Those wild and wacky 357 loads

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R.W.Dale

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Check this out! We've all seen variations in load data for the same bullet weight cartridge combo across different sources but good lord this one takes the cake!

one start load is 1.6grs ABOVE another max load. needless to say I don't particularly trust the Speer No11 load for my marlin 1894:eek:

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I had been using a max charge of 7.7 of one powder with good results to find out that 8.3 was the max in another manual and gave me even beter results.

I love loading for the 357 so much I'm going to do the 356gnr conversion to get even more out of it.
 
If you could stuff enough powder in a 357 case to blow up a Marlin 1894c I would be surprised. Look at 18Gr of Lil'Gun with a 158gr JHPxtp. It will surprise you.
 
I think DWfan is a 357 junkie too. He's sent me to some good sites for data. Stupid me didn't bookmark them, but I know how to find him if I need them that bad.

Nice rifle by the way. I'm trying to find one with a 16" barrel for a truck rifle.
 
You can't compare reloading book loads side by side like that. First of all, each maker makes their bullet just a little different, even if they are all 125 grains. The crimping cannelure might be higher or lower on one or the other, casuing a dirfferent OAL, this having different case capacities. They, one book might be listing loads from a 6" vented barrel, and another book might have a 10" test barrel, vented or nonvented, or unspecified. Different brands of cases have different capacities, and give different velocities, as will the use of different primers. Speer calls for the use of CCI Magnum pistol primers in the .357, the other books may not. If you have the same batch of bullets, one lot of cases, use the same primers, and fire from the same gun, you are going to get better, more consistent results than this chart gives.
 
Going one step farther, SharpsDressedMan, all bullet manufacturers fail to give you the single measurement most critical to load development: crimp groove to base length. This single measurement determines loaded case volume and that is the only measurement that has a direct correlation on pressure. Everything else, such as bullet material and bearing length, is a variable that can be influenced by the weapon as much as the bullet. OAL by itself means nothing except whether or not the cartridge can fit in a particular weapon due to different bullet styles. For the proper primers, it is best to consult the powder manufacturer instead of the bullet maker.
 
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