.357 Magnum ( Rifle ) Reloading

Can the .357 Magnum be reloaded for Rifle Spec.'s with good results ?


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Eagle 17

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Many have underestimated the .357 Magnum as a good Rifle Caliber Load ,
sometimes it might be because of available components and reload data.
 
Many have underestimated the .357 Magnum as a good Rifle Caliber Load ,
sometimes it might be because of available components and reload data.

Has it been underestimated or have the availability of 44 magnum rifles just made it a non starter?

I see the popularity of the 357 lever guns and I am somewhat bemused by it when 44 mag rifles exist.
 
There is no difference between rifle and pistol data for 357 Mag, they both have the same specs including peak pressure. Since your shooting it in a rifle select powders that are slower burning for the bullet you are using and you will realize a bigger velocity bump between pistol length and rifle length barrels.
 
Has it been underestimated or have the availability of 44 magnum rifles just made it a non starter?

I see the popularity of the 357 lever guns and I am somewhat bemused by it when 44 mag rifles exist.
Why? The availability of 45/70 hasn’t made the 44 Magnum any less popular; the .308 hasn’t killed off the 30-30. I’m always bothered when someone suggests that a more powerful gun/round precludes the effectiveness or popularity of another. Granted, the .357 magnum is not the ideal rifle caliber for hunting... doesn’t mean that is ineffective or inconsequential.
 
There are a few folks out there who still hunt with the 357 rifle. It is not that popular and as such does not have the same handloading support.
 
Use H110 and standard (non-magnum) primers.

Slower pressure curve. You have the barrel length to build the feet per second.

AND, don't try to turn it into a 35 Remington. It's not going to do that.
 
It also depends on what metric you are using to declare a “rifle standard”. Energy, momentum, Thornily Stopping Power, Taylor Knockout Formula etc... You can bend the standard to your will if you place emphasis on one over the other. A light fast .357 mag from a rifle can approach 1500 ft-lbs energy, and a heavy slow bullet can easily pass completely through a deer. One thing we can all agree on is that you aren’t going to get much more than a 100 yard effective hunting range for large animals.

Personally, I’d choose a 158-180 gr bullet loaded with H110, IMR-4227, or 2400.
 
There is no difference between rifle and pistol data for 357 Mag, they both have the same specs including peak pressure. Since your shooting it in a rifle select powders that are slower burning for the bullet you are using and you will realize a bigger velocity bump between pistol length and rifle length barrels.

I have an older manual with rifle specific data in it. I can't remember who put it out and it's in the garage. I'll check it with current 357 data tomorrow and see if there is any difference. If so I'll post it.
 
There is no difference between rifle and pistol data for 357 Mag, they both have the same specs including peak pressure. Since your shooting it in a rifle select powders that are slower burning for the bullet you are using and you will realize a bigger velocity bump between pistol length and rifle length barrels.

A picture is worth a thousand words :
IMG_20200311_163534932~2.jpg
IMG_20200311_163455435~2.jpg
 
I have an older manual with rifle specific data in it. I can't remember who put it out and it's in the garage. I'll check it with current 357 data tomorrow and see if there is any difference. If so I'll post it.
Hodgdon has rifle and pistol specific data also but it is still loaded to the same specification, pressure, dimension etc. They are just reporting velocity data for a long or short barrel. If they are smart they are also using slower powders in the rifle specific loads to maximize velocity.

A picture is worth a thousand words :
View attachment 898449
View attachment 898450

Interestingly the only cartridge I know of that is in both the SAAMI Pistol & Revolver manual and the Rifle manual that is not the same is the 44 Mag. For some reason they have slightly different bore and groove diameters:

Pistol .417 bore, .429 groove +.004 tolorance*
Rifle .424 bore, .431 groove +.004 tolorance*

Most manufactures hold a much tighter tolorances towards nominal on bore and grove than SAAMI allows.
 
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I recently purchased a Rossi 92 in 357. Tell you what, shooting 125 gr. HPs over 22 grains of WW 296 off the bench sighting it in made my old, sewn back together shoulder hurt pretty quickly. That's why I have no interest in the 44 caliber model.

It is now equipped with a slip-on recoil pad so it's back to the range to finish sighting in. A coyote will be the largest animal I'll ever shoot with this rifle and I believe that load will be entirely adequate. I might get a jackrabbit now and then and I doubt there will be much left of one shot with this load.
 
Why? The availability of 45/70 hasn’t made the 44 Magnum any less popular; the .308 hasn’t killed off the 30-30. I’m always bothered when someone suggests that a more powerful gun/round precludes the effectiveness or popularity of another. Granted, the .357 magnum is not the ideal rifle caliber for hunting... doesn’t mean that is ineffective or inconsequential.

Works great on hogs and deer at woods distances which is 90% of the Eastern states
 
I picked up a Henry 357 Mag. Single Shot
For me and my shooting buddy , so I could do loads for it and I already have a 38/357 Revolver
 
I have some old manuals and when I was looking through them I'd swear .357 was certainly listed in the rifle section, not sure if the load data was different than pistol data though, I'd have to dig into it.
 
There is no difference between rifle and pistol data for 357 Mag, they both have the same specs including peak pressure. Since your shooting it in a rifle select powders that are slower burning for the bullet you are using and you will realize a bigger velocity bump between pistol length and rifle length barrels.
The only real difference in the data is the reported higher velocity from the longer rifle barrel. The cartridge is still loaded to the proper pressure for the .357 Magnum.
 
I can tell you there is a significant difference in the .41MAG fired in a 20" barrel... all else being equal. If I had a .357MAG carbine, I would be loading a 180grn cast bullet under IMR4227 or 2400... but that's me.
 
The pressure does not change for the cartridge no matter the weapon. The ability to effectively burn the powder and the longer barrel of the rifle makes better velocity. One would assume that is the reason for barrel length requirements in some states for hunting. A rifle may also allow a longer oal with more room in the boiler for more powder. I dont bother to try this in my 4" pistol.
 
As above, the specs are the same...but...many .357 rifle actions are built to handle higher pressures. I'll let you draw your own conclusions, I'll leave it at don't try that at home.

I've been reloading for a .357 Henry single shot with a 22" barrel for about a year now. I got it with the purpose of having a dirt cheap to shoot, mild recoiling, short range deer capable rifle for casual shooting, introducing youths to centerfire rifles, and as a youth hunting rifle for deer at short range. It does all these in spades.

With a max load of H110 pushing the Speer 158SP, I would have no qualms using it on whitetail to 75 yards. It is lights out accurate, and eats everything from this heavy max load to subsonic 158 cast with a tiny pinch of powder with gusto and fine accuracy. It's suitable for everything from dinging beer cans to dropping Bambi or Yogi should it come to that.

It really gets interesting with 110 or 125 grain hollow points loaded to max. Haven't played a lot with the accuracy, but the terminal effects on soft targets are downright violent. More akin to soft points from a 7.62x39 than what I'd expect from a pistol cartridge. I am very tempted to try some Barnes 125 X through my rifle and see what they will do.
 
View attachment 898466
357 Mag. (Pistol) Load Data
View attachment 898467
357 Mag. (Rifle) Load Data

The rifles and handguns manufactured these days are made to use SAMMI standard ammunition.

What we do not know is the conditions, timing, and equipment that the ammunition for rifles and handguns were tested under. We know that different guns of even the same model may show different pressure conditions.

We do know that data is not frequently re-tested between editions of a specific manual., it just costs too much, so data published in a new manual may not be new, retested data. Or it may be updated information.

Lots of variables and the data shown by the poster is really not too different between handgun and rifle for 357 Magnum. Powder charges vary a 0.1 or 0.2 grains between rifle and handgun loads for the most parts.

I shoot the same full power ammunition in my 357 Magnum revolvers as in my Marlin 1894 carbine. I get a velocity bump in my rifle due to the longer barrel. I have no interest in seeing if I can push the rifle loads.
 
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