357 Sig Bullets

viper7342 · Sep 5, 2011

Will the Berrys 124 Grain Flat Point Bullets work for reloading this round? I would like to know, as I'm thinking that if so, I may end up ordering 250 of these just to see how they function in my Smith M&P. Thanks in advance for any advice anyone is willing to give me about bullets that work well for this caliber.

HK SD9 Tactical · Sep 5, 2011

See here: http://www.handguninfo.com/Archive/www.Pete-357.com/357.bullets.htm

They will come apart over 1200FPS according to this site. Plated bullets do not work well at high velocities.

Walkalong · Sep 5, 2011

I know someone here who shoots that bullet with AA#9 in .357 with no problems. Its long shank makes it suitable for .357 Sig.

No where does that site say the Berrys will come apart over 1200 FPS. They merely state the same thing Berrys does; that they recommend 1200 FPS and under. They will take more than that in many applications.

ReloaderFred · Sep 5, 2011

The Berry's 124 gr. FP bullet is an excellent bullet for the 357 Sig round, though there are a couple of caveats. First, keep your velocities below roughly 1,250 fps. Second, don't overcrimp the case mouth.

I've loaded well over 10,000 of the Berry's 124 gr. FP bullets in 357 Sig, using the recommended charge of AA-9 powder. They are laser accurate out of both of my 357 Sig pistols. The AA-9 powder fills the case and is compressed, which helps greatly with bullet setback.

You don't want to over crimp the case mouths, or you'll cut the thin plating of the bullet. This causes the plating to come off in spots and is detrimental to accuracy.

There is also a third caveat: Don't load them with Power Pistol powder! A full (maximum) load of Power Pistol will cause them to tumble and hit the righthand upright of your chronograph........ The two that did fly straight enough to get a reading on the chronograph were going a little over 1,450 fps, which is way beyond the design limits of the plated bullets.

As for coming apart, that's balderdash. The only way a plated bullet comes apart is when it hits a hard object, either metal or concrete. I routinely drive plated bullets at 1,300 fps and they don't "come apart". They fly straight and true, but that is about the upper limit for them before they start to strip the rifling past that velocity. They are after all, pure lead bullets that have a thin covering of copper plating.

I also make it my own personal policy to only post my personal experiences, not what I read on the "internet". I also don't post loading data, period. And that's because it's way too easy to transpose numbers, mis-type, forget, etc. I also won't use data posted on forums, for the same reasons, but that's just me. I still get my data the old fashioned way, from reloading manuals, where it's been tested in a ballistics lab by professionals. I've been in the ballistics labs of both Sierra Bullets and Nosler Bullets, and know what goes into the testing of each and every load. There isn't any guessing there.

Whew, I feel better now............

Hope this helps.

Fred

heydawg · Sep 5, 2011

ReloaderFred said:
The Berry's 124 gr. FP bullet is an excellent bullet for the 357 Sig round, though there are a couple of caveats. First, keep your velocities below roughly 1,250 fps. Second, don't overcrimp the case mouth.

I've loaded well over 10,000 of the Berry's 124 gr. FP bullets in 357 Sig, using the recommended charge of AA-9 powder. They are laser accurate out of both of my 357 Sig pistols. The AA-9 powder fills the case and is compressed, which helps greatly with bullet setback.

You don't want to over crimp the case mouths, or you'll cut the thin plating of the bullet. This causes the plating to come off in spots and is detrimental to accuracy.

There is also a third caveat: Don't load them with Power Pistol powder! A full (maximum) load of Power Pistol will cause them to tumble and hit the righthand upright of your chronograph........ The two that did fly straight enough to get a reading on the chronograph were going a little over 1,450 fps, which is way beyond the design limits of the plated bullets.

As for coming apart, that's balderdash. The only way a plated bullet comes apart is when it hits a hard object, either metal or concrete. I routinely drive plated bullets at 1,300 fps and they don't "come apart". They fly straight and true, but that is about the upper limit for them before they start to strip the rifling past that velocity. They are after all, pure lead bullets that have a thin covering of copper plating.

I also make it my own personal policy to only post my personal experiences, not what I read on the "internet". I also don't post loading data, period. And that's because it's way too easy to transpose numbers, mis-type, forget, etc. I also won't use data posted on forums, for the same reasons, but that's just me. I still get my data the old fashioned way, from reloading manuals, where it's been tested in a ballistics lab by professionals. I've been in the ballistics labs of both Sierra Bullets and Nosler Bullets, and know what goes into the testing of each and every load. There isn't any guessing there.

Whew, I feel better now............

Hope this helps.

Fred

If you shoot cast, plated or anything other than the exact bullet tested, then you simply cannot rely on factory data. Even two bullets of the same weight, but different manufacturer, can have a different shape or profile which will affect how they perform and what happens inside the gun.

There's just not factory data for things like a 180 grain cast bullet without a gas check in .312 diameter that keeps speeds less than 1800 fps. No official source exists. So you have no choice but to start with something on a forum.

Accurate is one of the few powder distributors that actually publishes loads in cast and plated, which is great. The Lyman book has some, but only using Lyman #2 alloy in Lyman molds. If you use the Missouri Bullet Company lead bullets or Zero or Ranier, you're out of luck for official data If you use linotype or monotype in a Lyman load, you're out of luck.

So long and short, if you limit your shooting to mainstream jackete bullets, there's no shortage of data. For everyone else, it takes some reading and careful trial.

ReloaderFred · Sep 5, 2011

heydawg,

I currently load for 31 different calibers, some of which you've probably never fired, and probably never will. I do work up loads on my own, but I use known data as a starting point. I also cast my own bullets, and have since 1968. I also swage my own bullets and I've been loading since 1963. The best I can figure from my records, I've loaded and fired somewhere around 770,000+ rounds since I started, with zero problems.

The problem with a lot of the current crop of "reloaders" is that instead of working up loads, or even reading manuals, they hop on the ol' computer and ask anonymous, faceless strangers, who use aliases, for "trusted" data. Now who in their right might mind would do that? I won't, and I won't contribute, either.

My comments that you quoted were for general reference, and I was doing a little venting along the way, too. You can pick them apart all you want, but I still stand by them. I don't give data and I don't use data posted in forums. I also expect people to post from experience, not from what they read on the internet, but then I'm from a different time..............

I find myself posting less and less on these forums, for the above reasons.

By the way, monotype is too hard to be useful for cast bullets by itself in most cases. It is a good source of antimony and tin, though. I've got about 150 pounds of it, plus another 500 pounds of linotype. Then there's the 1,500 pounds +/- of BHN 12 alloy that I use for most of my pistol caliber bullets in the Master Caster.

Hope this helps.

Fred

snuffy · Sep 5, 2011

If you shoot cast, plated or anything other than the exact bullet tested, then you simply cannot rely on factory data. Even two bullets of the same weight, but different manufacturer, can have a different shape or profile which will affect how they perform and what happens inside the gun.

If by factory data you mean "found in a loading manual" then I agree. BUT, IF you use the same weight, type, and profile as the manual, you CAN start at the recommended starting load, then work up. While watching for accuracy and pressure signs.

There's just not factory data for things like a 180 grain cast bullet without a gas check in .312 diameter that keeps speeds less than 1800 fps. No official source exists. So you have no choice but to start with something on a forum.

Again with the "factory" data thing. I'm not aware of ANY "factory ammo" company that has published loading data.

Accurate is one of the few powder distributors that actually publishes loads in cast and plated, which is great. The Lyman book has some, but only using Lyman #2 alloy in Lyman molds. If you use the Missouri Bullet Company lead bullets or Zero or Ranier, you're out of luck for official data If you use linotype or monotype in a Lyman load, you're out of luck.

So long and short, if you limit your shooting to mainstream jacketed bullets, there's no shortage of data. For everyone else, it takes some reading and careful trial.

Like Fred says, if the only place you can find data to load with is the internet, or a forum, you'd better just shoot factory loads. I see typos all the time, I even made one once, but caught it within minutes when I proof read the reply, edited it out. Since then I have not listed specific loads, only mention the powder used.

As for the 357 sig, I use the the Hornady 125 HAP bullet. It's a XTP bullet without the skiving to make it expand. I also cast the 125 TC-TL bullet in a lee 6 cav mold. It works great for the sig, greatly reducing the cost-per-round. My favorite powder is power pistol.

357 Sig Bullets

viper7342

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HK SD9 Tactical

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Walkalong

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ReloaderFred

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heydawg

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ReloaderFred

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snuffy

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