357 mag very light load

[ultralightbackpacker]

I just loaded up 100 rounds of 357 with winchester 125 JHP, of 6 grains of universal clays with standard #500 cci primer. On my books, it should just be a weak 38 spc +p load. Should be a light load in my sw 686. like a 22lr.

Anyone have a similar recipe? I have yet to shoot them, perhaps tomorrow I will. Was curious if they would even mushroom on a phonebook? Any ideas of fps? I don't have a chrono.

Thanks boys and take care,

 

[Walkalong]

A guess. 1050 ish.

 

[Walkalong]

Oh yea. 4.0 Grs Clays or 4.1 Grs Competition with a 125 gr Berrys TrFP in .357 brass for around 900 FPS. Regular popcorn fart load in a heavy .357.

These loads appear safe in my guns using my load technique. Use at your own risk.

 

[Quoheleth]

I like 5.0gr Titegroup under a Missouri Bullet .357 Action 158gr LSWC with CCI or Winchester SPP and mixed brass. Shoots flat and quick (@ 1000fps per manual) out of my 6" GP100 but is not obnoxiously sharp report or recoil.

Q

edit: I'm sorry...I missed you are asking about 125gr JHPs. I have nothing for that bullet load.

 

[cougar1717]

I use 5.7gr Universal Clays with a 125gr plated bullet and a small pistol primer in a 357 mag case. It's more like a typical 38 special in a 357 case - well within the cast bullet data range for 357 and great for plinking and new/young/recoil sensitive/female shooters, etc. "Like a 22LR" is a little embellishment - more like a 9mm in a steel framed gun.

 

[Fractal X]

Ultralight, I ran a QuickLoad simulation based on the load data you gave for each a four and six inch barrel. The results were 1070 and 1195 fps respectively.


Due note though that these are only ballpark numbers and your actual velocities can and will vary, perhaps significantly.

 

[zxcvbob]

I've been loading a lot of 148 grain DEWC's crimped to 1.36" over 7.0 grains of WSF powder lately. It's probably halfway between a .38 Special +P and a .357, so it barks with authority but is not unpleasant to shoot (well, it probably would be in an airweight.)

If you want to run a Quickload simulation, say you are using Herco powder and it'll be really close except for the load density.

 

[Ozarkrick]

My best 357 mag / 125 gr JHP "Mid-range load" is: 7.8 grs UNIQUE, rem 125 JHP bulk boolit, WSP standard primer, seated on can-lour w/ medium crimp, finished with Lee factory crimp die. Very comfortable and very accurate to shoot - with out the muzzle blast of Win 296.

 

[lwknight]

If you really want a popcorn fart load thats suitable for indoor traps like inside your garage: Try 2.0-2.4 grains bullseye with 100 grain wadcutters. 400-450 fps and not even very loud. Will not penetrate 24ga sheetmetal. Very accurate rat thumpers for the barn too.

 

[Fatelvis]

125 JHP bulk boolit

Ozark, not to be persnickety, but those of us that are bullet fanatics, refer only to cast projectiles as "Boolits". The use of this highly technical term in this context, may confuse some innocent readers. Please refrain from using the beloved "B" word (Boolits), when speaking of the lesser and much despised JHP, JSP, FMJ, etc. BULLETS. LOl

 

[W.E.G.]

Boo-rah!

 

[rcmodel]

And some of us don't even call cast bullets "Boolets".
We call all bullets bullets.

Course, we are the same old fogies that don't call magazines "clips", or shotguns "shotties" either.

Around here, clips go in revolvers, M1 Garands, and M16 magazines.
Shotties are something I heard pot smokers use to smoke dope.

rc

 

[zxcvbob]

And some of us don't even call cast bullets "Boolets".
We call all bullets bullets.

It depends on where I am. If I'm on the cast boolits forum, I use their terminology. If I'm here or TFL or thehighroad.us (what's that you ask?) I use the word "bullet" unless I forget where I am. "Boolits" may be silly, but it's actually a useful distinction in some contexts.

 

[ultralightbackpacker]

Thanks boys I will have to try some of these loads for sure. I really like the idea of the barn load rat thumper (that term needs to be coined!). I wonder what the decibel would be. I live in a semi rural area. I wonder if it would just sound like I was watching a dirty harry flick in my garage.

Also to Fractal X: What is quickload simluation? Is that a pc based program? If so I might give that a try. How neat would that be.

 

[ScratchnDent]

My lightest "barn rat thumper" load is a homemade rubber bullet (hot glue poured in a Lee 158 SWC mold) driven by a small pistol primer. You need to set aside a few dedicated cases, drill out the flash holes a bit, size and prime the cases, then just seat the bullet with your thumb.

They shoot a couple inches low at 10', but pack enough punch to go through one side of a cardboard shoe box, and the bullets are reusable.

They sound like a kid's cap gun.

 

[Cosmoline]

I've had great results making .357 plinkers with trailboss. The big advantage is you get .38 Special velocities with no crud building up to block a full size cartridge.

 

[floydster]

Trailboss for me also, great in the 38 spl. and 357 mag.
I also use it with good results in my 45 ACP., fun stuff.

 

[ultralightbackpacker]

Anyone know how long trail boss has been around? Just recently see it popping up all over the place. I may have to pick up an 8lb jug and play around. Based on the data, its almost fool proof to screw up because of the volume of powder.

Been reloading for 12 years, but had a hiatus of a few years. Thanks guys!

EDIT to add: Is the Trail Boss in the eariler loading listed data? Say lyman, hornady or speer? I ask because thats all I have. My books are 12 years old. Thanks again!

 

[mh38sp]

Where did you find 100gr WC ? I would like to get some to load for the wife to use in her Ruger LCR.

 

[Fractal X]

Quickload is an internal balistics (i.e. before the bullet has left the muzzle) simulator that was developed for reloaders. It has a good library of calibers, bullets, and powders that can be customized if you feel the need. It does a good job at simulating what will happen for a given load but it's not a substitute for having good reloading manuals and common sense. The downside is that at $150 it's not cheap.

If you want more information the Quickload website is: http://www.neconos.com/details3.htm

Please note that I am not affiliated with NECO (the company that produces Quickload) in any way. I'm just a customer who likes a well made product.

 

[rcmodel]

Anyone know how long trail boss has been around?

Introduced in 2005 I believe.

rc

 

[Cosmoline]

EDIT to add: Is the Trail Boss in the eariler loading listed data? Say lyman, hornady or speer? I ask because thats all I have. My books are 12 years old. Thanks again!

There's little published data at this point in the hard copies, but IMR has some data on line and there was an issue of Handloader last year that had more information on how to calculate your loads.

 

[Vmcnew]

Silly question, why not just shoot 38 spl's?

 

[rcmodel]

Many folks prefer to use full-length .357 cases for light target loads to prevent the hard carbon rings in the chambers left from shooting shorter .38 Spl in .357 chambers.

It's easy to clean out, but it's even easier if it doesn't get there in the first place.

If not cleaned out when switching from .38's to .357's, it can raise pressure, and also make chambering & extraction more difficult.

rc

 

[Vmcnew]

I have only one problem with this, that is that emergencies of all kinds happen. Imagine grabbing your 357 because something is knocking down your front door, grabbing the first rounds you come to (they look like 357's). As you stand facing the bear that's 4 feet in front of you, you raise your trusty 357 and hear it go, "POP." If I load light, I make certain that the brass or bullets are clearly different, otherwise I don't load light. Worst nightmare happened to a friend of mine on a hunt out in Colorado, light loads for a 300 win mag. After arriving for the hunt he re-sighted his rifle, like anyone should after transporting it across the country. To his astonishment he felt little recoil, he had two boxes of reduced loads that he had worked up (for one of his kids I think). Fortunately his guide was able to supply some factory loads. I do not care how you mark things, marks come off, and the occasional round ends up in a pocket instead of back in the clearly marked box. If you load light 357's at least load cast bullets in them, or some of those plated things, at least then the bullet is clearly different, or if you use nickel brass like most folks do load your light loads in regular brass.