I tried to make some quiet 357 ammo today

[44minimum]

I was using 38 cases with 2 grains of titegroup and A .360 round ball pushed down on top of the powder. Using my Rossi 92 with the 16 inch barrel, I guess maybe it was a little louder than an powerful spring action pellet gun. The bullet would not penetrate a 55 gallon drum, sometimes it penetrated a 1 inch board. I have no way to measure the velocity, but it sure was fun to fire into a big fresh steaming pile of cow do. I'm not sure that we accomplished much But it was an enjoyable afternoon with my nephew and we both learned something. Further experimentation is desired. I know that there have been things along this line written about somewhere on this website but every time I tried to search for something I usually get something entirely different. Can any of you point me in the right direction?

[GP100man]

sounds like a perfect bunny poot load to me .
how much does that 360 ball weigh??

GP100man:cbpour:

[Old Ironsights]

I just use a standard unsized, pure-lead 358156 HP with no gc over the same load of Titegroup. It is marginally louder than a 180gr, but the hp works OK.

I chrony'd it at an av of 700fps.

[44minimum]

I cannot find out how much that round ball weighs, doesn't state on the package or on midway's web site. It is just a hornady 0.360 round ball. Seems kinda strange, not to mention the weight anywhere.

[Old Ironsights]

I cannot find out how much that round ball weighs, doesn't state on the package or on midway's web site. It is just a hornady 0.360 round ball. Seems kinda strange, not to mention the weight anywhere.

I have a list of all standard swaged RB weights somewhere. I'll post it when I find it.

[twotrees]

I have shot a BUNCH of Lyman 115 gr wadcutters over 2 gr of Bullseye ( Please be careful not double/triple charge). In my 20 inch barreled Rossi it's about as loud as a BB gun. Kills tree Rats right nice.

( That was my 50 ft indoor load for bullseye shooting.)

Sounds like you have about the same load in your round ball setup.

[Old Ironsights]

I have a list of all standard swaged RB weights somewhere. I'll post it when I find it.

Found it:

Pure Lead Ball Weight Per Caliber

.310 = 45 grains
.315 = 47 grains
.321 = 50 grains
.350 = 65 grains
.360 = 71 grains
.375 = 80 grains
.395 = 92 grains
.400 = 96 grains
.433 = 122 grains
.437 = 127 grains
.440 = 128 grains
.445 = 133 grains
.451 = 138 grains
.454 = 141 grains
.457 = 144 grains
.490 = 177 grains
.498 = 180 grains
.520 = 212 grains
.530 = 224 grains
.535 = 231 grains
.543 = 241 grains
.550 = 251 grains
.560 = 260 grains
.562 = 276 grains
.570 = 279 grains
.575 = 286 grains
.595 = 317 grains
.600 = 325 grains
.610 = 342 grains
.648 = 410 grains
.662 = 437 grains
.678 = 469 grains
.680 = 473 grains
.690 = 495 grains
.715 = 550 grains
.730 = 586 grains
.735 = 598 grains
.760 = 661 grains
.775 = 700 grains
.835 = 875 grains
.919 = 1167 grains
1.052 = 1750 grains

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showpost.php?p=229321&postcount=2

[HORNET]

44minimum,
You might want to try a search under "catsneezeloads". It's been awhile since it ran. You also might want to look through the Stickies and Classics section.

[Glen]

Years ago a very knowledgeable friend of mine told me about some experiments that he had been running with his .357 Mag levergun. He was taking a 170 grain cast bullet (I'm pretty sure it was the Lyman 358429) and loading it over 5.0 grains of 3031.

Yes, you read that right, 3031 (I don't recall if he was using .38 brass, or .357 Mag brass).

Jim reported that the slow powder resulted in a very low muzzle pressure, and hence very low muzzle report. I don't recall if he reported a muzzle velocity, but he said that this load was more than sufficient to take take care of barnyard pests, and it was quiet enough that it didn't bother the livestock.

I followed his lead and loaded some up in .38 Special cases, and test fired them out of a 4" S&W Model 15. I was shooting them in a poorly lit indoor range, so I wasn't able to chronograph them, but I would guess the velocities were in the 400-500 fps range. Accuracy was surprisingly good (as I recall, point of impact was pretty low), and the impact into the backstop was clearly louder than the muzzle report, even from a 4" revolver. Pressures were clearly quite modest.

Obviously, you don't want to do this with a jacketed bullet, but with a cast bullet it is pretty cool.

[Old Ironsights]

My 777 &/or BP load is about like that. Messy though since I have to fill the balance of the case with COW...

[anachronism]

Another thing you might try is heavyweight (for caliber) cast bullets, with small charges of fast powder. I used to use a 358627 Lyman with 3 gr of 800X for bowling pins in a .357 revolver. This was first done as an experiment, then later continued as an annoyance to my fellow competitors. These loads were very quiet, but would tumble the pins off the table. I was loading in 38 spl cases so I could shoot in the 38 spl class. Hey, it was legal! I guess the heavy bullet made the powder burn completely before the bullet left the barrel.

[Alchemist]

I cannot find out how much that round ball weighs, doesn't state on the package or on midway's web site. It is just a hornady 0.360 round ball. Seems kinda strange, not to mention the weight anywhere.


You DO have a reloading scale don't you???

[44minimum]

He he he yes, I have two. The thought never crossed my mind, however. if it was a snake it would've bit me.

[StrawHat]

Here is a link to an article by Ed Harris.

http://guns.connect.fi/gow/ed.html

Some good recipes and some interesting commentary.

[bobthenailer]

seat a 158 gr or larger bullet in the case with the nose first so you will make a reverse wad cutter with a small charge of BE , works excellent THIS PROCEDURE WAS COVERED BY VIERL IN ONE OF THE LBT BOOKS, I DONT REMEMBER WHICH AS I HAVE 3 EDTIONS

[BAGTIC]

I have been using a similar RB load for over thirty years from an H&R 22" barrel rifle. I cast my own balls from WW and they weigh 68 grains.

I use about 3 grains of Red Dot and they do sound about like an air rifle. They are so quiet that they once earned me an invitation to sit on a local farmer's front porch and sip lemonade while thinning out the ground squirrels that were devastaing his wife's garden.

They are adequate for squirrels, ground and tree, and both cottontails and jackrabbits as far as I can hit them. I imagine they would work on anything up to coyote size.