Quote:
Originally Posted by LoboGunLeather
I have not purchased, carried, or used factory .357 magnum ammo for 40-plus years. Learned my lessons early on with Super Vel, Remington, W-W, Federal, and other brands used in a 2.5" Model 19, 4" Model 19, 3.5" Model 27, 4" and 6" Model 28, Colt Python, and others.
In my experience the excessive recoil, excessive muzzle blast, excessive muzzle flash, and difficulty in extracting and ejecting fired cases all seem to indicate that it might be time to consider a larger caliber, rather than trying to stretch the .357" bore to its maximum capacity.
I still shoot .357 magnum and regularly reload by the thousands. But I limit my .357 loads to the zone between .38 Spl +P and low-end .357 loads. Anytime that doesn't seem to be enough I just reach into the gun safe for a .44 or .45 caliber piece. Haven't had any customer complaints yet.
Best regards.
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Currently I am getting just under 1,400fps using N105 in my 4in with 158XTPs. This burns exceptionally clean and thus far I am impressed.
That said, I understand your overall impressions regarding .357 loads. I have over +5k materials for reloading this caliber and just may, also, find something milder and more accurate. Time will tell for sure. All I can say is that in my new 2in K6S, I will be consciously choosing to keep those loads at the 38 +P range for comfort. However, in my 2-5/8" 627PC and 4" 686, I will at least keep at +1,200fps which matches many factory .357 loads, but willing for something less than the +1,400fps max for accuracy.
BTW, playing with the 125XTPs in my .38 loads but not sure I even want to try these things in my 4" 686. Don't want to trade off too much expansion for less penetration, unless I can find overwhelming evidence of a safety factor for those downstream... Open for opinions...