Need advice on a .357 bulk buy

saennor

saennor

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Got my first revolver! GP100 357. I really have no prior experience with this caliber, and wouldnt mind reading other peoples "IMHO"s on the bullets various grains and brands.

Also it seems everyone is sold out or almost sold out. Whos offering the best prices on regular .357 ammo? My local gunshop only had the pricy silver tipped Hoo-Haw that Im not interested in using up getting acquainted with my new love.

Anyways thanks guys!

(if anyone was wondering/curious, its a stainless 6":D)
 
I bought a case from Canada ammo for a decent price.
Also check out wolverine supplies as they have some good prices too.
 
It would help if you indicated what region of the country you live in. Shipping ammo is rather costly so it's best to buy more or less locally if at all possible.

I think you'll find that most of us shoot primarily .38Spl from our .357 guns. It's a LOT cheaper to do so if you're buying factory or factory reloads. If you want to shoot mostly .357Mag loads you're far better off to get into reloading VERY soon.

For .38Spl loads I tend to like 124gn bullets or 158gn bullets. Jacketed for indoor ranges to avoid sucking in a cloud of lead. But cast lead is fine for outdoor use.

For .357Mag loads I tend to stick to jacketed to avoid any possible issues with barrel leading from shooting cast loads in front of that sort of pressure. Again either 124 or 158gn bullets are fine.
 
BCRider said:
It would help if you indicated what region of the country you live in. Shipping ammo is rather costly so it's best to buy more or less locally if at all possible.

I think you'll find that most of us shoot primarily .38Spl from our .357 guns. It's a LOT cheaper to do so if you're buying factory or factory reloads. If you want to shoot mostly .357Mag loads you're far better off to get into reloading VERY soon.

For .38Spl loads I tend to like 124gn bullets or 158gn bullets. Jacketed for indoor ranges to avoid sucking in a cloud of lead. But cast lead is fine for outdoor use.

For .357Mag loads I tend to stick to jacketed to avoid any possible issues with barrel leading from shooting cast loads in front of that sort of pressure. Again either 124 or 158gn bullets are fine.
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Northern BC, unfortunately haha. Im very interested in getting into reloading but i really have no clue about it as of yet, and if i bring any more new big toys right away my wife will probably kill me haha. I do have a pal with a reloading bench i suppose ill just need the dies? Anyone want to share recipies?
 
as others are saying, for bulk shooting reloading is really the way to go. Forget cost savings for a second - you have ready access to all the ammo you could want, in any configuration you could want. You don't need to hunt around at all the retailers, hoping they might have something in stock - let alone the particular load you're looking for. You're not at the mercy of the whims of the market when it comes to ammo availability.
 
In that case I'd go for the bulk pack from Can-Am if you really must have the magnums, one of the sight sponsors and with a link at the top of the page. But even the bulk pack works out to $22.45 before shipping. It'll likely be up around $24 to $25 after shipping. You're likely going to find that you can buy .38Spl at the local shops around you for less than that. It depends on how much kick you want.

That'll get you shooting for now. But it'll be worth looking at building up a reloading setup sooner rather than later. It doesn't need to be anything fancy at first. It would be nice to jump into a full on progressive machine but a simple setup of a single stage press, loading block and calibrated powder scoops is still able to load around 150 rounds an hour. Such a setup can be put together for around $150 even if you have to buy the press and dies brand new. Or you can put together an indexable press and dies setup for only a little more.

Such a setup isn't wasted money once you get a full on progressive setup either. Most of us load and shoot some calibers that we don't use a lot of. The simple setup can graduate to being the secondary loading system so it's never going to be money wasted.
 
I got my GP100 a few weeks ago and bought 2 boxes of .357 mag to start. I find that factory rounds are way too powerful to shoot all day at the range. My hand started to get sore after 50 rounds. The beauty is I have a reloading set up where I can reload .357mag for about $0.18 a shot and control the power of each round. I use 158 grain copper plated hollow points, CCI 550 magnum primers, and Bullseye powder. The wife can shoot .38 SPL while I shoot .357 Mag out of the same gun!

If you factor in factory ammo pricing these days, reloading 1000 rounds of .357 or .45 ACP practically pays for the reloading press.
 
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