Reloading 357 Magnum

[charlie b]

The fun part about revolvers is you can load them as light as you want, as long as the bullet leaves the barrel.

When I did light loads for my .357 I liked to use .38 brass. Both for less volume and to make the difference in loads clear. If it was .38 it was a pipsqueak. .357 brass case was medium magnum loads. .357 nickel cases were the hot ones. Just clean the cylinder bores well after shooting to keep a ring from forming.

I never used half jacket bullets. Either FMJ (RN, SWC, or TC), JHP or cast. All worked well with reduced loads. I had better more consistency and better accuracy with faster powders. Bullseye, W231 and now W244. Be VERY careful of double charges. Take a range rod with you when testing loads. If you are looking for the lowest possible vel you might stick a few.

Another place to look is Cowboy loads. Those folks use really light loads on a regular basis.

 

[kd4avp]

The fun part about revolvers is you can load them as light as you want, as long as the bullet leaves the barrel.

When I did light loads for my .357 I liked to use .38 brass. Both for less volume and to make the difference in loads clear. If it was .38 it was a pipsqueak. .357 brass case was medium magnum loads. .357 nickel cases were the hot ones. Just clean the cylinder bores well after shooting to keep a ring from forming.

I never used half jacket bullets. Either FMJ (RN, SWC, or TC), JHP or cast. All worked well with reduced loads. I had better more consistency and better accuracy with faster powders. Bullseye, W231 and now W244. Be VERY careful of double charges. Take a range rod with you when testing loads. If you are looking for the lowest possible vel you might stick a few.

Another place to look is Cowboy loads. Those folks use really light loads on a regular basis.

My son shoots a lot of 357 both in pistol and rifle. He uses the cowboy loads exclusively for practice. Works really well and easy to load. He also casts his own bullets for use. Lots of variations for the cowboy loads as I understand.

 

[jds holler]

Thing about shooing 357s is that they're POWERFUL. Call me wimpy if ya want, but I simply never find myself wanting to shoot my threefittyseven at the maximum level. I'm hardly ever out there trying to kill a bad guy or a bear, and I shoot real good at a couple grains under max.
Nobody tends to think about or realize it, but a 357 max load is shooting higher pressure than a 44 Mag.
By the way, I never cared for 44 mag either. jd

 

[charlie b]

My fun loads with 357 were the mid level stuff (.357 min loads or a bit above .38+P). I would put a box of my max stuff through the gun about once a year, just so I knew where they would go. Most frequent use was carrying the SP101 in a shoulder holster rig when fishing.

 

[jds holler]

I knew a guy, now passed on, who got his buck every year with his 357, usually close up from the stories he told me. He had perfected hunting close to town in thick difficult areas where the rifle hunters didn't bother. He was ex-military, possibly sniper, who was a machinist at the mill where I worked. He also had a gunsmith business, building rifles, training shooters, and was ummm, kinda crazy.
I bought my first 357 Model 686 from him back in the early eighties when they first were manufactured. WHAT A GUN. I didn't quite wear it out, but I loosened it up a bit. I sold it and tried a King Cobra for awhile, but it just didn't work as well for me. Now I'm back with another 686 prolly mid to late nineties, with lock and all. It's still a great gun. jd

 

[Tesoro]

What a gun is right! I recently got a cherry 90's 686-4 6in and mounted a 1 moa triji rmr. I zerod it at 50 yds and was getting 2 in groups shooting off my truck. Ready to hang 4 in plates at 100. fun! I had not loaded pistol in 30 yrs and compared to precision rifle it is a cakewalk. I keep thinking I am forgetting a step, like this is too simple!

I also picked up a rare 686-4 with 3 in bbl but I dont think I will shoot it n reserve for trading stock. This is more offhand 25 yd stuff and I prefer my Glk 45 9mm for this.