.357 cases and 148 wadcutter.

I have a sw 586 6". about how much bullseye should I use with my 148 wadcuttters to achieve 710fps. thanks. ron

well, i'd use 2.7 gr Bullseye and load them in .38 spl cases.....

If you want to use .357 cases, 3.0 grains of Bullseye will get you about 750 fps, but I would suggest using hard cast double ended wadcutters and not swaged, like the Remington bullet.  3.0 is the minimum load in my old Lyman book.

james r chapman wrote:,... and load them in .38 spl cases.....

 
May I ask why? Or rather, why not .357 cases?

I like .357 cases because they avoid the 'ring' in the chambers. I've read that one can also use .38 special loads in .357 cases.

sbtzc wrote:

james r chapman wrote:,... and load them in .38 spl cases.....

 
May I ask why? Or rather, why not .357 cases?

I like .357 cases because they avoid the 'ring' in the chambers. I've read that one can also use .38 special loads in .357 cases.

Mostly because it's been done successfully for over 3/4 of a century.

The ring is only an issue if your switching back and forth...

Although I've always wondered if you could seat them to .38 spl's depth in the .357 case like the old .38-44 in the S&W #3 target guns.

Greetings,

You need to buy a chronograph before you enter the "Dark Side".

Cheers,

Dave

historically my 586 has been very accurate. 3 deer, 8 javelina, 3 coyote, 3 fox (small target) …..  paper targets too. I shot a lot of   125 jhp and 296 ;    with a 100 each of 110 jhp,140  jhp ; and 150 jhc .    I do have a chrono. I have only shot .357 brass in it to avoid having to clean out a ring. I have a  little 38 special brass and will try it with 2.7;   also .357 brass with 3.0. thanks. ron

I just recently started loading some .357mag cases with Bullseye powder and 158gn LSWC.  I have no idea where I needed to be for a load other than a Lee load recommendation of starting at 4.2gn, which I figured would be too much.  So I went out and shot some for “feel”.  

4.0gn is pretty hot, too much for BE. Big flash too.
3.5gn is warm.
3.0gn is feeling decent, like a target load.

I loaded 2.5gn, but have not had a chance to try it out, but don’t expect to go below that.  This seems to go along with folks recommending 2.7gn and 2.8gn.

I have 2.5gn and 3.0gn loaded for RR testing, but have had a chance to try it yet.

I have read here many times that there is no loss to shoot 38spl in 357mag pistol for BE purposes, but I load .357mag because my “target” revolver is .357mag and I was never set up for reloading 38spl.

I am also using magnum primers because... I have them. I did read something about how they may add some FPS, but can’t verify anything via chrono yet.

If your set up to reload .357mag then your set up to load 38 special.

Not if you don’t like messing with your die set once it is making the bullet you want!

But yeah,  just a few days later I ordered another die set for 38spl.   Lee turret press makes it so easy to add another caliber.  Just wish I had ordered a second 38 NOE expander plug.

Here is the pistol section of the 1987 Hercules Powder load pamphlet.  

http://www.castpics.net/LoadData/Freebies/RM/Alliant/Hercules_1987.pdf

There is a target load listed for Bullseye (3.5 gr) and 357 brass and a 148 HBWC. I have shot this load and it definitely has a tad more recoil than the 2.7 load in 38 SPCL.  I would not exceed or go much lower.

I have three sets of dies. so one will be set to load 148 38; one for .357 148,  and one set for 125s and .357.

Makes me wonder how we survived with single stage presses using dummy setup cartridges....

james r chapman wrote:Makes me wonder how we survived with single stage presses using dummy setup cartridges....

Obviously we didn’t.  We’re just figments of our own imaginations.

Did some 50-yd Random Resting and can say only one thing with certainty and it is that consistency starts to suffer at 2.5 gn. of BE and I would not recommend it.  Groups are not as nice and fliers are farther out.  

When shooting offhand, it also did not "feel" much softer than the 3.0gn, so no big deal on that point.

I will retry with some 3.5gn and see if things get relatively better or worse than 3.0gn.

james r chapman wrote:Makes me wonder how we survived with single stage presses using dummy setup cartridges....

  Jim, that's how I still do it on a 550B. 
 I had an older gunsmith tell me that loading wadcutters in a 357 case would take about 2-3 tenths more grains of bullseye to equal my load in 38 brass.
 For 50 yds I'd use a 158 gr bullet, it stabilizes better.