Lyman 170 gr SWC in Ruger SP101 .357 Magnum

[lakota]

I just cast a pile of boolits from my new Lyman 170 gr SWC mold using stright wheel weights.

When I load the bullet into a .357 case trimmed to 1.290" and seated into the crimping groove the boolits extend beyond the cylinder in my Ruger SP101.

I have to seat and crimp them waaay out on the first driving band to get them to chamber and they still measure over the figure of 1.590" that Lyman lists as the max for a loaded .357 round.

They will function in my Rossi 92 but there are drag marks on the boolits.

I am afraid I am not getting a tight enough crimp out on the driving band and I am afraid I will have to buy .38 SPL cases to use this boolit in.

Anyone use thius boolit and have these problems?

[2ndAmendmentNut]

You are not alone. My Ruger GP100 does not have quite enough cylinder either to use these boolits in normal 357 brass. They will chamber and rotate but they are exactly the same length as the cylinder. I just recently started a thread about this very same thing. Just trim your 357 brass a little shorter.

P.S. If I was computer savvy enough I would post the link to my own thread.

[Wally]

I have the same problem with my S & W Model 27 so I trim the brass just enough so I can crimp in the crimpmg gooves to use the 170 Keith Lyman bullet. I agree, you cannot get a good crimp crimping on the forward driving band, at least I never could.

[lakota]

what length do you guys trim too?

Is this boolit a good shooter? is it worth the hassle of making special cases to shoot it in?

[lakota]

[QUOTE=

P.S. If I was computer savvy enough I would post the link to my own thread.[/QUOTE]


Dont feel bad. I can hardly get the search funtion to work.:confused:

[2ndAmendmentNut]

what length do you guys trim too?

Is this boolit a good shooter? is it worth the hassle of making special cases to shoot it in?

Lyman has been known to make this particular mould a little different from one mould to another, so as to what length to trim them will depend on your particular mould. These boolits shoot really well for me, and I think it is worth the time making the cases.

[machinisttx]

The 358429(from NOE) fits just fine in my SP101. Weight is 174 grains. I'll check brass length, but since I don't do any special trimming, it's within load manual recommendations.

[Shiloh]

what length do you guys trim too?

Is this boolit a good shooter? is it worth the hassle of making special cases to shoot it in?

Can't give you an exact length, but a buddy trims until they are just below flush. It isn't much at all. I don't recall if there are other issues with the brass being too short for his other .357's to require sequestering of trimmed brass.

It is a good shooter for me and it fits.

Shiloh

[mroliver77]

358429 shoots like a lazer beam in all my .357 guns! Even at 100 plus yards it is accurate and flat shooting. You got me thinkin. Mine works in S&W K frame cyl. I do have another mold and samples of others boolits,. I need to check the nose lengths.
Jay

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

My SP101 cylinder is 3/16" (.1875") shorter than either my Blackhawk, or my wifes Security Six . . . on another note . . . my BH's cyl is MUCH larger than the Sec Six's cyl (both 6 shot)

[jdgabbard]

It fits my 65 Smith, and my sp101... Maybe they do vary from mold to mold...

[watkibe]

I have heard that the first SP101s in 357 were marked for "125gr bullets only". The cylinder was too short for anything heavier. Later on they lengthened it. I can shoot 166 gr cast SWC in mine, crimped on the groove. I've never tried anything heavier, though.

[lakota]

I loaded 15 rounds and waded through the snow to the range. I was dying to try this boolit out.

I just picked a random load out of the manual for these 15 rounds- 10 grs IMR 4227. Crimped high on the first driving band.

These are the finest shooting boolits I have tried so far from my little SP 101. They were a little dirty but I am hoping a better crimp might cut down on some of the unburned powder.

I am going to experiment with trimming cases. I also bought a hundred .38 SPL cases to play with tonight.

I did try the rounds I had loaded that were crimped on the crimping groove in my Blackhawk and they chambered fine and had plenty of space to spare.

I detested the idea of seperating 38's and 357's and readjusting dies to load the two. If these boolits are going to shoot this good it will be worth it and I will just buy another set of dies to exclusively load 38's on.

[watkibe]

I detested the idea of seperating 38's and 357's and readjusting dies to load the two. If these boolits are going to shoot this good it will be worth it and I will just buy another set of dies to exclusively load 38's on.

Dean Grennel had a tip on this. Set your dies up for 38, and get some 7/8 flat washers. They are pretty close to the 0.1" difference between 38 and 357 cases. If not, a little work with emory paper on a flat surface will get the dimension right.
Put the washer under the lock ring on your 38 die, and it's automatically set up for 357.
But honestly, since I sold my 38 revolvers, I have never loaded a 38 case for my 357s. You are right, keeping the cases sorted is a pain. I sold all my 38 brass and life is simpler now.

[jdgabbard]

But honestly, since I sold my 38 revolvers, I have never loaded a 38 case for my 357s. You are right, keeping the cases sorted is a pain. I sold all my 38 brass and life is simpler now.

What do you do for target loads? 38spl brass and wadcutters, etc...

[AZ-Stew]

P.S. If I was computer savvy enough I would post the link to my own thread.

In the upper right corner of all posts is the post number. Click it and you'll get a new browser window with that individual post on your screen. The original window will still be in the background. In the top of the new browser window is the URL (address link) for that post. Highlight it and use the Control+C keys to copy that URL. Close the window with the single post and then use the Control+V keys to paste the URL into your post. Piece o' cake!

Regards,

Stew

[smith52]

I've had the same issue with Lyman 160gr RN(358311) in some of my smaller framed .357 mags, including my SP101.

[machinisttx]

I have heard that the first SP101s in 357 were marked for "125gr bullets only". The cylinder was too short for anything heavier. Later on they lengthened it. I can shoot 166 gr cast SWC in mine, crimped on the groove. I've never tried anything heavier, though.

This is true. The first SP101's were .38 Special. Later on they were chambered for .357, but with the warning that only 125 grain ammo could be used. Later still, the gun was redesigned with a longer cylinder and chambered for standard .357.

[ebg3]

I have a similar problem with my 50th Anni. .357 BH. It is the mid-frame gun and the cylinder is a bit shorter than the full-size BH. I trim my brass to 1.265" and load the Lyman mould Keith bullet. Round is loaded to cylinder length. In a strong gun like the BH, .38 special brass can be used and loaded to magnum velocities, Mr. Keith and many others did it for years. As suggested before, trim your brass to the length required to load the Keith bullet and lower your powder charge accordingly. I bought a Lee easy trimmer for .357 and took a little off the end/tip to trim my brass to 1.265".

[That'll Do]

What do you do for target loads? 38spl brass and wadcutters, etc...

I know the question wasn't directed at me, but I'll chime in with what I do.

I don't load 38 Special either, only 357 Magnum for simplicity sake, and just load low-end 357 loads. Usually a 150gr SWC and some Universal, Unique, or 231. It's quite possible to get cat-sneeze loads in 357 brass, and I like not dealing with two different lengths of brass.

[dubber123]

I have heard that the first SP101s in 357 were marked for "125gr bullets only". The cylinder was too short for anything heavier. Later on they lengthened it. I can shoot 166 gr cast SWC in mine, crimped on the groove. I've never tried anything heavier, though.

They were, I had one briefly. The cylinder wasn't THAT short, and I fired many 158 gr. loads through it. I recall the concern was more with boolit pull with the heavier slugs tying up the gun. Ruger found the lighter slugs never pulled, and stamped their guns for "125's only".

[NHlever]

I loaded 15 rounds and waded through the snow to the range. I was dying to try this boolit out.

I just picked a random load out of the manual for these 15 rounds- 10 grs IMR 4227. Crimped high on the first driving band.

These are the finest shooting boolits I have tried so far from my little SP 101. They were a little dirty but I am hoping a better crimp might cut down on some of the unburned powder.

I am going to experiment with trimming cases. I also bought a hundred .38 SPL cases to play with tonight.

I did try the rounds I had loaded that were crimped on the crimping groove in my Blackhawk and they chambered fine and had plenty of space to spare.

I detested the idea of seperating 38's and 357's and readjusting dies to load the two. If these boolits are going to shoot this good it will be worth it and I will just buy another set of dies to exclusively load 38's on.




You might want to try some Blue Dot if you have it around. I worked up carefully to 10 grains behind a 158, or lighter bullet in my SP-101. I find that I lose very little in power, but the muzzle flash is much less, as is blast, and perceived recoil. I also found it to be as accurate as any load I have tried in that gun. I get 2 3/8"-2 1/2" at 25 yards when I'm seeing the sights well.

[Maven]

"I just cast a pile of boolits from my new Lyman 170 gr SWC mold using stright wheel weights.
When I load the bullet into a .357 case trimmed to 1.290" and seated into the crimping groove the boolits extend beyond the cylinder in my Ruger SP101."

All, 2nd Amendment Nut asked about this the other day. My advice is to take Brian Pearce's suggestion to heart and trim your .357mag. brass to 1.25", especially if you're using Ly. #358429 and LBT 358-180 in different revolvers since their cylinder lengths vary. I've been doing this for several years as I use the aforementioned CB's in both a Dan Wesson and a Ruger new model BH and have experienced NO problems using the 1.25" cases.