What is your personal favorite .357 mag load?

[adagna]

I am going to be getting back into reloading, and probably will pick up something else to compare to my Unique that I have been exclusively using for the last 15 years or so.

So what is your favorite powder, primer, bullet combo recipe?

 

[OKFC05]

Unique can't make a true magnum load.
Try H110/296 for full-house magnums. Data on Hodgdon website.

 

[VAdoublegunner]

It depends on the purpose.

In just about any handgun in that chambering, a Rem 140gr JHP and a just under max load of Blue Dot has proven to be very effective and accurate for me. Nothing wrong with Hornady 158 XTPs and WW296 either, but it is more difficult to download WW296.

For a carbine I like a Hornady 180 XTP and a max load of Lil'Gun. Lil'Gun does not work so well in short barrels, and prefers heavy for caliber bullets, but will give some very impressive ballistics in a 357 carbine, rivaling or exceeding the 30-30 as a game round. As an HD/PD carbine I imagine it would be devastatingly effective.

 

[johngalt]

Lately I've been using 14.0 gr 2400 under a 160 gr LSWC for full power stuff. For mid-level loads I use 5.0 gr Unique under the same LSWC. My target load is 2.8 gr Bullseye under a 148 gr HBWC, all in .357 brass.

 

[bmcgilvray]

I too only utilize .357 Magnum brass for all my loads.

15.0 grains of 2400 beneath a cast lead 158 grain SWC is my favorite .357 Magnum load. This powder charge also happens to work well with 158 grain jacketed bullets in my Model 27.

17.0 grains of H 110 and a 158 grain jacketed bullet makes another good full power load.

A target load of 5.0 grains of Unique and a 158 grain lead SWC has seen most use in the past couple of years.

 

[recurve]

I have killed 2 deer and 2 hogs with a load of 13.5 grains of H110 and 158 gr. xtp. The deer with a S&W 66. The hogs with a Marlin rifle.


JIM

 

[Wayne M]

158gr Penn TC or SWC over 12.5gr AA#9. Runs an honest 1250fps in 6" and is superbly accurate. Next would be any 158gr JHP over the same powder charge for the same velocity range. These are the best combos I've found to date.

 

[Forester]

14 grains of 2400 under a 158 grain TVB LSWC.

 

[nitesite]

14 grains of 2400 under a 158 grain TVB LSWC.

Yep, that's the same for me, with a Fed 100 primer. I like shooting a load that is nearly identical to what fellows did sixty years ago.

 

[imashooter2]

10.5 grains of Alliant 2400 under a SAECO #353 180 grain RNFP, Federal Small Pistol primer, Remington brass.

 

[Landric]

I am currently enjoying 13 grains of 2400 with a Keith 358429 170 grain SWC. Its not full power, but its not weak either. I'm still working on a good 200 grain load. I started with 9.5 grains of 2400, but that was pretty weak, and I hesitate to call it a magnum load, even though it was in magnum brass.

 

[canoe on the yukon]

In 357 mag brass.....

Speer 125 gr JHP......21.0 gr of W296 w/mag primer


or

17.5 gr of 2400 w/standard primer


........................................................................................................


Speer 158 gr JHP......16.5 gr of W296 w/mag primer

or

..............................15.0 gr of 2400 w/standard primer


*****Whenever using bullets of different brands,drop down and work back up,different bullets will yield different pressure/velocity with the same charge even though the same type and weight.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

A 173 grain 358429 over 14 grains of 2400.

 

[pps]

Yep, that's the same for me, with a Fed 100 primer. I like shooting a load that is nearly identical to what fellows did sixty years ago.

+1

And the 185gr Beartooth LBT over 15.8gr of h110 for 1200fps of bone smaking delight isn't to bad either.

 

[LazarusLong]

12.5-13 grains of 2400 under a ~175 grain LSWC in a .38 case.

 

[tops]

158 gr. SWC with 15 grs. 2400 will do over 1400 in a 6 in. barrel. Been shooting it since 1965. Larry

 

[smith57]

180 gr WFN-GC Cast Performance bullet over 9.5 gr Blue Dot gives 1245 fps from my 4" bbl 686-3. This is my winter woods load.

 

[michael thornton]

158 jhp over 14.8 2400, my book shows this at max, my plinker load is 158 cast swc over 6.0 unique shoot great in my 4 inch 27-2 mike

 

[Hook686]

I like 13.6 grains of 2400 with mag primers and a 158 grain SJSP bullet. As a bonus, I do not worry about my powder dispenser acting quirky and dropping up to +/- .5 grains of 2400, as 14.1 grains of 2400 is still well below maximum load, at least according to Alliant.

 

[buck460XVR]

For plinkin' with both the 6'' 686 and the 20'' carbine, I like 7.4 grns. of Unique under a Remmie SJHP using a standard small pistol primer.

For hunting with the 686 I like 15.5 grains of H110/W296 under a 158 Hornady XTP-FP or Speer JSP with a small magnum pistol primer. The carbine prefers 16.5 grns. of IMR4227 and a small pistol primer under either of the same bullets

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have more than one .357 Magnum load I like to shoot.

1.) In my Carbine and SA revolvers I like a 158gr JSP bullet over 16.8gr W296.
2.) In DA revolvers I shoot a 158gr JHP over 14.0-14.5gr 2400.
3.) For serious work a Max charge of Lil'Gun and a 180gr jacketed or GC lead bullet does the trick.
4.) For a mid-range plinking load I shoot a 158gr LSWC over a charge of 7.2gr HS-6.
5.) For a light plinking load I shoot a 158gr LSWC over 4.0gr W231.

*** Remember, always check data you find on the Internet for yourself. Mistakes can and will happen when posting numbers. Don't blame me if you blow something up...***

 

[Kirmdog]

A 173 grain 358429 over 14 grains of 2400.

Same 358429 with enough Herco to propel it to 1200 fps. If I feel that isn't enough then I go to a max load of Herco out of an old Lyman manual with 358429 for over 1300 fps out of my 4" and 6" Mod. 28's. This is the most accurate cast bullet I have found for 38 Special's 357's and shoots well with loads from mouse farts to bear loads. I've found that Herco burns cleaner for me than 2400 with better accuracy out of my guns.

Kirmdog

 

[Erich]

Tennessee Valley Bullets 158-gr LSWCGC over 18.0 gr Lil' Gun and a CCI magnum primer, firm roll crimp. 1400 fps from the 4" GP-100, and just over 2k fps from the 20" 92 Short Rifle.

 

[pps]

Tennessee Valley Bullets 158-gr LSWCGC over 18.0 gr Lil' Gun and a CCI magnum primer, firm roll crimp. 1400 fps from the 4" GP-100, and just over 2k fps from the 20" 92 Short Rifle.

lil gun seems to excel in longer barrels. Since I've started reloading for 22 hornet, and eventually .410 shotgun...lil gun will be on my reloading bench for the foreseeable future.

 

[Emerson]

158 gr SWC & 3.0 grains of Bullseye

 

[Erich]

PPS, Lil' Gun definitely is better in the longer tubes - the spreads drop to amazingly small numbers out of that 92 of mine. I think the deviations are single-digits while the means are over 2000 fps. Amazing.

It's still hell on wheels out of the short barrels (1400 fps from a 4" with a 158-grainer!), but the spreads are just so tight with the longer ones. Shoots accurately, too.

A neat powder.

 

[Skip Sackett]

Two different ones:

For the wife's M586 6" and Marlin 1894 carbine it is a H&G #290BB bullet over a Speer #8 charge of SR4756. 1280fps out of the handgun and 1580fps out of the rifle.

I have others but can't pull that data from my 53 year old hard drive at the moment!

I don't like to shoot anything lighter than 158gr in the "38" caliber cases, special or magnum.

It looks like I need to work on some of those loads like Erich mentioned above!

 

[Black_Talon]

6.2 gr WW231 and a 158gr LSWC. Runs about 1050-1100 fps out of a 6" bbl.

 

[campfire]

The range loads I am currently using are 125 grain FPCN over 4.2 grains of Winchester Super Target and Federal small pistol primers.
I have been using the same projectiles with a small variation to the powder since I began reloading at the beginning of this year.
Last week I ordered a batch of 140 FPCN and 158 grain Keith style bullets so I am starting to get a bit adventurous with my reloading; once I use up the WST powder I think I will change to W 231. (easy to get).
I have been playing with the camera today; here is a picture of a few of my rounds.
Campfire

 

[acl864]

The load I shoot the most is a 158 Gr. TVB LSWC with 5.3 Gr. Universal Clays and a Fed GM200M primer. I use it as a DA practice load. Chrono's right at 900 fps out of a M19 w/ 2 1/2" barrel and around a 1000 fps out of M19 w/ 6" barrel. You can probably come very close to duplicating this load with a similar charge of Unique, but Universal meters better. I bought a pound of Unique a few weeks before I found a pound of Universal on the shelf. The Universal is nearly gone but the Unique container is still about 3/4 full.