What is your most accurate 357 magnum rifle boolit?

[Daekar]

I have finally gotten a chance to do some shooting with my Henry H015 now that primers are a little more available, and I'm not completely satisfied with the accuracy I'm getting out of the little 125gr boolits (Accurate 36-125L, NLG version) I'm using when pushing past 1100fps or so. There is certainly room for me to adjust the load, change powder, etc., to dial things in with this particular boolit, but it did make me think about situations with other designs where they were just accurate with practically every powder, charge weight, and OAL I tried until I got to pretty stupid velocities. Some boolits just seem to be easier to work with.

The most accurate load in this Henry so far has been 11.5gr of Lil'Gun and an Accurate 35-245P, which was almost one ragged hole when shooting from the back of a folding chair, but that's probably into "+P" territory and a bit heavier than I want for a general purpose load.

So, what boolits are easiest for you to get accuracy out of in a 357 mag rifle?
Are there particular design features that seem to help?
Have you had better luck with heavy designs or light ones?

[curiousgeorge]

The Lyman #358156GC dropped from my alloy at 160 grs lubed and gas checked, sized to .358, loaded over 14.5 grs of H110, small pistol magnum primers, and crimped in the top groove has worked for me. Out of my Marlin, an H&R 357 mag, and an H&R 357 max, all with scopes, i can shoot the caps off 16oz water bottles at 50 yds from a bench rest. It just turned out to be the "magic load" in my guns. The H&R 357 mag single shot took out another ground hog this last Tuesday.

[imashooter2]

The Larsen group buy C360-180-WFN. NOE sells a reasonable facsimile.

[MT Gianni]

For the Rossi a 135 gr NOE, for the Handi now taken to the max, RCBS 200 gr.

[Rodfac]

In my Marlin JM 1894CS, I've had great success with carefully cast and inspected Lyman 358156GC. My alloy is straight WW, air cooled, with an annealed Hornady GC seated separately from my lubing operation. I use an ancient Lyman 450 sizer/lubricator for both operations. With a 2.5x Leupold scope mounted, I've had any number of sub-2" groups at 100 yds from a sandbag rest. Sized to 0.359", that old design, LSWC feeds just fine and is my go to bullet in the Marlin.

Leading has not been an issue up to and including Skelton's old load in .357 brass: 13.5 gr of 2400. It chrono's 1609 fps from my 18.5" carbine bbl., and I'd have no reservations using it on deer here in KY inside ~75 yds.

However, IMHO, this is a bit on the heavy side for my handguns, and I've settled on 12.5 gr which is very accurate in the short guns as well as my carbine. BTW, for the short guns, I size to 0.358".

For jacketed bullets, I like Hornady's 158 gr XTP FP and their 180 gr XTP; both of which are good for 2" groups at 100 yds with my scoped Marlin. Both of these are equally accurate, and I prefer the 158 gr offering for it's slightly lower recoil and equal effect on deer.

HTH's Rod

[dverna]

In my Marlin JM 1894CS, I've had great success with carefully cast and inspected Lyman 358156GC. My alloy is straight WW, air cooled, with an annealed Hornady GC seated separately from my lubing operation. I use an ancient Lyman 450 sizer/lubricator for both operations. With a 2.5x Leupold scope mounted, I've had any number of sub-2" groups at 100 yds from a sandbag rest. Sized to 0.359", that old design, LSWC feeds just fine and is my go to bullet in the Marlin.

Leading has not been an issue up to and including Skelton's old load in .357 brass: 13.5 gr of 2400. It chrono's 1609 fps from my 18.5" carbine bbl., and I'd have no reservations using it on deer here in KY inside ~75 yds.

However, IMHO, this is a bit on the heavy side for my handguns, and I've settled on 12.5 gr which is very accurate in the short guns as well as my carbine. BTW, for the short guns, I size to 0.358".

For jacketed bullets, I like Hornady's 158 gr XTP FP and their 180 gr XTP; both of which are good for 2" groups at 100 yds with my scoped Marlin. Both of these are equally accurate, and I prefer the 158 gr offering for it's slightly lower recoil and equal effect on deer.

HTH's Rod

Good post.

[stubshaft]

I use my old SSK 358-200 TCFP loaded ahead of 12.5 WW 296. Not only is it accurate out of my 1894C it is death and destruction on hogs and sheep.

[Daekar]

So far I am noting a conspicuous absence of light bullets. Perhaps my experience is not unusual.

[FredBuddy]

Daekar:

My Henry SS (H015) really likes the Lyman 358429, a
170 gr SWC, powder coated and sized .3585, with
7.0 gr Unique. Being a 7lb rifle, it's quite pleasant
to shoot. It also shoots other 158-ish boolits well, but
doesn't like the Lee 125 RNFP as much.

My revolvers all shoot 158-ish boolits better than
the LEE 125.

Only my Marlin 1894C prefers the 125 RNFP,
powder coated, over all others.

I guess 38 Special and 357 Magnum were
designed around heavier boolits for a reason.

[1Papalote]

Lee 358125RF with Unique
RanchDog 190 with H110
Killed deer with both.

[Daekar]

Lee 358125RF with Unique
RanchDog 190 with H110
Killed deer with both.

What kind of velocities were you getting with Unique and that Lee boolit? I have pushed my similar mold up to 1650 without leading, but it's probably no better than 2 or 3 MOA at that speed.

[Pereira]

I have a Rossi with the 24" barrel and I shoot Missouri Bullet Co.'s 180 gr Pugnose bullet.
It's a WFN, and with 11.4 grs of 2400 I can consistently hit an 10" plate at 100 yds.
I'm a member over on the Henry rifle forum, and
there are several guys there that shoot that same bullet over 11.5 grs of 2400 in their Henry's and report nice accuracy.

RP

[Rapier]

I have two rifles, a Martini conversion with bushing and reduced diameter firing pin, plus a Marlin 94c, both scoped and both shoot the RCBS 200 FP plain base in 357 Mag brass using the 205m rifle primers with stout loads of H-110. The single shot loads with a much longer OAL and with much higher loads than manual and a light neck straightening taper crimp. The 94c Marlin must be loaded to an OAL allowing a free turn in a 357 mag revolver cylinder to set the Marlin action feed OAL, this OAL requires a hard taper crimp over the bullet ojive allowing for rebound in Brass /Brass to feed through the Marlin action without hanging.
The brass/brass cartridges by Win allows for the slight web swell with the deep seated bullet and the compressed powder charge. Done properly it produces surprising accuracy and energy. As the bullet base is still in the cartridge case when the lands are fully engaged, preventing upset of the base. I cast these bullets very hard and size to the actual groove diameter.
I approach the loading for a 357 Mag rifle in a whole different way, as a rifle, and never load as for a revolver. The book max loads are all for any 357 Mag revolver ever made, and not for a rifle action or rifle barrel.

[rintinglen]

My Rossi really likes the RCBS 38-162 GC over 15.7 grains of H-110 in 357 cases, which are also very accurate out of my 6" Security Six.

[Fire_stick]

I've had 2 different Rossi Model 92 357 Magnum 20" carbines with1:30 twist. The first one was stolen, along with several other dozens of guns, from my father's place. Both carbines like the C358-180RF boolit. I've got 2 different molds. One drops 185 gr boolits, one drops 190 gr. The carbine likes these boolits pushed hard, at approximately 1800 fps muzzle velocity with higher than Hodgdon data gr's of Lil'Gun. Even my Ruger M77 357 seems to like this boolit and load. But, I haven't settled on a pet load for this carbine yet.

[1Papalote]

What kind of velocities were you getting with Unique and that Lee boolit? I have pushed my similar mold up to 1650 without leading, but it's probably no better than 2 or 3 MOA at that speed.

I have no idea about velocity but the charge was only 6.0 grs or so. Certainly not fast. I've tested Unique and this boolit for acuracy out to 50 yards. All power levels with Unique were accurate. My accuracy criteria may be different, mine being playing cards. The deer are dispatched with a shot to the neck within that range. Rifle is a 24" Cowboy(Ballard rifling) with a Lyman peep. Loob is my own concoction of Vaseline and candle wax. The Lee125 is "collander" loobed or totally submerged in loob then allowed to dry. I would not have used it for hunting deer if I wasn't confident of shot placement. Longer distance accuracy criteria would be clay targets at 100 yards which I have yet to test.