357 for rifle and revolver difference?

[SHOOTER IN EXILE]

[SIZE="2"][SIZE="4"]I own a Rossi lever action and a Colt King cobra, both chambered for 357 mag.
Checking for reloading data I was surprised to see that they cite different powder charges. Factory boxes I have don't specify if the loads are for rifle or handguns.
Anybody could clear this for me? I'm waiting before starting to reload.:?:

[looseprojectile]

Check this out.

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/357_magnum_and_the_literature.htm

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

I don't know where you are getting your load data. But whenever I've seen separate loads for rifle & pistol the differences have always been in velocity. Sometimes there will be a load that appears in pistol data but not in rifle. However I've never seen same bullet, same case, same primer, same powder, different max charge. Have you encountered this?

The reason you may find a load for a pistol but not under the rifle section is because you can use roundnosed bullets in a revolver, but they are a hazard in tube-fed lever actions. The other reason is that there's just more .357 handguns than there are rifles, so component manufacturers will spend their money developing loads for pistols.

Generally speaking, your .357 lever actions will handle any load for a .357 pistol save for the roundnose bullet factor.

Also, you need to work up the loads in each gun. Cylinder throats, forcing cones, twist rates, groove depths, chamber throats all play into the pressure generated. So you may reach max pressure in one gun at a lower powder charge than the other gun.

[Pepe Ray]

All responses here are great.
There's another reason ,tho, for the differences.
There's not enough room in ANY loading data book to give ALL the possible loads for everything. The editor must choose the data he'll include to give the most information in the most efficient manner. Although they don't like to say it , they do expect that the reader will use some "common sense" in utilizing the info.
This is the best reason to acquire as many sources as possible, even old out dated sources are actually never out of date.
Pepe Ray

[Bullshop]

Long barrels + slow powders = higher velocities.
Short barrels + slow powders = brilliant muzzle flash
Match the powder burn rate to the barrel length.
BIC/BS

[Avery Arms]

...The reason you may find a load for a pistol but not under the rifle section is because you can use roundnosed bullets in a revolver, but they are a hazard in tube-fed lever actions...

This is news to me:???:

Everyone knows not to use pointed spitzer bullets in lever guns but I've never had or heard tell of problems from LRN, I've used or witnessed their use in .357, .44, .45, .30-30, .35 rem etc nary a problem.

I've never seen a single warning against round nose in a tube mag, do you have some data to back your claim up?


PP

[docone31]

I always load either hollow point, or flat nose in my .357s. In my Lever Gun, I fed it anything I had on hand. .38, .357, cases with wrinkles, crappy crimps. My lever gun was the most forgiving firearm I ever had with .357. Almost like a toy. I used to check my loads in it.
It would digest anything and ask for more.
I never used round nose so I do not know about them.

[missionary5155]

I don't know where you are getting your load data. But whenever I've seen separate loads for rifle & pistol the differences have always been in velocity. Sometimes there will be a load that appears in pistol data but not in rifle. However I've never seen same bullet, same case, same primer, same powder, different max charge. Have you encountered this?


Greetings Black Jaque There are some cases where actual suggested max charges are different. I take this info from Lyman Cast manual 1973 . For example :
44 mag page 127 250 gr # 429244 Unique Max 12 grains Ruger 44 carbine. Page 163 250 gr # 429244 Unique Max 7 gr Ruger Super black hawk.
Consider the strenth differnce in a Winny 1892 44-40 compared to a Black Powder frame Colt SAA 44-40. I do not think I will be shooting 10.5 grains of unique with a 260 boolit in my SAA but I routinely do in my 1892 winny made in 1893.
So diferences can exist with good reason.

[rhead]

The older Hornady manuels list separate loads for rifles in 38 special, 357, and 44 mag. Some of the rifle max loads are 5 to 10% higher than the same powder in the pistol loads. This would of course be potentialy dangerous to use these loads in a pistol. I find the velocity data to be much more useful. I generally get the best accuracy at around 90-95% loads from the pistol data and don"t really have a lot of use for the extra few fps I could be gettin from the higher rifle loads.

[JohnH]

If the loads are within SAAMI pressure levels what possible difference could it make? 35,000 PSI is 35,000 PSI regardless if it occuring in a revolver chamber or a rifle chamber. If an arm has been proof tested for a given chambering, then we can only assume that it is safe to use at full pressure, otherwise proofing means nothing. I doubt there is much, if any, factory 357 Magnum ammo that is not full pressure.

SAAMI allows one of two criteria to be met, velocity or pressure; meaning that a load can meet the velocity standard or the pressure standard but cannot exceed either. Often a loading manual will state "these loads do not exceed SAAMI standards", yet nothing exists which requires published reloading data to meet full pressure limits.

It has long been a reloading industry practice to show hotter data for certain firearms with strict cavets that the loads are for use only in those arms. Loads for 357 Magnum Contenders and 45 Colt Ruger Blackhawks immediately come to mind. Perhaps a call to the publisher of the data in question is in order. I'm sure they would enjoy answering your questions.

[DLCTEX]

Loads for pistol in 22-250 (Savage Stryker) are essentially the same as rifle in all the load recommendations I have found. I was looking for some loads to lessen muzzle flash. These are condom loads, I haven't worked with cast much in it. DALE

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Yes. In my first post I neglected to account for the fact that I have seen separate load data for specific guns. But that's because a particular gun may have a much stronger action than others. I'm thinking "Ruger Only" sections here.

I guess I think of those as differences in specific guns, not as though there's one loading page that works for rifles, and another that works for pistols of the same chambering.

I should have also noted that I don't have decades of experience and reading so I have not sampled a huge number of loading manuals. Which is why I asked where the question was coming from.