Rossi 357

[bushwack]

I am getting ahead of my self but I need some opions. I have a rossi 357 on layaway,just wondering what boolit might shoot better, a round nose or a swc? How well do you think this gun would shoot the 360 200gr swc that is being talked about in the group buy? I'm looking for a heavy boolit to shoot bowling pins at about 1000ft per sec; or can anyone recomend a heavy bullet that they think would shoot better? What about a lighter boolit for target practice? what do you guys like for powder? I've heard a lot of good about 2400 unique and blue dot. thanks for your help. ,bushwack

[Jacko.357]

I have only tried commercial hardcast bullets in my 24" octagonal barrel .357 Rossi . It's shoots Westcast Gold Match 180 gr Hornady style FP very well . Westcast 158 gr rnfp also shoot well but the 180 gr pill does edge it out on paper .

I did load up a dummy round with a 158 gr semi wadcutter and it would not feed reliably , kept getting hung up on the edge of the chamber , perhaps a small champer may help but the rounded projectiles do cycle real well .

regards Jacko

[Bullshop Junior]

I shoot the 180gr RCBS and the 215gr Lyman Keith out of my Marlin 94. Both shoot good, but I shoot them a lot faster then 1000 FPS. I shoot the 180 at about 1750.

It should work good.

[NickSS]

I mostly shoot the lee 158 gr RF bullet in mine with a charge of 7 gr of Unique. It shoots into 3 inches at 100 yards which is good for me with open sights. I am thinking about putting a tang sight on my rifle but have not gotten around to it yet.

[Mugs]

I mostly shoot the lee 158 gr RF bullet in mine with a charge of 7 gr of Unique. It shoots into 3 inches at 100 yards which is good for me with open sights. I am thinking about putting a tang sight on my rifle but have not gotten around to it yet.

I have the 360180 NOE mold my Rossi 357 loves it. I'm using H-108 [ WC-820, AA#9].
Mugs
IHMSA 5940L

[fecmech]

Bushwack--IMO 180-200 gr bullets at 1000 fps might not be very accurate with the Rossi 1 in 30" twist. You might be better off at 1500-1600 fps. My Rossi .357 will not shoot 158's @1050 fps to a 100 yds without tumbling! At 50 yds the Lee cowboy bullet or my H&G RN will group 10 shots under 2", at 100 yds half of them won't hit the backer. A lot of the ones that do leave oval holes. My Winchester with a 1 in 14 twist will put the same loads into 3"@ 100 yds all day.
What does shoot good out of the Rossi at lower velocities is the Lee 9MM 121 TC bullet but thats not much help on bowling pins. If you are looking at heavy and slow I would look to the Marlins as they are 1 in 16" twist.

[runfiverun]

in my older rossi i have shot the rcbs 158 swc as slow as 750 in 38 cases with very good accuracy.
and it stayed stabilized to well over 100 yds.
that picture is very similar to the rcbs 158 rnfp which i load into 357 cases and it does very well in the levergun and pretty well in the revolvers at about 1,000 fps.
iv'e made some long shots in the levergun with it.
but for target work etc, a keith type flat nose might be better with the bowling pins.
the rounded profile of the rcbs would load quicker,with a speed loader.
if i had to choose just one mold for everything the round nose flat point would be it at about 170 grs.

[fecmech]

in my older rossi i have shot the rcbs 158 swc as slow as 750 in 38 cases with very good accuracy.
and it stayed stabilized to well over 100 yds.
grs.

I wonder if Rossi has had different rates of twist at times. As an example I had a Rossi single shot .357 that I purchased 4 or 5 years ago and it had a 1 in 16 twist. The current Rossi's .and EMF 92's have 30" twists. If the older ones had faster twists that would certainly change things. That said I realize that the various twist formulas are not hard and fast but if you plug in the length of 170-200 gr .35 cal bullets and 1000 fps you won't come close to a 30" twist recommendation.

[bushwack]

I have the 360180 NOE mold my Rossi 357 loves it. I'm using H-108 [ WC-820, AA#9].
Mugs
IHMSA 5940L

How fast are you loading the 180 bullet, with what powder?

Jack O.357: How fast are you loading your 180 bullet and what powder?
Am I understanding this right, with the 1 in 30 twist a heavier bullet needs to be pushed faster to stablize, but a lighter bullet could be shot slower and still be accurate?

RunFiveRun: what is the twist in your older rossi?

[fecmech]

Am I understanding this right, with the 1 in 30 twist a heavier bullet needs to be pushed faster to stablize, but a lighter bullet could be shot slower and still be accurate?

i?

That's correct. My Rossi is fairly accurate(3"-5") 100 yd groups with the Lyman Keith 358429 (a long 173 gr bullet) at 1600 fps. It is not at all accurate when loaded to 38 spl. velocities out of that gun.

[Farmall 1066]

I use the Lee 358158RF bullet, sized to .358, over 6.5gn Unique as a nice mid range load in my Rossi. I love that rifle!!!

[Just Duke]

I am getting ahead of my self but I need some opions. I have a rossi 357 on layaway,just wondering what boolit might shoot better, a round nose or a swc? How well do you think this gun would shoot the 360 200gr swc that is being talked about in the group buy? I'm looking for a heavy boolit to shoot bowling pins at about 1000ft per sec; or can anyone recomend a heavy bullet that they think would shoot better? What about a lighter boolit for target practice? what do you guys like for powder? I've heard a lot of good about 2400 unique and blue dot. thanks for your help. ,bushwack


My wife just bought one in stainless steel. It will not feed anything but 38 specials. It jammed rounds in the magazine tube also. The gun shop owner says he fixed it. :roll:
It's now on consignment $200 less than she paid for it after trying 5 different kinds of .357 in it.
I'd run from the deal if I were you and get a Marlin.

[Jacko.357]

I do not have a chrono so can only speculate from load data I have from the powder manufacturers websites and my reloading manual . I used the ballistics programmes on Handloads .com to rough out my velocities . These are very likely incorrect velocity's but who cares they shoot good !

The 180 gr and 158 gr bullets are .358 . I have tried 3 powders with the 180 gr pills and acheived nearly identical accuracy , here's my loads .

13.5 grains ADI AR2205 - note - AR2205 is the same powder as Hodgdon H4227
180 gr Westcast FP
CCI 550 SP primers
Federal nickel cases
approximate velocity - 1310 fps

12.2 gr Alliant 2400
180 gr Westcast
CCI 550 SP primers
Federal nickel cases
approximate velocity - 1305 fps

13 grains Winchester W296
180 gr Westcast FP
CCI550 SP primers
Federal nickel cases
approximate velocity 1381 fps

I have only tested loads with W296 and AR2205 with the 158gr rnfp , roughly equal group size to the 180 grainers .

15.5 gr AR2205
158 gr Westcast rnfp
CCI 550 sp primers
Federal nickel cases
approximate velocity1630 fps

14.5 gr W296
158 gr Westcast rnfp
CCI550 primers
Federal nickel cases
approximate velocity 1570 fps

My rifle will not shoot anything resembling a .38 special , even light .357 loads . It does not like high pressures / velocity and shoots best with mid range loads as the charge weights I listed seem to indicate . I have played with 7.5 grains of ADI AP70N [ Hodgedon Universal ] under a 125 gr Speer jsp Remington 100 primers and it shoot well , guessing in the low 1500 fps range . I must buy a batch of the 125 gr fp from Westcast and give them a go over the AP70N .

I have commited a sin and found that 15 gr of W296 under a Hornady 158 gr jhp xtp projectile is my most accurate load and poleaxes what ever game I have shot with it . I have switched to hardcast bullets for all my shootin now though .

On a good day I can expect all my loads to shoot into 1 1/2 " to 2" @ 50 yards which is as good as I can shoot . I have shot 8" groups at 200 yards and have plenty of adjustment left in my tang sight if I wanted to play at longer ranges . With a spotting scope you can actually watch the Gold match projectiles in flight and hit the target at 200 yards - good fun !

regards Jacko

[Mugs]

Bushwack
I'm shooting them i'm sure in excess of 1500 fps. I'll try and cronograph some. I've shot the 360180 NOE the RCBS 180 sil. and the RCBS 35-200. All seem to shoot good, but never tried them slow. My gun is a Interarms Rossi Puma with the medallion. I never gave the twist a thought, but looked and it appears to be the 1-30
Mugs
IHMSA 5940L

[Mugs]

Bushwack
I got a chance to cronograph 2 loads today. 360180 NOE, 13.5 grs. H-108, Rem. brass, Rem. 7 1/2 primer 1639 fps. 14.5 grs. H-108 every thing else the same 1703 fps. These loads appear to be safe in my gun. Back off and work up in yours.
Mugs
IHMSA 5940L

[crabo]

H-108? I don't think I have ever heard of this powder being used in 357. Is it a surplus powder?

[sundog]

Crabo, yes, H108 is surplus, and apparently it is yet another one that is no longer available. But!!! There's still WC820, and of course, AA9. Depending on lot numbers, much of all of it shoots all the same. Good stuff.

[bushwack]

Thanks mugs and everyone else Bushwack

[Mugs]

Crabo
I have a 8# of AA-9S that AA told me was a faster lot of #9. In a test in 30 carbine it is the same as my lot of H-108. I'm sure its WC 820 that Hodgdon relabled.
Mugs
IHMSA 5940L

[WyrTwister]

I am getting ahead of my self but I need some opions. I have a rossi 357 on layaway,just wondering what boolit might shoot better, a round nose or a swc? How well do you think this gun would shoot the 360 200gr swc that is being talked about in the group buy? I'm looking for a heavy boolit to shoot bowling pins at about 1000ft per sec; or can anyone recomend a heavy bullet that they think would shoot better? What about a lighter boolit for target practice? what do you guys like for powder? I've heard a lot of good about 2400 unique and blue dot. thanks for your help. ,bushwack


My Winny M1892 re-chambered to .357 Mag did not like SWC's , bought a RN Lee 6 cavity mold .

My Marlin .44 Mag , same story .

My Rossi Puma .45 LC feeds RN & RNFP fine . Do not have a SWC mold for .45 .

All my Marlin .45-70 molds are RN or RNFP & those bullets feed fine .

I would not recommend a SWC mold for hand gun caliber Lever guns .

God bless
Wyr

[looseprojectile]

Did you buy a hand gun or a rifle?
If you shoot bowling pins with a .357 you can have a lot of fun but you will be out gunned by the larger calibers. I would use a 180 to 200 grain large meplat boolit. 1000 fps should be good and use a soft alloy. I have not seen a .357 win any pin shoots but if you are a good shot and quick you can scare the heck out of the competition. I have done well with a .45 auto and 255 grain soft RNFP boolits at 800 fps.
RN and RNFP boolits and speed loaders would be required to be competetive.


Life is good

[bushwack]

Looseprojectile: I bought the rossi 357 rifle with 24" barrel, case hardened. I was just planning on having fun with it, If I win great but if not thats ok too. As far as lead I was planning on 75-25 of ww, soft lead. Do you shoot softer lead then that?

bushwack

[looseprojectile]

50-50 WW / lead with a smidge of tin to make them cast good and look great is hard enough for the velocity you want. If your gun has the 30 inch twist you may have to experiment with the load to get accuracy/stability at one hundred yards with the heavier boolits.
I have one of the older Rossi carbines and it has a one in twenty something twist. Won't make a full turn in eighteen inches. One in twenty six? A friend in Idaho just bought a 24" Puma and has great results with 180 and 190 grain boolits. He uses AA#9. The .357 is my all time favorite cartridge, really versatile.
I would start with Unique or one of the slower dots.
One of the Rossi tang sights would be a great help from the standpoint of longer sight radius. Bowling pins at a hundred yards sounds like a lot of fun. I just might have to try that. Do you have to knock them entirely off the table or just hit them?
I enjoy shooting golf balls and eggs at 50 yards. My son dives for golf balls in the ponds at the golf course. Lots of them are too weathered to use for golf.

Life is good

[Tom308]

I've not tried cast in a rossi but use a group buy I think is a C360-180RF. I shoot it in my handi-rifle. Works fine. Others use it in their rossi pumas and marlins without any problems. I have a 200 grain swc bullet mold. I think you would find a rf type boolit easier to use.

[azrednek]

My wife just bought one in stainless steel. It will not feed anything but 38 specials.

Mine is exactly the same, it just will not cycle a 357 of any sort. It does well with 38's but I'm afraid of loading 38 cases with 357 loads. As many rounds I load and shoot I'm afraid some day I could mix them up and shoot one in a 38 revolver.

It jammed rounds in the magazine tube also.

I bought three Puma Rossis from a shop going out of business and got them dirt cheap. My 44 consistently jams in the tube. I was going to remove the tube, take a look and discovered the screws were both over tightened and broke into, two pieces. Until I fix it I can only use the 44 with no more than two in the mag.

I'd run from the deal if I were you and get a Marlin.

As I mentioned I got three. My 45 Colt works like a charm. So far it has swallowed and digested everything I've fed it. The only load that gets a bit sticky are Saeco full wad cutters. It handles the so-called Ruger only loads no problem.

Shortly after I got them, out of the box they were all sluggish and sticky. I discussed an action job with one gunsmith but backed out because his price was out of line. I talked to another smith (an honest one) he said go shoot them at least 500 times, preferably a thousand then see if I still needed an action job. He was right, the more I shoot them the smoother they get but I still can't get the 357 to swallow anything but 38's.

If I had to do it over again I'd still buy the Rossis as they are no more than range toys for me and I got them cheap. If I were going to buy a 357 lever action rifle though for bowling pins I'd do as you suggested, get a Marlin that will reliably digest 357's and run from the Rossi.

A net search on Rossi 357's revealed to me the problem with chambering 357's is common. An action job will fix it but if you're going to spend the extra bux might as well get a Marlin that will work out of the box.


/////

[Jacko.357]

To the defence of Rossi Lever Rifles - mine is completely reliable in it's function with all but semi wadcutter bullets, they hang up on the bottom edge of the chamber. I'm told a very slight chamfer will fix this issue. It has it's faults for sure , all cosmetic but its still my go to rifle.

Loaded. with 38's or .357, differant overall lengths, bullet weights and designs rnfp, fp, J words etc mixed in the mag it functions perfectly, and every single Rossi Lever I have seen in my neck of the woods is as reliable as mine .

By the same token I read just as many complaints on the net about Marlins as I do on Rossi's- why is folks only want to listen to the bad things.

I own a Marlin 1894 .44 which will never be as smooth as the M92 though it does function reliably as well. My Rossi is not as polished finish wise as the Marlin but its a whole lot cheaper to buy new as well. There's been plenty said about new release 1894's of late being 2nd rate, all manufacturers put out duds from time to time , don't judge on these few.

regards Jacko