Bulky Powder for 357

[cds43016]

My Stepson is developing an interest in reloading 357 Mag. I currently load 4.3 grains of 231 with a SNS 158 grain SWC coated bullet, Starline brass and CCI 500 primers. This is a very light but also very accurate load. I loaded many thousands of these over the years.

The only thing I don’t like about this load is that it doesn’t fill the case very well. It’s more of a dusting than a load. If you’re not careful a double charge or a squib load is hard to spot in such a long dark case with this load. It takes a quadruple charge to fill the case. Not a good combination for a new reloader.

I’m looking for a bulkier powder to use with this bullet that meters well.

I thought about Trail Boss since it is advertised as a bulky powder. The Hodgdon web site lists a load of 3.2 to 4.2 grains for a 158 grain lead bullet. If this fills the case better because of the powder’s doughnut shape, I wonder how well it would meter in my Lee Auto Drum Powder Measure. Also how well does such a light load fill the case?

Any other powder recommendations for this bullet and standard primers for a light load?

As always thanks in advance for your input.

 

[Fishslayer]

231 is a faster powder than you really want for true .357 Magnum performance.

I like 2400. You can use standard primers but my 686 no dash isn't really fond of them. It's fairly user friendly but will start leaving gobs of yellow moosh if you download it too far.

For powderpuff target loads I use Green Dot. It's about 1/3 more bulky than Bullseye. It doesn't fill the case but a double charge is fairly obvious if you're paying attention. It meters "OK" in my Auto Disc. 4gr under a 158gr cast or plated is my go to.

 

[iouri]

When I've started to reload I've picked 2400 for 357 for exactly this reason - double charge will overflow the case. Not as economical as 231, though.

 

[Kurusu]

If the point is downloading .357 Magnum, just use .38 SPL brass.

If not. VV N110 will give good performance starting at around 18 grs and it fills the case about 90%. It meters very well too.

 

[joe44va]

Trail Boss works well for me. Use about 90% fill and magnum primers.

 

[Nevada Ed]

The "Best" powder for a beginner is Trail Boss.
A full load in a .357 case with a 158 lead bullet hits around 800fps.

IMR4227 at 12 grs will put out around 980fps as well as a medium load of Green Dot at around 900fps but with this faster powder
I do check all the cases powder levels, before I reach for my bullets, using my single stage loader.

 

[Eddie Southgate]

FFFg or cartridge grade Pyrodex dipped . Elmer said start with Black Powder and go to smokeless after you feel confident that you know what you are doing .

 

[cowboy4evr]

The old " standby " Unique does a pretty good job . 7.0 grs was my carry load for many yrs . It does not fill the case , but a double charge is very easy to spot . 9-10 grs of Blue Dot does a good job of adding a lot of powder to the case and gives you good 357 performance . 4227 will give you the most case fill but it needs pretty high pressure to burn effectively . Regards, Paul

 

[glowe]

The "Best" powder for a beginner is Trail Boss. A full load in a .357 case with a 158 lead bullet hits around 800fp . . .

Totally agree, since the OP stated light loading, there is not a better powder out there for that purpose. With the .357, you can load it right up to the base of the seated bullet and still not break 900 fps. Do not compress, but rather measure the exact depth of a seated bullet, then load a case to just under that line by hand and weigh the charge. I use a dipper and scale for most of my Trail Boss loads. Can't go wrong and definitely cannot double charge.

 

[CH4]

For poking holes in paper and beer cans, it’s hard to beat Trail Boss

 

[Univibe]

If the point is downloading .357 Magnum, just use .38 SPL brass.

If not. VV N110 will give good performance starting at around 18 grs and it fills the case about 90%. It meters very well too.

No, keep using .357 brass and download it to .38 spec, or anything in between. I use only .357 brass and I download my rounds.

Use a slow powder like AA#9, 2400, or IMR 4227 for the full house loads. Unique or AA#5 is better for midrange loads (1000 fps or so).

 

[Rogeronimo]

I use 3N38 at max. Stuffs the case, doesn't start a grass fire. Might be saltier than what you're after.

 

[BE Mike]

Filling the case shouldn't be THE determining factor. You have already been given two top choices (Unique or 2400). If your stepson is responsible enough to shoot a handgun safely, then these powders will be fine. When I first started reloading, it was .38 SPL with Hercules Bullseye. There is way too much thought given these days to doing everything we can to keep people from making mistakes. Just tell your stepson to be careful and not have any distractions while reloading.

 

[38SPL HV]

In the 357 Magnum, I like Unique and cast bullets for velocities from 950 - 1,100 FPS in my Ruger 4 5/8 inch Blackhawk. I like 2400 for 1,100 - 1,200 FPS (you can crank them up a bit more of course but I prefer “entry level” 357 Mag loads).

Unique and 2400 are all you need for your 357 Magnum needs. I’ve tried other powders but keep coming back to these reliable and time honored powders...plus there is tons of load data for both

 

[HorizontalMike]

Vihtavuori N105 in .357 w/158xtp

I use Vihtavuori N105 for all of my .357 158xtp loads. N105 has a relatively high VMD of 0.0725 and it fills a .357 cartridge rather full. IMO, that is important in that it makes a "double load" rather impossible and shows/overflows immediately in such an incidence.

Additionally, I buy 8-12lb at a time, in order to make sure that my N105 is from the "same batch/lot". That way once a .357 load is perfected, I do not have to worry about variances between lots. I do the same with HS6 and my .38 loads, maintaining a large store of a single lot of powder.

For more info, go to the VV website for load data.

As others have mentioned, compare multiple manuals just to keep abreast of loading trends. I use the Lyman 49th and 50th manuals as well as the Richard Lee "Modern Reloading". Granted, the Lee manual is derived from multiple sources, however it serves well when comparing it to the other sources you should acquire...

 

[glowe]

. . . There is way too much thought given these days to doing everything we can to keep people from making mistakes. Just tell your stepson to be careful and not have any distractions while reloading.

Have to totally disagree about trusting a teen or pre-teen step-son to do everything correctly when just starting to reload! Just tell your stepson to be careful!?!?!?!?/I] Anything that can go wrong will go wrong is my motto. At the very least, make sure you check the cases before the bullet seating stage. After-all you are not talking about a minor issue when double charging 357 brass. It is your hand and/or your stepson's hand at the least that are at risk!

I will never shoot anything that someone else reloads, even if they have done it for decades. The biggest reasons for that is that I have made a handful (no pun intended) of mistakes over the past 40 years of reloading and I know it can happen. I also do not want anybody to feel responsible for anything that might happen on the range.

One suggestion would be to only use a single stage press to start and weigh out every powder charge. Working your way through reloading in batch stages help novice reloaders better understand the process. Sizing then checking, repriming then checking, belling the case & powder drop then checking, bullet seating & crimping then checking. When done in batches of 50, it allow one to carefully review the results of every step before moving on. I have started out several reloaders this way, having them do 100 cases at a time and I check their work before proceeding to the next step and finding errors with almost every novice, some minor and some potentially major.

To bring this to a close, I will review one instance when shooting with a friend. We were both shooting Uberti 44-40 Henry rifles. About 10 rounds into his first tube full of reloads, my friend and I heard a loud report. Checking his gun, the barrel had split open about half-way down! For those of you that are familiar with these rifles, a new barrel is about half the cost of the gun, not to mention a dangerous issue. We were practicing rapid fire rounds for a CASS event at a target just 25 yards downrange.

We went back and I started pulling his bullets of his remaining 40 reloads. I found 2 rounds with no powder and two with double charges. We all know that a primer alone can send a round partially down the barrel and can only assume it was followed up by a charged (or double charged bullet from a temporary plugged drop tube) bullet on a collision course about mid-way down the barrel. We reviewed his pulled target to find that all the cases he fired had struck the target, including a couple of not so round holes. Fortunately no injuries except to his wallet, but a costly mistake none the less.

 

[scooter123]

This is not a powder suggestion, it's simply a method that helps insure that an over/under charge is caught when it can be easily corrected.

I've always loaded with a single stage press because it produces enough ammunition for my needs and I enjoy the process of reloading. During the case charging stage I take the charged cases from the the powder measure and place them into trays saved from American Eagle 45 ACP. Then after I have filled all of the trays with charged cases I eyeball the powder levels of each case in the tray. Doing this takes almost no time at all and it makes it very easy to spot a deviant charge.

BTW, I have had some deviant charges. When I first started reloading I started with the Lee Perfect Powder Measure because they are cheap. This particular powder measure has a shut off feature that sounds like a good idea but it's prone to changing to the OFF position from the vibration of cycling the powder measure. Caught this the first time I used it because I saw the powder level in a tray of charged cases slowly dropping off to nothing. BTW, do NOT recommend this leaky piece of junk to anyone, they ARE NOT SAFE. What I recommend is the RCBS Competition powder measure, because it's easy to set up, doesn't leak or jam and works very well.

 

[cowboy4evr]

I started reloading using the LEE Classic loader kits in various calibers . I decided very quickly to slightly deviate from the instructions by using a loading block after dropping the powder charge so as to verify each case had powder .
About the LEE Perfect Powder Measure . I have one , it's the only powder measure I have . I never had that kind of problem with mine , the powder charges remained constant . It likes the flake powders best as the finer powders do leak a bit . I would not say that it's a piece of junk nor unsafe . It has it's pro's and con's , like everything else . Regards, Paul

 

[BE Mike]

Have to totally disagree about trusting a teen or pre-teen step-son to do everything correctly when just starting to reload! Just tell your stepson to be careful!?!?!?!?/I] Anything that can go wrong will go wrong is my motto. At the very least, make sure you check the cases before the bullet seating stage. After-all you are not talking about a minor issue when double charging 357 brass. It is your hand and/or your stepson's hand at the least that are at risk!

I will never shoot anything that someone else reloads, even if they have done it for decades. The biggest reasons for that is that I have made a handful (no pun intended) of mistakes over the past 40 years of reloading and I know it can happen. I also do not want anybody to feel responsible for anything that might happen on the range.

One suggestion would be to only use a single stage press to start and weigh out every powder charge. Working your way through reloading in batch stages help novice reloaders better understand the process. Sizing then checking, repriming then checking, belling the case & powder drop then checking, bullet seating & crimping then checking. When done in batches of 50, it allow one to carefully review the results of every step before moving on. I have started out several reloaders this way, having them do 100 cases at a time and I check their work before proceeding to the next step and finding errors with almost every novice, some minor and some potentially major.

To bring this to a close, I will review one instance when shooting with a friend. We were both shooting Uberti 44-40 Henry rifles. About 10 rounds into his first tube full of reloads, my friend and I heard a loud report. Checking his gun, the barrel had split open about half-way down! For those of you that are familiar with these rifles, a new barrel is about half the cost of the gun, not to mention a dangerous issue. We were practicing rapid fire rounds for a CASS event at a target just 25 yards downrange.

We went back and I started pulling his bullets of his remaining 40 reloads. I found 2 rounds with no powder and two with double charges. We all know that a primer alone can send a round partially down the barrel and can only assume it was followed up by a charged (or double charged bullet from a temporary plugged drop tube) bullet on a collision course about mid-way down the barrel. We reviewed his pulled target to find that all the cases he fired had struck the target, including a couple of not so round holes. Fortunately no injuries except to his wallet, but a costly mistake none the less.

You are assuming that the stepson is a teen or pre-teen and even if he were, it is a matter of maturity and responsibility. The OP never indicated the age of the stepson. I never suggested that the stepson not get proper training in reloading fundamentals and safety. I'm suggesting that depending on a certain powder to increase safety, isn't necessary. As per your example, your buddy failed to charge a few cases. When the shooter didn't react to the lack of noise and recoil of the uncharged cartridge(s) and followed up with a properly charged cartridge it caused catastrophic failure. No fluffy powder would likely have prevented this. Be safe out there!

 

[gwpercle]

Don't rely on a "bulky" powder to keep you safe .
It's not going to help the "no powder " load ... that's just as dangerous .
Get a light and become both anal and ocd when it comes to getting powder in a case , check , double check and prior to seating the bullet check again . Make darn sure the right amount of powder is in there. You can't be too careful .
Gary