The 357

[Fowler]

I loaded some full "Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman" 180gr WFN loads this weekend, they would NOT be the standard fair for my 2 1/2" S&W 19 but will be run in my Highway Patrolman or my brothers Win 94.

Now if I was going into the backcountry and decided that the 19 should go along with me (it is a wonderful trail gun) then a couple of cylinders here and there wouldn't probably hurt anything. But a 180gr at 1350fps in the little gun would certainly batter the gun more than needed and be plenty unpleasant to shoot.

[seminolewind]

Mar 5, 2023 22:54:40 GMT -5 bigbore5 said:

My 353 matches the maxi's velocity but kills brass in a shot or two. I backed off loads for it and just use the max if I want more.

I've just started loading for a 9" FA 97 in 357, and it's really looking promising so far. I know it won't match a 353, but I'm getting 1540 fps with a 158 XTP and #9. Cases are still falling out of the chamber with ease and primer pockets are tight. I'm going to see what she'll do top end.

[contender]

Good thoughts on the different guns & such.
I actually only have .357 Maxi barrels in my Contenders. No .357 magnums.

BUT,, I do have a couple of huge meaty cylindered older Ruger Redhawks in .357 Mag that would handle stuff that would frighten other guns!

I actually haven't tried to work up any serious loads for the Redhawks,, as they seem to accept my other loads just fine. (Too many guns, not enough time!)

Another reason to closely follow this thread.

[bigbore5]

I bought the 353 to duplicate maximum ballistics with. Now that I have a few maximums, I have no need to abuse the brass the way extreme pressure loads were doing, along with the risk of one of those loads going into a lesser gun.

The 357 magnum is by far my most carried and shot cartridge. I still use mainly H110 or Heavy Pistol powder under either the Keith or MP 359640hp bullets. I've taken everything from a mole to a 456 pound black bear with it. It's not the 500, but it just plain works.

[bradshaw]

Mar 6, 2023 14:48:57 GMT -5 Fowler said:

I loaded some full "Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman" 180gr WFN loads this weekend, they would NOT be the standard fair for my 2 1/2" S&W 19 but will be run in my Highway Patrolman or my brothers Win 94.

Now if I was going into the backcountry and decided that the 19 should go along with me (it is a wonderful trail gun) then a couple of cylinders here and there wouldn't probably hurt anything. But a 180gr at 1350fps in the little gun would certainly batter the gun more than needed and be plenty unpleasant to shoot.

*****

Bill.... a .357 180 WFN @ 1,350 fps qualifies as Rocks & Dynamite +P+ in a Model 19. S&W replaced cylinders on M-19 and M-66 years ago for loads less early that that. A Python and the bantamweight animal Security-Six would be happier (stress point on the Python: thin-wall barrel tenon).

A .357 load of the Bradshaw-Martin 194 SWC GC over 12.5/H110 does excite an old Blackhawk 4-5/8” at all, but I want to start a little lower to try it in the Model 19. From the short Blackhawk, the POWDER COAT Bradshaw-Martin 194 over 12.5/H110 penetrates 51” of water jugs, the annealed bullet compressing slightly as it does so.

A K-frame is the poster child for “boy’s better to work up, than down.”
David Bradshaw

[edk]

The Dan Wesson 15-2 is a double action 357 that I consider as being fairly rugged but at the same time not too bulky and is happy firing 180gr WFNs - accurate too.

*****

Recall it was at the IHMSA Region One Championship, 1978, in Jackson Center, Pennsylvania, All-American Skip Hird was 8 or 9 thousand rounds into his Daw Wesson M-15 Vent Heavy 8-inch when his revolver turned into a bow and laughed a silver arrow downrange. The barrel socket in the frame split @ 6 o’clock, projecting the barrel a few man-lengths in front of the firing line. His silhouette load featured the Speer .358 180 Flat Nose rifle bullet. Do not recall powder & charge. I was spotting the shooter on Skip’s right when it happened. I think Skip’s wife Cheryll, also an IHMSA All-American, shared shooting of the DWA M-15, as well their S&W M-29 8-3/8”, among other hardware.

The DWA M-15 is a tough revolver, especially for its size. The Dan Wesson M-15 received wide acceptance in IHMSA silhouette.
David Bradshaw

[paul105]

Mar 6, 2023 14:48:57 GMT -5 Fowler said:

I loaded some full "Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman" 180gr WFN loads this weekend, they would NOT be the standard fair for my 2 1/2" S&W 19 but will be run in my Highway Patrolman or my brothers Win 94.

Now if I was going into the backcountry and decided that the 19 should go along with me (it is a wonderful trail gun) then a couple of cylinders here and there wouldn't probably hurt anything. But a 180gr at 1350fps in the little gun would certainly batter the gun more than needed and be plenty unpleasant to shoot.

Bill,

When I'm out with the dogs and I'm bundled up due to bad weather, I drop the little S&W 360 in the outside pocket of my rain jacket. It's loaded with three 125gr Horn XTPs over 7.0gr of BE86 in 357 Mag cases (chronos a little over 900 fps) and hits dead on at 25 yds. The other two chambers are loaded with Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman 180gr. The 125s can be shot fast in the light weight 360 and are adequate for warning shots or dog protection. The 180s are for last ditch, up close and personal, stick it in their ear, get off me situations.

The two circled in blue are the 125s from the 360. The laser was later zeroed at 25yds.
.

.
The little pocket devil:
.

.
Paul

[2 Dogs]

Another good thread:

singleactions.proboards.com/thread/36987/balanced-357-magnum-load

[2 Dogs]

Over the blazing hot summer this thread fell to page six. This morning it was 92 degrees and such a relief from all those days in excess of 110 outside. So it’s cooling off and I’m looking forward to working with my 357’s again.

See you guys soon…

[bigbore5]

Hopefully I will get some time at home for the 357 experiment I have been thinking about.

Load up some of the MP version of the 358429 and the similar Accurate 360-170J bullets, each over the following charges:

12.0gr #9
7.0gr Universal
7.5gr Power Pistol
15gr H-4227
15.5gr H-110

These loads are all between 1130 and 1180fps from a 4" barrel according to the data I can find. I will fire them from a 6-6 1/2" and a 4" over the chrony and off the bench. Accuracy wins and becomes my walking/working load.