Trimming .357 Mag brass

[SciFiJim]

Is it safe to trim .357 mag brass to .38 Special lengths as long as I use .38 Special load data. It’s to take care of feeding issues in a Marlin 1894 carbine with 180 gr bullets and .357 COL that can make loading from the tubular magazine difficult. The plan would be to trim back a little at at time to find the sweet spot for loading from the magazine.

 

[ReloaderFred]

It's safe, though the .357 brass is thicker and has a thicker web to withstand the higher pressures of the magnum round.

I regularly shoot 180 grain cast bullets through my Marlin 1894 Carbines and don't have a problem with them feeding. I'm using Hodgdon's Lil'Gun and they feed smooth as silk, since there's plenty of room in the case for them to be seated to the proper length.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[SciFiJim]

Fred, What do you get for a COL when seating them to the crimp groove? I got my load data for using Lil'Gun from Cast Performance but did not get a COL from them.

 

[Gewehr98]

Jim, I have a proposition for you...

Instead of trimming down all that .357 brass, tell me how much you have, how much .38 Special brass you need, and I'll work out a trade. I have oodles of the latter, and can save you some serious labor, in exchange for your .357 Mag brass.

What say you?

 

[ReloaderFred]

SciFiJim,

I load my 175, 180 and 185 grain cast gas check bullets to 1.605" OAL. They feed through all three of my .357 Magnum Marlin 1894's without a hitch.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[SciFiJim]

Gewehr, What I am looking for is longer than .38 special but short enough to load well in my rifle. I know that loading .357 loads with the bullet seated too deep can cause excess pressure, hence, using .38 special loads in shorter than normal .357 brass. I haven't started loading these yet but had heard about the issue of COL for the larger boolits causing feeding problems and wanted to cover possible solutions before problems arose. Contingency planning is what I do for a living and find myself doing it off the job as well. I sleep better at night that way, instead of laying awake in the middle of night worrying about it. Thanks for the offer though, but, I will keep my .357 brass until I come up with a better solution.

 

[SciFiJim]

Thanks Fred,
It does help to ease my mind about using that size bullet.