.357 warm load (HP38 or H110）

[Ugly Sauce]

I prefer a 200 grain bullet over WW296. With a heavy hard-cast bullet with good lube you won't run into leading problems. Velocity is over rated. Bullet weight is under rated.

 

[P Flados]

Your bullet choice matters.

An old style swaged lead bullet is usually not good for warm 357s. HP-38 is ok for these with charge level probably limited by the onset of leading.

A commercial cast bullet with traditional lube is likely to be ok pushed a little harder. HS-6 is likely to be a good choice.

A cast bullet with powder coat or equivalent is likely to be ok pushed closer to moderate magnum levels. HS-6 is on the fast side for moderate magnum levels but might work. 2400 or similar (I use Shooters World Heavy Pistol) is closer to optimum for this application. H110/295 may not be a good choice as reducing charges below listed values is not recommended.

A home cast bullet with powder coat can be made to work fine at full power in most 375 magnums. I do full power for 35 cal well beyond 357 mag.

 

[Riomouse911]

Re: the FMJ bullet and tubular-magazine rifles like the 1873: if it isn’t a flat point, it is not a good idea to load those in tubular magazines. A round nose will sit hard against the primer of the round in front of it, leading to the potential for a detonation of the round(s) in the magazine with a sharp jar or impact.

RNFP (best) or SWC type bullets are the way to go with lever guns.

Stay safe.

 

[Curious2]

Just an old guy here. 158gn RNFP Bear Creek moly coated with 5gn 231gives me 940 fps out of a 6" GP. Taper crimp over the ogive, 1.510" coal .357 cases. Generally use spm primers but sp primers work just as well. Very accurate! I can play hell with a 6" steel all day long @ 70 yds and 1\2 to 3\4" @ 25 yards (always on a good day). Easy shooting, won't beat you up. After having been around the sun 27000 plus times works great for me!

Take care and be safe!

 

[Mark_Mark]

Re: the FMJ bullet and tubular-magazine rifles like the 1873: if it isn’t a flat point, it is not a good idea to load those in tubular magazines. A round nose will sit hard against the primer of the round in front of it, leading to the potential for a detonation of the round(s) in the magazine with a sharp jar or impact.

RNFP (best) or SWC type bullets are the way to go with lever guns.

Stay safe.

keep forgetting about rounds bullet in Tube feed guns! thanks!

 

[Mark_Mark]

Just an old guy here. 158gn RNFP Bear Creek moly coated with 5gn 231gives me 940 fps out of a 6" GP. Taper crimp over the ogive, 1.510" coal .357 cases. Generally use spm primers but sp primers work just as well. Very accurate! I can play hell with a 6" steel all day long @ 70 yds and 1\2 to 3\4" @ 25 yards (always on a good day). Easy shooting, won't beat you up. After having been around the sun 27000 plus times works great for me!

Take care and be safe!

Thanks for the Tip! would you condider that a Light to Warm .357? I wonder how fast you can push 158 RNFP uncoated without gas check of leading?

27,000 times? there was a model called the Heliocentrism model, were the Earth Goes around the Sun. Back in the 5th century bc. Greek thinking stuff. But really did take off until the 16th century ad, with Kepler, Galileo, Coperinacas but the Church kinda tortured those ideas to death. Anyways you a FlatEarther? lol

 

[Curious2]

Thanks for the Tip! would you condider that a Light to Warm .357? I wonder how fast you can push 158 RNFP uncoated without gas check of leading?

27,000 times? there was a model called the Heliocentrism model, were the Earth Goes around the Sun. Back in the 5th century bc. Greek thinking stuff. But really did take off until the 16th century ad, with Kepler, Galileo, Coperinacas but the Church kinda tortured those ideas to death. Anyways you a FlatEarther? lol

Maybe an easy warm load. It's so accurate I haven't bothered to mess with it. It's a keeper. I don't hunt and be willing to bet it will work for SD or small game if needed. Absolutely no leading only traces of the moly coating that doesn't affect accuracy. I very seldom clean the barrel, cylinder only. Good luck in finding what works for you and your gun, they are individuals just like people.
Take care and be safe!

 

[JTHunter]

Mark_Mark - FWIW, I reload both .38 Special and .357 for a GP-100 (4"), an SP-101 (2.5"), and a Marlin 1894 lever. I use 158 gr. bullets on all loads, some being Hornady XTP, some being SJFP. I use Win. 296 on the .357 but could use H110 as the specs in the manual are identical. The manual says the .357 loads of 296 max out at 16.7 gr. (1591 MV) and I load to 16.5 gr.
On the .38 cases, I use CFE Pistol as it maxes out at 5.4 gr. (986 MV) for a 158 gr. +P load. For a regular load, the CFE maxes out at 5 gr. (914 MV). Win. 231 could be used for the non+P loads but will only give you 779 MV with 4.3 grains. The 231 will not give you the MV of either the CFE or the 296 in any load.
I keep the 231 around as I use it for my .380 even though the CFE would increase MV for 90 gr. bullets by ~53 fps and ~112 fps for 100 gr. bullets. (Data from the Hodgdon/IMR/Winchester manual of 2014.)

 

[Barmcd]

I haven't had good results with H110 very far below max load, but I don't like HP-38 at all. I've tried it in many different loads and calibers and just haven't found anything I like. It also seems to leave a lot of powder residue on the table I shoot behind.

 

[LV Gun]

I know a lot of people don’t like Alliant Blue Dot for 357 magnum they say it’s dirty but I have never found a powder that is clean just dirty and dirtier. I use Blue Dot a lot when I can find it and it has always worked well for me and it will give you some impressive numbers if pushed close to max , it does burn the best at the upper end of its load data . I use it at starting load or just a little over with a SPM primer and a 158 gr LSWC and it gives you good case fill ..if I can’t find it then I use Power Pistol, 2400 or W296/ H110

 

[Dave T]

The grandfather of the 357 Magnum cartridge was the S&W 38-44, introduced with their Heavy Duty Model N-frame in 1930. Soon after in their Outdoorsman, an adjustable sighted 6-1/2" N-frame meant for hunting, etc.

The fixed sighted Heavy Duty was produced in both 4" and 5" barreled options, along with a few (rare) 6" guns. Here's a cuple HDs I've owned. The first is a 1938 5" and second is a 1952-3 4".





The factory load in 1930 was a 158g lead RN at 1125 fps. That is +P+ or a little more by today's standards and can be reproduced with 2400 powder and Standard SPP. If you don't want to experiment outside of the current (wimpy) loading manuals' recommendations buy a box of Buffalo Bore's Heavy +P 38 Special, 158g SWCHP-GC ammunition. It duplicates the performance of the original 38-44s used against the gangsters in the 1930s.

Dave

 

[Hole maker]

.357 warm to light hot load, 15% under max. any suggestions

Will be using Magnum SPP

Powder will be HP38 or H110 or any suggestions

Lead FP 158g for my 19-3 and stronger .357 guns

FMJ 158g for my Rugers, 1873 SAA Clone, 1873 Winchester Clone. I want these very warm loads

Question: book says HP38 158g Lead FP is 5.0 max, and FMJ is 7.0g Max…. Should I use another powder?

Loaded questions … I know

My records say 15.4grns / H-110 out of a 4"Security Six is what I saw safe, 15.6grns sorta and I wrote no on 15.8grns with a 158grn XTP, OAL=1.579 / GFL brass, hard crimp, every gun is different and so are the manuals sometimes a lot! I have pressed the issue a few times and it,s not worth it, I do use HP-38 alot in my 357 but not yet with 158gr, anyways my records show 8grns HP-38-125grn / XTP / OAL 1.587 / GFL brass t says primers perfect, 140grn / XTP - 7grns HP-38 / Starline brass - OAL -1.586 primers great, just be safe, and if you want an ass kicking round talk to me - Cast Perfomance 180grn Hard Cast GC = H-110, Ron.

 

[Mark_Mark]

My records say 15.4grns / H-110 out of a 4"Security Six is what I saw safe, 15.6grns sorta and I wrote no on 15.8grns with a 158grn XTP, OAL=1.579 / GFL brass, hard crimp, every gun is different and so are the manuals sometimes a lot! I have pressed the issue a few times and it,s not worth it, I do use HP-38 alot in my 357 but not yet with 158gr, anyways my records show 8grns HP-38-125grn / XTP / OAL 1.587 / GFL brass t says primers perfect, 140grn / XTP - 7grns HP-38 / Starline brass - OAL -1.586 primers great, just be safe, and if you want an ass kicking round talk to me - Cast Perfomance 180grn Hard Cast GC = H-110, Ron.

Thanks Ron! I recorded your load data!

Need to get some XTP!

 

[doubleh]

Buying a couple of reloading manuals is the safe method. I prefer Lyman first. Do not take chances. I will state the brand of bullet, it's weight, and powder used but never how much. That is on you and that is my reason for saying to use manuals.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Buying a couple of reloading manuals is the safe method. I prefer Lyman first. Do not take chances. I will state the brand of bullet, it's weight, and powder used but never how much. That is on you and that is my reason for saying to use manuals.

I have 4 manual including the 49th Lyman and latest Lee. I just like to know people load data, and adapt that to any new loads I do.

example: 148 HBWC with 3.10 grain of HP38 is amazingly accurate.. learned that from members here

 

[UncleEd]

Buying a couple of reloading manuals is the safe method. I prefer Lyman first. Do not take chances. I will state the brand of bullet, it's weight, and powder used but never how much. That is on you and that is my reason for saying to use manuals.

This a hundred times. No, make that a thousand times.

Oh, and read the manuals. Don't just look at the loading charts.

And if you see a suggested modern load that doesn't conform to
a load printed a decade or more ago, follow the newest information.

 

[UncleEd]

If you don't want to experiment outside of the current (wimpy) loading manuals' recommendations....

Ah yes, one of the chief ingredients in building the road to disaster.

 

[PapaG]

I’m not a fan of H110, 296, or Blue Dot. Nothing wrong with them but, Luddite that I am, I have had my best, most consistent results with old 2400. I still have a few sealed cans (square, pop top) that I use when feeling nostalgic.
Lyman 358156 with Hornady gas check and 14 to 14.5 grains of 2400. Minimal leading in my Rugers andSmiths, zero in my Contender. Wheelweight metal, alox/beeswax lube. Been using it since about 1962. Two deer, a pile of chucks, and one crow, one fox and one coyote.