357 Redhawk 7-1/2”

44wheelman said:

Hmmmm....got me thinking now. Might need to ream my 357 redhawk cylinders a little deeper. 360 dan Wesson; coulda had one, but it woulda cost me. For those that don't know, it’s the 44 mag frame gun chambered in .357 with a marginally longer case. Not the off the shelf smaller frame .357 gun with hot loads. Is brass still available?

Cylinder walls look thick enough to withstand a case full of bullseye.

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stansdds said:

The Redhawk in 357 Magnum is truly a beast of a revolver. Very strong, very heavy, and rather rare. Be very careful with hotrodded ammo, you surely would not want to put such ammo in something like a model 19 or 640.

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44wheelman said:

Hmmmm....got me thinking now. Might need to ream my 357 redhawk cylinders a little deeper. 360 dan Wesson; coulda had one, but it woulda cost me. For those that don't know, it’s the 44 mag frame gun chambered in .357 with a marginally longer case. Not the off the shelf smaller frame .357 gun with hot loads. Is brass still available?

Cylinder walls look thick enough to withstand a case full of bullseye.

Click to expand...

Get a cannelure tool, roll a new cannelure .135" below the original on your bullets and use .360 Dan Wesson load data. Same loaded case capacity, same performance increase; no rechambering necessary. The 180gr Hornady XTP already comes with a second cannelure that will create a near .360 DW clone.
You can also load the 180gr WLN+P from Beartooth Bullets into Magnum brass and actually have more loaded case capacity than the .360 DW with a 180gr Sierra FPJ, The Sierra seats .450" into the case; the Beartooth WLN seats .290".
1.415" - .450" = .965"
1.280" - .290" = .990"

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44wheelman Cylinder walls look thick enough to withstand a case full of bullseye.[/QUOTE said:

I hope nobody will be tempted to try it!

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CAJUNLAWYER said:

What is the difference between the 360DW and the 357 maximum? Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it

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k22fan said:

I have the same revolver and went to the same wood Hogues to help keep the muzzle from drooping. For better or worse I have not loaded mine to be more powerful than a .357 Mag. If I were going to devalue it as a collector by reaming the chambers I'd consider the old wild cat that used a .44 Magnum case necked down. That wild cat was common enough for reamers to be available and it is in reloading manuals. The cylinder is big enough to neck down .454 Casual cases but, as far as I know, you'd have to have the reamer custom made and develop your own loads. The only thing I might do is seat 200 grain cast bullets out for more powder capacity.

I bought mine for what was the used price for the same revolver in .44 Magnum. The distributor sold it to the local gun store as a .44 Magnum but had the serial number correct. I like odd balls so I snapped it up. If was going to seek out another I'd buy a 5 1/2" to make it less muzzle heavy. On the other hand the only .357 pistol that might recoil less is a Desert Eagle gas operated automatic.

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