Thread: Reloading .357mag

thats a whole heap of rounds to shoot ya way through in a lever gun..... loads of fun on bunnies ..

Originally Posted by omegaspeedy

Yeah it's amazing stuff in the meter. Just completed 200 on the little Lee. Boy I need to get the XL650 setup for .357.

Whats your thoughts on why W296 needing to be full load? I've loaded 16.1 vs 16.7max, so .6gr short of max. I'm not anticipating any issue....hopefully.

I watched this awesome guy (Excellent channel, long vids but detailed info) and he went for 16.1 W296 out of his Henry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiC32voJd4s

It's the recommendation from Winchester low loads can cause the dreaded SecondaryExplosiveEffect so they say I would not push my luck under loading 296
there are plenty of other powders for lower loads, If 296 is hard to find try AR2205 it is in the same burning speed, get loading with the Dillon I load mine on a 550
the Dillon dies are great, If you want to try cast bullets I have a mould that casts a 166 grain TC looks like your loaded ammo

Originally Posted by shooternz

It's the recommendation from Winchester low loads can cause the dreaded SecondaryExplosiveEffect so they say I would not push my luck under loading 296
there are plenty of other powders for lower loads, If 296 is hard to find try AR2205 it is in the same burning speed, get loading with the Dillon I load mine on a 550
the Dillon dies are great, If you want to try cast bullets I have a mould that casts a 166 grain TC looks like your loaded ammo

Interesting, will have to do some research on the SecondaryExplosiveEffect! Hope my load is safe. It is within the recommended range of 15.3-16.7. 16.1 is in the upper side.

I am interested in cast bullets. Was looking at a few videos today. Where did you get your mound from and how do you find the prep once the bullet is made? Much work in coating and finishing?

Ok it seems the danger of using w296 is squibs from inconsistent burn. It's not the initial shot fired, it's the firing into a sqib. Using good primers (I've used CCI Magnum pistol) and good crimps (I believe I have) will reduce the chances of a squib. It also states don't use a load less than 3% of maximum. I've used 16.1gr and 3% less of 16.7 is 15.59gr. Should be sweet I reckon.

If I was to read between the lines, you want a FULL case to prevent a flash over and 16.7 is just about a compressed load based on the level of powder I saw with 16.1.

Oh and reading further, the primer can pop the projectile out (thus reducing pressure) then the powder pressure builds causing a spike and boom!

Originally Posted by omegaspeedy

Interesting, will have to do some research on the SecondaryExplosiveEffect! Hope my load is safe. It is within the recommended range of 15.3-16.7. 16.1 is in the upper side.

I am interested in cast bullets. Was looking at a few videos today. Where did you get your mound from and how do you find the prep once the bullet is made? Much work in coating and finishing?

If you want to get serious about casting buy one of the Lyman reloading manuals they have a section on casting and cast loads
the easiest way to lube and size the bullets is with the Lee lube and push through size dies, I don't like Lee moulds they are cheap and a pain in the butt if casting more than
50 bullets at a time, I usually cast in batches of 10 kg, Steel moulds are the best then Brass and Aluminium, Commercial moulds from SAECO RCBS Lyman are ok custom moulds
are the best I use NOE, MP, Accurate molds, Mountain molds they are not really expensive you can make many thousands of bullets from a good mould I have only replaced one Alloy
mould after 9 years of use it still casts ok but was getting beat up.

Originally Posted by shooternz

If you want to get serious about casting buy one of the Lyman reloading manuals they have a section on casting and cast loads
the easiest way to lube and size the bullets is with the Lee lube and push through size dies, I don't like Lee moulds they are cheap and a pain in the butt if casting more than
50 bullets at a time, I usually cast in batches of 10 kg, Steel moulds are the best then Brass and Aluminium, Commercial moulds from SAECO RCBS Lyman are ok custom moulds
are the best I use NOE, MP, Accurate molds, Mountain molds they are not really expensive you can make many thousands of bullets from a good mould I have only replaced one Alloy
mould after 9 years of use it still casts ok but was getting beat up.

Thanks shooternz, lots of excellent info.