some questions about pistol reloading

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Bama.45
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some questions about pistol reloading

Post by Bama.45 »

Now that I have a .357 that I plan on shooting a lot. I have some questions about what to load for it...I have reloaded rifle cartridges before, bit pistol losing is a whole new ball game for me... So my questions are.. What are some good pistol powders and if shooting cast lead bullets.. How bad do they lead the barrel?... Best cleaner to loosen the lead? And are there types/brands of bullets that lead barrels less than others?
"Lord, make my hand fast and accurate.
Let my aim be true and my hand faster
than those who would seek to destroy me.
Grant me victory over my foes and those who wish to do harm to me and mine.
Let not my last thought be 'If I only had my gun."
And Lord, if today is truly the day you call me home
Let me die in a pile of empty brass."
Amen




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Sevens
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Re: some questions about pistol reloading

Post by Sevens »

Cast lead bullet loading is somewhat of an art. I am a far cry from an expert at it and it truly cannot be reduced as simply as I wanna make it sound but the biggest cause for leading in barrels is likely going to be undersized bullets that aren't a good fit for the bore.

There are many terrific reasons to use cast lead slugs, no doubt. One of the most popular reasons folks choose them is to save money. I use a lot in .44 Mag, but I don't use 'em in .38 or .357 because I find good deals on plated & jacketed in bulk (real bulk) so I don't use cast in .38/.357 so that is what I would recommend.

Powders...
Many different can be used "safely" depending on the goal but when it's time for -REAL- full-bore .357, with all the fire, brimstone, recoil feel and true magnum velocity, only the slower burning powders will do the deed. Nobody in the history of EVAR has built true, genuine .357 Magnum ammo with Unique and faster powders.

I like Hodgdon Longshot, Alliant 2400, AA#9, and Alliant Power Pro 300-MP.
Hodgdon H-110/W296 may be the finest powder out there for this job, but I don't care to use it.

None of those powders are at all appropriate for .38 Special.
And while the very best powders for .38 Special "can" be used carefully for some half-fast .357 loads -- it's my firm belief that it is a cheap, lazy, uninformed idea at best and simply reckless at worst.
I like to swap brass... and I'm looking for .32 H&R Mag, .327 Fed Mag, .380 Auto and 10mm. If you have some and would like to swap for something else, send me a note!
Bama.45
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Re: some questions about pistol reloading

Post by Bama.45 »

Ok, so the powder that works best for .38 sol. Isnt good for .357 mag... Well, now I guess I just need to research and buy my equipment lol... Thanks for the info.
"Lord, make my hand fast and accurate.
Let my aim be true and my hand faster
than those who would seek to destroy me.
Grant me victory over my foes and those who wish to do harm to me and mine.
Let not my last thought be 'If I only had my gun."
And Lord, if today is truly the day you call me home
Let me die in a pile of empty brass."
Amen




U.S. Marines 01-07



~The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.~ Thomas Jefferson
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JustaShooter
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Re: some questions about pistol reloading

Post by JustaShooter »

I echo (most of) Sevens' thoughts - though I do like H110/W296 *a lot* for my full-power fire-breathing dragon .357 Magnum loads - not that Alliant 2400 and others aren't good powders but when I take my .357 Magnum with me when I run the range for the various camps I help at, I want the participants to get the full effect of the shock & awe that H110/W296 delivers. The ear-to-ear grins on the faces of those who have touched off a round or six are all the confirmation I need that I've made the right choice.

As to cast lead, I am also a novice but I do use a fair amount of cast lead bullets for the various calibers I reload. However, especially for someone new to reloading hard cast lead bullets I'm with Sevens, if you can afford to buy in bulk, plated or jacketed bullets are a lot easier to deal with when reloading since there isn't nearly as much to worry about and can be had for not a whole lot more than cast.

But, if you do decide to load cast bullets, you may want to spend some time talking with folks in a forum dedicated to that topic - http://castboolits.gunloads.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is one of the better known, another one (though not as active as it once was) is http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/cast-bulle ... ed-by-lbt/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. There are a lot of things to consider and so many of them are very specific to your gun and preferences, but with a bit of persistence you should be able to find a good load that doesn't lead much, if at all. Keep in mind that one brand of commercial bullets may work well for one gun but not another so you'll probably have to do some experimenting. Check with the various commercial casters and see if they can send you a sample pack.

As far as cleaners go, I just use Hoppes #9 - but my secret weapon for removing lead isn't a chemical. If I end up with some bullets that do a lot of leading, I use a mechanical approach. First, get you some Chore Boy copper scrubbers - or other brand of copper scrubber. Be sure it isn't copper-coated steel so you don't end up scratching or wearing your bore (use a magnet to check it). Then unwind a length of the copper "wool" and take an old bronze bore brush and wind the copper wool around it until it is a tight fit to the bore. Since copper is harder than lead but softer than your barrel steel, if you shove that through the bore a few times it will remove the leading without damaging your bore. (I should probably note that I do this *after* cleaning the powder residue and carbon deposits with Hoppes #9...)
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budman70
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Re: some questions about pistol reloading

Post by budman70 »

I concur with all that has been said here. You can find reloading data online for 38 and 357 that list many useable powders. I use unique for 38 and 357. I don't care for cast boolits so I use xtreme plated boolits using jacketed data as long as it's below 1500 fps. CCollect data load a few and see what you like best.
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Re: some questions about pistol reloading

Post by marca »

Hot loads and lead bullets, especially soft lead bullets, contribute to leading in your bore. If you are shooting light "target" loads like the classic 2.7g of Bullseye with a 148g hard-cast wadcutter bullet, you will probably not have trouble with leading. Look for plated or jacketed bullets for your heavy loads.
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Re: some questions about pistol reloading

Post by Bama.45 »

Yeah I want the hot .357 rounds like I used to shoot out if my uncles .357 lol...I am thinking of going with a turret press this time.. Had a single stage press when I reloaded before... What's everyone's thoughts on a powder scale?.. Should I go digital or the old style sliding scale like I used before when reloading?
"Lord, make my hand fast and accurate.
Let my aim be true and my hand faster
than those who would seek to destroy me.
Grant me victory over my foes and those who wish to do harm to me and mine.
Let not my last thought be 'If I only had my gun."
And Lord, if today is truly the day you call me home
Let me die in a pile of empty brass."
Amen




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~The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.~ Thomas Jefferson
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JustaShooter
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Re: some questions about pistol reloading

Post by JustaShooter »

I prefer the old balance beam scales - the electronic scales I've used are too finicky and unreliable for my taste.

How I go about it is with the Lee Auto-Disk Pro powder dispenser mounted on a Lee powder-through expanding die in an auto-indexing turret press. I use the balance beam to set up and verify the weight dispensed by the dispenser. After setup I run a half-dozen or so charges through the dispenser and just dump them back in, then weigh one to make sure I'm where I want to be. Then check every 10 cases or so to make sure nothing is off, and then if I'm doing a full run of several hundred I'll check every 50 or so to make sure nothing is drifting. I also visually verify the level of powder in each case as I place the bullet.
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Bama.45
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Re: some questions about pistol reloading

Post by Bama.45 »

JustaShooter wrote:I prefer the old balance beam scales - the electronic scales I've used are too finicky and unreliable for my taste.

How I go about it is with the Lee Auto-Disk Pro powder dispenser mounted on a Lee powder-through expanding die in an auto-indexing turret press. I use the balance beam to set up and verify the weight dispensed by the dispenser. After setup I run a half-dozen or so charges through the dispenser and just dump them back in, then weigh one to make sure I'm where I want to be. Then check every 10 cases or so to make sure nothing is off, and then if I'm doing a full run of several hundred I'll check every 50 or so to make sure nothing is drifting. I also visually verify the level of powder in each case as I place the bullet.

I used to check everyone of my rifle cartridges I reloaded, of course I was going for consistent and accurate shooting... I would just resize the necks on my rifle cartridges, didnt resize the whole case.
"Lord, make my hand fast and accurate.
Let my aim be true and my hand faster
than those who would seek to destroy me.
Grant me victory over my foes and those who wish to do harm to me and mine.
Let not my last thought be 'If I only had my gun."
And Lord, if today is truly the day you call me home
Let me die in a pile of empty brass."
Amen




U.S. Marines 01-07



~The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.~ Thomas Jefferson
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JustaShooter
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Re: some questions about pistol reloading

Post by JustaShooter »

Bama.45 wrote:
JustaShooter wrote:I prefer the old balance beam scales - the electronic scales I've used are too finicky and unreliable for my taste.

How I go about it is with the Lee Auto-Disk Pro powder dispenser mounted on a Lee powder-through expanding die in an auto-indexing turret press. I use the balance beam to set up and verify the weight dispensed by the dispenser. After setup I run a half-dozen or so charges through the dispenser and just dump them back in, then weigh one to make sure I'm where I want to be. Then check every 10 cases or so to make sure nothing is off, and then if I'm doing a full run of several hundred I'll check every 50 or so to make sure nothing is drifting. I also visually verify the level of powder in each case as I place the bullet.

I used to check everyone of my rifle cartridges I reloaded, of course I was going for consistent and accurate shooting... I would just resize the necks on my rifle cartridges, didnt resize the whole case.
I do the same for all of my rifle loads except for my .223 range fodder. For my .223 I do full resizing (helps ensure reliable feeding for semi-autos) and use the Lee powder measure and check periodically.
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Re: some questions about pistol reloading

Post by mreising »

marca wrote:Hot loads and lead bullets, especially soft lead bullets, contribute to leading in your bore. If you are shooting light "target" loads like the classic 2.7g of Bullseye with a 148g hard-cast wadcutter bullet, you will probably not have trouble with leading. Look for plated or jacketed bullets for your heavy loads.
Just a quick note that if you have too hard of a bullet, or too low pressure (thus velocity), that can also lead to lead fouling. At low pressures, with hard cast bullets, the base does not obturate sufficiently to seal in the bore and gas leakage around the bullet will cause leading. At the other extreme, as noted above, high velocity and soft bullets also have leading issues. Bullet hardness needs to be matched to the pressures/velocities it will be shot at. FWIW, I tested some Vance cast 38 wadcutter bullets that seemed to be relatively hard, around 17-18 BHN, and more suitable for high velocities than low. One of my buddies kept lowering the velocity on his wadcutter loads and was still experiencing leading, which was why I tested them.

Here is some more information.

Edit to add: Hardness is just one factor in lead fouling. Lube and bullet sizing also have impacts on leading.
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Re: some questions about pistol reloading

Post by Sevens »

Re: cast lead
Everything he just said above, and that's not all there is to making the most with cast lead bullets.
But it's a fine summary of why I would recommend that you buy plated for shooting and plinking fun and you buy true jacketed for the top-drawer, fireballs & fury magnum loads. Leave cast lead bullet loading as another skill to approach after you have had great success with the slugs that demand less drama.

Also...
Gentlemen. Please consider giving the QUOTE feature on this forum the same respect you give to the trigger of your favorite handgun. ;)
I like to swap brass... and I'm looking for .32 H&R Mag, .327 Fed Mag, .380 Auto and 10mm. If you have some and would like to swap for something else, send me a note!
Bama.45
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Re: some questions about pistol reloading

Post by Bama.45 »

Sevens wrote:Re: cast lead
Everything he just said above, and that's not all there is to making the most with cast lead bullets.
But it's a fine summary of why I would recommend that you buy plated for shooting and plinking fun and you buy true jacketed for the top-drawer, fireballs & fury magnum loads. Leave cast lead bullet loading as another skill to approach after you have had great success with the slugs that demand less drama.

Also...
Gentlemen. Please consider giving the QUOTE feature on this forum the same respect you give to the trigger of your favorite handgun. ;)

Yeah, that is my plan... I'd actually like to get with someone that reloads pistol rounds and watch how they do it... My ultimate goal is to work up to casting my own lead bullets... With the trade I'm in, sometimes I luck up on big chunks of lead... So far I have been using them to make fishing weights.
"Lord, make my hand fast and accurate.
Let my aim be true and my hand faster
than those who would seek to destroy me.
Grant me victory over my foes and those who wish to do harm to me and mine.
Let not my last thought be 'If I only had my gun."
And Lord, if today is truly the day you call me home
Let me die in a pile of empty brass."
Amen




U.S. Marines 01-07



~The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.~ Thomas Jefferson
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Sevens
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Re: some questions about pistol reloading

Post by Sevens »

Bama.45: red button, bottom left of your screen. Use it for a reply.
I like to swap brass... and I'm looking for .32 H&R Mag, .327 Fed Mag, .380 Auto and 10mm. If you have some and would like to swap for something else, send me a note!
Bama.45
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Re: some questions about pistol reloading

Post by Bama.45 »

I usually do use that button unless I'm replying to someone's particular post... Didnt realize the quote button was as deadly as a trigger. :roll:
"Lord, make my hand fast and accurate.
Let my aim be true and my hand faster
than those who would seek to destroy me.
Grant me victory over my foes and those who wish to do harm to me and mine.
Let not my last thought be 'If I only had my gun."
And Lord, if today is truly the day you call me home
Let me die in a pile of empty brass."
Amen




U.S. Marines 01-07



~The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.~ Thomas Jefferson
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