Reloading .357 for maximum range from a rifle

[-Pete-]

I'm just about to start reloading and wonder if anyone on AirgunBBS has tried loading .357/38SPL for maximum range in a .357? I have bought a Ruger 77/357 bolt action and plan to develop a long distance load, perhaps using .35 bullets swaged down .001" if indeed that's necessary. I've got a lot to learn about bullet stability, optimum weight, what sort of powder etc etc. So I'd welcome any feedback from someone who's tried this.

[JB101]

I would think that you'll need hard lead bullets & or gas checks to prevent lead stripping at high mv's
Would suggest FMJ bullets may be better.

James

[dodgyrog]

I would think that you'll need hard lead bullets & or gas checks to prevent lead stripping at high mv's
Would suggest FMJ bullets may be better.

James

Don't agree!
Boolit fit is the most important thing. As well as that I would say boolit durability, not hardness, is wanted. Brinell around 15 is fine (Lyman No 2) with a little bit of tin added for good fill out in the mould.
For accuracy at distance use a gas check (a must if you are going over 1500fps) and a GOOD lube - Carnauba Red is what I use for higher velocities. I drop my boolits from the mould straight into cold water BUT be very careful to keep the water away from the molten lead.
Check weigh ALL cast boolits after cooling and drying and keep them in groups of no more than 1.2 grain variation.
Size them around .002" oversize compared to barrel size (.358" works well for me) and that will do little or no damage to the surface of the boolit.
Use a slow powder (Blue Dot or 2400 or similar) to drive them.
Use the same batch of brass and prepare it properly.
And so on and so on!
Good luck - you'll surprised at the accuracy you can get from cast boolits.

[tacfoley]

Great and useful post!

One thing, though. Where do you lucky people get your alloyed lead from?

Never seen any ANYWHERE in this country.

tac

[-Pete-]

I got a PM and when I replied it said the recipients inbox was full, so I'll stick it on here - I hope that's ok:

you might try pure wheel weights,years ago there was linotype ,it was v expensive,but I assume thats no longer available
do you mean swaging down a thou from .36 not .35 ...
love to know where you got your Ruger,I have been looking for nearly 2 years....
interested to know how your gun performs,the only offput to me is the weight,5.5 lbs
prefer something 7-8 lbs for stability

Hi,

I've got no idea about sources of lead, I was planning to use FMJ bullets because I was hoping/expecting to go 2000fps or more. But I'm very new to this, I'm just about to start reloading, so maybe lead will do the job.

The .35 rifle cartridge uses .358 bullets and has decent long-range profiles, but they're 200grns or more so perhaps too heavy for a 1:16" twist rifle. I bought a Ruger 77/357 after watching a lot of Youtube videos and reading about them online, Viking Arms are the UK importers and my RFD managed to get me one, it took all year though, and cost me £900 :gulp:

It's a lovely rifle, seems to be very accurate and it's good a lovely build quality. The composite stock isn't too ergonomic, but I can live with it. And it's the only 38/357 bolt action around, so not such a difficult choice.

I shoot mainly gallery rifle at the moment so I like the light weight, but I can't see it being a problem at Bisley on a rest. The benefit of 38/357 is that I can shoot it on our 25 yard indoor range, and also use it at 300 yards or more at Bisley. And I can do home reloads - pistol bullets have way too low a ballistic coefficient, that's why I was looking at .35 spitzers and boat-tails.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

...Pete

[enfield2band]

I use a .357" for foxes. My load is 158gr Hornady hollow point with 7.2gr Unique. It is accuate out to 100 yards in my gun. I have never tested it at a longer range.

[amc577]

Possibly a bit optimistic! My pal has the same rifle and gets decent groups at 100 yards with cast bullets and Vit N110.......the drop at 200/300 yards would be considerable, even with 1500fps MV...calculate drop 21" at 200 yards and 74" at 300 yards. The bullet has a ballistic coefficient of a housebrick and is not designed for long range shooting......however, on one Bisley visit, another friend, who is a guru of the 38 Special, managed a 6-8" group at 200 yards, Short Siberia, with a scoped Rossi lever action and his homeload 38 Specials....amazed all of us! So good luck in your quest.

amc577

[ZaksGod]

i suggest you have a look on marlin owners forum.it is an american site and as they hunt with theirs there will be some usefull data .i have seen some large quantities of powders used for shooting deer and such like

[-Pete-]

Thanks.

Looking at Sierra for example, a 158grn .357 pistol bullet has a BC of around 1.6, whereas a .35 rifle bullet might be 200grn .358 diameter with a BC around 2.5 at a similar muzzle velocity. I also found a Spitzer Boat Tail 225grn bullet with BC of about 3.9, but I'm not sure how long it is, and whether I can fit it in with enough powder. And the bullet stability depends a lot on the bullet length, there are so many factors to take into account.

And then again, maximum range is fairly meaningless without accuracy. But drop and windage can be adjusted for, right?

[mag44uk]

I have used 41mag and 44mag out to 350 yards or so.
We have a club comp on Short Siberia at 200 yards and some of the guys use their standard 50 yard load to good effect
I have shot in the 100/200/300yard comp at the Phoenix with a 44 along side a mate with a 357.
The 357 is much better at distance being less bricklike.
I have seen people using heavy 35 calibre bullets that, when loaded, are so long you have to fire them as the round wont easily extract.
People use the silhouette bullets from Hornady and others.
Powders such as N110,H110 and W296 work well.
I do have some sierra 170gn fmj`s (8350) spare if you are interested.
Tony