Had my first reloading mishap tonight

[ojibweindian]

3 grains of Bullseye in a 357 Mag case, in my opinion, is a little too light for pushing a bullet down 8 3/8" of barrel.

Primer and no powder would get the bullet stuck pretty close to the forcing cone, certainly not much further than that.

Also, 10,000 PSI, as stated at Alliant's 357 Mag data page (http://www.alliantpowder.com/reload...gtypeid=1&weight=148&shellid=1015&bulletid=26) is further evidence, IMHO, that the pressure pushing the bullet through almost 8.5" of barrel just wasn't enough to get it to clear the muzzle.

For comparison, take a look at Alliant's data for the .38 Spl using a 148gr LWC and Bullseye (http://www.alliantpowder.com/reload...gtypeid=1&weight=148&shellid=1017&bulletid=39).

 

[gaowlpoop]

I was going to suggest drilling the bullet also but you would have to be very very careful not to get the steel drill against the side of the barrel. That would damage the rifling in a hurry. Also lead has a tendency to "grab" a drill bit and the bit simply screws into the lead without cutting a hole. If that happens, the bullet would be forced even tighter against the side of the barrel. If you decide to drill it, I would start with a small drill and work my way up. Also, I would DO IT BY HAND. What I mean is hold the drill bit in your fingers and turn it into the bullet. It will take some time and some doing but it might save your barrel.