnum. 90% of my 357 Magging gets done with the carry load duplicators, and these have DONE IN scores of varmints over the years. One memorable shot made with my now-departed 586 x 6" hit a coyote at about 50 yards in the ribcage's center, and he went over like someone pulled a rug out from under his feet. That happened in front of a couple witnesses, too--bragging rights in that crowd were hard to come by.

A distant second place in "Favorite to load for" has to be the 40 S&W. For me the caliber has most of the positive elements of the 9mm, and few of its down-sides. It seems to stop fights better than the 9mm's history has been checkered with, but I won't fight that brawl here--other than to say that even illiterate fur trappers knew better than to try bear-stopping with 36 caliber roundballs from a front-stuffer. Of course, those trappers couldn't have read the ad copy by bulletmakers touting the latest/greatest magic bullet with claws, teeth, and malice aforethought either. So, the trappers were operating at a disadvantage not faced by modern folks (SNORT!) :-)

[454PB]

Finally, I have all my reloading chores done. BY chores, I mean loading for the bottom feeders, lol.

Now I get to crack open the AA#9, Federal SRP, starline brass, and dig into my stash of 158gr SWC GC bullets

The most enjoyable handloading is the bigger, easy to grab, non finger pinching cartridges like .454 Casull, .45 Colt, and ,44 magnum. Most enjoyable to shoot are the smaller .38 special, 9mm, and .357 magnum.

But I'm curious, why are you using small rifle primers?

[B. Lumpkin]

The most enjoyable handloading is the bigger, easy to grab, non finger pinching cartridges like .454 Casull, .45 Colt, and ,44 magnum. Most enjoyable to shoot are the smaller .38 special, 9mm, and .357 magnum.

But I'm curious, why are you using small rifle primers?

I load for the 454 as well!

I use small rifle primers because they give me good ignition from high summer temps to temps well below zero , supposedly have a thicker cup, and I have a bunch of them. Across the chronograph I got more consistent velocities using small rifle primers in the 357 magnum. All of my revolvers ignite them reliably.

[B. Lumpkin]

The thread morphed a little bit, I should more closely hew to the original poster's question--which was more specific than "My Favorite Caliber"--it was "Favorite caliber to LOAD for". No real change, actually--one's favored caliber tends to be the one you spend the most time reloading for. Funny how that works out. 357 Magnum again leads the pack--so darn flexible, adaptable, and ACCURATE. Easy to make accurate loads for, too--just figure out what bullet your pet 357 likes, and life is great. Not real consumptive on components, either--for my usual carry load duplicator (W-W 158 grain JHP) I use Lyman #358156 atop 14.0 grains of Alliant 2400 for 1235-1250 FPS from my 4" Model 686 and about 1325 FPS from the Ruger BisHawk x 7.5". This last platform gets my "research & development" loadings--a polite term for the combos that run #358156 to 1525-1550 FPS. Not giving recipes for THOSE loads, no way. I can only imagine what such loads would do to a J-frame 357 Magnum. 90% of my 357 Magging gets done with the carry load duplicators, and these have DONE IN scores of varmints over the years. One memorable shot made with my now-departed 586 x 6" hit a coyote at about 50 yards in the ribcage's center, and he went over like someone pulled a rug out from under his feet. That happened in front of a couple witnesses, too--bragging rights in that crowd were hard to come by.

A distant second place in "Favorite to load for" has to be the 40 S&W. For me the caliber has most of the positive elements of the 9mm, and few of its down-sides. It seems to stop fights better than the 9mm's history has been checkered with, but I won't fight that brawl here--other than to say that even illiterate fur trappers knew better than to try bear-stopping with 36 caliber roundballs from a front-stuffer. Of course, those trappers couldn't have read the ad copy by bulletmakers touting the latest/greatest magic bullet with claws, teeth, and malice aforethought either. So, the trappers were operating at a disadvantage not faced by modern folks (SNORT!) :-)

Thread drift does not bother me at all, as many times very useful nuggets of info can be found in thread drift.

My load listed above clocks pretty consistently around 1,270-1,290 FPS. A bit slow compared to Accurate's data. This load has dropped several hogs and a couple of deer. It really messes them up on the inside.

[mozeppa]

I'm another Lumpkin....M. Lumpkin to be exact....(mozeppa just for the board)

and.... I too seem to have gravitated towards more 38 special/357 mag pistol than any other caliber.
no clue why.

[Multigunner]

Small rifle primers may be okay in a .357 if the handgun or rifle has a fairly heavy striker spring or hammer fall but I had a problem when the LGS ran out of small pistol primers and I substituted small rifle primers in loads for a Officers Model Target I once owned.
A charge did not ignite completely due to a light hammer strike and the half jacket bullet I was using shed its jacket right at the muzzle.
I was wearing ear protection and couldn't tell from the sound that it was a squib, but saw the core of the bullet impact the clay below the target stand.
I used the rest of those loads up in an S&W airweight junker I'd made a heavier than stock coil spring for, they fired in that revolver with no problem due to the heavier strike.

The LGS once recommended that I use Federal small pistol primers in older pistols that had light hammer falls. These seemed to work okay in my IJ safety hammerless .32 S&W.

When I carried a 1911 daily I tried out some 185 gr Remington target flat points. These worked okay in my pistol. Later on when the .40 S&W came along some .45 ACP aficionados liked to point out that the .40 S&W performance could be duplicated by using one of the lighter .45 bullets in the 180-185 range loaded to a slightly higher velocity.