148 gr wadcutters load, 357 Magnum, 2.7 or 2.8 gr Bullseye

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orpington

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A review of the literature reveals one wants to keep this under 900 fps in .357 Magnum and this is about as classic as it gets.

Any comments or concerns? Barrel length is 8 3/8”.

Bullet to be loaded protruding approximately 1/8”.
 
I have .357 Nagnum cases plus firing .38 Special in a .357 Magnum revolver does lead to a propensity for lead buildup.
 
I have .357 Nagnum cases plus firing .38 Special in a .357 Magnum revolver does lead to a propensity for lead buildup.
I've shot thousands of round of 2.7grs Bullseye in .38Spl cases 30 years ago in both a 6" S&W M19 and a 6" Colt Python...no extra leading noticed. You might be thinking of powder fouling in the cylinders.

...this is about as classic as it gets.
Be aware that this .38Spl wadcutter load was with hollow based wadcutters and not the double end/sided ones...and they were always loaded flush with the case mouth which was roll-crimped over the leading edge of the bullet.

If I were loading in the longer .357Mag case, I'd definitely start with at least 2.8grs and more than likely 3.0grs to get to where the classic .38Spl load was performing
 
If you are using 357 cases I’d bump that to 3.0 grains and you should be fine. If you can run it over a chrono even better, but I’d expect you will be fine.

Are these home cast, what lead composition, what hardness, and what size are you working with?
 
It's about case volume and seating depth. To get a 357 magnum case to work good with a wadcutter seat it flush first with that charge and move up from there. 38 special just work good for me. Loaded 69,433 of 38 special and 69,331 of 357 magnum, so I have accumulated some data. The standard deviation is mostly better with 38 special and flat nose wadcutters.

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That's a classic .38 load, but I prefer a touch more powder in a .357 case, especially with a long barrel. For my money, 3.0 to 3.3 grains will get you the best results.
Agreed, I go with 3.5gr. under a 148gr. Speer HBWC, seated to the last grease groove. Works much better in my Colt 3-5-7 than the lighter load seated flush. For anything .38Spl/.357Mag .38Spl cases generally work as well and if it's a correct load - crimp, charge, primer, case, neck tension, all 90+% right - leading around the mouth-to-throat gap isn't an issue.
 
2.8 grains with a Speer HBWC works best in .38 Special cases. I shoot them in both a
8 3/8" S&W Model 14-4 in .38 Special and in a 6 inch, 586 .357 Mag. I have shot 3.0 grains but find in serious target shooting a little lighter load goes a long way in aiming and hand control.
 
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I’ve never had problems with carbon build up in 357 Mag chambers when shooting 38’Special ammunition.

I now have a number of 38 Special revolvers so I save the 38 Special cases for them.

With hollow base wadcutters in 357 Mag cases, care should be exercised driving the bullets too fast when compensating for the greater internal volume of the 357 Mag cases. One risks blowing off the skirt if the HBWC bullets are driven too fast.

Solid base wadcutters are more flexible.

I like shooting 158 SWC semi-wadcutters over a charge of Unique in 357 Mag cases that yields about 950 fps from a 4” revolver. A bit hotter than target wadcutter loads but pleasant to shoot in all varities of 357 Magnum revolvers.

An aside, there is something Special about shooting 38 Special ammunition in a gun chambered for 38 Special
 
The difference between 2.7 and 2.8 will be indiscernible.
A light TAPER crimp will make a noticeable difference in velocity spread, shot to shot.

I use a separate Lee taper crimp die to crimp my .38’s.
I made the jump from master class to high-master in PPC when I switched to taper crimping my hollow base wadcutters.
Depending on the lot# of powder, my measure might throw anywhere from 2.65 to 2.9gr. My velocities ran between 685 to 720fps.
Just depending on lot #of powder, brand of hollow base wadcutters, make of cases, and ambient temperature.

So, 2.7 or 2.8? Yes! Load-em and choot-em!!!
 
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I use a taper crimp on all my loads; easier to get consistent crimps without having to trim brass. Only shoot heavy loads in my Encore rifle 16" 357 magnum barrel. Light loads save powder and your arm.
 
These were shot from a distance of around 18 yards. The bullets were cast Lee 38-148WC range scrap and powder coated. My handgun is a S&W Model 66 - 6" barrel. The bullet seated to the second band in a .38 case is the same OAL as a wadcutter seated to the first band using a .357 case. You might want to try 3.1gr BE in this case. If you do a search, 3.1gr comes up as an accuracy load for some shooters.
 

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I cast 5 different wadcutters and have another mold on the way. Hollow base are the hardest for me to cast but shoot the best.
 
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