Desert Eagle .357 load results with VV 3N37 and 200gr Speer FMJ

[muncie21]

I couldn't find much info on 200gr 357 loads, so I'm posting for those folks that are interested in loading this heavy of a bullet in 357.

My DE had a tendency to not cycle with some factory 357 ammo. In the mood for testing, I picked up some Speer 200gr (it was on sale) FMJ and proceeded to load up some bullets using VV 3N37 powder.

7.5gr cycles the pistol very consistently and ejects the shells about 8'. Pretty happy with these results. I've got some 158gr bullets on the way, can't wait to see how these run with the VV powder.

BTW, I learned that the DE needs the case OAL to be shorter than 1.635 in order to feed in the magazine.

 

[g.willikers]

^^^
Yessir, if the rounds can't freely slide up and down in the magazine, they ain't gonna' feed into the barrel nohow.
First things first.
It's kind of amazing to listen (read) some of the long winded conversations about overall cartridge length without any reference to the magazine the rounds will have to fit into.
Always wondered when the Oops factor made its appearance.

 

[muncie21]

Yep, good point.
Here's the 'ooops' that I learned while doing this-
1-3 rounds loaded to 1.635 will load into the magazine. I only verified that a single round would fit when I was confirming OAL, during reloading. What I didn't take into consideration was how multiple rounds would sit into the mag when it was loaded.

Went to the range and discovered that I had 3-round mag instead of the factory 9

 

[44 AMP]

BTW, I learned that the DE needs the case OAL to be shorter than 1.635 in order to feed in the magazine.

well...yeah...

Where did you get that number, and why are you using it???

My references say maximum .357 Mag case length is 1.290" (trim to 1.285")
and MAXIMUM loaded length with bullet (COAL = Cartridge OverAll Length)
should be 1.590"

And FWIW, if you measure a bunch of factory rounds, you'll almost never find any that actually reach the listed COAL.

It's kind of amazing to listen (read) some of the long winded conversations about overall cartridge length without any reference to the magazine the rounds will have to fit into.
Always wondered when the Oops factor made its appearance.

I agree. What I see a lot is from rifle shooters looking to measure length so they can load "just off the lands" or even to the lands, and never a word from them if those long rounds actually FEED through the action...

Long time back, a friend got some 210 LRN .38 slugs, figuring they would be good in his Marlin .357 Carbine. Fortunately (somewhat) he tested the first two he loaded by putting them in the tube mag. The rifle had to be disassembled to get them out and the jam cleared, they were simply TOO LONG when loaded in .357 cases.

Still wondering about that 1.635" figure. You repeated it several times, so I assume its not a typo. Where did you get it???

 

[muncie21]

Since I was using VV powder, I used their reloading guide as a reference. It referenced a max OAL of 1.697. After some adjustments and loading a dummy bullet into the magazine, I found that 1.650 was too long, but 1.635 would allow the round to load.

That's the background. Since 44 AMP was so kind as to provide the specs for .357 rounds, I checked my Lee manual and yep, he's spot on. Looking closer at the VV reloading guide, I noticed a footnote next to the OAL number, which references that the load is longer than spec. I didn't notice this before, as the superscript was next to the mm OAL measurement and I was very much focused on the inch OAL value.

Thanks for the education, I learned something new today, and the day just started.

 

[44 AMP]

Ok, that explains it. With an overall length of 1.697" that load should work in a Contender, but its not going to fit in much else.

I just checked the cylinder of the first .357 I grabbed (Ruger Blackhawk), and a quick rough measurement shows it to be 1.656" long.

I imagine most .357 revolvers to be about the same. and even 1.65" is over spec length, and too long to work through any magazine fed repeater I know of (semi auto, bolt, lever, or pump). ALL of them would be designed around the SAAMI spec length.

There's nothing wrong with extra long loads, TAILORED for a specific firearm, such as a single shot. They just won't work in the standard repeaters.