What types of bullets were used in .357 loads "back in the day"?

kaaskop49 · #51 12-08-2015, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew2105

Found these in my archive. Would you suppose that they would do well in a J frame .357? They are a little old & probably not as powerful as when new. Not as expensive as you would think.

I have a box of the same ammo. I've shot quite a bit of old ammo. If stored properly, there should be no loss of performance, IMHO. I would not hesitate to use it for SD if necessary. I shoot W-W 110gr JHP .357 in my M&P 340s; it is my preferred load. Unknown if the S-V offering is any different. In a steel frame J .357, I would not hesitate to use it. The gun IS chambered for .357.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

shotgun693 · #52 12-09-2015, 02:54 PM

I still carry my handloads in my M19. I'm going to try these over some Red Dot or Green Dot. The 140 gr. I've always had good results with bullets in that weight range.
Hornady® .38 Caliber .357" Diameter Pistol Bullets : Cabela's

DWalt · #53 12-11-2015, 12:13 PM

Earlier comment made about using mercury to remove bore leading. I have done that a lot, and it works fast and extremely well. HOWEVER - I have no idea where one would buy mercury today (possibly a lab supply house), and one must be very careful in using it to avoid and contain spills, and to always use it outside, not in the house. I've had the same small bottle for over 50 years and have de-leaded lots of bores over that time.

Andrew2105 · #54 01-26-2016, 02:24 PM

So I take it that the copper "wash" on some of the older rounds (.38 S&W 38 spl and .357 for several examples) was there for appearance sake? Or perhaps in my wildest dreams a coating over the lead for health reasons? WW & Peters are two that I can recall. Health?? I don't think so.

kaaskop49 · #55 01-27-2016, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew2105

So I take it that the copper "wash" on some of the older rounds (.38 S&W 38 spl and .357 for several examples) was there for appearance sake? Or perhaps in my wildest dreams a coating over the lead for health reasons? WW & Peters are two that I can recall. Health?? I don't think so.

Appearance. Sales appeal. Pizzazz. I only remember some of the W-W loads having this "copper wash" (??) coating, not the R-P ammunition.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

Buford57 · #56 06-03-2016, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaaskop49

Grips can have 2 "faces:" one when installed, and a 2nd when fired. The Colt Mk V .357 snub had a nice-feeling service-style wood grip that turned into a beast when fired with Mag loads. I found a pair of Pach Grippers, but they made the gun as heavy as a 4". Adios, muchacho.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

Interesting. I had a MK III snub. With the stock grips and a Tyler T-Grip it handled Speer Lawman 140 gr JHPs as well or better than my 4" M28. I know they changed the grip frame profile somewhat between "Marks" but it sounds like a radical switch in geometry.

jimmyj · #57 06-04-2016, 09:20 AM

1950-1960 era:
.357 factory 158 grain lead SWC with copper colored bullet.
***leaded bore BIG TIME !

BE Mike · #58 06-04-2016, 10:20 AM

My carry load (my purchase) was the .357 mag. Super Vel 137 gr. JSP in the early 70's. In the mid-70's the Border Patrol issued 158 gr. JSP in .357 mag. In the mid 80's the USBP transitioned to the 110 gr. .38 SPL "Controlled Expansion" round. Not long after the failure of that round in the field, they issued the .357 mag. 125 gr. JHP.

silentflyer · #59 06-04-2016, 12:02 PM

There is a link on here for Skeeter Skelton, lawman,hunter,hand loader and hand gun expert,check it out:

Skeeter Skelton

DWalt · #60 06-04-2016, 12:40 PM

The earliest .357 cartridges made in the late 1930s used metal-capped or metal tip bullets, as did .38-44 cartridges. Those bullets looked like RN FMJ, but the metal cap covered only the exterior of the bullet outside the case. The bore bearing surface was lead. Therefore they leaded bores. Shortly thereafter, the semi-wadcutter style lead bullet appeared in the .357. Of course, they also leaded bores. Conventional lead bullet guidance, such as from the Lyman cast bullet handbook, is that with an MV much over 1100 ft/sec, bore leading is to be expected. True back then, but with newer lubricants and bullet coatings, maybe not so much now.

Liquid mercury is the most effective cure for leaded bores. That is, provided you happen to have some mercury around the house, and know how to handle it. Many of the old-time revolver shooters carried around a small bottle of mercury for that purpose.

AZretired · #61 06-04-2016, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shotgun693

I got into Law Enforcement in 1977. Most guys that carried a .357 had some kind of LSWC. There were a few JHP but they were expense and didn't expand unless fired into concrete. The JHP bullet was simply a FMJ with a HP bored into it. There were Super Vels but they were really expensive. I bought one box for my 1911 .45, I used'm as long as I could then went to a 200 gr LSWC. I just didn't have the income to afford more. BTW, lead in the barrel was no problem. You covered the forcing cone with one finger, poured mercury in the barrel, covered the muzzle end of the barrel with another finger and tilted it back and forth a few times. A cloth patch pushed all the lead out and you could use that mercury over and over. There were guys carrying .38s, I only remember the LRN being used in them. The guys with 9 mm all carried the RNFMJ. I was carrying a M28 in my first gunfight. I loaded my own ammo because I knew the factory stuff wasn't the best. I found a Sierra Bullet, I think it was, that had a 3/4 jacket, with a very soft SWCHP front end. It worked very well. In the late '80s we were discouraged from carrying our own loads but there was some JHP ammo available by then. From '77 until '91 I provided my gun, ammo and leather gear. We then got the low bid gun, leather and ammo. Some departments issued better stuff and many didn't. Until the late 80s at least 50% of the guys carried a shotgun, their own, with buckshot, whatever was on sale.

Well, I started in LE in the mid-70's and my department issued the Federal 125 JHP rated at 1450 FPS in a 4" barrel !. It had quite a bit of exposed lead and expanded well. This was the round that built the 357's stopping power legend!