Hi!
For my 2nd post to the forums, I'd like to ask advice for reloading subject line matter.

I'm somewhat a seasoned reloader, having loaded .45 ACP, 9mm luger, .223 and .45-70. I use a Hornady LnL AP press.

I do NOT cast my own bullets yet, life is still too busy to add that dimension to reloading.

I've been told my new (to me) 66-3 likes 158 grain bullets.

I have my favorite powders for pistols but I'd like your opinion on brass and bullets. What to look out for if any?
Opinions of 38 special vs 357 mag for range shooting? (I'm a range shooter and Action shooter but I use an automatic for Action shooting so this 6" wheel gun will strictly be used for paper targets for the time being)

Or you can tell me to search the archives which I have not done yet.

Never saw the point in shooting .357's at paper, other than a few here and there to gain familiarity. .38's make the same size hole and I'd limit .357's in a K frame anyway. Loading them light makes no sense. Might as well just load .38 and save the powder.

Anyway, I load 3.4 grains of HP38 over a 158 grain LSWC and I'm happy with that load.

38 spl goes pop.
357 mag goes bang.

I prefer bang.

It doesn't need to be full power.

For 95+% of my target shooting with a .38/.357 revolver I shoot 148 gr. DEWC over 2.8-3.1 gr. Bullseye. Lots of fun, very accurate, little cost, easy to reload. See here:

Missouri Bullet Company

For brass, just about anything you can scrounge at the range is just fine. Lasts forever. I've got cases I got at the range in 1988 that I'm still reloading.

If you clean your gun after every day at the range you don't have to worry about any crud building up that could make insertion of .357 rounds a problem.

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USAF, 69-92
Vietnam, 72-73

+1. I load .357 only for my GP100, don't bother with .38 spl.
I bought a .357 revolver for the bang and the boot.
And not to mention the thrill of shooting this caliber!

I load & Shoot way more .38's than .357

I load some hot .357 for my 686-3, shoot a couple cylinders just for the thrill, than I switch to 158 grain SWC coated. When I bring things to destroy, pumpkins, watermelons, and milk jugs, I shoot the magnums. As far as brass, I haven't seen too much difference in .38 special brass, in .357 mag, I like to stick with the known major US brands.

I'm the opposite way myself. I load way more 357 than 38. I load the 357 from mild to wild and shoot about a third mild a third mid load and the last third hot. I'm slowly phasing out my 38 brass as it splits or whatever; doesn't really matter which case you use if you are shooting them in a 357.

using 357 mag brass i like to shoot 158gr Hornady, or Speer SWCHP's at the range. loaded to about 1050fps w/6gr unique & std primer, theyre pleasant enough to shoot all day long, and plenty accurate in any 357 ive ever shot them through. feels like a stout 38+p in a 38spl, but thats pretty much what it is lol. i also think that with the Speer bullets theyed make a fine defense round in a 357 snubby.

Thanks fellas! Good input, I like the variety of preferences too!

The mod 66, like the mod 19, is basically a K frame 38 spl that will
accept the 357 magnum ctg. For shooting at paper you don't need
anything heavier than light 38 spl level loads. Mixed headstamp 38 spl
brass and cast 158 gr RN bullets loaded to 700-750 fps is the plinking
load that I use in my various 38 spl and 357 mag revolvers. I do
nothing more than swab the bore and chambers of my revolvers after
each firing session and have never had any problems with chambering
357 ammo.

I keep my K's to around 900 fps, pressure around 20,000 or a little more.

Make it easier on yourself, especially if you are punching holes in paper - 38 special. The older you get, the more you will know what I am talking about. I shoot my own cast 158 grain bullets but most anything will work, this cartridge is pretty easy to work with. I use both W231 and Titegroup tamed down to about midway and they are very accurate, economical, and easy on both me and the wife's hands. Getting ready to work up some CFE Pistol which I hear works as well. If you are going plated, check out Xtreme 158 semi-wad cutters. I have a few I am waiting to get time to load. You cant go wrong with 38's and 357's are a hoot ............for a while.

The advantage of a .357 Magnum is it's versitility. I've reloaded everything from 110 gr, RN bullets for killing tin cans to hefty loads with a 160 gr. LSWC running about 1100+ fps. Round balls loaded one at a time in .357 brass is a fun, no noise load, and of course there's the 150 gr. DEWC I shoot a lot of.

For a new cartridge or newer reloader, I'd suggest a tried and true load and for the 357 Mag., there are a couple. A 125 gr JHP at about 1200-1300 fps is very popular with a half ton of different powders. Also look at a 158 gr. SWC running about 900 fps.

As for brass I believe the only "discussed" cases are nickel plated. Some say they don't last as long as regular cases and that nickel flakes off and ruins reloading dies. I started shooting nickel plated brass in 38 Special in '69 and a couple years later found some, reloaded some .357 Magnum cases. I have found no problems with shorter case life and never saw a "flakey" nickel plated case. I have reloaded nickel plated cases so much the nickel was worn thin in places and the brass shows through.

I have also shot a lot of .38 Special rounds through my 357s and mebbe because I clean my guns after each shooting session, I have never experienced the dreaded "crud ring". "Normally" thoughm prolly because I have a lot of both 38 and 357 brass I'll load for my 38 guns with 38 brass and 357 brass for my 357 guns. No hard and fast reason and I can shoot 38s in my 357s with no worries...

I load .357 mag for my Rossi rifle, and save the .38 spl for my revolvers.

I load .38 special strength rounds, all the way down to target loads in .357 brass. I usually start out with target and move to magnum loads and this keeps me from having to clean the crud rings out of my cylinders to load .357 brass.

I have some .38 brass for .38 special only guns.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

CFE Pistol is an excellent powder for both, with a lot of latitude in bullet weights and velocity. 700X is great for .38 loads using lighter bullets around 125 gr. If you look around enough, you can pick up cast pre lubed bullets for about .05-08 cents each, and Berry or Ranier plated for .10-.15 each. The cast bullets are usually good for up to 800 fps or so, and the plated 1250 fps..... Anything hotter is gonna require either a jacketed or gas checked bullet....

I use .357 full magnum loads for defense, range, and occasional handgun hunting. I enjoy the challenge, and find it very useful, to learn to overcome the flinch and shoot magnums accurately and consistently. That makes it more likely that I will be able to hit with them if/when the need to do so arises. I'm not trying to feel 'macho' or impress others(I usually have the range to myself anyway). They don't hurt my hands or wrists. Maybe they will when I get older, but until then I will continue to shoot them. All this makes a lot of sense to me.

I should mention that I only have L frame guns; you may want to use magnum loads more sparingly in a K-frame.

Best wishes,
Andy

I have a 686 and the wife carries a LCR. To keep it simple all my loads are with 158gr. coated SWC's. HS-6 and CFE-P have become my favorite mid-range 357mag powders and are about interchangeable. I'm guessing 1000 to 1100fps range, accurate and easy on the hands. For full boat magnums I use 2400. In 38spl. brass I use WST for practice rounds for the wife and the LCR. Very easy shooting.
My wife and daughter will wipe out the WST loads in the 686. They love that pop and no recoil. I should probably get them a K frame so they leave my 686 alone!

Virtually all of my shooting in .38 Special and .357 Magnum revolvers is done with target-level .38 Special wadcutters. If you are considering shooting at some living target then maybe .357 is better for that. Same reason I use .44 Special-level reloads in my .44 Magnums. Easier on the guns, more pleasant for me, makes the same size hole in the target.

Yeah, I am also a fan of 38spl +p loads in 357 cases. Same with hot 44 spl loads in 44 mag cases. I like loading and shooting a few full boat magnums for fun, but no need for that power factor to punch paper. Save the powder, and wear and tear on your gun.

I have a 77/357 rifle and 2 model 19's. I load the mags for the rifle and the 38's for the M19. That keeps me from ever running the hotter mag loads in my revolvers by mistake. The model 19 is really just a K frame so I don't shoot mag loads in mine. Of course one can always load the 357 mild and there is plenty of data for that. If I didn't have a rifle that's probably what I would do. A fast shotgun powder will get you in the 800 fps range in a 357 case. American Select would be my choice but I'm sure there are others.

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That's just somebody talkin.

I load and shoot a lot out of my .357's, on my steel plate range out back. I only use .357 brass. For brass it doesn't get any better than Starline in my opinion. For bullets out on my range, I REALLY like Berry's 158 grain plated bullets. Inexpensive, and very accurate in my revolvers. 6 grains of HP-38 and those plated bullets makes for a great load, and brass lasts a long while too. I consider this load a mild one, but with those plated bullets it demolishes cinder blocks, pumpkins, and melons. Dare I say I'd be comfortable using it for protection...but there's much better bullets for that sort of thing.

One of my two favorite.38 Special loads is a 158gr LSWC over 4.0gr W231/HP-38. It's very accurate in every revolver I've shot it in.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

I just shoot light loads in 357 brass. Trail Boss or Titegroup. Then you don't build up powder rings from the shorter 38 brass. yes we should clean up after every trip to the range anyway. but ,the bullet don't have as far to jump using 357 brass in 357 chambers.

I like 158 gr SWC and 2400 in my 357 Magnum. My standard magnum load is 13.5 grs 2400 behind this bullet. I like using Lyman Cast Bullet data for my loads.

Enjoy shooting 38 Spl +P loads with same bullet out of the 357 using Unique. Std 38 Specials bore me in larger 357.

My go-to .357 powder for everything is 3N38. Sierra lists rifle loads and I run hotter in my 3" L-frame.

The day has come.

I have an 8 lb keg of CFE pistol that works really well in other pistol loads so I am going to do a few ladder loads tonight as my Xtreme 158 gr SWC plated bullets will be here via UPS today. (Xtreme is very much like Berrie's bullets, but better consistency in weight from my experience, and cheaper!)

.357 magnum once fired (by me) Fiochi brass, sonic cleaned, deprimed, tumbled, gauge checked. I have about 100 rds to start.

Future brass will be Starline, I've had GREAT success with the quality of their brass in .45-70.

My plan is near max COL and a slight crimp starting with 6.0 gr of CFE pistol and ladder up to 6.8gr in .2 increments and then see what the pistol likes best at the range this week-end.

Thanks once again for the diversity of preferences in your replies!

P.S. .357 magnum loads in Fiocchi ammunition, are nothing in kick compared to .45 ACP. I was expecting a bigger boom!

I have two model 19s - one 4" and one 6", two model 36s and two K38.
When loading .357, I like 7.3 grains of Unique pushing a 158 grain XTP and for .38 I like 3.2 grains of Bullseye pushing a 158 grain Plated Semi-Wad Cutter. The .38 load is a comfortable and accurate load for the range in both .38 and .357 revolvers. I've been using Bullseye and Unique ever since I've been loading.

I still had everything set up for .45-70 so I had to re-tool the press for .357 mag. Only had time to set it up, I haven't made real bullets yet. Rain is coming and I had to mow an acre!

My two "practice" bullets as I set up. Nailed it 2nd bullet.

Attached Images

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I shoot a lot of 38 special, my favorite load so far is 125 gr extreme rn over 4.2 gr of titegroup. Shoots nice, fairly accurate(also the lady friends favorite load)

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prepare to defend yourselves

My favorite .357 Magnum self defense load is a Hornady 125 gr XTP on top of 8.5 gr of Unique with a CCI 550 primer in a .357 Magnum case. It generates about 1,250 fps in all of my 3" .357 Magnums.

My favorite .38 Special +P self defense load is a 125 gr XTP on top of 7.5 gr of IMR 800x with a CCI 500 primer. It averages between 1,050 fps and 1,100 fps in my various 4" .38s, with an SD of about 20 fps. In a 3" barrel it averages about 1,030 fps, with the same SD of about 20 fps. It delivers 950 fps on average in my 2 1/8" Model 60 and with an SD of around 25 fps and drops a bit farther to 930 fps in a 1 7/8" Model 36, but the SD rises sharply to the 35 fps range.

I use a .38 +P load consisting of 5.6 gr of Unique with a CCI 200 primer in a .38 case with a 158 gr plated bullet for a practice load in my .357s.

The recoil is indistinguishable from the .38 +P self defense load above and it shoots to point of aim in my 2 3/4" and 3" .357 Magnums. It's got enough "recoil" for realistic practice, without beating up a K frame or J-Magnum frame .357 Magnum revolver.

It generates 900 fps in my 3" Model 13 and it generates about 925 fps in my 2 3/4" Speed Six. (It's a little odd but I chalk it up to the tight chambers in the Speed Six and it's smaller than average cylinder gap).

My standard .38 Special target load is a 158 gr LSWC on top of 3.2 gr of Red Dot with a CCI 500 primer. It generates about 730 fps in my various 4" .38s with a SD of around 12 fps. It slows to around 670 fps in a 1 7/8" Model 36 or 2 1/8" Model 60, but still has a decent SD around 18 fps. In a 6" Model 19 or Security Six it averages 800 fps with an SD around 10 fps. It's a superb load for shooting steel plates out to 50 yards or so in my Model 19 and it is capable of 1" groups at 25 yards.

My favorite .357 Magnum rifle load for hunting or accuracy is a 125 gr XTP on top of 20 grains of Win 296 with a CCI 550 primer. It delivers a velocity of 2170 fps in a 20" barrel and 2210 fps in a 24" barrel in 50-60 degree weather. It's fairly temperature sensitive however and in 90-100 degree weather it picks up another 40 fps. It's great fun on steel plates at 100-200 yards.

Disclaimer: All of the above are based on published loads and are below the maximum for those published loads, but some of the manuals are dated, and bullets also vary a bit by type and brand. So...rely on your own data, take all of the above loads with a grain of salt, and work up your own loads using data you trust, starting low and working up to a level you are comfortable with in your particular firearms.

Personally, I want the cases to eject without sticking and that sets the upper limit for me even when the published maximum load is higher.

In my .357 I use .357 brass from target loads to barn blasters. Keeps from having to clean out the crud ring when switching ammo.

I have a .38 also and brass for that.

Starline brass is considered best, their quality has been erratic on occasion during the shortages. Any good brand will do.

In the 158 line I use Hard cast with lube groove and will use coated when I run through those. Soft swaged that Speer and Hornady make are GREAT for targets.

Good casters are Missouri, Penn and Bayou bullets and other people have their favorites. I don't cast either, but never say never.

I use .38 for short range only and .357 for close and up to 100 yards (that's how long the range is here) For in home defense I keep very low end .357 loads so as not to blow our ears out in case it has to be used. I'm working on getting my 2" 64 as close to 1000 ft/sec with a 125 gr jhp.


People love the 158 gr jacketed bullets for .357 but I like the more intermediate sizes, especially in .38 to get the velocity up out of my short barrel.

I use Bullseye and Titegroup for target and find that both are versatile enough to get a little hot.

My choice for Magnum loads is 2400

Since the shortages I use a variety of powders and they all go bang and make the bullet fly out of the other end of the barrel. I just found some good ole Unique!

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Successful ladder test yesterday using 6.2--6.4--6.6--6.8--7.0 grs of CFE Pistol behind Xtreme 185 gr SWC jacketed bullets and once-fired Fiocchi brass.

The S&W liked the higher end (6.8 and 7.0) loads the best, speaking from a consistent grouping point of view.

I am going to load up my next 440 rounds with 6.8 grs, on the higher end.

I am constantly amazed every time I shoot this 66-3- K frame 6" barrel model. It's like a laser for accuracy.

Ditto. I'd also prefer to avoid the burnt powder rings in the cylinders that come with shooting 38's in my 357's. I like the versatility of being able to shoot 38's if that's what I have, but prefer to shoot the 357's in guns chambered for them.

That being said, loading 357 cases on the light side - just above the power level of 38 +p or the low end of the 357 range - makes for fun paper punchin'