.357 Magnum Plinking Load

  • 1.2K Views
  • Last Post 13 May 2019
mashburn posted this 07 May 2019

I know that most of you people who frequent this forum have their own loads worked up, but then again there are some who haven't. I fell on this load by accident several years ago. I got possession of about a gallon and a half of sized and primed .357 cases that hadn't been trimmed. They were of several different brands. Even though I have a power trimmer, I hate to trim cases with a passion. I wasn't worried about accuracy, I just wanted a bunch of cheap ammo to plink with when I would go back to the cabin and enough that I could let my grandson shoot until he got so tired he couldn't shoot anymore. I got my calipers and started segregating the cases into similar length groups .When I finished I had about four groups of similar length. I used cast Keith style 158 grain bullets cast from a RCBS mold from WW's & lubed with zamboni  Red & sized to .357. I just guessed at a powder and a charge weight. I decided on Titegroup and a charge of 4.5 Grs. Due to there being a length difference, I set my bullet seating die to just a light crimp and of course when I would get to another group length I would have to adjust the die again.

My experiment was a success. This is some of the most accurate ammo that I ever fired. I haven't ever got down on the bench to see just how accurate it is. Here's a good example. At 60 yards with a improvised rest I will hit the end of a pop can about 9 out of 10 shots. I've been shooting these rounds through a 61/2" Ruger Black Hawk and a 6" Western Marshall(the early all steel ones) for several years and there isn't a bit of lead fouling in either one. All I have done is keep the revolver clean and lubed. The recoil is quite pleasant also. IF YOU DON'T HAVE A PLINKING LOAD YOU MIGHT WANT TO TRY THIS ONE. If I can remember to take it with me the next time I go to the range , I;m going to chronograph them.

Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

Attached Files

  • Liked by
  • M3 Mitch
Order By: Standard | Newest | Votes
x101airborne posted this 07 May 2019

My general purpose load for 357 handguns has been the Lee 158, rolled in Alox, any case, wolf primers and 5 grains of Bullseye. Has worked well for years but your load has me curious. I am going to load 100 or so rounds of your recipe and see how it goes. 

Thanks for the write up.

Attached Files

Larry Gibson posted this 07 May 2019

For years I've used 4 gr of Bullseye under 150 gr 358477s and now the Lee 158 TL bullet.  Has proven to be extremely accurate at 800 - 950 fps.

LMG

Concealment is not cover.........

Attached Files

Dale53 posted this 08 May 2019

Mashburn;

According the Hodgdon;

4.5 grs. of Titegroup will give you 1,028 fps with a 158 gr. cast bullet with 19,300 CUP. That would be a pretty decent edible small game load, too. You could do a whole lot worse, IMO.

Dale53

 

   

     

Attached Files

mashburn posted this 08 May 2019

Hello Dale53,

I appreciate your reply and comments. I wish every good load that I've developed would have been as easy as this one. How many times can you just guess at a load and come up , with what I call,  just about a perfect plinking and small game load? I've been shooting it for several years and have no desire to change anything about it except use the same brand cases and trim them to length. Amazingly both of my revolvers shoot it equally well. 

I have cast some 200gr GC bullets and have been intending to work up a dangerous game load, We have a lot of wild hogs and bear here in our woods. I had a very scary experience  with wild hogs about 40 years ago and I now won't go out in the wilds without something to solve that problem  Also, you never know what kind of two legged varmint you might run into that would like to do you harm. Here the last few years I've been carrying a 1911 on my outings, but I just don't feel comfortable with a semi-auto for protection. I carried a 1911 for 7 years in Uncle Sam's Army and I know what a 45 ACP will do, but I also know that if you pull the trigger on a revolver and it doesn't fire, all you have to do is pull the trigger again.

Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

Attached Files

BigMan54 posted this 10 May 2019

I've shot 3.5grs of Bullseye under a 170gr Keith/Lyman SWC for decades in worn out .357Mag cases.  

I've oodles of TiteGroup, so I'm going to try this load. #358446 or maybe #358477. Whichever shoots better.

Everyone needs a change eventually. 

I learn something every week on the CBA 

Long time Caster/Reloader, Getting back into it after almost 10yrs. Life Member NRA 40+yrs, Life S.A.S.S. #375. Does this mean a description of me as a fumble-fingered knuckle-draggin' baboon. I also drool in my sleep. I firmly believe that true happiness is a warm gun. Did I mention how much I HATE auto-correct on this blasted tablet.

Attached Files

mashburn posted this 10 May 2019

Hello Big Man54,

I hope it as accurate for you as it is in my two revolvers in which I shoot it. I'm a perfectionist and it has definitely satisfied me or I would have worked up something else. I hope you have the success that I have had.

Thanks for your response,

Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

Attached Files

BigMan54 posted this 10 May 2019

David,

I have a M27, NM Blackhawk & Sec-6 that I seem to ALWAYS pickup for any .357.

It would be great to do something new.

Many Thanks.

Long time Caster/Reloader, Getting back into it after almost 10yrs. Life Member NRA 40+yrs, Life S.A.S.S. #375. Does this mean a description of me as a fumble-fingered knuckle-draggin' baboon. I also drool in my sleep. I firmly believe that true happiness is a warm gun. Did I mention how much I HATE auto-correct on this blasted tablet.

Attached Files

mashburn posted this 10 May 2019

Hello BigMan 54,

I hope it shoots as well for you in your firearms as it does in mine. I know that I just pulled something out of the blue that my revolvers liked to digest, but maybe your revolvers will like it too.

Thanks for the response,

Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

Attached Files

BigMan54 posted this 12 May 2019

Mashburn,

I loaded up a box to try, will let you know. 

 

Rog

 

 

 

Long time Caster/Reloader, Getting back into it after almost 10yrs. Life Member NRA 40+yrs, Life S.A.S.S. #375. Does this mean a description of me as a fumble-fingered knuckle-draggin' baboon. I also drool in my sleep. I firmly believe that true happiness is a warm gun. Did I mention how much I HATE auto-correct on this blasted tablet.

Attached Files

mashburn posted this 12 May 2019

Please do.

Mashburn

David a. Cogburn

Attached Files

GP Idaho posted this 12 May 2019

TiteGroup is my go to powder for handguns and reduced loads in rifles. Six to seven grains under a 210gr. bullet in my 41mag Ruger Blackhawk is a favorite of mine.  In a FS article that Ed H helped me with a while back, I did a comparison between Bullseye and TiteGroup in 30cal. rifles. The finding was that in that application there was very little difference in the performance of the two powders. Bullseye has been around for a very long time and that's because it works so well but for me Titegroup burns cleaner and that's about it. Gp

Attached Files

mashburn posted this 12 May 2019

Hello GP.

Thanks for your comment. Since I discovered Titegroup  for  my reduced pistol and revolver loads, I use nothing else. And like you said it's easy to clean afterwards. I shoot a .41 Mag also but I use it with full boogie loads for hunting, although I've been thinking about some reduced loads, and I may try your suggested Titegroup load. Like I've stated many times on the forum, I'm new to cast loads in rifles and I'm in the process of loading some test loads for my 32-20 rifles  with Titegroup and some other powders. Thanks again for your comments and load information.

Mashburn 

David a. Cogburn

Attached Files

GP Idaho posted this 13 May 2019

You're welcome David. As I too load a few "full boogie" 41mag loads for my 41 Blackhawk I'd like to pass along a recommendation for the Noe 411-251-WFN bullet mould, a real hard hitter. Last year one of the fellow members over @ Boolits took a grizzly with it from a stand. I'm not that ambitious  but it got the job done in that instance.  Good shooting. Gp

Attached Files

Close