test drive
New member
Looking for a load for plinking in a .357 case. lead bullit I can mold myself and wont need a gas check and won't lead the barrel. Gun is a Rossi m92 lever action with 16 inch barrel. Thanks
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.357 reload for Rossi m92
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stubbicatt
New member
Test drive there are many suitable plinking loads for 357 magnum.
Neat thing about casting your own bullets is once you have your bore groove diameter, and cast or size ~.002" larger than this dimension, using a proper bullet grease/lube you can have a whole lot of fun for not a whole lot of money.
Me I chose the Lyman 160 grain RNFP bullet, though there are others that might work. I chose it due to the really wide grease groove that carries plenty of bullet lube, to assure that my slugs make it out of a rifle barrel without leaving lead in the bore. And you are right, in the velocity range of the 357 magnum, I haven't found gas checks to be necessary.
Some say you need hard bullets. My experience has shown that to be unnecessary, having shot even 30-1 alloy through a 357 magnum using 13.3 grains of 2400 powder, no shrinking violet load, without any leading in the barrel. This was possible because of the dynamics of the bore and properly sized bullets.
The powder choices are many. I have found cast bullet friendly powders work better most of the time. I like Unique, 231, 2400, IMR4227. Somewhere in there, you will find something that works for you.
13.3 grains of 2400 is a nice, warm, but not hot, load. 5 grains of 231 is a light load. You might want 5.5 of 231 to get cleaner burning. There are Unique loads all over the place... that is a great powder. I use CCI standard small pistol primers with these powders.
Neat thing about casting your own bullets is once you have your bore groove diameter, and cast or size ~.002" larger than this dimension, using a proper bullet grease/lube you can have a whole lot of fun for not a whole lot of money.
Me I chose the Lyman 160 grain RNFP bullet, though there are others that might work. I chose it due to the really wide grease groove that carries plenty of bullet lube, to assure that my slugs make it out of a rifle barrel without leaving lead in the bore. And you are right, in the velocity range of the 357 magnum, I haven't found gas checks to be necessary.
Some say you need hard bullets. My experience has shown that to be unnecessary, having shot even 30-1 alloy through a 357 magnum using 13.3 grains of 2400 powder, no shrinking violet load, without any leading in the barrel. This was possible because of the dynamics of the bore and properly sized bullets.
The powder choices are many. I have found cast bullet friendly powders work better most of the time. I like Unique, 231, 2400, IMR4227. Somewhere in there, you will find something that works for you.
13.3 grains of 2400 is a nice, warm, but not hot, load. 5 grains of 231 is a light load. You might want 5.5 of 231 to get cleaner burning. There are Unique loads all over the place... that is a great powder. I use CCI standard small pistol primers with these powders.
Last edited:
BrokenBottles
New member
Hey Stubbiecatt, what's a shrinking violet load?
My favorite plinking load for my Rossi 92 is a 125gr hard cast truncated cone over 300-mp. After only 3 or 4 load variations, I found a load that will hit POA at around 100 yards and is still accurate at around 250 yards. There was never any leading in the barrel even when extraction was difficult from really hot loads.
I've been using H4227 under a 158gr RNFP. It's not as accurate by a long shot but it'll do for range fodder.
I had quite a bit of luck with 700x as well. Really small amounts of powder(compared to 300-mp anyways) got the job done with decent accuracy to 100 yards with 125 RNFP and 158 LSWC
My favorite plinking load for my Rossi 92 is a 125gr hard cast truncated cone over 300-mp. After only 3 or 4 load variations, I found a load that will hit POA at around 100 yards and is still accurate at around 250 yards. There was never any leading in the barrel even when extraction was difficult from really hot loads.
I've been using H4227 under a 158gr RNFP. It's not as accurate by a long shot but it'll do for range fodder.
I had quite a bit of luck with 700x as well. Really small amounts of powder(compared to 300-mp anyways) got the job done with decent accuracy to 100 yards with 125 RNFP and 158 LSWC
I use 158gr "Ranger" bullets from Missouri Bullet CO. Rated at 18BNH. I load those with 8.7 grains of blue dot. It's well under a max load and out of the 16" tube of my Rossi 92, I get to about 1470 FPS (IIRC) with no leading at all, and they are very accurate. I don't have my book in front of me but I'm thinking thye were shooting 1.5" groups at 50 yds with iron sights.
test drive
New member
Good stuff. Thanks
shootniron
New member
test drive...if you are going to cast bullets, spend another $50 and start powder coating...then you will always have a shiny bore when finished shooting.
I have cast bullets for MANY years and starting to powder coat my bullets is the best thing that I have ever added to the casting.
I have cast bullets for MANY years and starting to powder coat my bullets is the best thing that I have ever added to the casting.