357 magnum and 180 grs. Cast boolits

[BIGMACJM]

I’m new to the forum and new to shooting cast boolits but not new to reloading.
Looking for reloading data for the 180 grs boolits, I will be shooting a 4.2” Ruger Redhawk 8 shot 357 magnum. Thanks in advance for any info.

[mroliver77]

First off, welcome.
I wont give you any loads but will advise you to read all you can on cast boolits. Various Lyman manuals can be viewed and some can be downloaded from archive.org. The Lee book is a must on my bench along with the RCBS cast manual. Veral Smiths book " Shooting cast bullets at jacketed speeds" or something close to that helped me a lot. Jay

[megasupermagnum]

That's a common bullet weight, so you can find a decent amount of data online. Taken straight from the Hodgdon website. 180gr bullet, 1.575" min OAL, 13.5 gr H110 powder MAX. Depending on the bullet, the OAL can vary greatly. Especially in a Redhawk, you have a ton of room to work with.

[Shawlerbrook]

Great conversation on this topic over on the Campfire forum with noted Alaskan grizzly guide Phil Shoemaker. There is also a YouTube video where a guy recreated the Buffalo Bore 180 load using LilGun powder and Cast Performance bullets. I would use either LilGun or H110 and plan on loading some for my GP100 for my next trip to Alaska.

[dannyd]

RCBS 180 Silhouette bullets is great to shoot.

[robg]

RCBS 180 Silhouette bullets is great to shoot.

2400 with this boolit works very well for me too in my win trapper

[quilbilly]

AA-9 has become my choice for my Ruger 357 carbine. The mold I am using is NOE's 184 gr WF-plain base that drops from my mold at 187 gr. Being plain base, I have limited my muzzle velocity to 1250 fps using 9.4 gr. of AA-9 to avoid leading. In your pistol, I suspect the velocity might be about 1100 fps but I have not tried this load in my revolvers instead selecting loads more pleasant. 2400 powder has given me good results as well. BTW - Welcome to our group

[9.3X62AL]

The 180 grain bullets in a rifle or strong revolver takes the 357 Magnum up a notch as a hunting caliber. You have some strength advantages with that Redhawk revolver that you can exploit, though its barrel length might limit that a bit. My heavy 357 is a Ruger Bisley Blackhawk x 7.5", and it has run the 158 grain Lyman #358156 safely to 1500-1525 FPS, and a Lee Group Buy 180 grain flatnose gas check design to 1375-1400 FPS. Both loads use a "Rated-R" weight of Alliant 2400 to make that happen.

[farmbif]

any of the slow pistol powders will probably work well for good powerful loads in both pistol and rifle, as said previously aa9is good choice, h110/w296, 4227, 2400, 300mp
what bullet are you using , does it have gas check?
if you just beginning in the world of cast bullets an investment into the Lyman cast bullet manual and if you can find one the RCBS cast bullet manual would be worthwhile.

[bobthenailer]

There is alot of reloading data for 180gr cast bullets , I have the Saeco #354 fp gc ,#396 TC and the LBT WFN all shoot well in all seven of my 357 mags

[AndyC]

I’m new to the forum and new to shooting cast boolits but not new to reloading.
Looking for reloading data for the 180 grs boolits
Might be useful if you tell us what powders you have access to, sport.

https://i.imgur.com/Zx7t9Ua.png

[BIGMACJM]

Thanks everyone for the info. Keep the info coming my way.
I have a pound or two of H110,W296 and 2400.
I will be shooting Penn 180 grs. TCBB and also have Penn 158 grs. TCBB
Will be shooting a 4.2” 8 shot Ruger Redhawk and a 3” Ruger SP101 357 Magnum.
Thanks again.

[marshall623]

I run the NOE 360-180 WFN gas check Water cooled coww /2%tin cut with 1/2 pure lead and the noses tempered.
13.8gr H110 or 12.6 AA #9 CCI 550
Sized .360" for T/C / .358" for GP 100 .
I think 2400 will l do good in your gun , Healthy dose of H110 / W 296 in the 4" and some change barrel will give a nice big fire ball . The data I use is Lyman Cast Bullet Book # 4 , Accurate Arms Data online list Cast Data also


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[MT Gianni]

I wouldn't shoot the same loads threw those two guns. They are way apart in felt recoil and maximum data. No way would I develop a load in a Redhawk and assume it safe in anything else.

[farmbif]

im not familiar with penn bullets, penn fishing reels yeah, anyway if they are bevel base cast bullets, I have a bevel base mold only for heavy 9mm bullets that are shot at less than 1000 fps velocities and have not used it for a very long time. im no expert but I shoot gas checked bullets with full power loads with powders you mention. h110 is not a powder you want to try and download with but 2400 might be able to be downloaded a bit, there are experts on this site that know a whole lot more about it than I do.

[megasupermagnum]

I wouldn't shoot the same loads threw those two guns. They are way apart in felt recoil and maximum data. No way would I develop a load in a Redhawk and assume it safe in anything else.

The rare 6 shot redhawk, you may have had a point. The current 8 shot redhawks are no more exceptional than the GP100 (which is as durable as they get). I have yet to hear of anyone shooting an SP101 loose either. The only thing a redhawk has is a crazy long cylinder, in which case, if used, it wouldn't fit in anything else. Those above listed loads are stout, but far from what many load to. They are safe in any 357.

[osteodoc08]

Another benefit of the 6 shot 357 Redhawk is ITS HEAVY. I’ve got a Redhawk Hunter with 7-1/2” barrel with scope. Even max loads in that thing can be shot all day, every day without feeling it like I do with my Ruger only 45 Colt loads.

[NEKVT]

The load chart on a post above is based on the Nosler 180gr Partition. This bullet has probably the longest shank/most bearing surface of any .357 bullet. Might want to keep that in mind when comparing loads for it for use with other bullets.

279896

For comparison from left to right: 38-158-RNFP, 358429, 35-200-FN, Nosler 180gr Partition, Hornady 180gr XTP

[Terminatorret]

I reload 180gr .358 diameter cast for my Ruger 77/357, 18.5" barrel. My personal preference is for a "heavy bullet", "subsonic". My ears appreciate it. My neighbors appreciate it. My rifle (long term) appreciates it. My accuracy (subsonic eliminates supersonic transition instability) appreciates it...and no gas check.
So, I have some 190gr cast on order, but for the past few years I've reloaded my .357 180gr loads with 6.5gr Alliant Blue Dot which gives me 1090-1100 fps per my Oehler 35P.
Here's other data I collected along the way:
6.4gr BD = 951 fps (this doesn't fit with a linear analysis, but it's what I got.)
6.5 BD = 1090 fps
6.8 BD = 1156 fps
7.0 BD = 1187 fps (Was my be tightest group...but I wanted subsonic.)
7.2 BD = 1228 fps
7.6 BD = 1272 fps
7.8 BD = 1307 fps
Your mileage may vary. I just throw this out for conversation.
I will eventually reload some .38 spl brass for my snubby.

[quilbilly]

I use that plain base NOE 180 gr WF boolit which drops at 187 gr. from my mold in my Ruger 77/357 with a load of 11.5 gr. of 2400, small rifle primers, and Lee tumble lube. The mv is about 1350 fps on my chronograph and it gets 2 MOA groups at 100 yards without a hint of leading using a 3x scope. According to the Speer book's ballistics, that boolit is still going 1050 fps at 150 yards using the BC on NOE's website. With that big flat nose and all that weight, it will do just fine on any deer to 150 yards or a little more. It might even see service in my front yard dealing with bears raiding my fruit trees.

[John Van Gelder]

AndyC

I am not sure why Hodgdon uses a 10" barrel for their .357 load data, however as an interesting point ,I found a video of a reloader trying to duplicate the Buffalo Bore 180 gr. ,357 load, advertised at 1400fps, he used the Hodgdon data, with Lil' Gun powder and was getting around 1400fps with his 4" GP 100.

[hornady308]

I have a GP-100 with a 6" barrel. My hunting load is a NOE 359-190-rf hollow point that weighs 173 grains, over 13gr 2400, a WSP, col=1.657". This load averages 1213fps, sd=23, es=66.

[bluejay75]

14.5 -15.5 H110 with SRP 185 grain cast boolit w/ a good crimp does 1700 from a 18.5 inch barrel. Thats probably going 1400 in a 6-10 inch. I shoot this load regularly.

[Jeff Michel]

I use that plain base NOE 180 gr WF boolit which drops at 187 gr. from my mold in my Ruger 77/357 with a load of 11.5 gr. of 2400, small rifle primers, and Lee tumble lube. The mv is about 1350 fps on my chronograph and it gets 2 MOA groups at 100 yards without a hint of leading using a 3x scope. According to the Speer book's ballistics, that boolit is still going 1050 fps at 150 yards using the BC on NOE's website. With that big flat nose and all that weight, it will do just fine on any deer to 150 yards or a little more. It might even see service in my front yard dealing with bears raiding my fruit trees.

This^^^^^^^^^ ! You'll likely find your best accuracy will be a tad under max with 2400.

[robg]

my trapper with the same load =1350 fps only difference i use a gas check

[downzero]

I wouldn't shoot the same loads threw those two guns. They are way apart in felt recoil and maximum data. No way would I develop a load in a Redhawk and assume it safe in anything else.

357 Magnum was the most powerful handgun cartridge ever made when it was invented. Anything rated for a 357 Magnum can take some serious power and pressure.

I wouldn't load the most beastly loads in a J or K frame S&W or a Ruger LCR, but short of those few weak guns, I can and do shoot some pretty beastly loads in my 357s, my favorite of which is an N frame S&W Model 28.