357 Magnum handload.

R

Recycled bullet

New member
These are my favorite 357 magnum target handload. The bullet weights 155 grains.

The powder charge is 16.5 grains of H110.

These bullets whack the steel plates really hard.

I shoot them from the ruger blackhawk and ruger 77-357.

It is a lot of fun and I am glad to be assembling handloads again.
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Out of a 6" handgun that load should be in the mid 1200fps range, +/- for different barrel lengths and different guns.
 
.357

I don't shoot as much of .357 as I used to, having fallen to the autopistol craze like so many others. But I have been all over the map load wise with the passage of time with the cartridge and finally settled on 3 loads:

GP load. Commercial 158 gr LSWC and 6.0 gr of Unique for 1000 fps from my Blackhawk. Load surprisingly also shot well from my Marlin microgroove 1894 carbine .

Hunting load. For whitetails in either the carbine or the Blackhawk. Remington 158 gr JHP and 13.5 gr of 2400.

SD/PD load. Factory Federal or Remington 125 gr JHP. Pretty much the gold standard for stopping power in a handgun, even today. My old Hwy Patrolman is zeroed to this load. From the carbine, it easily breaks 2000 fps and is truly devastating.

I'll add that for a long time I would zero the carbine and the Blackhawk with the same load flopping back and forth between GP and JHP as the seasons required. I no longer do so, as I find I never carry both guns at once anyhow. The Blackhawk now goes GP, the carbine 158 JHP, and the Hwy Patrolman is dedicated to 125 JHP factory stuff.
 
I also shoot a 160gr but usually with 14.5 of 110. Out of my Henry lever it screams out around 1600fps. A 125gr JHP was enough to set off Tannerite so probably close to 2000fps.
 
The only handloads I am interested in, are the unconventional ones. ;)
(All kidding aside though, I don't post data in the public forums either.)
 
Mine sit in the 1000-1100fps range (158gr SWC). Do everything that needs doing (for the peanut round, move up in caliber if I need more). No need for the barn burners here. Around here it is frowned upon to smack steel plates with 'hard' hitting rounds at the range. No wonder we end up with twisted, bent, broke, steel plates after awhile... Current load is 7.0gr True Blue under 158gr SWC for 1092fps out of a 6 1/2" barrel.
 
Hey RClark are members of your range shooting mag dumps from AR-15's loaded with green tip penetrators at the metal plates and causing the damage?

I have shot hundreds of these interesting 357's at between 20 and 100 yards at a piece of AR 500 set to swing with revolvers and rifles.... and all it did was blast the paint off. Periodically I repaint it :-)

30 ought 6 loaded with 125 grain bullets took little niblets out of the plate and reduced recoil 308 left barely perceptible divots.
 
I find the big, heavy bullets to be death on targets. I had a homemade swinging target I regularly shot with 180 gr 300 Win mag. A couple cylinders of hot and heavy 460 S&W took it apart in short order.
 
Hey RClark are members of your range shooting mag dumps from AR-15s...
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Don't know for sure. If they were caught it is an expulsion event on the pistol/revolver ranges as no rifles allowed. We do have some steel targets with 'divots' and some with holes. Some 'hot' stuff being shot. Also when you hit the 25 yard targets which are small, they can really go down 'hard'. A .22Lr has enough energy to tip them over, so image getting hit with a heavy load time after time even though they don't make a dent persay....
 
My favorite 357 Magnum Load(s) are :
155 gr. cast lead SWC w/ gas check (Lyman #358156)
7.5 grs Unique @ 1203 fps

160 gr. cast plain based Wadcutter (Lyman #358432 - or - NOE #360-160-WC - 360432 )
7.0 grs . Unique @ 1149 fps

Both fired from Ruger (three screw) Blackhawk w/ 6 1/2" barrel .
Bullets lubricated with Lithi-Bee bullet lube . No leading has been observed .
1 1/2 " - 10 shot , 1 ragged hole , groups at 25 yards (rested ) are the norm ! The 358432 Wadcutter Load hits hard and feeds thru my friends lever action rifle .
With this load the bullet holes like to gather round and touch each other ...

Load Safe ,

Gary
 
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