Full house .357 Magnum loads

The Hackmaster

The Hackmaster

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Hey all,

Today I put together and tested some of what I would call some pretty stiff .357 rounds. I used 16 grains of 2400, WSP primer, 125 grain Hornady XTP and Winchester brass. The gun was a Ruger GP100 with the 6 inch barrel. Now, when I pulled the trigger, the concussion ( muzzel blast) that came off that thing almost made my nose bleed. There are no pressure signs on the brass, and the rounds clocked between 1350 and 1400 FPS. They also extracted freely. Now this is my first time firing a .357 so is this a normal occurance(keyboard is stuck on french language setting so I produce a é instead of a question mark...).
 
In my reload notes, I've highlighted 15.2 grains of 2400 pushing a 125 grain bullet as an accurate load in the same gun (6" GP100 stainless). It does have a brisk kick but it's actually not a heavy load. In the Hornady manual for this bullet, you'll find a few milder loads. (Min listed is 13.9 grains). YMMV.
 
Your load mentioned is not over max in three books I just checked.

You could try a heavier bullet but check the book first as 16 is over max for the heavier bullet loads.

SF
 
44MAG, Max H110 loading under a 180gr bullet.

That'll wake you up in the morning ;)

It's all relative and a stout 357MAG load is a lot of fun.

But now I'm a Boom/Flash/Recoil junkie :( Current fix, 350gr 45-70 out of a 6" BFR revolver.

It'll get your attention but quick!

Sorry for the thread drift, just wanted to point out the dangers of Boom/Flash/Recoil addiction :D
 
i use cast 158gr bullets in my 357 rounds, a lot cheaper then xtp's and other hollow points if the only thing your killing is paper, and i agree with the above a good kick boom and flash is a lot of fun
 
125 grain bullets over full magnum powder charges will likely result in flamecutting of your topstrap in a very, very short time. Too bad I didn't know any better then, so my 686 exhibited some flamecut after about 50 rounds.

My GP100 which has never tasted such 125 grain bullet loads and it still is flamecut-free after hundreds of magnum shots. Experts say that the FC will not hurt the revolver and will stop by itself after a certain depth...but still I don't like the idea.

If you want a satisfying full power magnum, try 15 grains 2400 under 158 grains JHP, regular WSP primer. Got that recipe from handloads.com.
I have been cautioned by one of the moderators in another forum to shoot this stiff load only with Ruger firearms.

I normally load Speer 158 grain JHP bullets over 14 grains 2400 and it is a very comfortable and accurate load to shoot, usually 3 shots in less than 2 inches at 15 meters, standing two-handed hold, firing double action from my GP100. Haven't chrono'd it but should be over 1,300 fps.
 
A lot of that muzzle blast is from unburned powder hitting the air. 2400 is slow burning at best and worse when you are below max loadings. The muzzle blast won't be less as you approach max loadings either. You might want to try either H110 or Win 296 using Magnum primers following manual suggested loadings and see if you can reduce the muzzle flash. Either that or go for faster powders and lighter loads.

Until the .44mag came along in 1955 the .357Mag was king of the hill and I believe still has the highest one shot stops in US law enforcement.

Take Care

Bob
 
The .357Mag is such a fun cartridge to tinker with, especially with the variety of available bullet weights and styles.

I used to keep the slow-burning H110 and v-N110 for .357Mag loads and experiment with faster burning powders in .38spl, but I eventually started to do more and more experimenting with the longer case. I even made a duplex load with two 105gr. LWCs, that was fun (and, admittedly, a bit useless).

Have fun with your Ruger Hackmaster! Try Shift+6 for the question mark, I have a French keyboard too.
 
Cerdan said:
The .357Mag is such a fun cartridge to tinker with, especially with the variety of available bullet weights and styles.
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Truer words have yet to be spoken. To add to the fun I just acquired a Rossi lever gun in .357mag to go along with my GP-100. It adds a whole new dimension when it comes to loading this cartridge. Light loads matching factory .38spl are like shooting a .22LR in the Rossi and the boomer loads for the handgun are mild recoiling in the rifle.

To the OP you might try some lead bullets in your .357mag cartridges. You have a few more options running heavier bullets using faster powders. Shooting lead is a whole lot cheaper and you can eliminate some of the flash boom. Lighter loads are easier on your gun and wrist and they kill paper targets equally well.

Take Care

Bob
 
The .357 has always produced objectionable muzzle blast; its bark is worse than its bite, compared to a big bore anyway. You can reduce the amount of blast by using a heavier bullet which requires a smaller charge, but recoil might be more noticeable if you are concerned by such things.
 
easyrider604 said:
125 grain bullets over full magnum powder charges will likely result in flamecutting of your topstrap in a very, very short time. Too bad I didn't know any better then, so my 686 exhibited some flamecut after about 50 rounds.

My GP100 which has never tasted such 125 grain bullet loads and it still is flamecut-free after hundreds of magnum shots. Experts say that the FC will not hurt the revolver and will stop by itself after a certain depth...but still I don't like the idea.
Neither do I. Methinks its time to go back to the drawing board on these ones.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I loaded up some 357 with 16 gr 2400 and winchester 125 gr JSP's for this weeks range trip. I'm looking forward to seeing how it performs. I'll be shooting them out of a 6" S&W 27-2 so I hope flame cutting wont be much of an issue......
 
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