Another layman question

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AndrewWeber

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One can reduce the amount of gun powder in 357 Magnum cartridges.

What's the least amount of gun powder needed in 357 Magnum cartridges in order for it to work ?

Not changing gun powder, just reducing the original amount of gun powder in a original Winchester-Western .357 Magnum 158 grain bullet
 
if you know exactly what powder is used you can reduce it to the listed minimum. Further than that you can look for a load with your bullet with the shortest COAL which will have the smallest minimum load. I would advise you not attempt any of this unless you know exactly what powder is used or you are using a known powder and a book to verify it safe.
 
DO NOT DO THIS
Not changing gun powder, just reducing the original amount of gun powder in a original Winchester-Western .357 Magnum 158 grain bullet
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Get a reloading manual Lyman 50 is good read it thoroughly.

Powder, Bullet, and primer used all matter. If its a slow burning powder as in most full power magnum loads then you cannot reduce it much.
If its a faster burning powder for a lower velocity load you can reduce it to the starting point. Mild target loads use different powder and bullets than a full power load.

The safest way to reduce the power of a .357 is to buy some .38 special....
 
To repeat Master Blaster: DO NOT DO THIS

- If you want milder loads from a 357 gun, use 38 specials.
- Get a good reloading manual, better yet, get several. Another vote for Lyman as an excellent starting point.
- Each component of a cartridge: bullet, powder, and primer, makes a difference. That's why the manuals are so important.
- You will, inevitably, hear that shooting 38s out of a 357 cylinder makes it hard to chamber 357s. Just use a bore brush after the session to clean out any accumulation. In well over thirty-five years, it has never been a problem for me.
- Don't blindly accept powder charge info from individuals. If the info doesn't come from a manual, it should be ignored or treated as a starting point for further investigation.

You will read any number of responses saying the same basic things. That's because we've all had the same questions you are posting.

From a financial viewpoint, using 38 special out of a 357 makes sense. 38 special bulk ammo is relatively inexpensive and choose reloadable brass to make it a better value. Cast bullet 38 specials are economical and comfortable to shoot. For example, 38 special wadcutter loads with 148 grain bullets will usually get several thousand loads from a pound of powder. I save my 357 magnum components for 357 loads.

Hope this gives you a good starting point.

Jeff
 
AndrewWeber said:
What's the least amount of gun powder needed in 357 Magnum cartridges in order for it to work ? Not changing gun powder, just reducing the original amount of gun powder in a original Winchester-Western .357 Magnum 158 grain bullet
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Don't. No offense intended, but this question reflects a lack of experience and research; what I imagine you mean might be safe, but I don't think you have the knowledge to know what you're getting into.

If you want a low-power load, load a 38 Spl target load.
 
Load data for 357 Mag takes up a full 10 pages in the Lee 2nd ed manual. Many of the loads have very small differences between the minimum and maximum load. For example, 110 gr using Bullseye. Minimum is 8.7gr and max is 9.0. Get some good manuals or use light 38 special loads in the 357. Pulling existing loads and dialing down the charge is just asking for trouble.
 
herrwalther said:
Load data for 357 Mag takes up a full 10 pages in the Lee 2nd ed manual. Many of the loads have very small differences between the minimum and maximum load. For example, 110 gr using Bullseye. Minimum is 8.7gr and max is 9.0. Get some good manuals or use light 38 special loads in the 357. Pulling existing loads and dialing down the charge is just asking for trouble.
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I have no idea what manual your using but the range for a normal 110 grain bullet using bullseye at an oal of 1.590 is 7.0-9.7 grains. Lyman 50th
 
AJC1 said:
I have no idea what manual your using but the range for a normal 110 grain bullet using bullseye at an oal of 1.590 is 7.0-9.7 grains. Lyman 50th
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I put the manual I am using. Some books are more conservative in their numbers than others. Take it up with the publisher if you feel one is better than another.
 
herrwalther said:
I put the manual I am using. Some books are more conservative in their numbers than others. Take it up with the publisher if you feel one is better than another.
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My point being the caution with only having a .3 grain window of safety when the window in some publications is 2.3 grains. That's not a little difference. I own 7 manuals but not the LEE.
 
Although I like the Lee manual descriptions on how to use the tools and gear of reloading, I've found some of their load data to be very different from my other manuals. Often the range of a powder weight is very narrow. Just my observation. And most of my gear is made by Lee.

Jeff
 
Some powders, from what I've read that includes H110, react erratically, dangerously, in lower amounts. Published charts from the powder manufacturers, usually available free on line, are the way to go.
 
Nobody deals with the "least" or the "most" powder for a cartridge. What reloaders try to do is to stay in a safe range.

for an answer to your question, just look up the load chart for the powder you are interested in and take the starting or lowest load data shown and think of that as the least powder.

Burn rate of powder depends upon pressure and the curve as you get below a minimum pressure is non linear. So an actual exact answer to your question is dealing with a very steep curve and factors like the bullet construction and the bore size and a lot of other stuff that comes into play.

Do not experiment by reducing powder in a factory shell.

Your question may come in the area of "unknowable".
 
AJC1 said:
My point being the caution with only having a .3 grain window of safety when the window in some publications is 2.3 grains. That's not a little difference. I own 7 manuals but not the LEE.
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FWIW I opened my Speer manual 14th ed. Looked up the same round I referenced in the Lee, 2nd. 110gr with Bullseye. 7.8 minimum load 8.7 max. Only a 0.9gr safety window. The Speer manual separates 357 into rifle and handgun loads. Does Lyman do the same?
 
As suggested on the above posts lite loads can be very dangerous. You may get a squib and than you shoot again and "BOOM" your gun blows up into pieces. Stick within the true and tested loads published in the reloading manuals, other wise your taking a huge gamble.
 
herrwalther said:
FWIW I opened my Speer manual 14th ed. Looked up the same round I referenced in the Lee, 2nd. 110gr with Bullseye. 7.8 minimum load 8.7 max. Only a 0.9gr safety window. The Speer manual separates 357 into rifle and handgun loads. Does Lyman do the same?
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My lyman cast manual does not, The 50th gives loads for both but are identical on both pages except rifle does not list bullseye. The Speer manual does not list bullseye load in rifle either. There are higher charges listed in the speer section on rifle which can be used for either as the maximum sami pressure does not change for the cartridge. The hornady 10th does not list a 110 in rifle and in pistol it does not list bullseye. They are not listed separately in the western powders guide.
http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/powderlist.aspx?type=1&powderid=1&cartridge=28
THe powder manufacturer does not list a range so that is mute to discuss that.
 
I'm wondering the purpose of the "Layman question" series of posts by the OP. Some sort of research? Intellectual curiosity?

You would definately need further background to attempt any of this, so don't.

To answer the original question in this post, "work" needs to be defined. I'm sure a very light charge, perhaps as low as the 1 grain range, of a very fast burning powder such as bullseye would propel a 158 grain bullet from a short barreled .357 magnum revolver with a reasonable chance of striking a relatively close target. Get into the 2-3 grain range, and you are in the ballpark of some reduced "plinker" loads favored for paper punching or dinging cans when extra noise and power are not required. Step up to the 5-8 grain range of a "medium" powder such as Unique, and you're into the range used by many "bullseye" shooters for top accuracy without excessive blast or recoil. Heavier charges of "medium" powders get you into the self-defense load range, and maximum charges of "slow" burning powders are for full power hunting loads. Generally as the need for velocity increases, the burning speed of the powder is slower and requires a greater weight of powder to achieve the same velocity as "faster" powders but does so at a lower peak pressure. As a note, WW .357 jacketed 158 grain is loaded with something akin to W296 which due to it's specific properties should never be reduced...strange things will happen.
 
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