Help! Need loading data for the 357-44 B&D in a S&W!

[unspellable]

I have not been able to find any loading data for the 357-44 B&D in the S&W N frame, its original home.

All the data I've found is for the Contender. I suspect the Contender crowd is in the habit of loading it a bit too hot for the S&W.

 

[Hammerdown]

Steve's Reloading Pages

Hello
Here is a link to Steve's reloading pages. I do not load this so can not comment on it's accuracy. I have reloaded many offering's off this site and the most accuarate are the ones embossed. I hope this helps, Hammerdown.
http://www.again.net/~steve/357p_6_158.html

 

[Mannlicher]

I still bring my old Highway patrolman out from time to time,and bang away. I had a .357 Bain&Davis cylinder fitted for it back in the mid 70s. B&D did the work.
I used it for silhouette matches. The load I use now, for plinking or hunting is a Speer 158 grain JSP over 17 grains of 2400. Velocity in my gun runs right around 1500 fps with this load. I have loaded heavier, but.......

 

[thales]

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If I recall correctly, the Hodgdon annual reloading guide has loads for the B&D. Have fun!


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[duckjihad]

Not to steal the thread, but the 357 B and D is interesting. What is it? A 357 bullet in a 44 case? What kind of velocity edges did it achieve over 357 mag? Any downside to having a 357 revolver converted to it? Was recoil out of this world, or something less than a 44 mag, something more than a 357?

 

[unspellable]

What's a 357-44 B&D

The 357-44 Bain & Davis is a 44 mag case necked down to 357. Easy to do, you just shove a 44 mag case into the 357-44 sizing die there you are. No intermediate steps, no fire forming. There are two versions of the cartridge differing slightly in shoulder angle. The earlier version would be seldom encounterd today. The change was to improve its resistance to set back, a problem all bottle necked cartridges in revolvers are supposed to have. As far as I can determine the only cartridge that really had a setback problem was the 22 Jet.

The original intent was to put it in an N frame S&W and achieve actual real world velocities fro ma six inch barrel that matched the old published velocities for the 357 magnum in an 8-5/8 inch barrel. (Something the factory load never did.) This it does, no sweat, and actually exceeds them. Loaded to the same pressure levels it will outperform the 357 Maximum by a tad. (357 Maximum pressure levels are NOT for the S&W N frame, they are for single shot pistols.) It also has about the best performance improvement of any revolver cartridge around when used in a rifle.

It was introduced in 1964. In later years it has enjoyed some popularity with the single shot crowd who load it a bit too spiffy for revolvers.

In revolvers is has been used in the S&W N frame and the Ruger Blackhak that I know of. As you would expect, recoil falls between the 357 magnum and the 44 magnum. It has a pretty sharp bark.

A related cartridge is the 357 Bobcat. Also a 44 mag case necked down to 357, but with a much more abrupt shoulder and equipped with a plastic collar around the neck. This is used in a revolver with a 44 mag chamber and a 357 barrel. (Big time trouble if you accidently stuck a 44 cartridge in it!) The collar tended to split after a couple fo shots and was too much monkey business. It was supposed to solve the 357-44's setback problem, a problem the 357-44 doesn't seem to have in the first place. I've never experienced set back with mine and a couple of other people have told me they have never had a set back problem either.

 

[homefront]

Try Lee's Modern Reloading.

 

[unspellable]

357-44 loads & etxraction problems

Lee's handbook has loads for the Contender.

I sent an e-mail off to Bain & Davis and they sent me loading data specifically for the S&W. My load was well inside their maximum so now I am back to wondering why I had difficult extraction.

First two loads I tried with this revolver did not give me any extraction problems. I had bullet problems, but that's another story. Unfortuantely I tossed the load data since the bullets didn't work.

Could it be a bad batch of brass? I had this happen with some 445 SuperMag brass made by PMC. Had to beat on the ejector rod with a mallet no matter how light the load. Called Dan Wesson for help and they said thay had the same problem with the same brass and I should switch to Starline. Did so and no more problems.

 

[S&WIowegan]

.357 B&D

I never had any setback problems either before I sold it to "unspellable". I read once that the cartridge performed best with heavy bullets vs. 125 gr.

Bob.

 

[unspellable]

357-44 B&D loads from B&D

I received some loading data specifically for the S&W direct from B&D. By their standards the last load I tried was not overly hot either. So I am back to wondering why the difficult extraction.

S&WIowegan put up a handfull of loads that we tried when I bought the cylinder from him. They gave no extraction problems.

The next load I tried gave no extraction problems either. It did come up with a weird problem in that the petal leaf style jacket opened a bit on crimping and hindered chambering to begin with. So I moved away from that bullet but also forgot what the powder charge was.

Current load of 18.7 grains of H4227 behind a 158 grain jacketed bullet just should not create excessive pressure. Winchester primers do not show signs of excess pressure. I weighed up three of the loaded cartrdiges versus an empty case, primer, and bullet to make sure there wasn't a screw up in the powder charge.

I once had some PMC 445 SuperMag brass with a bad temper that would stick in the chamber no matter how light the load. Is it possible I have some bad Winchester brass?

 

[thales]

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It sounds like you have some combination of soft brass and rough chambers.
I suppose trying different varieties of brass is the logical place to start.


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