.38/.357 Cast Bullet Accuracy in Rifles?

[dovehunter]

I am new to CB and hope I have posted this inquiry in the right forum. I recently got a .38/.357 accessory barrel for my NEF Handi-Rifle. Without going into too much detail, it seems to shoot fine with factory or handloaded jacketed bullet loads but shoots all over the place (I can barely keep them on the target) with the commercial .357 158 gr. LSWC bullets that I have been using. This at only 50-yds. Someone told me the barrel may be oversize and I needed to slug the barrel to determine the groove diameter. I did this using a 1/4 oz. egg fishing sinker (which worked great incidentally) driven from muzzle to breech. I measured the slug in several places carefully with my micrometer and came up with a diameter of essentially .356". The cast bullets I had been using miked out at .357". The jacket bullets I have been using - Hornady 125 XTP hollow points - miked out a .356". Before slugging the barrel I had thought about getting a small quantity (maybe 100 each) of commercial bullets sized to .358" and/or .359". However with the bore slugging out a .356" I wonder if this would be wise. I'd like to be able shoot cast bullets in this barrel if I can because they are cheaper and I'd hoped to be able to use the combo for relatively small game. What do you think I should do? Thanks in advance for any help anyone can give me.

[Blammer]

you're 357 dia lead bullets should be fine.

I'm curious as to what powder and charge you are using with the lead bullets. I've found the powder to be a big player in accuracy in my 357mag lever gun.

Additionally, the lube that is on the factory bullets may not be sufficient for the rifle brl lenght.

I would clean the barrel from as much copper fouling as possible, then put a light coat of oil in the brl followed by a damp oiled patch, to push out the extra, then shoot your lead bullets in it.

I'd also check for leading in the barrel. I suspect you may see it start to accumulate at the end, near the muzzle.

[HORNET]

Slug just the throat and check its length. Cast boolits frequently work better if they don't have to jump before they hit rifling. Boolits .001/.002" over bore diameter are just about right. Generally if you can fit one into a fired case, its small enough to use and the bigger size gives better alignment with the bore. Get any copper out of the barrel first and check for leading near the muzzle while you're doing it. If they're leading, you might be able to salvage things by tumble-lubing them. Sometimes you've got to play with things a bit...

[454PB]

Try a .358" boolit with decent lube. Some of the commercial cast boolits use a lube that is similar to paraffin wax and works about as well.

I use the biggest boolit that will chamber properly.

[dovehunter]

...I'm curious as to what powder and charge you are using with the lead bullets. I've found the powder to be a big player in accuracy in my 357mag lever gun...

I've tried Unique and SR-4756 from the lightest to the hotest loads shown in the manuals in both .38 Special and .357 Magnum cases. I've tried magnum as well as regular primers. The results were essentially the same: horrible!

While at the range one day I tried some light .38 Special loads another guy had made up using his home-cast bullets which were shaped what I would call a round nose flat point. Actually these did pretty good but, since I only shot 5 of them, I couldn't really draw any conclusions from that.

[Echo]

2400 has been a standard powder for the .357 for decades - 15 grains behind a Lyman 358156 GCSWC is a potent round. Ball powders work well, too, such as Winchester 296, Hogden H-110 (supposedly the same as 296), Milsurp820. and so on.
I guess what I'm saying is that a slower powder seems to perform better than Unique...

[MT Gianni]

Many Handi rifles in 357 suffer from a very long throat. I have heard of some that a 357 max will chamber in. Try the longest cast bullet you can find.

[Blammer]

as stated earlier, 2400, W296, H110 are good, also dry blue dot, and lilgun, what other powders do you have?

[steg]

I've been using red dot in both for years and no troubles, probably more accurate than I can shoot with open sights, using Security Six and Rossi Puma.................steg

[Doughty]

dovehunter,

It's also possible that you have a tight spot in your barrel. You might slug just the muzzle, and then just the breech, and then compare it to the one drive all the way through.

[runfiverun]

i think hornet and gianni hit on it.
i was discussing the nef 357 with dk-17 at dinner the other night and we come to the conclusion that most guy's re-chamber their 357's to the 357-max because of the long throat.

[fatelk]

This may or may not have any relevance, but I had some accuracy trouble with a Marlin .44 mag long ago. My dad bought the rifle and a couple boxes of Miwall ammo, 240gr JHP. We literally could not hit anything with it, couldn't find paper at 25 yards.

I eventually pulled the bullets to find 10gr of unknown fast burning powder. I replaced the powder with a full charge of 2400 (same bullet and case), and then the rifle shot OK (never was real accurate but at least the bullets hit the target). All I can figure was that the fast powder combined with the rifle length barrel somehow caused the bullet to tumble.

[Throckmorton]

IN my experience,the copper foulinig in my lever gun was the culprit for no...I mand NO accuracy with cast boolits.
cleaned it over and over,and accuracy got MUCH better.try it and let us know if it helped.