OK Y'All Help 35 Herret

[twotrees]

I just picked up a 10" 35 Herret Barrel , dies and some loaded brass (jword bullets). The die set has no trim die but cases look to be full length 30-30 cases necked up.

Now at one time, in the far past, I had a Mag article on the Herret's but can't find it.

The load I have is for 200 grain Jword bullets, using IMR 4227, but i would like to shoot my 200 gr RCBS cast GC and the Lyman/Thompson 158 GC in it.

I checked cast pic's, no joy. Does anyone have the old loading data for the 35 Herret?

Thanks in advance,

[218bee]

Hey man, I used to have a contender with a Herret barrel and was looking for my old data but it must have gotten tossed....but I did find my old Pacific file type trim die you can have if ya need it....I don't think them 30/30 cases are full length I believe I stuck them in die , cut with hacksaw, and then filed...but its been many years ago. My Hornady third edition lists loads for it...all with J bullets from 110gr to200gr. I think I only shot 158gr bullets at the time...Hornady shows 19-22gr of H110, 18.8-22Gr of 2400, 20-25 of 296, 20.5-25gr of IMR4227 for 158gr please use these with caution!!
Let me know if ya want that trim die send me $5 for flat rate and ya can have it if ya need it. You should be able to find reloading data somewhere...

[Dixie Slugs]

Years ago, we did quite a bit of work with the 357 Herrett. One thing we did find that the best cases were made from 375 Winchester hulls! We used the trim die, cut the hulls off, and then went to the full length size die....no inside reaming, etc.
Regards, James

[johnly]

I shoot H4227 in mine with 180 grain bullets. Tried 680/1680 powders and found that that generated much more boom & flash, and didn't shoot as well. The olded Speer manuals and some of the Hornady manuals have 357 Herrett reloading data in them. Reloading data is also available at:

http://data.hodgdon.com


John

[Rocky Raab]

I'm confused by the statement about "cases look to be full length 30-30 cases necked up." The 35 (and 30) Herrett are based on 30-30 cases shortened by almost a half-inch, and are definitely NOT full-length.

If this is in fact a .35-30 wildcat and not a 35 Herrett, then much different load data is called for. A 35 Herrett case should measure 1.750" after trimming.

[twotrees]

Rocky.......
I have the loaded rounds in boxes and some spare 30-30 cases in bags. At first look they seemed to be the same length, but I now see that they are shortened aprox. .26 inches.

218 Bee.........
Look for a Pm this evening, I'de love to have that trim die. The thought of running my forester trimmer that much makes my knuckles hurt.
Thanks for the load info also.

Johnly.....

Thanks for the link....Also I'll dig out my "Old" speer manuals and look there too.

The guy I traided this BBl from, said that it was a wrist banger. I'm 63 and he's 68, guess old age fianlly got to him ,HUh??[smilie=1:

I have always wanted one of these bbls and now to see if they soot as good as I remember them in the 70's/80's.

Sure is fun to be old enough to remember when these were the New Hot Rock barrels.


Thanks Y'All

[94Doug]

I have an old Contender book for reloading the different calibers available at that time, and it did have the 357 Herrett in it, including some tips on trim lenth, IIRC. If I could find it, are you interested in a scan?

d

[testhop]

i have the contender reloading manual and it has the 357 herrett in it but in cast only pistol boolits shoot me a adress and i will mail it toi you i cant do computer transfur
or give me the boolit and i will pm you the load

[Rocky Raab]

That Contender booklet was the very thing I went searching for. It wasn't where I thought it was. I'm only 62 though, so it can't be memory, right? LOL!

I can recall the first article on the 30 Herrett, by fellow writer and acquaintance, the late Bob Milek. Bob developed the round, but magnanimously named it after his good friend Steve Herrett. They don't make guys like those two any more.

[lathesmith]

Bob Milek--now there's a name I haven't seen for a while. I always loved reading his articles, he was a top-notch experimenter and a great writer to boot. I have an old Sierra manual, circa 1977, in which Bob did write-ups on all the popular Contender cartridges, including the 357 Herrett. No cast loads, but plenty of useable data. I guarantee with heavier slugs and stout charges that thing will be a wrist-twister!
lathesmith

[Papa Foxtrot]

I've got old Speer, Hornady and Sierra Manuals from the early 80's. Be glad to scan and email you the load data if you want.

[BerdanIII]

A benchest shooter here said that he got really tired of trimming cases for his .357 Herrett, so he bored holes in a board so that most of what needed to be cut off the case stuck up above the board's surface. Then he broke out the sawsall, cut off the excess and then finished up with the case trimmer.

[Rocky Raab]

I have the 30, not the 35, but here's my trick: I run virgin or once-fired 30-30 brass into the size die (expander stem removed). Then I cut the excess neck off with a plumber's tubing cutter. It leaves a smoother cut than a hacksaw.

I made a lot of 30 Herrett cases that way before I stumbled across a form die set. The set contains a ream die and reamer, plus a file trim die. Often, though, I still use the tubing cutter because of the smoother cut.

[lathesmith]

In the past, I've used a belt sander to rough-trim both 30 and 35 Herrett brass, before I formed them. I like to open them all the way up before forming, I seem to get a better case that way. You have to form them in steps when you do this though, but my "secret" is to use my Lee turret press for forming. I also like to make 7x30 and 375(short) cases this way from 30-30 brass. Versitile stuff, isn't it?
BTW Rocky, you've got some pretty decent articles out there yourself, I especially liked your 375 Winchester T/C write-up. I happened to stumble across it a few years ago, and it helped me straighten some things out with my own T/C 375 (carbine) barrel. Thanks!
lathesmith

[Rocky Raab]

How very kind of you, sir. I'm honored.