.38/.357 in a rifle

[OLeveraction]

I use a Rossi R92 rifle in lever action silhouette. I prefer the 24" octagon barrelled rifle over the 20" carbine for this. The carbine is too light for a steady hold. Targets are out to 100 m so accuracy is somewhat important. Why "somewhat?" Because the "stock nut" is loose (that's me...) and sighting (tang sight) isn't terribly precise.

Having said all that, I shoot IMR4227 in .357 cases with Badman's 157 gr round nose flat point. The load will hold around 2 1/2" at 100 m from a bench. Good enough.

The rifle doesn't feed semi-wadcutters. Their shoulders cause hang-ups. Stubby RNFPs don't feed well either. The "bulbous bow" bangs into the roof of the chamber when feeding. Not a problem with Badman's sleeker bullet. The gun also doesn't care much for .38 Special cases.

Tomorrow there's a lever action silhouette match at Machias if anybody is in the area and interested. Yeah, it says "Seattle" but that's a leftover from the 1960's when the club was closer to Seattle. The name stuck around, but the club didn't.

Seattle Rifle & Pistol Association - Cowboy Rifle and Hunter Pistol Silhouette Matches

www.seattlerifle.org

357 is over powered foe Pistol Caliber Silhouette. 39sp is better. Even better would be a 32-20 rifle.

 

[Tommie]

As already stated the 1885 action is tougher than hobo crap. When reloading revolver cartridges for a rifle I’ll use the slower powders to take advantage of the barrel length.

 

[Krogen]

357 is over powered foe Pistol Caliber Silhouette. 39sp is better. Even better would be a 32-20 rifle.

Indeed it is! When I wrote the post above that you replied to, I hadn't yet gone down (yet another) garden path. It didn't take me long, though. I bought a Model 92 in 44-40. Compared to the .357, it was significantly over-powered. Chickens flew into low earth orbit. The rifle is fun to shoot, but clearly I went in the wrong direction.

So, I fixed that and backtracked. As you mention, a 32-20 is a better choice. I snagged a Marlin 1894 in 32-20 at Cabela's for a "can't ignore" price. I added a tang sight and a 17A front sight. I also put in a better trigger and a loading gate that doesn't draw blood. After a bit of load development, I'm set for next Saturday's match. I can't wait!

 

[Leo_B]

1. https://hodgdonreloading.com/rldc
2. Filter by Cartridge
3. Rifle
4. Cartridges scroll box
5. 357 Magnum
Viola! (sic) Bob's your uncle and there's a whole bunch of options rifle specific

 

[Hipshoot]

Was just shooting my Rossi M92 last week. Shoots very good! 20"bbl 16gr. Lil'Gun 190 gr. flat nose GC Lee mold designed by screen name Ranch Dog from Marlin Owners site S&W .357 brass, CCI 550 primers. 1795 FPS. 1360 FP energy at the muzzle.

Hip

 

[Rickhem]

I have a Henry Big Boy Steel, with the loading gate, and a 20" barrel. I've played around with a few loads using 296, and they work OK, but not as good as I hoped in the rifle. Data for the .357 Mag exists in any manual you find, but the older manuals will show some higher charges for some powders. I think that when the industry switched from CUP to PSI, some loads were toned down in newer manuals. Some manuals show loads for the Ruger and Contender handguns separately, and some also list rifle loads. Hodgdon's web site shows rifle loads, but they seem a lot like their handgun loads. You can really get a .357 bullet moving fast in a rifle, but that said, accuracy trumps a little extra FPS in my mind.

I also worked up a few loads using Lil Gun, and those are the ones I'm sticking with. I can push the 158XTP, in either the HP or FP variations, to just a hair shy of 2000 fps. I called Hornady, asking about which would be better for hunting, and they said either, but when pressed, they leaned towards the FP version. That's fine, since the FP seemed to group just a little better, but almost a tie.
I've also loaded the 140FTX bullet with Lil Gun to over 2K, and that consistently grouped ¾" at 50 yards from my rifle. I think the 1 in 16 twist on the Henry likes the longer bullets, since I couldn't get 110 grain bullets to group well at all. I haven't tried the 180s yet, but that's on the list.

Be aware that Lil Gun burns hot, it's a double based powder, and possibly not ideal for something like silhouette where you're firing 5 shots in about two minutes. I know my barrel gets pretty hot shooting 5 shot groups in about 5 minutes. You probably don't even need the velocity it provides for silhouette. But for me, and loading for hunting with my rifle, it's currently my first choice.

 

[hunter67]

I really enjoy my Marlin in 357. Like many others, I run a stout load of 296 with a 158xtp. A lot of animals have died to this load, and I am always impressed with the wounds and rarely retrieve a bullet as they exit.
I also shoot some 180 hc lead (bear loads), and they clock just over 1800 fps. The 158s are at 2000fps. I have tested these loads in plenty of critters, and I am not adverse to carrying these wherever I roam.