357mag reduced loads

[Shootingstar]

looking for 357 reduced loads using bullseye and 110g and 125g cast

[dougader]

I'd load about 4 to 5 grains Bullseye for a light plinking load.

You can go lower, but watch out for a bullet stuck in the barrel.

I used to load 2.1 grains W231 under a soft lead 148 grain HBWC in 38 Special. It was a true gallery load and if you hit something like an old tire at the range, the bullet would bounce off and come right back at you! I know, because it happened to my girl friend at the time. It didn't break the skin, but her lip swelled up a little!

[Outpost75]

My experience has been that pressure tested and published .38 Special +P loads are safe and acceptable in .357 brass, but give lower pressure and velocity than the same charge in .38 Special brass. The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook 4th Edition (2010) is a useful reference, comparing the "starting" loads listed for .357 against the +P loads in .38 Special for the same weight and similar shape of bullet.

Cartridge overall length in .357 brass is generally longer, which reduces load density and lowers pressure and velocity, such that the .38 +P charge when loaded and seated longer in the .357 brass more closely approximates a standard-pressure .38 Special load. It is necessary to increase the powder charge a grain or so, if you actually want to match the +P velocity and not produce a milder target load..

Example, p.255
.38 Special, #356242 120 grains #2 alloy, 1.450" OAL, 4.9 grs. Bullseye, 1045 fps @ 18,400 cup

compare, p.258
.357 Magnum, #356242 120-grains #2 alloy, 1.585" OAL, 5.7 grs. Bullseye, 1045 fps @ 16,500 cup

[downzero]

3 grains of virtually any fast burning powder makes a powderpuff load in 38 Special brass. Bump it up as you see fit. My cowboy load is 2.7 grains of Clays with either a 105 or a 125.

[Ed_Shot]

I really like Red Dot/Promo 5.0 gr. under a 120~125 gr. boolit in a .357 case.

[Walks]

I use 3.5grs of Bullseye under a 154gr #358477 or Lee #358-158-RF.

[Little Big Oz]

Can't help you with Bullseye, but I really like 6.5 gr of Green Dot with a 125 gr cast bullet.

[badguybuster]

Unique makes some mighty fine mouse fart 357 loads

[fecmech]

The Lee 125 RF over 4.5 BE in a Mag case runs roughly 950fps out of a hand gun and 1200 fps out of a rifle. It is a 3moa load @100yds out of the rifle and as accurate as you and your pistol are. I load it at 4.2 BE as my standard .38spl load in 38 brass (900fps).

[Driver man]

You dont say how much reduced you want from your 357 but 3 grains of Bullseye with either of those two cast boolits will give you a good plinking load and accuracy .

[charlie b]

One of the nice things about revolvers is you can load them so the bullet just exits the barrel all the way up to fire snorting loads.

The fast powders work nicely at the lower end. Just take your pick and load some up.

Just to say it again, if using pipsqueak loads, make sure the bullet exits the barrel!!!!!!!! If you don't see a bullet impact, STOP shooting, empty the gun and check the barrel.

[ddixie884]

Yes, be careful of sticking a bullet in a large case with a minimum load.........

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I like Lee's little 105 grain swc boolit over some fast powder in .357 cases.

[rintinglen]

In a .357 I have shot a couple pounds worth of bullseye with 4.0 grains under the 356-242 120 grain.

For awhile, my lead supply had dried up and I was trying to stretch my lead supplies, so I went this route. They were not as accurate as heavier boolits, but for practice out to 25 yards, they'd do just fine. At least, once you figured out the correct amount of holdover. They do shoot a a little low.

[gwpercle]

357 Magnum Cast Boolit Loads
Load in In 357 magnum cases , 110 grain to 125 grain cast boolits , sized .358
Load 5.0 grains of any of the following powders :
700X
Bullseye
Accurate #2
HP38
W231
Red Dot
They will all do just fine with a 5.0 grain load .
These are 357 magnum loads to be fired in 357 magnum revolvers ...
...do not load in 38 special cases ...

What powders can you get / have on hand ?
Gary

[FullTang]

I've had nothing but trouble from reduced .357 loads; even the low end of the magnum range has given me stuck bullets with some powder/primer combinations. Titegroup and Remington SP primers combo was the absolute worst. Even though the primers were brand new, I got 4 stuck bullets in one shooting session, and the ones that did make it out of the barrel were all different velocities. They may have been defective primers, though the exact same rounds fired from my Rossi M92 ran very nicely. I assume that the ignition was delayed just enough in the chamber to allow the bullet past the cylinder gap, but not get it through the forcing cone.

This is what 38 Special was made for! (OK, not really, but it works really well here.)

[Capt.Red.44]

Not wanting to hijack a thread here but im hunting similar mouse fart loads for .357 with heavier cas bullets. 158 and 172 keiths. Im low on .357 brass but have a ton of nickel .38 spc.

As for the lighter bullet I concur with 3.5-4.0 BE. Under a 125grn, 12 bhn, sized .358 (my S&W 681)and lubed

[blackpowder man]

In 357 brass I like 4.4 grains of BE with both the Lee 125 rf and the tl 158 swc.

[PAndy]

We have shot a lot of reduced 357 loads through rifles. 4.0 to 4.3 gr bullseye with a cast 125 has shot well in multiple guns, and enough power that we don't stick bullets in 20" barrels. Any of the fast pistol powders are worth a try. I'm actually using 800-x this year.

[dverna]

There are plenty of loads listed so I will not bore you with more data. I do not shoot full power loads in .357 as I like one load for both plinking/training and the occasional critter eradication. I find .38 Spl brass is all I need. It is a bit less expensive to purchase, uses a bit less powder, and lasts just as long. If you decide you want two loads, it makes sense to use .38 brass for the light loads and .357 for the full power loads. It makes it easy not to get them mixed up.

charlie b is correct about using almost any fast powder for your needs. My CAS loads with 125 or 130 gr bullets shot into about an inch for 10 shots at 30 yards. I used Clays and stopped experimenting as it was good enough for that sport. I would look at it two ways....is there a powder you want to use up...then use it and find a load. Or is there a powder you have a lot of.....then start with that.

[Three44s]

+10 What Don posted!

I have way more .38 brass than .357 and since I discovered Corrosion X my crud ring comes out in a jiffy that the shorter .38’s leave.

I also trade my nickel cases to those that like them for straight unadulterated non-nickel plated brass.

Clays is my favorite fast powder. ..... in .44’s too!

Three44s

[Rapier]

Understand that today you use what you have or can find. I shiot Field Pistol for years and discovered that 231 does not care whether it is loaded in 38 Spl cases or 357 cases, the same load shoots in both. so you can check two areas for 231 loads. B’eye is a bit more picky but not much, and you can always shoot a 38 Spl in a 357 if push comes to shove, like a 22 short in a 22 LR.

[oldsalt444]

3.4 gr. 231 will give you ~750 fps in .357 brass. I use this as a competition load with a 148 gr. DEWC and it is quite accurate. Your 110 & 125 boolits will also do well.

[Alstep]

I'm getting to really like Green Dot in my .38/.357 loads. I've got a bucket of 38 brass, so I load everything in those. I just seat .357 loads out to .357 overall length, that way they wont fit in the .38, and you're not reducing case volume by seating long.
GD works great in .44 mag too.

[uscra112]

I don't use 125 grain bullets in .38 or .357. But it strikes me that 5 grains of Bullseye is not a reduced load for those bullets.

That said, Herco is a good possibility. But my moderate .357 loads for the canonical 158 grain SWC still use 3.1 gr. Bullseye because I have plenty of it. AA#2 is mighty close to Unique. Ramshot ZIP is very close to Bullseye. If you can't find Bullseye. As posted, Win 231 works. In these days of dearth, you use what you got, (or can get). Even Red Dot.

A really light load I've fooled with is 2.2 grains of Bullseye under a swaged (Delta) HBWC seated .625" deep. Used it as an introductory load for a new shooter.

I always give light .38/.357 loads a good firm crimp. Never have stuck a bullet in the barrel, but I'd lay odds that them that have aren't crimping enough.

Gun was/is a 4" ex-LE 681. Heavy, but there's very little felt recoil with that HBWC load.

[smkummer]

What everybody has said. The fast powders go a long way, absolutely no need to use 2400 in a reduced 357. My reduced 158 SWC uses unique to easily get 1100 FPS in a .357 cases. I see I can even get that with faster 700X or 231 in a 357 case.
My cowboy load for my .357 Marlin 1894C is 2.8 bullseye, Lee 125 Rf but in a 38 case so it makes enough pressure for a good band. It also allows me just enough room to load 10 rounds in the tube of the 18.5” Marlin. Life is good.

[Char-Gar]

I don't shoot bullets that light, but with 150-160 grain in the 357 Mag case, I use 5 grains