Loading for .357 Max

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Sevens

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Hoping to hear some thoughts on the .357 Rem Max in this thread. Also, if you have strong search-fu, maybe school me on how to properly use the TFL advanced search-- I really wanted to pull up .357 Max threads but I'm not smart enough to force the search engine to filter out .357 Magnum which obviously is about a 500:1 ratio in popularity & discussion. Search terms or a link would be great help!

Me: I recently snagged a 14" bull .357 Max barrel for my Contender. Haven't shot it yet. Also ran across the existence of ".360 DW" headstamp brass which I *think* may be merely a strengthened and same external dimension brass for .357 Max.

If you load it for a Dan Wesson, Contender, Handi-Rifle or even the scarce Ruger Blackhawk, let's get some chatter going on the big Max.
 
the best bullet I found in my TC 357 max super 14 was the Speer 180 grain flat point rifle bullet using WW-680 (hasn't been available for a lot of years). I won't give out how many grains of powder but I was getting 1,900 fps. I used the Hornady 140 grain hollow point with H-110. I think I was probably pushing the 140 grain bullet to fast because it really made a mess of a prairie dog. I wouldn't go any lighter than a 158 grain jacketed bullet (preferably Hornady because I think they are a little tougher bullet).
 
Yeah, I should probably add my goals for .357 Max:

I wanted to play with something new, something not bottle-neck, something without horrendous recoil (10" .44 Mag barrel on Contender was torture) and probably 95% of my end goal for this rig will be to shoot steel plates from a bench rest at 100-300 yards.
 
Don't use jacketed in mine, it's a rebored Cadet with 1 in 16 twist. I have settled on the RD359190, either GC or PP (depends on my mood) pushed by 28gr A1680 giving me 2100fps. Usual caveat applies: start low and work your way up. For me the soot started to disappear at around 26gr. This is a compressed load in the Max case, have heard of some loading as much as 30gr.--this is considered to be a maximum load. A1680 is probably the slowest powder suitable for this case. GW
 
I have a Contender with a 13" 357 Max MGM barrel on it. Great versatile round with 158, 180, and 200 gr bullets, but don't expect 223 accuracy from it at 100 yds.
I like using 4227 powder in it.
 
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I will be starting with iron sights an ultimately, just looking for pass/fail hits on steel plates, 8-12" in diameter. I think it'll be some good clean fun.

Does anyone know anything about that .360 DW brass?
 
The DW .360 is a bit shorter than the 357max. It will fit into and chamber in the max and can be used in it. I'd suggest you just locate and buy some .357max brass to use instead. The shorter DW .360 may be a bit less accurate due to the fact the bullet has further to travel in the throat to get to the bore. You'll find that the brass in this gun will last a very long time. I have some with 20 reloads through it and it still looks good. I've been loading for this caliber for two years now and I've tried a lot of different powders and bullet combinations in my Browning Low Wall .357max. To date, several powders have worked very well but the two best have been Reloader7 and 4227. I recently shot one five shot group at 200 yards that measured under two inches. Shooting can be done at 300 yards but don't expect sub moa accuracy. You'll read about someone shooting some fantastic group at very long range but the average group from a very good shooting gun will be somewhat larger. My gun seems to shoot very well and at my personal range of 114 yards I can get five shot groups under an inch pretty regularly. Best bullets to date have been Nosler Revolver bullets of 158 grains and Hornady XTP of 158 and 180 grains. I haven't been able to get the heavier bullets to shoot as well as others have reported.
 
I have a Super 14 Contender barrel, & a 6" stainless Dan Wesson in 357 Max... because of the number of guns I shoot, it's been years ( many ) since I've loaded for either... back when I did, I had a 190 grain TMJ SIL bullet I was buying in bulk ( it's no longer available ) I had a couple different loads of powders that I was using, but don't remember what they were off the top of my head... could look at the load labels on the boxes if that would be of any help... I still have 400-500 rounds loaded from back in the Clinton era

this is likely the closest bullet currently available, to what I was loading back then...

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/185446/sierra-tournamentmaster-bullets-38-caliber-357-diameter-180-grain-full-profile-jacket-box-of-100?cm_vc=ProductFinding

lately I've been switching to more hard cast lead bullets, for almost everything, & would personally try these...

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/411386/cast-performance-bullets-38-caliber-358-diameter-187-grain-lead-wide-flat-nose-gas-check-box-of-100?cm_vc=ProductFinding

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1988172847/cast-performance-bullets-38-caliber-358-diameter-200-grain-lead-wide-long-nose-gas-check?cm_vc=ProductFinding

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/1988218433/cast-performance-bullets-38-caliber-358-diameter-180-grain-lead-wide-flat-nose-gas-check?cm_vc=ProductFinding

BTW... if your load book doesn't say... I was using small rifle primers ( maybe even small rifle magnum or bench rest ) ( CCI, because they are harder ) or you can flatten & or pierce primers depending on how soft a brand, of pistol primers, before you really get the Max up to "working" pressures
 
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the 357 max should have small rifle primers. it can be very accurate and if you use H-110 there will be a LOT of fire and noise
 
Does it seem odd to anyone else that there is pretty much -ZERO- published load data for .357 Rem Max and Accurate#9 powder? I suppose I find this odd simply because Accurate#9 seems to be, at least in my experience -- somewhere right between Alliant 2400 and H110 in it's use/performance/compatibility range.

If you look at some of the telltale signs of relative and/or approximate burning rate... you find that a FASTER burning powder tends to use a lower charge weight and a SLOWER burning powder uses a slightly heavier charge weight on the max published end of the load.

If you look at many different examples of .357 Magnum load data, you will typically find published loads for Unique, 2400, AA#9, H110 and occasionally... they'll even list some Power Pro 300-MP loads.

...and those max published loads tend to show charge weights, from low to high, in exactly that order.

It just seems like even though Accurate/Western would rather you use their rifle powders for .357 Max... Accurate#9 SHOULD be a viable propellant in this round. But no data... and not one of my manuals shows data for it either.

I'll begin my .357 Max journey with 2400 I suppose. And I doubt that 2400 is the best powder for this job. But at least I can find published sources that back it's use here. But it sure seems like anywhere 2400 works -- Accurate#9 also works, and often... better.

(FWIW, I still can't figure out a better search term for the TFL search engine to get .357 Max results with .357 Mag filtered out. Help?)
 
I have a rolling block Remington in tight chamber 38 special.
I have the body reamer, but not the throater to take it to 357max.
With 357 mag double loads, the magnum small rifle primer pierces and the gas opens and jams the action. It can really take the pressure.

I have been looking for a pointed nose boat tail .357 or .358" bullet.
Playing with Quickload, it became apparent that there is little long range deer hunting advantage of going to 357 max conversion unless the OAL can be made extremely long.
 
With 357 mag double loads, the magnum small rifle primer pierces and the gas opens and jams the action. It can really take the pressure.
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Are you saying you're using a double charge from a .357mag load in your gun? Why would you even think of doing that? No .357MAX load is made up from a MAG loading by doubling it. This sounds like a good recipe/load for disaster.
 
it really isn't possible to test every powder for a particular caliber. some powders aren't suitable for a caliber and there is a limited space in a reloading manual to list every powder even if they are all suitable. as for the 357 max. I think H-110/WW-296 are probably the best if you are going to shoot full power loads. when I started loading the 357 max. when it first came out WW-680 was the best powder for heavy bullet loads but that powder was discontinued a long time ago.
 
NoSecondBest
Are you saying you're using a double charge from a .357mag load in your gun? Why would you even think of doing that?
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Yes.
In 2013 I bought a modified Remington No 5 Rolling block 1905 or 1910 type at a gun show. The seller did not know the cartridge nor the caliber. I figured out it was a 38 special chamber. I worked up a load until something failed. It was the pistol primer. I switched to a magnum small rifle primer and continued the work up until that primer failed.

I wanted to test how strong the gun is.
Now I know, in case I build something with the rifle.
But so far, other than that work up, I have not shot it.

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Hey, thanks for that link!

I knew that #9 operates entirely in this arena -- it only makes good sense that if 2400 and H110 run here... AA#9 runs here as well.

Sure seems odd to me that it's not more prevalent.

Thank you again. ;)
 
The .360 Dan Wesson is the .357 Maximum shortened to 1.415" with the same heavier web area of the longer case. Load data can be found on the www.handloads.com website. Maximum factory overall length is listed as 1.76" but most bullets will give a COAL of 1.71"- 1.735". Unfortunately, that means most .357 revolvers can't use it with the exception of the Taurus M607/M608, the EAA Bounty Hunter and the Ruger .357 Redhawk (and, of course, the Dan Wesson M360, if you can find one). It is also an ideal starting point for making .351 Self Loading brass for a Winchester M1907.
 
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