357 Wadcutters

[m1gunner]

I was wanting a load for farm and field carry. Have a coyote problem, so looking for something that gave decent accuracy and hit hard. But as I only have K frames, I don't want full boat 357 loads.

I have been using a 357 midrange semi-wadcutter for several years and it has been ok.

I found some load data and loaded up some DEWCs in 357 cases charged with 4.7 gr Bullseye.

Holy smokes, did I hit on the right combo for my M19. Pleasant to shoot, more zing than a 38sp, and it groups better than anything I have ever shot out of the gun. I was using a black 2X2 aiming spot at about 15 paces . After 6 shots offhand, I thought I had missed the target, as there were no visable holes in the white part of the target.

All 6 were in the black square.

I tried several more cylinders to verify, then compared with similar SWC loads, and these full wadcutters are the ticket for this gun.

 

[Bailey Boat]

Whose wadcutters and was there any leading????

 

[Bullseye 2620]

My preferred varmint control load is factory 148 gr. .38 Special mid-range wadcutters fired from my Model 19-4. This has proven to be a very effective load against raccoons, possums, and coyotes, all of which we have here in the Blue Ridge mountains of southwestern Virginia.

I was looking for something with more "anchoring" power than a .22, and these .38 wadcutters do much better at producing humane, one-shot stops.

I've never bothered loading these up in .357 cases, but I am sure that would work just fine, as you have experienced.

Re the previous post, I would also like to know the brand of bullets you are loading. My personal favorite for reloading is the Remington 148 gr. bullet.


Bullseye

 

[m1gunner]

The bullets are from Georgia arms. Listed as 148gr DEWC hardcast. The lube appears to be red rooster.

No leading in my model 19.

 

[redlevel]

m1gunner, you are apparently a genius, because that is the exact same load I have adopted for just about all my .38s. I bought a 3" Model 36-1 back in March, and adopted it as my all-round farm "kit gun." I was loading the wadcutters with 3 grains of Bullseye, but wanted something with a little more "oomph." I settled on the 4.7 grain Unique load because I have a dipper that throws that amount. Scientific, I know, but that is the way it turned out. I don't know what the dipper is advertised as throwing, but that is what it weighs out. I load the Unique round with the bullet crimped at the first crimp groove so I can easily distinguish it from the Bullseye load just by looking. I load the BE load flush.

The Unique load works well in all my S&Ws, and I have just about adopted it as a defensive load in the snubbys. I use the Georgia Arms bullets, too.

I traded for a P&R Model 19-4 at the show in Columbus Saturday. I took it out to the farm just before dark yesterday and gave it my exhaustive accuracy workout: bouncing coke cans using both the Weaver hold and traditional one-hand hold. Both the gun and the Unique load performed as expected. It is the first 6" .357 S&W I have owned in over 35 years, and it was refreshing to discover that the increased sight radius still makes a tremendous difference.

I traded for the Model 19 at a table down the wall to the extreme right of where you came in the door at the show. The guy had four or five nice S&W revolvers. I also traded in a nice Model-10-5 rb two-incher with box and papers for the 19.

Where in middle-Georgia are you located? If you draw a line from Atlanta to Albany, and another from Macon to Columbus, I am very close to where the lines intersect near Butler. Maybe we can get together for some plinking one day. I had hoped to meet some of y'all at the show, but missed out on that.

 

[Rule3]

If by dipper you are referring to the Lee Dippers, the .5 dipper is supposed to yield 4.6 grs of Unique. (depending on the heat, humidity, altitude and moon phase.)
Appears you are right on the money.