Need help w/ 309 JDJ and 357 Herrett

[Jaybird62]

Just got these barrels in a swap today and was wondering what your collective experience has been with them. Any experience or advice would be helpful.
Thanks.

[wiljen]

I hope you got a supply of cases for the 357 Herrett. I love the cartridge, but hate forming cases for it.

[fivegunner]

Hi, your going to like this one , its one of my favorite`s:cbpour:

[Jaybird62]

I've shot the 375 JDJ on a deer hunt w/ the T/C owners up on their place in western Ky. Yes, it's a great round.

I got 50 new .357 Herrett cases and 50 .30 Herrett. The owner thought the barrel was a 30 Herrett, but when it arrived I found that it had been rechambered for 309 JDJ instead. Now I've got to find dies for both and a supply of 444 Marlin brass.

Wiljen, where are you located in TN?

[btroj]

I've got a 14 inch 309 JDJ. Love it. Very accurate, easy to load for, not real picky about loads. I did find it too some time to get used to the recoil. And use elbow pads if you shoot it off a bench- not to hard on the hands but it sure hurts when the elbows get ground into the bench top.

[garandsrus]

Jaybird62,

If you want to get rid of the .30 Herrett brass, let me know.

John

[lathesmith]

I've got a 14 inch 309 JDJ. Love it. Very accurate, easy to load for, not real picky about loads. I did find it too some time to get used to the recoil. And use elbow pads if you shoot it off a bench- not to hard on the hands but it sure hurts when the elbows get ground into the bench top.

+1 on elbow pads...man, I hate that burning, painful sensation! Even in a carbine guise, those JDJ calibers are capable of causing the "elbow burn".To be avoided, for sure!
lathesmith

[6.5 mike]

Haven`t had that problem with the 6.5 jdj. It does climb a little, but not that bad.
Make`s beleivers out of a lot of people when the targets I'm shooting at 100 are 1/2 the size of there's. Pleasent but quick.

[Jaybird62]

Garandsrus:
Send me a PM of what you think the 30 Herrett brass is worth in $$ or trade.
Jay

[softpoint]

I've had a couple of 357 Herrett barrels over the years. That is one of the better hunting rounds in the contenderIMHO I still have some brass and I think some loaded stuff with 180 gr Hornady ssp bullets. PM me if you are interested in the brass.:drinks:

[94Doug]

I found that a 1/2" drill hooked up to a RCBS Trimmer speeds the process up.... there is a lot of work to making the cases.

[buffalohtr]

Hi Jay, I had a .309 JDJ barrel made for a TCR single shot rifle. This was done by Jones himself (at his suggestion, I might add). I have played with it quite a bit and in general I have had a lot of fun. There are some drawbacks however: Despite very similar case capacity and tough brass, I found that I could not develop loads that would perform on par with a .308. Case forming is a chore (albeit a pleasant one) and fireforming is definintely required. So while the rimmed case is a convenient advantage in any break open action, in the final analysis, the ho-hum performance is not really worth all the effort it takes to reload this round. It is not as efficient as the 6.5 JDJ or the other similar rounds based on the smaller case. If you'd like some .309 data just let me know.

[nathan475]

Hi Jay, I had a .309 JDJ barrel made for a TCR single shot rifle. This was done by Jones himself (at his suggestion, I might add). I have played with it quite a bit and in general I have had a lot of fun. There are some drawbacks however: Despite very similar case capacity and tough brass, I found that I could not develop loads that would perform on par with a .308. Case forming is a chore (albeit a pleasant one) and fireforming is definintely required. So while the rimmed case is a convenient advantage in any break open action, in the final analysis, the ho-hum performance is not really worth all the effort it takes to reload this round. It is not as efficient as the 6.5 JDJ or the other similar rounds based on the smaller case. If you'd like some .309 data just let me know.


If you have a gun that can handle the pressure of a 308 winchester, then a 308 win would be the better choice between the two because there's no case forming issues to deal with and you can buy ammo just about anywhere. On the other hand if you own a TC Contender and you want to get the best performance available in 30 caliber the 309 JDJ is the best caliber going. In a 14 inch barrel the ballistics are virtually identical to a 308, with the 309 gaining the advantage with the lighter bullets. The 309 JDJ is designed to provide 308 win performance in a Contender without exceeding the guns pressure limits. In a rifle the 308 will most likely gain a small advantage over the 309 JDJ because the cartridge is better suited for a rifle barrel. Case volume, pressure differences, and they way it works with different barrel lengths give the 308 win the advantage in a rifle length barrel.

I love my 309 JDJ in every way. It shoots groups under an inch at 100 yards and drops deer with authority at ranges over 200 yards. The 14 port expansion style built in muzzle brake in the barrel eliminates all the upward muzzle flip allowing me to see my target through the scope when I hit it, and the rearward recoil isn't that bad. I can do 50 rounds at the range with a shooting glove without any problems. I can't say enough good things about it, of course I prefer wildcats over factory calibers so I do exhibit a little bit of bias towards the 309 JDJ.

[nathan475]

+1 on elbow pads...man, I hate that burning, painful sensation! Even in a carbine guise, those JDJ calibers are capable of causing the "elbow burn".To be avoided, for sure!
lathesmith


'
My 309 JDJ has very little recoil with the SSK 14 port expansion chamber brake. When I apply a firm grip I can maintain the view of my target in the scope when I fire it. A good brake makes a world of difference. I would say that my 309 JDJ has half the recoil of a 454 Casull with no muzzle flip.

If you want to feel real recoil try a 444 Marlin Contender barrel with a good brake on it. Even with a OTT shark gill brake my gun will bust up your hand and your elbows if you're not careful. Without the brake it's unshootable in my opinion.

[Irascible]

I've shot 1000's of rounds from my 357 Herrett. It is a great cartridge, but no better and a lot more work than the 357 Max. Case capacity is VERY close.
Anyway, 1st thing is, you need to load it at almost max all the time. Just firing a primer will move the shoulder back and increase headspace until you get missfires. There must be enough pressure for the case to grab the chamber walls. Also use a softer primer cup. CCIs are too hard. My first choice is the Rem 9 1/2. This problem does not exist with the 309 or the 30 Herrett as there is adequit shoulder to prevent case movement.
2nd, adjust your sizer die so that there is only .001" to .002" of clearance between the back of a sized case and the front of the firing pin bushing for both the 309 and the 357 Herrett. Mike Bellm makes a neat tool for measuring this and has a great article on adjusting sizing dies for proper "case protrusion" He is currently working on a DVD to explain it all.
I use an electric screwdriver on my Forster case trimmer and it's not a big deal to shorten the 30-30 brass. Compared to the 30 Herrett, it's not much trimming. For the 30 Herrett, I use a Harbor Freight "Mini Chop Saw" for initial trimming, and then square the necks up with the Forster trimmer and electric screwdriver. have fun, they are both great rounds.