.357 Magnum Maximum Overall Length

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Load Master

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I'm fairly new to loading and shooting .357 Magnum (not to reloading). The SAAMI maximum overall length for .357 Mag is 1.590 inches. A good friend gave me a number of his cast bullets to sample. One of these is the Lyman Round Nose. When I seat to the cannelure the over all length measures 1.660 inches. This is about .07 inches over spec, but the tip of the bullet when loaded into the cylinder of the revolver is still below the surface. I don't expect any issues with firing these, but of course seek and respect the opinions of others here. Thoughts?

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The SAAMI maximum overall length for .357 Mag is 1.590 inches.
I'm not sure, but I think the SAAMI spec of 1.590" max OAL is so they'll fit in any 357 Mag revolver. I use a lot of heavier (170grs -180grs) cast bullets in my 357 Mag revolvers, therefore, most of my 357 Mag loads exceed the SAAMI max OAL spec.
BTW, I had a little Smith (Model 60?) 357 Mag a while back, and many of my favorite handloads wouldn't fit in it - the bullets stuck out the other end of the cylinder. That's one of the reason I got rid of it.
Since it fits the cylinder, you are good to go.
This.^^^^^
 
If it fits in the cylinder your good to go assuming everything else about the round is good to go. Just watch the over SAAMI OAL ammunition if you grab your lever gun. A long round will go into the magazine but if it is too much over the specified OAL it will not be able to rise on the lifter. They are then a real pain in the butt to get out of the gun without disassembling the magazine tube.
 
If it fits in the cylinder your good to go assuming everything else about the round is good to go. Just watch the over SAAMI OAL ammunition if you grab your lever gun. A long round will go into the magazine but if it is too much over the specified OAL it will not be able to rise on the lifter. They are then a real pain in the butt to get out of the gun without disassembling the magazine tube.
Been there done that unfortunately.
 
Same here. Because of this I make dummies with each bullet at the max my carbine will cycle. Then I work up a load. Before owning a carbine, the shortest cylinder was my max o.a.l.. your powder charge needs to be adjusted if you change it very much.
 
Excellent!

Did you chrono them? If so, did the FPS turn out about like what you expected? Faster, slower?
I sure did. The round nose, 166.7gr, pictured in the earlier post, the one I was worried about at 1.660" COL were loaded light for fun target for my daughter with 7.5grs of Blue Dot gave an average of 934fps.

The SWC bullet at 164gr with a gas check had 10.0gr of Blue Dot and gave 1,227fps average. I won't run this load again. Next time something less. The primer pin strike was being pushed back.

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That looks more like sloppy firing pin to firing pin hole fit than over pressure. The edges of the primers are still nice and round. Not as rounded as the lighter load, but still nice enough for me not to worry. Could be wrong.
 
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