Question re: .357 Sig reloading dies

[LoboGunLeather]

Thinking about adding a .357 Sig barrel for my Sig P229, but have no experience with this caliber.

Since this is a bottleneck cartridge I assume that no carbide dies are applicable, and that case lubrication will be required. If that assumption is correct the process of loading hundreds of rounds would be far more tedious than any straight-wall cartridge.

Comments and suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[Engineer1911]

I work at an indoor range reloading range ammo for the past 2 years. I am not aware of anyone 'saving' Sig 357 brass, nor have I heard any conversations about reloading it. Lots of talk about 380 ACP, 9 MM, 38 Spl, 40 S&W, or 45 ACP. It can be reloaded, but removing case lube would be tedious to say the least. I think that case necks would start cracking about the 3rd or 4th reload.

My humble opinion is that you have better ways to spend your time .

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

When I load a large batch of bottle necked cases, there are a few ways to deal with lubed cases.


1) In 1984 I did a batch of 20,000 223's. I would put 300 or 400 in a bucket and squirt in a small amount of Break Free CLP and swirl them around for a couple of minutes. each cash had a fine, not quite wet coating! I didn't ever clean this off! I have around 3000 left and they all fire and function fine, but have been kept in sealed ammo cans.

2) Currently, I do batches of 150 to 300 308 Winchester or 338 Lapua. these I size and deprime with RCBS "Case Lube 2", which is water soluble. I then tumble the cases in the wet method with stainless steel pins. If you want, just wash with warm/hot wart and a little dish soap and let dry before finishing loading.

I have a Sig in 357Sig, and enjoy shooting it very much, I have a set of Lee dies and about 6000 brass, I just never got around to loading the round. One of my friends had problems using 9mm bullets. Some brands have a very long tapper from the FMJ nose, this can cause crimp issues if not kept to full COAL. Hollow points usually have parallel jacket walls!

Ivan

 

[Leonard]

I have one reload you do it like its a bottle neck rifle cartridge, lube , chamfer. etc.

I will take any unwanted brass

 

[Coastie762]

Another .357 Sig fan here. I load for them on a Dillon 550. I've used two different methods for sizing. First is to run cases through a .40 S&W carbide size die mounted on a single stage press. This sizes the case body without the need for lube. They can then be run through the .357 Sig size die on the 550 without the need for lube. This works well but does add another step to the process.

Otherwise I just give the cases a light spray with Hornady One shot lube before reloading. I set them on a cookie sheet and orient them so as to avoid getting lube inside the case necks. After loading on the 550, I wipe the residual lube off as I place the loaded rounds into boxes.

The .357 does require some care in selecting projectiles. A bullet with a straight shank is desired to provide maximum contact with the short case neck. I like the Hornady HAP or XTP bullets. They make a .356" 125 grain HAP which works very well in the Sig. Speer and others also make bullets specifically for the Sig but I've found the Hornadys to be more easily found and a bit less expensive. The attached photos show why you do not want to use a standard 9mm roundnose FMJ in the Sig, otherwise bullet setback is guaranteed.

 

[M29since14]

The two-step sizing practice is pretty standard for 357 SIG handloading. Dillon also makes a carbide die, but they do recommend a light lube on the cases. I have the Dillon die, but I use the two-step sizing anyway.

I remove the spray lube by placing the loaded rounds on a big old fluffy towel. Then I hose them down a bit with lighter fluid and pick the towel up by both ends and roll them back and forth for 10-15 seconds or so. You can use the towel several times before you have to wash it. I use dishwashing soap in a five gallon bucket, to keep whatever mess is in the towel out of the washing machine.

The round can be sensitive to headspace. I highly recommend getting a Wilson maximum cartridge gage. If you have headspace issues, you can either modify the bottom of the die (my choice) or the top of the shellholder. Don’t load a big batch of 357 SIGs without gaging them, or at least checking them in your barrel.

 

[cowboy4evr]

I have been reloading 357 sig for quite awhile . Yes , I do " very slightly " lube the case using Imperial Sizing Wax . I bought the LEE dies and added the factory crimp die .
I started by buying a bunch of " once fired " brass from a Texas DPS training session . Truthfully I don't get all the posts about how difficult / tedious etc it is to reload . Due to the very short case neck , I barely expand the case mouth so I have not decreased neck tension . And like I mentioned , I bought the LEE factory crimp die to insure that as well . I went by the book on COAL , checked them using the barrel . It's not a difficult cartridge to reload , trust me . Good Luck , Regards, Paul

 

[fredj338]

I like the 357sig, ne er thought I would, bottle neck pistol seems motpre complicated & some make it so. Its all about proper dies & proper setup & the correct bullets. Then it loads like any other pistol round.
Yes carbide die set is available from Dillon. They offer proper headspace & need no case lube, though something like oneshot makes it easier. Size/decap, slight flare at the powder funnel, seat & taper crimp. Reloading 357sig makes shooting one cost effective. The reason you dont hear a lot about at your local range is it is not a common cartridge & factory ammo cost makes most that want more than 9mm go to cheaper 40 s&w. Definietly a niche caliber but those that shoot it love it.

 

[WR Moore]

No experience with .357 Sig, but for decades I've removed sizing lube with a quick wash using Dawn dish washing liquid to remove the lube. Rinse, let dry and you're ready to go. Does stretch out the loading process some, but since it mostly involves rifle cartridges (for me), not that big a deal, just part of case prep.

At least 15 years ago, I quit buying special hand washing products in favor of Dawn. Works at least as well as the various other products and is a lot cheaper.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Thanks, guys. I have probably become spoiled since carbide sizer dies came out (my oldest is a RCBS .38/.357 dated code 1970). The thought of lubing 500 or 1000 cases, then cleaning off the lube, did not appeal to me very much.

I especially like the idea of using the .40S&W carbide die for basic sizing of the case walls, then running them through the .357 Sig sizer for neck and shoulder. That is a winner!

Coastie762's instruction on bullet profiles is very helpful.

 

[colt_saa]

We have discussed loading this cartridge here on the Forum on many occasions over the decades.

I have been shooting and hand loading the 357 SIG cartridge for more than a quarter century, so it all seams routine now a days

I used to go through about 6000 rounds of 357 SIG annually, it has slowed do considerably in recent years. However, I always have many hundreds of pieces of brass waiting to be cleaned and loaded

Back in 1993, I loaded on steel dies and was lubricating the cases. After all steel dies were all that existed at the time

A few years later Dillion came out with their carbide dies and I bought them, I foolishly thought they would work as well a straight carbide dies. They were hardly any better than the steel dies even though they cost 3 times as much money. Plus Dillion still recommended using case lube.

Then I began using a 40S&W dies to size the body and a 357SIG die to size the neck. This is where things really started working for me. I use a misting of Hornady One Shot lube in the brass bucket every few hundred rounds and all is well.

For roughly the past 20 years, I load 357 SIG in a five station progressive press

Station one is a 40S&W carbide sizer where depriming also occurs
Station two is a 357 SIG sizing die. Priming also occurs at this station
Station three flares the case mouth and drops the powder
Station four seats the projectile
Station five applies a collect crimp to the cartridge


By using the two sizing dies you let the carbide die do the majority of the work. The 357 SIG die is adjusted high enough to just resize the neck. Leaving the body alone

Do not forget to test that brass in your pistols before loading too many rounds. In some cases the 357 SIG die will need to be adjusted a tiny bit farther down in order to push the shoulder back. This is usualy an issue only if you have a tight chamber.

If you have more than one 357 SIG firearm obviously you set the sizing dies for you most troublesome chamber.

I use a Lee Factory Crimp die in that fifth and final stage. The FCD imparts a Collet crimp to the case. This allows the use a much wider range of projectiles over what neck tension alone holding the projectile in place can work with. I have loaded everything from 88 grain JHPs to 165 RN projectiles in this cartridge.

Once you get the dies adjusted and your rhythm going, 357 SIG is not that big a deal to load.

 

[gwpercle]

Lubricating cases for reloading is not such an unimaginable hindrance that can not be overcome.
All bottleneck cases require lubrication....we should just abandon reloading them...I think not.
Get a tube of Lee Case Lube, some denatured alcohol and a spray bottle.
Dissolve as much Lee Case Lube in a small jar of denatured alcohol as will dissolve in it. Pour the liquid in the spray bottle. Spread cases out , 1 deep , in a plastic container or towel ... spray (mist setting) with liquid lube , roll around in container or on towel and spray other side...roll around to evenly distribute lube...it's dry in 30 seconds. Tah- Dah You are done, Lee lube is water soluable wax...not greasy , wipes off easily.

Gary

 

[fredj338]

I don't have 25y on the 357sig, but I can tell you the Dillon carbide dies work just fine, lube, no lube. No need to double pump & use the 40 carbide sizer unless you are just trying to save some $$$. My take talking with other 357sig reloaders is all the die manuf work BUT RCBS. They go it wrong on headspace & treating it just like a rifle round when it really is not.

 

[Scuba16]

I have been reloading 357 sig for a couple of years the one problem i had was with speer brass it has a small flash hole and to bend or brake decaping pin

 

[SMSgt]

I was at the range a few years back, and a couple older gents next to me were shooting the 357 SIG. They let me fire a few rounds, and I didn't find it any more "snappy" than your typical 40 cal, which I don't think is bad at all. I noticed the necks were very short, and they said they used .40 cases to make their 357s.

They said they were retired mechanical engineers and used them for range ammo. I didn't have any reason to doubt them as retired engineers are a dime a dozen in the Cape Canaveral area.

 

[colt_saa]

I have been reloading 357 sig for a couple of years the one problem i had was with speer brass it has a small flash hole and to bend or brake decaping pin

That is interesting.

What brand of die are you using to decap the brass?

My nickel brass is almost exclusively SPEER and all I have been hand loading for the last decade or so. I easily have 10,000+ pieces of it filling two five gallon buckets and a few pretzel jugs. The initial Federal Flight Deck Officer program training created LOTS of once fired brass

I use the Lee dies and have not yet broken a pin

 

[Luke Duke]

I loved the 357 SIG, but I could never get the right neck tension on my reloads. I even tried just beveling the inside of the neck and not flaring. Using .356 bullets , I could still push the bullet in against my bench; gave up on that cartridge.

 

[Leonard]

I loved the 357 SIG, but I could never get the right neck tension on my reloads. I even tried just beveling the inside of the neck and not flaring. Using .356 bullets , I could still push the bullet in against my bench; gave up on that cartridge.

I would check the bullet's diameter bearing surface in case mouth is it correct diameter, does it taper where you need it to engage the cases mouth, it would not hurt the check the diameter of the expander button.

Personally I chamfer the case mouth rather than flare it.

 

[Coastie762]

I noticed the necks were very short, and they said they used .40 cases to make their 357s.

This practice is typically not recommended. Although the .357 Sig is based off the .40 case, it is not a direct conversion.

If you run a .40 case through a .357 sizer, the neck of the reformed case is quite a bit shorter than a factory .357 case. The short neck can increase the possibility of bullet setback due to the reduced amount of gripping surface.

Full disclosure, early on in my .357 Sig loading days I did load a few rounds using resized .40 cases to see if they would work. IIRC they all fired without incident; however I decided this was probably not a very good idea in the long run and did not repeat that experiment.

 

[Tex1001]

Station one is a 40S&W carbide sizer where depriming also occurs
Station two is a 357 SIG sizing die. Priming also occurs at this station
Station three flares the case mouth and drops the powder
Station four seats the projectile
Station five applies a collect crimp to the cartridge


By using the two sizing dies you let the carbide die do the majority of the work. The 357 SIG die is adjusted high enough to just resize the neck. Leaving the body alone

I use a Lee Factory Crimp die in that fifth and final stage. The FCD imparts a Collet crimp to the case. This allows the use a much wider range of projectiles over what neck tension alone holding the projectile in place can work with.

I've loaded a bushel of 357Sigs using Lee dies.
I've never used case lube with the sizing die. Apparently the steel die is really hardened. It sizes the neck and sets the shoulder back as needed.
The Lee collet FCD is the answer to a prayer. I've never had a shoulder collapse.