.41 mag questions s&w657

F

frank4570

New member
Ok. The gun will be here in a few days. Today I bought a bunch of reloading stuff.Nosler 210gr hp's. And winchester 296 powder.50 pieces of brass and I already have a pile of federal magnum primers.I have loaded up 5 rounds at 18.5( reloading manuals min) for starters. So I can shoot just a little as soon as I get the gun.
I have done a lot of semi-auto pistol and bolt rifle reloading,but no revolver at all.Are there any tricks or guidelines to go by? Are there pressure signs to look for that may be different than what I am used to?
I will look for a good soft load to practice with, but I will start by seeking maximum speed and acceptable accuracy. I would like to get to a load I can shoot at a deer confidentally as quickly as possible.
The components are just what were at the gunstore and were recommended by the gunshop guy.They are just something to start with.
 
The twelfth edition of Winchester's reloading components catalog states 20.4 grains of 296 with a 210 grain jacketed soft point. It also states, "Do not reduce powder charges with 296 powder". 296 is great for full power loads and would serve you well for deer loads.

For soft loads, I would use a quality cast bullet with a good bullet lube and a powder in the range of Unique or Blue Dot. Stay around 1,000fps and, assuming you have a good fit with a particular cast bullet and your 657, you can have a load that is far less expensive, more fun to shoot and quite accurate. Better yet, learn how to cast your own!
 
Frank,

I agree with Poygan's post regarding 296 ball powder. Get the Winchester reloading guide for 296 and make sure it has .41 Magnum in it. Ball powder is a bit "odd" in my experience as you can get excessive pressures by reducing the load too much. Stay within the recommended ranges.

The .41 Magnum factory ammo usually tosses a 210gr jacketed bullet at 1300fps. This is quite good for a hunting load. I prefer about 1100fps loadings to save my wrist and ears. :D The old Remington "Police" load was a 210gr LSWC around 1000fps.

As to pressure signs, most "hunting loads" will flatten the primers out somewhat, but other than that pressure signs are about the same.
 
FRANK4570:
I have two 657's. One in 4 inch and another in 3 inch. Here are my loads:
17.5 grains of 2400...210 Plated or Jacked
8.0 grains of Unique...210 Plated or Jacked [Duplicates Old Police Load.]
5.0 grains of Unique...210 Plated or Jacked PPC load
 
make sure you get a good roll crimp on those cartridges.

it will help burn the powder, and you don't want those bullets to pull back out under recoil.
 
My Load From A 4 Inc Barrel?

frank4570:
I can not give you anything but a book estimate.
I figure it is between 1100 fps and 1,000 fps. I load plated bullets that are restricted to 1,200 fps.
 
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I just began loading for my newly aquired S&W 57-1...

I have a Lyman Manual #47 on hand and used the starting Unique load for 200gr JHP's....

200gr JHP (I went with Remington's JHPs, in stock at our local Cabela's)
8.2gr. of Unique
A good crimp (I'm using a Lee Factory Crimp Die)
Win Primers

I find it to be an excellent load for range use and probably heading down range about 1,000fps...I have not set up the Chrony yet.

It's a medium feeling load...not mean...but it's a magnum! Fun to shoot.

What was great, out of my 4" Model 57-1, five out of six wholes were touching at 20 yards...off a rest...good enough for me.

Bob
 
Well I got the 657 today. I did a little shooting this evening.Just a little. I was using the 296 powder,fed mag primers, and nosler 210 hp bullets.8.5 grains of powder is giving me about 1250 fps out of a 6 in barrel.That is the same as my 10mm with 200gr bullets. And the 10mm is topped out.The .41 can probably go quite a bit faster. .But there is a bit more recoil with the 657.Probably due to the shape of the grip and the recoil system of the semi-auto.And there is a bit more blast. This is a used 657 and somebody has certainly done some work on the trigger. It is just a little heavy but breaks very clean. I can tell the rear sight has been filed down just a bit. I've done the same thing to my own guns.
Another thing I noticed is this thing seems to have sharp edges all over the place,I guess I will gently round off those things.
I was shooting at dark at a chewed up target, but if I saw what I think I saw, I have a good shooter.
I did notice there is a bit more standard deviation than I would like. Maybe my crimp? Or the powder? I am using a match powder dump so the charges are consistent.
Any thoughts?
P.S. The coloration of the gun is normal.
 
Frank,
If your seating depth is consistent, check your crimps for consistency. If you're using a chronograph and see higher than normal deviation; your crimps and seating depths are consistent, then try firing out just one chamber at a time. You may have a slightly off center (out of time) issue with one or more chambers or it could be one chamber is slightly different than the others.
 
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