.357 revisit

B

Brutus

New member
Treated myself to a new Dan Wesson .357 as a retirement birthday present to me.;)
Back in the day, before I got the big bore bug, I would load a Speer .146gr. half jacketed semi wad cutter on top of 13.5gr, of 2400 with a magnum primer. This was the most accurate load I ever developed for my .357 Colt. Don’t think you can get those bullets anymore and I shot those twenty some years ago.
My primary interest for this gun will be target shooting, big bores still rule for other endeavors , so I m wondering what others may be using in a magnum class hand load what with the new bullets and powders currently available.
 
I don't remember seeing 146 grain bullets in a coon's age. I have some of those bullets. Lord, that lead was as hard as stone.
 
CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond or not covered by currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The Firing Line, nor the staff of TFL assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.


When I first got a .357 mag. (1960) I loaded 15.5 gr. of H (Hercules) 2400 powder and the Lyman #358156 158 gr. SWC cast bullet.

These days I load 14.0 gr. of A (Alliant) 2400 powder, same bullet and call it good.

Back then and before that was considered the max load and it was stout in a 4" S&W no number Highway Patrolman. These days I still shoot a 6" M28, same model, different gun. Load is accurate, leading very minimal in a worst case situation.

Kind of one load for everything for my use.
Paul B.
 
My most accurate, and also my heaviest load, is the 158g Hornady XTP JHP with a full charge of WW296. A bullet that works as well and sometimes better is the Nosler 158g JHP. Both will shoot under 2" five shot groups with regularity at 50 yards and I've killed just over fifty white tails with this caliber, and almost all with the Hornady bullets.
 
I think I still have some 160 grain half jacketed left from decades ago; I never liked them, anyway. My all around, everyday load is 12.5 grains of 2400 and either a Thompson designed 158 grain gcswc, home cast, or a 150 grain swc for 1150fps to 1200fps depending on which revolver and barrel length. If I need a "serious" load I have those same bullets over 15 grains of 2400 for about 1450fps in my M28 6". I've never really settled on a JHP bullet load but have killed deer with 125grn and 158grn jhp. They're all very accurate.
 
Thanks for all the feedback folks. Got some Federal 158gr. factory loads for starters just in case there are problems with the gun other than that I have some 158gr. wad cutters that I had loaded for my Python that I'm going to try out. Let you know how it goes. Got some AA#9,296,LilGun,and 2400 on hand and am struggling to decide which to use first, decisions, decisions.:confused:
 
Federal makes good ammo. See what happens.

I shot a lot of 296 through my Dan Wesson, but I found it gradually eroded the throat of the six inch barrel I used most of the time. When I got a lathe I used a toolpost grinder to clean it back to 5° and shorted the end to compensate for opening it up slightly. Helped reduce leading with hardcast bullets.

The tensioned barrel in the Dan Wesson is very accurate. The short stroke double-action is a bit stiff, but moderate your temptation to go too far with cleaning that up. I got a lighter mainspring for mine, but started getting misfires with all but Federal primers. I also wound up with the hand too short after working on the sliding surfaces inside and I had to put a new one in to set the timing right again (was failing the thumb drag test). Overall, a terrific revolver, though. Congratulations on your acquisition.
 
My load for 357 works well in my 4 and 6 inch Ruger Security-Six. The load is within the maximum load range in at least two manuals but it is a stout load that should not be used in S&W, Colt or similar revolvers.
I use Speer or Sierra 140 grain hollow point bullets because they are the best balance between velocity and penetration as well as being a very good performer on metal targets. The hollow point spends time on target before enough heat is generated to vaporize the bullet which transfers more momentum to the steel before the bullet is turned into a dime sized disc that falls to the ground. The powder charge is 19.1 grains of H110 with a CCI 550 primer to set the whole thing off.
It shoots into one inch groups at 25 yards, less than two inch groups at 50 yards and just over 3 inch groups at 75 yards. All groups fired off-hand (no support) from a standing position. At 100 yards the groups grow to about 6 inches due to my abilities. I don't know how it shoots from a rest because I don't use a rest when shooting pistols. So far I have not gotten groups smaller than 1.5 inches with my CZ 9mm but I am still working on a load for it.
I have harvested two white tail and one mule deer with the 357, used it for three years in hunter's pistol silhouette, casual target practice and plinking for the last 45 years. I went through 30000 rounds in the three years of silhouette competition with practice and matches. My guns show no wear and both can still produce 1" five shot groups at 25 yards.
 
I would load a Speer 146gr. half jacketed semi wad cutter
Click to expand...

Oh, I miss those bullets so much. Absolutely fantastic. I used to put gobbs of W296 under them and let 'em roar! There was no inaccurate combination with them. Not through my 8-3/8" 686 anyway. Too bad the lawyers put a stop to their production. Wish I could go back in time and buy about 5K of them. Yes, I was very fond of this bullet, in case you didn't pick up on my subtlety :p.

These days, I've settled on 158 JHP's (or JSP's) as an acceptable substitute. And in my advancing years, I've forsaken W296, and moved to the slightly faster 2400, with slightly de-tuned charge weights. With that, I'd still use the old 146 JSWC's if Speer still made them. The 160's too.
 
Still got a whole box of the 160 grainers, bought them for a planned hog hunt that never materialized, about that time I decided to retire my Colt from shooting magnums and relegated it to target loads only. When the hog hunt finally came around I used my .45 Colt mountain gun as that's my choice for bear protection when grouse hunting in the U.P. and I wanted to see how effective it would be.
Now I'm torn, would love to try them out of my new Dan but they have become somewhat coveted like rare coins or antique baseball cards .:confused:
 
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Best Revolver Caliber Ever (IMO). I prefer 158gr Missouri SWC over 6.9 gr. of Titegroup in my 4" GP100 for the range. This powder and W231 will give you good accuracy; W296 to wake everybody up at the range (use with caution). Fun!
 
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