Your experiences with 357 Maximum

[boatbum101]

Bought an Encore frame with stock & forearm . Have a MGM 20" barrel coming . Pillar bedded forearm . Also rounded up cases , bullets & primers . Going to start with 180gr & go from there . Powders mentioned to me so far besides usual slow magnum handgun stuff are VVN-120 , Acc 1680 . Ran some numbers through Quickload . This might turn out to be one heck of a light hunting rifle for deer & hogs . Load data while available is kind of scant . Is David White's data & Elgin Gates data available still ?

 

[mauser9]

Flame cutting of the top strap on the Ruger!

 

[Sevens]

My experience is lousy and I’d love to hear thoughts or ideas to rectify it. Bought a used 14” Contender barrel in .357 Max and thought it would be neat for dinging long distance steel.

I’ve had it out only twice I think. Brass sticks HORRIBLY and won’t eject without serious work. And complicating things... it isn’t a pressure or overloaded handload kind of problem — my regular .357 Magnum loads (in .357 Magnum) brass does exactly the same thing. I’m talking loads that are full spec .357 but fall out of my Model 28-2... these do NOT want to come out of the Max barrel.

Is the chamber borked? I probably need to send it away to someone that can either save it somehow or re-chamber it to something that it can use.

 

[CoronaGold111]

I have a 20" MGM Encore barrel that I have only ever fired a few 357 Magnums from. I am not a big fan of the Encores, but somehow I keep amassing barrels and frames. But I have wanted to be a big fan of the 357 Max since I was in high school and the Max hit the scene...a few years back.

What I can say is that the "new" 350 Legend cartridge is VERY nearly just a 357 Max with a rebated rim. What's not to love about that...

The latest reloading manual I bought was "Sierra Rifle & Handgun Reloading Data," Edition V. I bought it specifically because I was at a fancy, big-city gun store AND because it listed .357 Maximum loads for three bullets including several for the interesting Sierra #2800 200 grain round nose soft tip.

Also, I've had a page open on the web browser of my phone for a few years now...haven't used it, but haven't lost it either. Con sarnin' dag nabbin' backstabbin' ding dong dang it! I guess I have lost it. When I opened the page the browser tried to reload and the site wouldn't come up. I guess handloads.com is gone for good. It used to have a dozen or more .357 Max loads.

And finally, hey Sevens! It sounds like a bur in your chamber to me? (You and I need to talk about Contender versus Encore someday. All of my T/C experience is Encore and I think all of yours is Contender.)

So in summation: yay Max! Check Sierra data. Sigh, handloads.com. Hi Sevens.

 

[mtgianni]

I have a 10" 357 rechambered to Max by Mike Bellm and a 357 Handi-rifle rechambered by myself to 357 Max. I tend to 296/H110 as powders and use cast from 180 to 220 gr bullets. Loading Max brass at Mag levels get you great looking targets. Mine have never seen jacketed and I don't see that changing. I think it is a great 150 yard deer gun, though I know a man that shot a moose with his. He is a non handloader so factory did the job at bow ranges.
Sevens, I think that chamber is in dire need of polishing at the minimum. I would also make sure that it is square with the barrel. TC had some throats that resembled a toilet bowl and they were tough to get accuracy with cast.
From all I have read, Bob Milek may have felt his own brainchild the 357 Herrett and the Contender platform were being threatened. I saw a Blackhawk in 357 max a few years ago that had regular use since the original owner bought it. It showed cutting but had stabilized. The owner said he felt the key was to never shoot lighter than 158 gr bullets and 180's were better. It is too bad they stopped revolver production, IMO and it would have been nice for Mr Milek to stick around for a few more years to see if his opinion changed.

 

[Rocket3]

Seemed like a great round but I to had a heck of time ejecting the fired round. 8" DW and 10 Contender. Gave up. Still have the contender barrel but sold the DW years ago.

 

[fredj338]

I briefly had a dan wesson, good round with heavy bullets, 158gr & up.

 

[df06]

I had a 14” MGM contender barrel in 357 max.shot one antelope at 125 yards. Worked well. Was as accurate as I could shoot. Didn’t shoot it enough so sold it. I do think it’s a pretty darn good single shot pistol round.

 

[colt_saa]

I only have Dan Wesson revolvers chambered for the cartridge. Fantastic accurate revolvers. They were available in blue or stainless

But THE Thompson/Center 357 Max Guru is Mike Bellm

I just never got around to letting him rechamber one of my T/C barrels

I use H110 simply because I always have it on hand for my 125JHP 357 Magnum loadings. I have probably shot more 125 JSPs through it just because I got a deal on 8000 from IMI what seems like decades ago.

But I also have a good supply of the Remington 180 SJHPs on hand. Blue Dot works very well with the cartridge also

I do not use hard cast slugs very often because my 357 Magnum ammunition also gets used in a suppressed rifle and I just do not want the lead vapor in the can

 

[bluetopper]

I just sold a 13'' MGM G2 Contender barrel in 357 Max and over 600 pieces of brass. I had it for several years. It would have made a great hunting cartridge but I don't ever hunt. It's accuracy never did suit me, about a 5" group at 100 yds is about all I could ever get out of it. Maybe I was expecting too much out of it, I don't know.

 

[Westie1]

I've got one the t/c super 14's that i bought around 1987. Mounted a 2x leupold eer scope on it, and kept my bullet weight to 170's or heavier. Favorite load was the Hornady 180SSP and AA1680. Load chrono'ed in the mid to upper 1800's. Still have about 3/4 of a box of the hornady's. Don't want to use them up for paper punching, since out here everything has to be lead free now.

 

[CoronaGold111]

I just sold a 13'' MGM G2 Contender barrel in 357 Max and over 600 pieces of brass. I had it for several years. It would have made a great hunting cartridge but I don't ever hunt. It's accuracy never did suit me, about a 5" group at 100 yds is about all I could ever get out of it. Maybe I was expecting too much out of it, I don't know.

I have had similar experience with multiple Encore setups. I suspect you have to "Bellm" one or "David White" one and then never swap the barrel in order to get great accuracy. I added an oversized hinge pin to one of mine and the groups tightened up quite a bit, but I've never gotten around to any more home-smithing than that with the Encore. My heart wants to believe the Contenders or G2s are legendary out of the box, but my head suspects they would require similar work.

But I'm still a fan of the 357 Max.

 

[rosewood]

I have a 10" Max barrel, but haven't tinkered with it to much. I also have a 12" mag barrel that will shoot just over 1moa at 100 yards and a 10" mag barrel that does about the same with my handloads. The throat on my 12" is so deep, I can seat the rounds almost as long as the max and can load almost as hot. So in a round about way, the max barrel isn't needed, but I have it anyway.

I would love to have a rifle barrel for the contender, but the prices have been out of my stomach range.

Contenders by the way.

Rosewood

 

[rosewood]

I just sold a 13'' MGM G2 Contender barrel in 357 Max and over 600 pieces of brass. I had it for several years. It would have made a great hunting cartridge but I don't ever hunt. It's accuracy never did suit me, about a 5" group at 100 yds is about all I could ever get out of it. Maybe I was expecting too much out of it, I don't know.

There was something wrong with that setup for sure. It should shoot way better than that. If the barrel was the issue, I bet MGM would have taken care of it for you.

I have had several barrels that didn't shoot the way I thought they should, but the only barrel I ever owned in an Encore or Contender that shot that bad was a 10" Contender in 44mag that the chamber was bored off center. After I figured that out, sent it back to TC and that is how I ended up with the 12" 357 mag barrel as a warranty swap, didn't cost me anything but a little time. I am pretty sure everything I have had would shoot at least <2MOA. The .223 barrel shoots in the 1/2 MOA from a 14" pistol barrel.

Rosewood

 

[boatbum101]

This all started with me casting up a bunch of LBT 180 WFNGC for use in my Ruger Blackhawk . Finally dawned on me that I could gain 500fps out a longer tube in 357 mag not the Max . Started looking at leverguns but could not find one that would feed that bullet at the Oal I can use in the Ruger . Then started looking at single shot rifles & the Encore seemed the best choice . Had heard too much about T/C factory barrels so figured a custom tube would do what I wanted . Then saw some of the results the Max shooters were getting . Had a couple of long conversations with Mr. Bellm & Dillon @ MGM . Instead of the factory cone type throat they throat like a real rifle barrel with a 1.5 degree leade , concentric chambers etc. I ordered one in 357 mag & one in 357 Max . My intended use will be hunting hogs as local deer are tiny ( think Shepard size with a rack ) . With the 6.5" 357 RBH I limit myself to 50yds , with a rifle I can double that to a 100yds with std. 357 mag . The Max just brings more to the table . With proper loading one can almost equal 35 Remington performance & it'll shoot flatter . As long as I can get reasonable hunting accuracy with my cast wide meplat bullets I'll be happy . Don't need another target rifle . Have weened myself down to just 2 of them , a 1903 Springfield for cast bullet matches & an Anschutz 54 22lr . Like everything in life time will tell .

 

[rosewood]

My intended use will be hunting hogs as local deer are tiny ( think Shepard size with a rack ) .


Aha, this explains why all of the guys come from FL to GA to hunt deer. Makes much more sense now. Probably the same reason GA boys go to Illinois to hunt their deer.

Rosewood

 

[oddshooter]

Giant Max fan boy here.

Started with 357 Maximum in a Ruger SRM 10" tube and fell in love ringing steel at 100 yards plus with iron sights.

Next came several Dan Wesson 40's in SuperMags in blue and stainless. These are giant hawglegs with sweet triggers and shoot like a dream.

I was rolling my own handloading and getting under 4" at 100 yards. A cast 194gr SWC using 18.5gr of 4227 with small rifle primer was the sweet spot for accuracy and recoil. Who can spend from $1 to $2 a round, when you can find them?

I saw what was described as a blued 357 Magnum United Sporting Arms Seville for sale out of Sacramento, CA. Hadn't seen one that looked like the picture with the long tube. I bought it for $700. When it showed up, it was a 357 Maximum with the IHMSA logo on the top strap. It wasn't blued, it was stainless. I called the seller and told him he had made a financial mistake and I wanted to make it right. The gun was worth twice what I paid. He said, "I had no idea, and I'm just glad you're happy". An eagle feather drops from the sky. It is an outstanding sixgun ! One sold yesterday on GB for $2,700.

Later, I saw a Magnum Research Lone Wolf in Max and had to have it. It uses a breech loading like a cannon. The Leupold EER scope on it was a revelation for my tired old eyes. I now expected under 2" or I thought something was wrong.

Then the T/C G1 Contender came to me with 4 barrels including a 357 Maximum and that started a new trend. Eventually I found Mike and Kurt Bellm. I acquired an Encore with a Max 26" rifle barrel. Scoped, that baby can shoot under 2" at 100 all day long. They built a G2 in Max for me and that was like hitting the mother lode.

No way I would sell any of them.


Prescut

 

[M E Morrison]

My experience is lousy and I’d love to hear thoughts or ideas to rectify it. Bought a used 14” Contender barrel in .357 Max and thought it would be neat for dinging long distance steel.

I’ve had it out only twice I think. Brass sticks HORRIBLY and won’t eject without serious work. And complicating things... it isn’t a pressure or overloaded handload kind of problem — my regular .357 Magnum loads (in .357 Magnum) brass does exactly the same thing. I’m talking loads that are full spec .357 but fall out of my Model 28-2... these do NOT want to come out of the Max barrel.

Is the chamber borked? I probably need to send it away to someone that can either save it somehow or re-chamber it to something that it can use.

I'd bet you have a chamber problem.

 

[Sevens]

Ya think?!

 

[oddshooter]

Sevens,

Not likely, but possibly your short 357 Mag loads in that longer Max barrel chambering left a crud line. That could make the Max rounds stick, but doesn't explain why you had extraction problems with the magnum as well. I usually first pray for easy, simple solutions.

Also, on the T/C it's possible that the barrel's extractor is an old type without a split?

Do you have to use a range rod to get the cases out? How difficult is it to push it out with that range rod?

Prescut
I hope you figure it out. I'm curious.