Favourite 38Spl or 357 Mag loads

[ovenpaa]

I have a shiny new and unfired Remarlin 1894C that says it can be shot with both .357Mag and .38 Special. Does anyone have a preference for one or the other for Gallery Rifle and a recommended bullet. Are there any advantages with jacketed or cast and any tips or tricks I need to be aware of other than just shoot the feckin thing.

[Dougan]

As for .38 or .357...check out this recent thread: http://www.full-bore.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=17606 - I given my opinion, and Adam's comments were most enlightening...

For Gallery (10 - 50m) I use a .357 case, 4.1 gn of Vhit N320*, and one of Rog's 158 gn soft alloy RNFPs...the rounds load and shoot very nicely...

* The Vhit manual doesn't give an N320 load for magnums (only .38sp) - I was advised that as it was a downloaded 'cowboy action' load, that it was ok to just add .3 of a gn to the .38 data to make up for the extra case space...

...and it's 4.1 gn because I was aiming for 4.0, but that was the nearest I could get with the Lee Autodisk (the best thing since sliced bread for loading pistol calibers IMHO...)

[knewmans]

What OAL do you use Dougan?

[Dougan]

I don't really seat 'to' a depth, but so that the slight roll-crimp goes into the cannelure on the bullet; in such a way that you can run your nail down it without being able to feel where the case starts...

...I've just measured some I've got made up, and they average 1.568".

[markyw]

I have an 1894c in 38/357. For short range out to 25 yards I use 4.3gr of unique in a 38 and 5gr in a 357, both behind a lead 158gr RNFP or TC.

Regards

Mark

[Dougan]

There must be some other GR shooters with different preferences to the loads already given...

...I'm very curious to find out what others use for GR comps...com'on guys, share your secrets...

[FredB]

My first .357 was a Smith & Wesson model 27, purchased second hand at "Pistol 79" at Bisley. As the years went by, I had two S&W 686s, a model 66, a Colt Python and a pre-WW2 Colt New Service Shooting Master. After the handgun ban, I bought a Rossi, just to have something to use the dies and cases. I have used every bullet shape, Bullseye, Unique, Herco, Vit N310 ans N320, 2400 and probably a few more that I have forgotten about.
I always came back to 5 grns of Unique with a 158grn SWC bullet. Worked in everything and won a lot of trophies.
Fred

[Dangermouse]

My club gun will feed one and not the other and have heard that to be not un common. So suggest you make some dummies of both calibres up and test throughout with both.

DM

[DavidRees]

For 25m comps such as T&P1, and MT, I'm now using 4.2gr of 3N37 in a 357 case, pushing a 180gr LTC out of my 16.5" microgroove Marlin.

Tech. data in image, below:

[Dougan]

Not heard of 3N37 before...so a slower powder (compared to 320 and 340) with a heavier bullet...

...nice group