357 mag load advice

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remmag

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Hello to all
I have had a pet load for 357 mag ,shooting from a smith model 66
Shooting 158 grain led swc, 6 grains of unique
Always been a good load and seems easy on the gun,don't want to break the forcing cone
I love the load but damn unique is dirty

Anyone have advice on a similar load with a cleaner powder

Thanks in advance
 
That's a very mild load - that's why it's dirty. I would suggest 6.0 grains of Bullseye.

Don

P.S. - The forcing cone issue pertains to hot 125 grain jacketed bullet loads. It is not an issue with lead bullets.
 
Not a light Light load.
Kind of a middle of the road load.

That's not the problem.

The lead bullet grease blow-off and smoke is where all your Dirty is coming from.

Not the powder.

rc
 
Your load shows 1034 fps in the Speer manual. That is slow. In fact it is .38 special class.
I cannot see any harm to your gun, it is a quality Make and model.
I run 12.2 grains of AA#9 and it runs around 1250 fps.
These run clean and are accurate. I also use 158 gr. cast. {10} and rarely see leading.
I guess if I were to wish to run low velocity rounds like that I would use .38 special cases and not waste my magnum brass.
I do run 4.7 grains of Unique in my .38s and they run around 870 fps. Fun to shoot and very accurate. Low recoil and little wear on the gun.
Yes, Unique can get dirty, but sure works right.
 
One of my pet loads is 8.0 grain Unique under a 158gr SWC, and its still dirty. While bullet lube is a huge contributor, my loads with that same bullet over 16gr of 296 are MUCH less smokey and sooty, as are my Blue Dot loads. These are all 3 real magnum loads, though. For the mild loads you are shooting, Bullseye or Red Dot would probably be a little cleaner.
 
I'm a real sucker for Trail Boss in plinking loads. Very clean, soft shooting, and it fills the case.

Data from IMR:

357 MAGNUM
Case: Winchester
Twist: 1:18.75"
Barrel: 10"
Trim: 1.285"
Bullet: 158 GR. LRNFP
Dia. .358"
COL: 1.610"

Starting load:
Trail Boss 3.2grs
Velocity: 754
Pressure:16,500 CUP
_________________
MAX LOAD
Trail Boss 4.2grs
Velocity: 865
Pressure: 20,400 CUP

I'm shooting 3grs under a 158gr lead bullet in my 38 and I love it.
 
My first thought was the lube and it was verified by rc. I was also going to suggest coated bullets, also already suggested. I agree you should order Coated 158gr SWC bullets. It will remove the lube from the equation but they are still lead so easy on the gun and forcing cone.
 
As others have said, switch to a coated bullet and you will lose a majority of the dirtyness, also not nearly as smokey. I dont get really clean cases and guns until i start loading real magnums. A 158 coated lswc and 15.7 gr w296 is my go to load for 357. Nice and easy shooting(for a magnum load) extremely accurate. I get 1350fps from my 6" taurus 66. Very fun load out of a larger gun and be can shot all day long comfortably. Light loadings just go in 38 cases. Save the 357 cases for the real deal.
 
cheygriz, I'll take a run at that question.

Often 38 specials leave a ring of fouling in the 357 chamber which can be difficult to remove. Especially when shooting cast bullets. Even if the ring is removed to the point where a 357 magnum will chamber easily, it is often still visible in there. Speaking for myself, I find that ring undesirable, so I use 357 mag brass even for low velocity loads.
 
VV N340 is clean and very low flash in dark conditions. I started using it in .357, 9mm, and .45acp during the "powder shortage". I am now a convert.
 
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