shot my first home rolled batch of .357 SIG

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Bovice

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Reloading it was a little tricky, but not the demon it's made out to be. I worked up from 12.6 to 13 grains of AA#9 with a 124 grain x-treme flat nose. The accuracy was kinda crappy until I got to 12.9/13 grains. Then they grouped into a single hole. Flash and blast was impressive. I got the "what the hell is that?" from a nearby shooter. It was LOUD. Didn't chrono them yet. My guess is mid 1300s. The cases were all fine. No splits or high pressure primer deformation. Most of the cases were nickel plated winchesters.

The other thing is that setback isn't really a worry using AA#9. It's got a full case of powder to keep it from going too deep. I used the Lee FCD and crimped a little tighter than I typically would for other pistol calibers. Left a little indent in the bullets. Accuracy wasn't affected. No plating came off either.

I read on the web that somebody tried compressing that gold standard of 13 grains of #9 and went with a variety of shortened OALs. It had a miniscule effect. The powder must be so slow, it doesn't get touchy.
 
Congradulashekins!

I will never forget loading my first loads! It is a memorable time, and then, for about the first year, everything I reloaded, when shot, I was both amazed and satisfied that I had created these!

There is a comfort and confidence that comes when one works up a really accurate load, I think it is because it makes us just that much more of a 'rifleman'! :)
 
AA#9 is a great powder for loading .357 Sig. Even if you do get a little setback, you won't get dangerously-increased pressures as you would with a faster powder. I'd be careful about applying a heavy taper crimp, as the crimp has little-to-nothing to do with preventing setback. If you reach a point of diminishing returns with the crimp, the heavier crimp will actually cause you to lose neck tension.

The only effective way to use a crimp for preventing setback in a bottleneck handgun round is to roll crimp into a cannelure.
 
I did the same thing as the OP but settled on 12.5 grains and have had pretty good results. Although Im mostly shooting through a Glock 33 so not looking for anything more than decent target stuff. My boss has taken some of my reloads to the range and got the same reaction as you did, always makes him giggle a little when he talks about it.

Glad to hear you found a good safe load
 
Congrats!

You didn't say if this is your first foray into reloading, or just a first 357 Sig.
From your post it sounds like you know what you're doing.

Stay safe, my friends.
 
I'd be careful about applying a heavy taper crimp, as the crimp has little-to-nothing to do with preventing setback. If you reach a point of diminishing returns with the crimp, the heavier crimp will actually cause you to lose neck tension.

The only effective way to use a crimp for preventing setback in a bottleneck handgun round is to roll crimp into a cannelure.
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Who said anything about a taper crimp, we're talking about a collet crimp. A strong collet crimp into a cannelure will hold better than a roll crimp into a cannelure. Even without a cannelure, a strong collet crimp is effective against setback.
 
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Once you get bored of shooting the AA#9 .... get some 800X ... the nearby shooters will move/leave .... 800X is a little hard to meter, it is even more robust than AA#9!
 
I never loaded the 357sig, but I always thought that the round headspaced on the case mouth, and you most use a taper crimp.
 
I never loaded the 357sig, but I always thought that the round headspaced on the case mouth, and you most use a taper crimp.
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It headspaces on both the case mouth and the shoulder. Crimp the mouth all you want and it'll still space fine on the shoulder. Plenty of people have reformed 40 S&W cases to 357 SIG, which leaves them a bit short and there are no headspacing problems.
 
Crimp the mouth all you want and it'll still space fine on the shoulder.
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More often than not the case is held in place by the extractor.
And over crimping reduces neck tension.
 
And over crimping reduces neck tension.
Click to expand...

Even if that's true for a collet crimp (and I haven't seen any tests that say it is), reduced neck tension doesn't necessarily increase the risk of the bullet moving. Look at roll crimping, the mouth of the case will hold the bullet separately from neck tension.
 
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I've been loading 9mm and .40 for a little over two years. Decided .357 SIG was a good addition.
 
An update on my current load practices for 357 SIG:

The moderately heavy collet crimp I was putting on my rounds using the Lee FCD was not doing me any favors as far as case life. So I looked at my expander die. I backed it off just slightly. The bullets are a little more difficult to seat, I have to set the bullet precisely on top or hold it with my fingers as it goes into the seater. However, the cases aren't crushing at the neck. So I found that spot of "just enough" with regards to expanding.

What does this mean? Well, no amount of pressure I can create with my thumb will move the bullet even the slight distance it can with 13 grains of AA#9 behind it. As a result I reduced the collet crimp to about half of what it was. I figure this can only help, since I'm not denting the bullet now. The bullet may be a little trickier to seat but I don't mind taking a little longer for a better product.

To recap, this is the load I worked up in my P229.
124 grain plated FP
Winchester nickel plated brass
CCI small pistol primer
1.140 OAL, +/- 0.002
13 grains of AA#9

I have an order of 500 124 FP bullets from RMR on the way. I got them for a better price than the X-tremes and I'm expecting the same excellent results. I'm planning to load them and shoot them in an IDPA match this weekend. I'll report back after that and a static range test at 15 yards.
 
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