Agreed, good stuff for midrange .357.
A new-to-me adventure coming soon - Reloading for a revolver.
- Thread starter Skgreen
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I don't trim any 38cal brass. I don't worry about shooting 38sp in my 357 either but I keep it pretty clean. Part of the fun of owning a 357 is it's versatility.
I bought a couple different boxes of factory just for the first test, figuring if there were any manufacturing defect and the gun blew up the first time I shot it reloads couldn't be blamed. Also I'll record my chrono speeds compared to the listed speed on the box
I don't trim most of the time. I don't crimp like most folks either, I turn the seater down about I/2 turn too much and crimp until I feel the brass bottom out on the cannelure, of course I only have the luxury of doing so with a single stage press. I learned to do that because I don't like to trim.
rfwobbly
Member
Welcome to "wheel guns". It may take several years, but you'll finally get accustomed to not chasing your brass !!
My 357 brass pile is about 1/2 Starline. The other half is Federal. Maybe 500 or 600 cases total
The 38sp pile o brass is also about 1/2 Starline and 1/2 mixed R&P, Win and Federal. Maybe 900 - 1000 cases
I keep them separated by headstamp.
Also no longer load anything that requires a magnum primer.
The 38sp pile o brass is also about 1/2 Starline and 1/2 mixed R&P, Win and Federal. Maybe 900 - 1000 cases
I keep them separated by headstamp.
Also no longer load anything that requires a magnum primer.
tightgroup tiger
Member
If you have to buy brass, buy all the same brand at one time and you won't have to trim it. Most roll crimp seating dies will handle a .010" variation with no problem. I have all my .357 mag brass sort to two different lengths, all the different brands fall into these two different length groups with no problem.
If you use taper crimp as other members said, you don't have to trim at all. Since you stated you don't like heavy loads, a taper crimp may be the way to go.
I don't own one, I use a roll crimp die because I'm to cheap to buy a taper crimp die.
This whole crimp thing is not a quagmire and you don't need to be concerned over it. With loading for midrange loads you just don't need to have a roll crimp.
I would recommend you buy Starline brass if you have to buy brass. It will last you a long time. The last 300 Starline brass .357 mag cases I bought from Starline were all with in .006" of each other.
No case trimmer needed for that. Their new brass is worth the little extra price you have to pay for it.
I don't think it will take that long, but from chasing 9mms, that is funny, and very true.
For powders anything in the midrange burn rates work well but some don't meter well out of a powder measure. So be watch full for those. It your weighing on a beam scale and trickling then it doesn't matter.
My favorites are BE86, Power Pistol, and Universal with BE86 being my most favorite.
I have found 7.3grs of BE86 to be my most accurate load with plated Extreme SWC 158gr bullets with .357mag cases.
Power Pistol ended up being 7.2gr and 7.8gr loads with the same bullet.
You will enjoy the journey so let us know how you make out.
If you use taper crimp as other members said, you don't have to trim at all. Since you stated you don't like heavy loads, a taper crimp may be the way to go.
I don't own one, I use a roll crimp die because I'm to cheap to buy a taper crimp die.
This whole crimp thing is not a quagmire and you don't need to be concerned over it. With loading for midrange loads you just don't need to have a roll crimp.
I would recommend you buy Starline brass if you have to buy brass. It will last you a long time. The last 300 Starline brass .357 mag cases I bought from Starline were all with in .006" of each other.
No case trimmer needed for that. Their new brass is worth the little extra price you have to pay for it.
I don't think it will take that long, but from chasing 9mms, that is funny, and very true.
For powders anything in the midrange burn rates work well but some don't meter well out of a powder measure. So be watch full for those. It your weighing on a beam scale and trickling then it doesn't matter.
My favorites are BE86, Power Pistol, and Universal with BE86 being my most favorite.
I have found 7.3grs of BE86 to be my most accurate load with plated Extreme SWC 158gr bullets with .357mag cases.
Power Pistol ended up being 7.2gr and 7.8gr loads with the same bullet.
You will enjoy the journey so let us know how you make out.
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So nice to be able to 'tap into' the knowledge on this site!!!
I truly appreciate all who have posted their thoughts and 'what works for them'!!!
Ordered last night:
Starline 357 brass.
(2) flavors of 158 gr Extreme plated.
Shell-plate, dies, shell-holder, bullet feeder die. (Brownells happened to have the best price on Hornady)
BE86 appears to be a crowd favorite,,, The ~closest~(?) thing I have to that would be Sport Pistol,,,
I can honestly say that, even though I've reloaded thousands upon thousands of 9mm, 45 ACP, and 223 in the last few years, I haven't been this excited about a new firearm (and keeping it fed!!!!!) in a very long time!!!!!!
I assume that's because reloading for revolvers is just different enough to be ~new to me~, but not so new it's intimidating.
Thanks everyone!!!!!!!!!!
I truly appreciate all who have posted their thoughts and 'what works for them'!!!
Ordered last night:
Starline 357 brass.
(2) flavors of 158 gr Extreme plated.
Shell-plate, dies, shell-holder, bullet feeder die. (Brownells happened to have the best price on Hornady)
BE86 appears to be a crowd favorite,,, The ~closest~(?) thing I have to that would be Sport Pistol,,,
I can honestly say that, even though I've reloaded thousands upon thousands of 9mm, 45 ACP, and 223 in the last few years, I haven't been this excited about a new firearm (and keeping it fed!!!!!) in a very long time!!!!!!
I assume that's because reloading for revolvers is just different enough to be ~new to me~, but not so new it's intimidating.
Thanks everyone!!!!!!!!!!
I have to admit I never considered it until I was getting uneven expansion of the case mouths, which caused shaving of my coated bullets when I seated them. The uniform roll crimping was just a side benefit
Toprudder
Member
Probably right.
For 357mag, I highly recommend the Lee collet crimper (not the normal FCD). The way it works makes it less sensitive to trim length, and it has never crushed a case for me. It also does not have a carbide resizing ring (a sore spot for some reloaders). Sadly, this die will not work with 38spl cases, and Lee does not make a collet crimper for 38.
https://leeprecision.com/357-magnum-custom-collet-style-crimp-die.html
RealGun
Member
Seems to me that, to avoid damaging those plated bullets, using the case head stamps with thicker walls, the crimp would have to be pretty precise or a forgiving taper crimp.
Brass will be significantly shorter after firing, so never compare fired versus new or sized brass nor measure it for the same standard.
Without consistency in trim length, a regular revolver cartridge die could roll crimp the case mouth into the plating. Setting the die then, in lieu of trimming cases, would need to be set with a sample of one of the longer case lengths, leaving the short cases with unknown level of bullet retention. At least measuring brass into length range groups and setting dies for each should be considered. For new brass, you decide on a nominal length and trim them before first use. There shouldn't be many that need it.
Brass will be significantly shorter after firing, so never compare fired versus new or sized brass nor measure it for the same standard.
RealGun
Member
That die is not carbide. Is that a problem crimping? I am thinking I would only need to keep it clean.
I stole this from TT and it is indeed a very good load. I went up to 7.5, but 7.3 was better.
Always good advise, but mine is all range pickup and the lengths varied so much it does much better trimmed. More uniform expansion and crimps.
My .32 Long is all Starline bought new and it was consistent enough no trimming was needed. I did still chamfer and deburr them, as I do all my revolver brass, and it has benefits as well.
Doublehelix
Member
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Explain this a bit to me if you don't mind. Just to be safe, you can use "regular" SPP in .357 brass can't you?
I'm not loading big ole boomer rounds anymore and the loads I choose don't spec small pistol magnum primers. I believe powder selection determines which primer you use, someone correct me if I'm wrong here.
Absolutely. SPP and small magnum pistol are dimensionally the same. Powder choice is what drives magnum versus standard primer needs. Most .357 powders work just fine with standard primers.
Arkansas Paul
Member
And then there is the brass trimming comment from @Walkalong . Gee thanks... just what I need, more work!
As Walkalong stated, he does it because he likes it. Not because it is necessary.
I have never trimmed a piece of revolver or auto pistol brass, and I don't plan on ever doing so.
As far as buying loaded rounds or brass to start, that's strictly a personal choice.
Personally, I like the fact that I own 2 revolvers that have never fired a factory round, other than the test round at the factory.
If once fired brass is readily available, I buy that. If not, I buy new Starline brass.
.38 Special brass is readily available really cheap.
.357 mag brass OTOH, you may as well buy new. When you do find it once fired, folks want as much as new Starline.
Happy loading. Hope this helps.
RugerOldArmy
Member
As someone who loves .357 revolvers:
- You mentioned the option of getting new Starline brass. Do it. Great stuff, and one wonderful thing about .357(s) is they don't toss your brass everywhere. Not only won't you lose it, you don't even have to pick it up off the ground. Starline lasts a long, long time...especially if you shoot light target loads.
- .You can shoot .38 Special or .357 Mag, but I'd recommend the .357 Mag brass, even if you're looking to shoot target loads. You'll have the option of more powerful loads, and the bigger case can be almost as accurate.
- One joy you have yet to experience is the hollow-based wadcutter. A tiny amount of Bullseye with them is a classic load, from which most everyone finds great accuracy. Hornady makes a .358" 148 Grain lead hollow base wadcutter that is very accurate, with no leading in light loads. You can also find great accuracy with HP38, but I prefer Bullseye.
- My other favorite load is 14 Gr. of 2400 and a 158 Gr semi-jacketed hollow point, for a general purpose load. This is an upper-mid-range load that has some power, shoots well, and doesn't beat up your brass. 2400 is a bit more flexible in charge weight than H110 for the stiffer loads.
- I've never had .357 Brass, yet, that required trimming.
Enjoy...everyone should have a .357 Mag in their gun safe.
- You mentioned the option of getting new Starline brass. Do it. Great stuff, and one wonderful thing about .357(s) is they don't toss your brass everywhere. Not only won't you lose it, you don't even have to pick it up off the ground. Starline lasts a long, long time...especially if you shoot light target loads.
- .You can shoot .38 Special or .357 Mag, but I'd recommend the .357 Mag brass, even if you're looking to shoot target loads. You'll have the option of more powerful loads, and the bigger case can be almost as accurate.
- One joy you have yet to experience is the hollow-based wadcutter. A tiny amount of Bullseye with them is a classic load, from which most everyone finds great accuracy. Hornady makes a .358" 148 Grain lead hollow base wadcutter that is very accurate, with no leading in light loads. You can also find great accuracy with HP38, but I prefer Bullseye.
- My other favorite load is 14 Gr. of 2400 and a 158 Gr semi-jacketed hollow point, for a general purpose load. This is an upper-mid-range load that has some power, shoots well, and doesn't beat up your brass. 2400 is a bit more flexible in charge weight than H110 for the stiffer loads.
- I've never had .357 Brass, yet, that required trimming.
Enjoy...everyone should have a .357 Mag in their gun safe.
I don't like the actual trimming, but I do like the benefits.
It is whether those "benefits" are needed or not, or are worth the time/trouble or not, where the debate comes in.
Yep, although I use 14.5 Grains with a coated 158 Gr SWC. Either charge weight or bullet style is fine though.
Absolutely, way too many cool .357 revolvers out there not to have one.....or two.
someguy2800
Member
A note on crimping and plated bullets. Not saying this is good advice or bad advice, just reporting what I do. I roll crimp every 38 special I make with a Lee FCD, even plated bullets. Below is my usual 38 special load which is a 125 gr Berry's flat point. As you can see from the pulled bullet on the right it is heavily crimped. I've shot thousands of these and never seen any detrimental effect from doing it this way. I've even shot them into poplar logs and bags of wood pellets and the plating is still intact when recovered.
Skgreen, let me tell you, you are in for a treat in terms of reloading for revolvers. For one thing, your brass is likely to last approximately forever. Not only will you not lose any of it when it gets tossed all over creation, but every round gets chamber support unmatched in anything with a feed ramp! Expansion is nice and symetrical, and it's a breeze to get it back into basically-perfect shape. You also don't have to watch brass with plenty of life left in it get ruined by dings or gouges on the ejector rim/groove portion... the ejector star just lifts those things out gently as a loving mother taking a newborn from the crib! Without an autoloading action to run, you can explore the lower reaches of load power (with appropriate powder choices, of course) to make bunny-fart loads that wouldn't cycle anything with more than a 6lb recoil spring. You won't ever run into a nose profile that your revolver won't feed reliably... it either fits or it doesn't, and almost everything does.
Biggest challenge you may face is that the .357 case is long and skinny. Depending on how you drop powder, you may need to pay some attention to lighting and/or mirrors to make sure you can see into every case if you're keeping the brass on the press throughout.
Biggest challenge you may face is that the .357 case is long and skinny. Depending on how you drop powder, you may need to pay some attention to lighting and/or mirrors to make sure you can see into every case if you're keeping the brass on the press throughout.
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