New to pistol reloading .38/.357

[AzDak42]

On sort of a lark, I ended up picking up an Uberti rolling block in .38/.357. This is going to be a 'starter' gun when I take new folks to the range and something just fun to plink with.

I have a few questions and would sure appreciate any advice:

- Crimp or no? The ammo I reload for this one won't do double duty with any pistols.
- Should I use .38 or .357 loads? I'm thinking .357 with moderate loads. Might as well fill the chamber and not have that jump between a .38 and .357 chambering.

Any recommendations for loads? I'm haven't reloaded for straight wall cartridges before, so it's all new to me.

 

[SJB358]

I would use 357 cases, definitely wanna crimp them as well. Look for a Lee Factory Crimp Die. Very awesome piece of gear. I don't have a ton of experience with moderate loads from pistol rounds, but the crimp ensures even ignition.. A carbide sizer die isn't a bad idea either.

 

[JD338]

I have not loaded 38/357 but you will want to crimp for consistant ignition. I would think H110 would be a good powder choice, at least with the heavier bullets.
My only revolver loading is for 44 Mag.

JD338

 

[onesonek]

I agree on using the Mag brass.
And in a number of ways I agree on the crimp as well. But in this case,(no pun) meaning single shot, I would load for the chamber throat, not spec. It may have a longer OAL, and let it tell you. Sometimes a crimp is not necessary, sometimes it is. Being a single shot, and if the throat is slightly roomy, I would make sure to start low with your choice on powder, then seat it bumps the leade/lands. This will eliminate any pressure spikes, but then at times I have seated just off, up to .005" with no issues where I haven't crimp. Many factors come into play that aren't normally there in a revolver, that for me that changes general rules of thumb. H110 is normally so in needing a crimp, but not always.
I haven't worked with the .357, but with other straight wall I have done both ways, crimp and no crimp. It all just depends on what the firearm likes.

That would be fun to cast for :twisted:

 

[Guest]

I've loaded a lot - a lot being something in the 4-5 digit neighborhood - of .38Spl and 357Mag ammo. At one time I could run through about 150-175rds per hour on a single stage setup using a powder measure to throw charges directly into the cases between belling and seating. A few thoughts come to mind:

1. Use carbide dies to resize the brass. Trust me, they are worth the extra money.

2. Consider shotgun powders for plinking loads. Hodgdon Clays and 148gr DEWCs is a favorite combination of mine. I've run through literally thousands of those little DEWCs and they are cheap (not as cheap as they used to be...) and easy to load. They are also accurate and easy to shoot. They have extremely manageable recoil and I taught numerous people how to handle and shoot a handgun using just this load. Follow the Hodgdon data on this and you won't go wrong. TrailBoss might be another alternative, as well as some of the more traditional pistol powders. Just about the only complaint I have with Clays is that it's a flake powder and doesn't meter well in small charges.

3. I've used .38Spl cases in my revolver (Taurus Model 65 4" 357Mag) and found them to shoot exceptionally well. My wadcutter loads at about 650-700fps would print 6 shots into less than 1.5" at 25yds standing in a modified Weaver stance, shooting double action. Practice with a few hundred rounds of .38Spl +P also provided good groups, though not as good as the wadcutters. Still, under 3" at 25yds standing double action is more than acceptable for a handgun designed for self defense.

4. Crimping is a necessity. I like crimping as a separate operation versus seating/crimping in one ram of the press, but you can do it with your seating die or you can get a spare seating die or a Lee FCD, whichever is your preferred method (or cheapest if that's your concern).

I never saw much difference using .38Spl and .357Mag brass in my revolver. I'm sure the bullets all had plenty of time to yaw or pitch moving through the forcing cone into the bore. With your rolling block pistol, it might make a difference, it might not.

Good luck with the new adventure. Oh, and be careful with H110 (or Win296, which is the same powder). It can be sensitive and create some sudden spikes where a little less powder was just fine. I've used a bunch of it in my magnum loads, and it's fine, but it is sensitive, so proceed with caution until you know your gun and lot of powder.

 

[300WSM]

Get a carbide die set if you are going to be doing a lot of them.

As far as crimp or no crimp....yes you want to crimp them but anytime I am doing revolvers to speed things up I always take the crimped loaded case and drop it into the cylinder of the revolver I am loading it for just to make sure they are going to fit. If you crimp too harsh it can bulge the case and then you can have a bunch of ammo that wont fit into the cylinder.

 

[martineta]

I bought some RCBS Carbide dies last Monday for my S&W 38 Spl. Even though I have been reloading 40 years, this was my first attempt with a straight walled cartridge. I read the instructions that came with the dies about proper seating and crimping in the last step of loading. I followed directions and stepped outside and shot 5 fresh reloads. They worked perfectly so I went back inside and cranked out another 150 rounds. When I finished. I went back outside and shot 50 times between 10 and 25 yards.

My old revolver is Pre-War Smith & Wesson Military and Police model. Since it is so old I don't want to rattle it loose shooting so I loaded light loads using 3.2 grs of trail boss and 158 grain cast lead bullets. They are relatively quiet and little recoil.

I would like to try a Lee Factory Crimp die but for now the RCBS seating and crimping in one stroke seems to be working.

 

[PJGunner]

We're working with a single shot rifle here so whether or not a crimp is necessary would, I think depend on the load in question.I don't shoot .357 mag. in a rifle but I do in a revolver and my choice is to use a mild crimp on the moderate loads and a good solid crimp on the full power romp and stompers. I only shoot my home cast bullets in the .357 and they're sized to .359".
The only straight walled rifle cartridge I shoot is a Ruger #1 in 45-70. Again, all I shoot are my home cast bullet and frankly even with the stiffer loads I haven't done more than a light crimp in that gun. Lighter loads get no crimp at all.
A couple of loads I can recommend are for a light to moderate load, 5.0 gr. of Unique with a 158 gr. cast SWC bullet. (Lyman #358156 in my case.) For a more powerful loading, the same bullet over 14.0 gr. of Alliant #2400. I use Winchester standard small pistol primers and they work just fine with both powders. The .357 mag. has been downloaded by the factories and so has loading data been cut back a bit. This is probably due to the original full power loads that were fine in the big "N" frame Smith & Wessons were shooting the "K" frame models 19 and 66 loose in a big hurry.
If you can find some, the Lyman #359430 at 190 gr. just might make a decent bullet for deer in that rifle. It weighs 200 gr. in my alloy and I use it with 3.5 gr. of Unique in .38 Spl. brass to duplicate the long discontinued Winchester and Remington 200 gr. Police load. I've been thinking of trying in my S&W M28 as a potential hunting load for some of the local hogs I sometimes run into out in the desert. The bullet is a rather bluff round nose that should penetrate like something fierce. The "police" load has proven to quite accurate in an S&W M60 and recoil is nowhere near as nasty as I thought it might be.
Guess what I would do is try with and without a crimp for the moderate loads but definitely a good solid crimp for the full power ammo. Or, just keep it simple and crimp them all. Your choice.
I think I would stick with magnum brass even with wadcuttter bullets should you go that route. Sounds like a fun gun project to me. 8)
Paul B.

 

[AzDak42]

God I love this forum. A few simple questions and a ton of practical, experience being shared. Thank you!

I haven't bought dies yet, so carbide with the lee factory crimp seem to be the way to go. Looks like I'll have to swing by Bruno's on the way home...

 

[ScreaminEagle]

I'll just second what everyone has already said:

1. Use 357 mag brass

2. CRIMP

3.Carbide dies are well worth buying! I use RCBS dies. I also set the seater die to crimp when the bullet is seated. This eliminates the extra step.

4. Be prepared to have some cramped hands while doing brass prep. Having an electric tool for chamfer, deburring, and primer pocket cleaning is a big plus.

5. Everyone here knows that I love to use IMR 700X in my pistols. If you load for 12ga and have some, I'd give it a try. I use it in everything from 38 special to 45 ACP to 12ga with great results.

 

[RiverRider]

I always just buy an extra seater die, that way I can set one to seat the bullet only and the other I use to apply a conventional roll crimp. Works beautifully.

 

[BeeTee]

I've put thousands of rounds through a 4" S&W Model 19 and a 10" TC Contender, both in 357 mag. The load I used was 12 grains of 2400 powder and Lyman 358429 plain-base cast semi-wadcutter. Both guns would print to less than 1" at 25, and the TC w/2x scope would do <4" at 100 yards with that load. Never any barrel leading.

Nowadays, I shoot an S&W 19 & 686, both in 357. I've experimented with the faster shotgun type powders (Red Dot & Blue Dot), but found they are not as accurate, and the higher flame temperature appears to flash against the plain base bullets (I see more lead smear on the end of the cylinder and forcing cones). BT

 

[AzDak42]

Did a quick run up north to pick her up Saturday morning and spent some time with her at the range. Talk about light and handy, I'd be surprised if that rifle weighs five pounds total.

A few thoughts..
- She's quiet. Seems odd firing a centerfire that's this quiet.
- Rolling blocks are fun. This may be the start of a new obsession. It's just flat out enjoyable plinking with this thing.
- Accuracy was pretty good for the rifle, not so good for me personally. Evidently turning the corner past my 4th decade has made iron sights a bit more challenging at 50 yards. Certainly nothing special, but my gut says this will be a 3-4moa gun. (more than enough for what it is.)
- If I still lived out in the country, this would be at my backdoor to take care of any wandering 'yotes or other critters needing dispatching.
- The factory trigger is pretty awful. Might have to find someone to clean it up a bit.

Since it's a reproduction, I don't feel to bad doing some work on it.. rechamber to .357 Max or maybe just give me a mount for a micro dot.

 

[BK]

My thoughts:

Redding Profile crimp die.

I really like cast 158 gr. SWCs, plain base.

While I would prefer magnum brass, I wouldn't sweat if all I had was Special cases

Carbide sizing die

Don't go crazy with the expander die. As little as you can get away with, no need to over work the brass.

I like nickel cases a lot.

 

[Newysan]

After reading all the suggestions offered I noticed one semi glaring omission, Length of brass. Equal length brass produces equal crimp which {in theory} will produce more even pressure which may result in a little more accurate load. Using the same brass mfg. will help keep groups tighter also. Also with a bbl. that long 2400 powder may be a viable alternative. just my .02. Newyan