Loading for a 357 Carbine

the Rossi carbine has a 1/30 twist ( not your normal 38/ 357 twist) so bullet weight/ length of bullet and speed play a big role in accuracy.

also it is a known fact that bore diam varies from rifle to rifle

you need to try some short fat .360 /.361 dia cast bullets not over 158g .. and also note that the short fat bullet is not very aerodynamic

Primers ... cci has stated that there SPM primer is the same as a SR primmer...... try a SRM primer

the Campro 158g 357 tc bullet can be pushed faster than you think ...... 35 whelen plinker load
 
if you want to find out how accurate your rifle is try some 38 special , .360 /.361 dia 148/150g wc and single feed them at 50 yds

Note rifle will most likely jam if you load them in the tube mag, thats why you single feed or top load spc wc in the rossi
 
Rossi 38/357 with a 2moa red dot 50 yards with a rest

3 different loads on same target / adjusting the red dot

38 special .361 dia powder coated wc PlusP load on the left side single fed top load
 

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Others may disagree with this, but I believe another issue Ganderite is having with his groups is the Campro bullets.

What kind of accuracy would you get out of a 357 mag handgun with those bullets at 50+ yards? Don't expect better out of your lever action rifle.

I ran into the same issue and a local Cowboy Shooter tuned me in on his findings. He shoots his lever action rifles a lot with moderate pressure loads, behind mostly cast lead bullets.

I had picked up a couple of thousand CamPro 158 grain FCP at the Chilliwack gunshow last spring and even though I was satisfied with them in my revolvers, I could not get them to shoot well at 50+yds.

I tried different powders, primers and cases. Played with seating depths, etc. They shot into 2-4 inches consistently.

I didn't get "stringing" issues, just clusters. I shot off my normal bench rests.

At 25 yds the loads shot 1-1.5 inches very consistently.

It was perplexing as the bullet weights were very consistent and the finish was excellent.

I gave up on them in my rifle, a Chiappa, model 92, with a 20 inch bbl and factory sights, which thankfully didn't need to be adjusted, right out of the box.

The Cowboy Shooter told me he had the same issue with all three of his rifles, which were made by three different manufacturers. Two Italian and one Winchester.

That's fairly conclusive, IMHO.

He showed me his targets, and loads, which were similar to mine.

He had purchased a thousand CamPro FCP bullets to see if he could cut down on his casting/prep time. I don't know if they are allowed for Cowboy Action Shooting, but his idea was to use them for practice and his cast bullets for competition.

Anyway, he decided to try "other" manufacturer's jacketed bullets and found they shot tighter groups out past 50 yards.

He knows his stuff, when it comes to lever action rifles in 38spl/357 and several other calibers, so I decided to try some different brands of bullets of similar design.

I used some 125grn Lawman(Speer) bullets I have on hand and the groups tightened up substantially. So then I went to some 158 grain, half jacket hollow points from Speer and they shot into an inch at 50 yds and also worked well in the "insert" barrel of my 12ga. SXS.

One other thing he suggested was to use "rifle" loads from the manuals, rather than pistol or Cowboy Action Loadings.

He knew what he was talking about.

I was to the point of selling the Chiappa if I couldn't get it to shoot acceptably. I'll be keeping it now.

I also tried some 180 grain Hornady XTP bullets over 12.5 grains of 2400/CCI 450 primers. These gave 1500+fps in my rifle and shot the best of all the jacketed bullets, sub 1 inch.

I have a mold which throws .361 diameter bullets, weighing 175 grains. I powdercoat them and they measure .363 in. My rifle shoots these very well, with 2400. Need more work though. I only had 20 left when I loaded them up.

I would like to say the longer, heavier bullets shoot best, but the 125 Speer Lawman bullets are almost as good.

Thank you for this. I have some jacketed bullets I can try. If there is a big improvement, I will have learned something. I have some 148 hollow base wad cutters, too.
 
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Scope mounts for the rossi

if it drilled for scope mounts NOE has mounts

or Pearson's no drill Sight rail where you remove the rear sight and it mounts to the barrel via the dovetail (red dot or refex sight)
 
do not push the HBWC above book loads for the hbwc

the above target was shot with a solid Base cast bullet at over 1000fps if i rembercorectly left group has 20 rounds in it / 50 yards
 
the Rossi carbine has a 1/30 twist ( not your normal 38/ 357 twist) so bullet weight/ length of bullet and speed play a big role in accuracy.

also it is a known fact that bore diam varies from rifle to rifle

you need to try some short fat .360 /.361 dia cast bullets not over 158g .. and also note that the short fat bullet is not very aerodynamic

Primers ... cci has stated that there SPM primer is the same as a SR primmer...... try a SRM primer

the Campro 158g 357 tc bullet can be pushed faster than you think ...... 35 whelen plinker load
I was wondering about the twist rate.
 
bearhunter: Re: campro bullets and cowboy action. Your friend will already knows this... so this is solely for your knowledge: Plated bullets are disallowed. But, still perfectly okay for practice. Saving the cast bullets for actual competition. I also own and shoot a Rossi .357 lever action. My observations mirror both yours, and your friends. Average groups at 50 yards run around 2".
 
I have put a Weaver rail on the Rossi (Part# 92A). I discovered that an old 4X Bushnell will fit and give me a decent sight picture. The brass hits the scope on ejection, but seems to bounce clear. I put a piece of black vinal tape on the bottom of the scope, to prevent scope damage.
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I have not yet tried shooting it. For my old eyes, this will be a better sight for load development. I might try a red dot, too.
 
I just ran a quick test with this in the back yard.

Very difficult to single load from the top. The ejected brass often stays in the port util I tip and shake. So this is not really viable. I will leave it on for load development and the revert back to the peep or try a red dot.
 
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Maybe the peep mounted on the bolt is causing the vertical if the bolt doesn't always be in the same place
Yes. Good point. I am about to do an ammo test, much of a repeat - with the scope. If there is less vertical it could be the peep. But the bolt moves back and forth on rails. I don't see any vertical travel.
 
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