.357 mag HOT LOADS

mbharpman · Post by **mbharpman** » Wed Feb 13, 2013 11:00 pm

I inherited a couple hundred rounds hand loaded .357 mag. Labled 236 gr HOT 158 gr CJRN. He loaded for Security six. I haven't fired any of this yet.
I have .357 security six and a Marlin 1894, .357/.38spcl. Do any of you experts have concerns about this ammo.
The other stuff i got from him has up to 60gr Unique, W158gr SWC Other stuff includes .38 and .357, WC,SWC,JSP, and CJR.
Any help fellows???

bgreenea3 · Post by **bgreenea3** » Thu Feb 14, 2013 1:31 am

60 gr of unique!!!!??? That's a lot of powder, I don't think a 357mag can hold that much and if it was crammed in there would blow out the case.

The other is most likely not 236gr but 236 (winchester) powder and loaded hot.

For either of those powders I wouldn't expect to see more than 10 grains of powder maybe up to 16 with 2400 powder or blue dot and a heavy bullet.

If I were you I would pull one of each and weigh the charge. Then check a load manual to make sure its a safe load BEFORE SHOOTING any of those.

bearandoldman · Post by **bearandoldman** » Thu Feb 14, 2013 8:18 am

60 grain s would be an awful lot of powder, can remember in my old shotgunning days using around 20 grains of Unique in 12 gage shot shells and that looked kike a lot of powder when you dumped it in the scale pan to check your reloading setup.

blue68f100 · Post by **blue68f100** » Thu Feb 14, 2013 9:19 am

I have a rule that I do not shoot some one elses reloads. Hot could mean over charge or max load. 60 gr Unique sounds like a lot (over charge) of powder, I would have to dig out my reloading books for that one to confirm. The main powder used in 357mag for max loads is the W296 which has a very small workable band. With 2400 being the most used since it can be used with lead and reduced charges with out any problems.

mbharpman · Post by **mbharpman** » Fri Feb 15, 2013 1:58 am

just double checked my stash, My Bad is 6.0gr unique. have shot a few with the S six, 4" and the 1894 no problem, I was wondering about the hot loads 296gr @1300fps. I know my friend used them in his S six, 4" and said they had a little kick to them.
Will they feed in my 1894?

perazzi · Post by **perazzi** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 5:49 pm

I'm thinking WW 296 powder, which has a 16.7 gr max according to the manufacturer.

I'd pull a bullet or two and weigh the charge .

Then I'd probably get a Ruger super blackhawk or redhawk and test a few.

definitely not for a K frame smith and wesson..

the suggestion to toss them is also valid...

What's hot for some is very hot for others. I once loaded some .357 magnum loads for 170-180 silhouette targets with a suggested load I received from Jim Rock who built the Merrill Sportsman style single shot guns.

2 rounds and I started pulling the bullets !!

Post by **Bullseye** » Sun Feb 24, 2013 9:02 am

A missing decimal point. That little mark can make a huge difference in what is recorded for your homemade loads.

R,
Bullseye

charlesb · Post by **charlesb** » Sun Feb 24, 2013 8:47 pm

I'd pull the bullets, dispose of the powder, and load my own.

Bullet-pullers are not expensive, neither is a "Lee Loader", and they make good cartridges.

Hospital stays, seeing eye dogs etc. can get pretty expensive, though.

greener · Post by **greener** » Sat Mar 02, 2013 7:11 pm

A bit late to the party, but 6.o gr unique isn't all that hot for .357. 6 gr is ~1050 fps for 158 gr lead. Smiths reloading pages says 6.8gr unique is the max load, 1295 fps. If I didn't trust the reload and wasn't shooting it out of a Blackha2k or GP100, I'd probably "fire" them from the inertial hammer and put the bullit into something I trusted.