new 357 mag contender barrel and cast.

[45r]

Tried out my new TC 357 mag barrel and so far it shoots 185GC boolits well seated out to 1.670 but doesn't shoot 158's that well.I guess the long throat on these barrels are going to be picky to load for.The 185's shoot into half inch groups but the 158's don't shoot near as well as in my S&W.Getting this barrel to shoot cast is going to be interesting.

[JSH]

I had the same results with my TC barrel. Not that I am complaining. I also found the harder I pushed the 357 TC barrel the more it liked it. Lil'Gun, 2400 and AA#9.
jeff

[HeavyMetal]

TC seems to be all over the place when chambering the 357 barrels.

I've had / read of guys that found they needed to re chamber for 357 Maximum to reduce the "throat" area in the barrel.

Mostly these are the Bull barrels, 10 and 14 inch. I have a 10 inch Oct. and the throat is only about .040 off the end of the case mouth!

[Ola]

This is an old thread but my question fits in to it.

Any advise for loading 180-200 (or heavier) cast boolits in .357 Mag Contender (10")?

I have H4227, H110 and pretty much all Vihtavuori powders. What powder should I try first? The goal is a siluette load that will topple the ram (most of the time, anyway).

Also any Contender specific advise is much appreciated. I have quite extensive experience in .357 Mag loads for revolver (S&W), but T/C is new to me.

[Ola]

Nothing? Really? I know the combination (Contender in 357 mag) is almost obsolete in siluette shooting, but still I'm little bit surprised.

Ok, maybe someone can help me with this one: Is Lyman 358315 "rifle" boolit (204 gr) ok for .357 Mag Contender? I can not see a reason why it would not work, but is the accuracy there? Any experiences?

[mrmoore2]

I've spent the better part of this year looking for the load that my 16" 357 mag g2 carbine really likes. My best results so far have been with a 185 wfn gc mold from Accurate over 6.9 grains of Unique. I have not found that load in any manual, so take it for what it's worth. As for the 358315, i shot that exclusively out of that same gun for a couple of years using the Lyman (next-to-newest edition, I forget the number) max load of 16.5 gr. of H110. In my gun faster is better for that boolit. Accuracy isnt' as good as witht the 185, but it's not bad.

[Nobade]

I use my 10 inch 357 barrel for both hunter's pistol and big bore standing. For the 100M shooting I use Ranch Dog's 175gr. boolit designed for the 357 - it has a big fat nose and aligns well in the long 357 throat. 8gr. Blue Dot is a mild, very accurate load that doesn't need a gas check. For the 200M full size silhouettes I use either the RCBS 200 gr. rifle boolit, the Ranch Dog 190, or a BRP 215. All are paper patched and loaded to touch the lands over a case full of Lil' Gun. Again, very accurate and plenty of power for Sil. or hunting.

That throat makes loading for these guns tricky, but with the right boolit they shoot very well.

Oh, it also works very nicely with #358250 or the Big Lube Snakebite boolit and 21.5gr. FFFg black powder. Accuracy is as good as smokeless and at 950 fps it's not wimpy. Sounds impressive as well!

[Ola]

Thanks guys!

mrmoore2: "faster is better for that boolit" might be a problem here: 16" vs 10" barrel. Also the 358315 mold I have is brand new and I do not even know if it spits out boolits that are usable. But I'll definitely try it out. What was the COL of your load?

Nobade: the 200 gr RCBS is an excellent boolit. Unfortunately I do not have that mold currently. I'll definitely will keep that in mind if I can't make the the Lyman 358315 shoot straight.
By any chance, have you tried out the RCBS 180 gr sil -boolit in your Contender? That has been my favorite for years now and a really would like to use it also in the TC. My concern is that it might be problematic to get COL usable to the Contenders throat. Or can I just seat the boolit so that the lube croove is barely in side the case?

[mrmoore2]

The COL for my 358315 load comes in at around 1.89". I don't have any loaded right now to measure, but they are very long. They're a load of fun, and they look cool too. I also would like to try the RCBS 35-200, folks around here really seem to like them. I probably have all the molds I'm going to have for a while, though. My discretionary spending money evaporated when my oldest started college last month and I don't see that situation changing any time soon.

[Ola]

Also the 358315 mold I have is brand new and I do not even know if it spits out boolits that are usable. Ok, I just made the first patch of boolits with it and everything seems to be in order. Measured couple of the boolits and in that sample all of them were round and measured .360! I was little worried because I have 2 older Lyman molds that were undersized and/or out of round. Just gotta say that this mold is a pleasure to cast with. The weight is 210 grs without GC or lube.

So this is definitely going to be the boolit I'm going to feed the TC first.

btw. have you guys tried out .357 Max cases shortened to fit your .357 Mag Contenders chamber? I have some (came with the pistol) that have been cut to 1.40". Is there some advantages in this that are worth the hassle?

[Nobade]

Thanks guys!
Nobade: the 200 gr RCBS is an excellent boolit. Unfortunately I do not have that mold currently. I'll definitely will keep that in mind if I can't make the the Lyman 358315 shoot straight.
By any chance, have you tried out the RCBS 180 gr sil -boolit in your Contender? That has been my favorite for years now and a really would like to use it also in the TC. My concern is that it might be problematic to get COL usable to the Contenders throat. Or can I just seat the boolit so that the lube croove is barely in side the case?

No, I haven't tried the RCBS 180, don't have that mould though it's one I would like to own some day. But if you can find that RD 175, it works superbly and is designed to fit this exact throat problem we're dealing with.

[crazy mark]

I use 360 DW brass in mine. It works good for the lighter bullets in the longer throat. I stocked up before it disappeared almost completely.

[Lonegun1894]

My 10" Contender has been great with Lee 158gr SWCGCd bullets loaded on top of a top end load of 2400. Light to medium loads shoot ok for plinking, but the accuracy doesn't really start until I push these bullets a bit. The only other bullets I have tried were some commercial cast 158s with plain bases, and the accuracy was barely minute of milkjug at 25yds, so those got used for plinking in my snubbie just to make use of them with close range drills. The accuracy this SP-101 usually shows with my cast bullets was also missing with these commercial bullets, so I threw away the box they came in as I dont plan on buying any more commercial bullets if I can help it. I've been spending my bullet money on moulds instead.

[Ola]

Ranch Dog's 175gr. boolit designed for the 357 - it has a big fat nose and aligns well in the long 357 throat. You mean this one?

http://www.ranchdogoutdoors.com/bin/TLC359175RF/bullet/sketch.jpg

[Ola]

..Lee 158gr SWCGCd bullets loaded on top of a top end load of 2400... the accuracy doesn't really start until I push these bullets a bit. I've heard this before when talking about Contenders and lead.. Why is it so?
(My experience with revolvers is just the opposite: mild to medium loads are usually the most accurate.)

[Nobade]

That's the one. Seated to the crimp groove in 357 cases it just starts to touch the throat when chambered. It is the only non-paper patched boolit I have gotten to shoot really well in my Contender and 357 leverguns with smokeless powder. By really well I mean consistent groups under 2 MOA, about the limit of my vision anyhow.

[ubetcha]

I have a RCBS 357 180gr silhouette mold and have yet to try any. The last few weeks,Ive been trying to talk myself into buying a 12" 357max barrel from Bellm.It was easier to talk myself out of it than talk myself into it.I figured my 14"30-30 will do almost anything I want to do as long as I do my part.I will try it on my 10" 357bbl though.It is a 357 shot shell bbl with a choke that unscrews.I took the rib off and installed a scope.It was the bbl that came on it when I bought it .

[Lonegun1894]

I have been also trying to figure out why these things like to be run so hot, as none of my revolvers show this same preference. Or at least they seem to have a light load that shoots great and a hunting load that does too. Now my .44 Contender barrel seems to shoot well regardless of what cast load I stuff in it, just wish my .357 did too. I'm not quite giving up on the lighter end loads for my .357 contender, but it has been somewhat frustrating so far.

[Ola]

No, I haven't tried the RCBS 180, don't have that mould though it's one I would like to own some day..
Have you seen this?
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=139126
Maybe it will become reality some day..

[Ola]

I've had / read of guys that found they needed to re chamber for 357 Maximum to reduce the "throat" area in the barrel.

Mostly these are the Bull barrels, 10 and 14 inch. I have one of these .357 Mag barrels (10"). The throat is so long that it is ridiculous. Tomorrow I'll try it out with couple of cast loads with very long COL. Hope I'll get it going with out re-chambering. The .357 Max cases are rare here.