How many full power .357 mag loads do you shoot in your .357?

[firestar]

I find that I shoot mostly .38spls and target .357 loads in my .357s and only shoot full house loads once in a while. I shoot so few full power loads that I think I could have a .38spl and be happy. I don't used my .357s for anything "serious". I don't hunt or use them for personal protection so I end up mostly target shooting or plinking with them. I wonder if this is the most common trend.

 

[Bob]

Lots and lots. I have Rugers so I shoot a lot of full power stuff. Shoot some 38's too, but the full power I find to be more fun. Regularly out to 50 yds and sometimes out to 100 yds.
Bob

 

[only1asterisk]

I only shoot my 357's out of a 357.

I handload 38+p+ in 357 cases for most of 357 shooting. What does that count as?

David

 

[dleong]

I have a 6" Ruger GP100 and shoot my reloads which are loaded to slightly below published "full power" magnum charges. This gives me magnum performance (i.e., satisfying recoil and report) while minimizing wear on the Ruger (the spent cases do not show any pressure signs).

The GP100 is probably strong enough to handle a constant diet of full-power magnum loads, but I like a little safety margin.

DL

 

[Rob96]

When the 357's go to the range, they get fed 357 magnum ammo. Thats why I bought Rugers.

 

[Hal]

"How many full power .357 mag loads do you shoot in your .357? "

Zero.
I've grown away from the .357mag in the last few years. Too much flash and bang for the size. If I'm going to have the flash and bang, it's going to be in something larger.

 

[foghornl]

Havent tried any insanely hot loads of the "Deer Stopper" or "Hammerhead" type rounds iny my .357 (Short barrel 'Sheriff's Model' Vaquero) but I do shoot the 158-Gr loads out of it all the time...PMC JSP, Speer Gold-Dot, Fed AmEagle JSP, etc.

 

[22luvr]

Pretty mild stuff for a .357.......

I shoot only standard-pressure factory fresh .357 ammo, nothing else.

(of course, if I owned one of those Ruger SP101's or GP100's, I'd be sorely tempted to get a box of Georgia Arms 158 gr +P "deerstoppers" and try'em out!)

 

[Bacchus]

I'm with you, firestar. For every round of 357 mag I shoot, I probably shoot at least 10 rounds of 38 special. When I reload, it's for 38 special so that I can practice sight alignment and trigger control. I rarely shoot 357s.

 

[braindead0]

Lots, and lots of .38+P level.. another GP-100 here so I have no problem shooting 100's of crazy screaming 180 gr loads....fun fun ;-)

 

[mtnbkr]

Since I tend to be a bit sensitive to loud noises (kind of strange for a gun nut eh?), I shoot 38's when I'm feeling "sensitive". Otherwise, I shoot "deerstopper" type loads only (as opposed to SD loads).

My two standard handloads for my GP100 include a very light 158gr 38sp and a very hot 180gr 357mag.

Chris

 

[DAL]

I tend to shoot FAR more .38 than .357 through my .357 guns. This is especially true of my Python, since I have heard that a steady diet of full-house magnum loads can adversely affect its functioning. My SDB, although purchased to load .357 Mag., loads .38 Spl. exclusively (unless you count .45 ACP, but we're talking about revolvers here).
DAL

 

[DennisE]

I shoot 800 - 1000 158 gr. SJSP .357 Magnum Magtech rounds (MV=1233 Ft/sec, ME= 535 Ft.lbs) per month through my F-Comp. Dennis

 

[ChristopherG]

Out of which .357?

Out of my 66, I don't think I've ever shot more than a couple cylinders, just to verify that they print around the same place as my .38 practice/IDPA rounds, of which I've shot a few thousand.

Out of my 340PD, I shoot maybe 20 percent .357--but handloaded and very moderate .357, around 6 grs of W231 behind a 158 gr. bullet. That's a defense load (a light one, 'cause the gun is mui light) in a carry gun, and I wanna be sure I can control it, and that takes practice.

Out of my Marlin 1894, just 357--cause .38s hang up occasionally for me--but mostly the same moderate handloads described above. But not shooting .38 is not a problem, or really any added expense.

I do enjoy a few hot loads out of the Marlin--in the Deerstopper/max load category--just cause it's fun, and cause I'm confident it won't hurt anything (that's not on the receiving end ).

Handloading has changed the whole experience of shooting for me; made it less about shopping and wishing for just the right load and more about just making and shooting it.

cg

 

[444]

I normally never shoot .38 Specials in my .357 guns. I did make an exception not too long ago because I had loaded 1500 .38 Specials and decided to take out my Model 66. I own a fairly large number of .357 revolvers and all but a couple of them have never seen a .38 Special round. Now I don't know exactly what you mean by full power .357 loads. The vast majority of .357 loads I shoot are about middle of the road, but are .357 loads; well over max for .38 Special. As far as max loads, I don't shoot a whole lot of them. Probably a few hundred a year.
I do shoot a lot of .38 Special, but it is in guns chambered for the .38 Special cartridge of which I have several.

 

[Blueduck]

I handload 38+p+ in 357 cases for most of 357 shooting. What does that count as?

-only1asterisk

Shoot some 38 specials as I can tend to come up with free brass , but mainly as above.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

I only shoot full power .357s in my .357 revolvers.

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

Very few. I use the revolvers mostly for competition and with magnums you spend too much time looking at the sky and too little looking at targets. Nearly zero competitors use magnums so that there is faster recoil recovery and shorter overall stage times.

 

[pmbiker]

I like to shot Fiocchi 142gr moving at an advertised 1420 out of my 4" ruger gp and my marlin 1894. I load it with 38s for my wife, which is about 10% of the time at the range. But the sights are regulated for Remington gs 125's which are pretty mild for magnums at about 1250fps. This guns official duty is downstairs bump-in-the-night gun but it's also a range favorite.

 

[caz223]

I don't bother with anything less than 158 grain bullets, and they should be going 1100-1400 FPS.
If I want weak, I'll shoot 9mm.
If I want more, I'll shoot a bigger caliber.
If it's a 10 ounce 5 shot snub, .38 specials are fine.
I just don't happen to have any of those.

 

[bpisler]

100to 150 per month between my 3 357s
mostly fiocchi 158gr factory loads.I download my reloads slightly and put about 300-400 downrange a month.

 

[10-Ring]

I shoot mostly 38 specials from my 357 magnum.

 

[dleong]

Handloading has changed the whole experience of shooting for me; made it less about shopping and wishing for just the right load and more about just making and shooting it.

Truer words about reloading have never been spoken.

DL

 

[Arub]

I shoot mostly 95% loads behing a 125 grain sjhp (1550 to 1600ft/sec) and load down to th 80% level (about 1300 ft/sec) for falling plate shoots.

Recently, I have shot some 159 grain sjhp .38spls (about 850 ft/sec) in falling plate matches. These are the only .38specials that I have run through my magnum revolers. Recovery time is good, but so is recovery time using the 80% magnum loads behind a 125 grain sjhp.

 

[Standing Wolf]

My normal .357 magnum load is a very light .38 special load with a hollow-based wadcutter in a .357 magnum cartridge case. I always shoot a few rounds of full house ammunition, but it's hard on what's left of my wrist and hearing.