357 magum reloading

[Maximumbob54]

One of the reasons I was saying I like 2400 is the case fill on it. It's super easy to see that chance in heck of a double charge or if you somehow missed charging a case. Those high density powders work but you lose some margin of safety in seeing the powder charge in the case. I hope 3.0 to 3.5 of 700X is enough for you to be able to see during loading.

 

[kd5exp]

it gets the case about half full. I load mine after weighing them on a ballace beam put it in and seat the bullet, trying to keep problems down. I got interrupted and missed one the other day and the primer blew the bullet out enough to lock up the cylinder. I was lucky it didn't go further and put another round in the barrel. My frist squib and hopefully my last.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Lots of reloaders use a light crimp in their target loads but I have found out in my guns with light powder loads, that a HEAVY crimp will help build up pressures in the case and accually give you a better burn and higer velositys with a regular pistol primer.
A medium crimp will keep the lead bullets from creaping out of the case with medium recoil in most loadings and I also use the heavy crimp if the load might be used for SD use.
Good shooting.

 

[kd5exp]

My sister brought her Rossi 357 mag out and I'm going to work on a load for her. It's a nickle plated revolver M877 with a 2 inch barrel. Anybody have a place to start with say maybe 2400 powder. I want to get this with as few loads as I can because primers are getting really short here. Out of the list in the Lyman book on cast boolits they have 2400 and Blue dot that I have. This is with the 170 gr #358429 boolit. Thanks in advance.

 

[kd5exp]

I'm going to have to go to a different boolit because of the length. Locked up the cylinder problem I have read about. I have some 158 gr I will try next.