Recommendations for GC .357 bullets?
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Lyman 358156 is an oldie but good gas check design. I have had very good results from this bullet in full power 357 loads. If you dont cast your own bullets, Montana Bullet Works has this gas check design plus a couole of other ones. They are not cheap, but they make excellent bullets.
I cast 158 gr SWC in .357 and use Hornady copper gas checks. I drop the bullets into ice water right out of the mold. In about 1 week they are at about 23 on the hardness scale. I get very little, if any, leading. I shoot them out of my Blackhawk and can shoot light loads or hot loads with good groups at 60 feet. I have all LEE equipment and so far, so good. Even with having to buy GC's, I can keep the cost of each round under $.10. Don't know how much I'm saving, but I can shoot a boat-load of 357's and not take out a loan to do so. I still like shooting 22's, but for me, the bigger the bang, the bigger the smile.
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Just curious...the Montana bullets are super expensive compared to some other casters...looking at 45 colt 200 grain not gas checked and they are over $100 for 500 compared to something around $50 for a similar projectile from someone else with a good rep...is there something special about the Montana that I'm missing? Just curious...I load the 'other guys" all the time and have really good luck...BHN is about the same on both in the 45 Colt..thanksLyman 358156 is an oldie but good gas check design. I have had very good results from this bullet in full power 357 loads. If you dont cast your own bullets, Montana Bullet Works has this gas check design plus a couole of other ones. They are not cheap, but they make excellent bullets.
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Bear tooth bullets has WFN GC in 185 or 180 grain. Good reading on their site too.
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Gas checks are needed for rifle cartridges fired at 1700 + fps.
Your .357 doesn't need them and they are an unnecessary expense.
Be sure you know how to determine the right lead bullet size for you gun and use them.
Individually, gas checks appear to running about 3 cents a check--way too expensive for me to buy unless I really need them (see 7mm TCU and .223 Rem in T/C Contender).
To buy commercial gas-check bullets, you are going to be paying not only for the check, but the time it takes to manually set a check in the sizing machine for each bullet.
So, feel free to play with them, they certainly are not going to hurt anything but your pocket book.
Your .357 doesn't need them and they are an unnecessary expense.
Be sure you know how to determine the right lead bullet size for you gun and use them.
Individually, gas checks appear to running about 3 cents a check--way too expensive for me to buy unless I really need them (see 7mm TCU and .223 Rem in T/C Contender).
To buy commercial gas-check bullets, you are going to be paying not only for the check, but the time it takes to manually set a check in the sizing machine for each bullet.
So, feel free to play with them, they certainly are not going to hurt anything but your pocket book.
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opos wrote: "Just curious...the Montana bullets are super expensive compared to some other casters...looking at 45 colt 200 grain not gas checked and they are over $100 for 500 compared to something around $50 for a similar projectile from someone else with a good rep...is there something special about the Montana that I'm missing?"
Yes, they manually cast (you know, by hand) in the specific mold referenced--no casting machines, no sizing/lube machines.
The RCBS 452-201-SWC is the most accurate cast bullet I have found for my .45 Autos. If I was rich enough, I would try 500 of their hand cast bullets from that mold. However, I am not, so I am VERY happy with buying 3000 mastercastbullets.com 200 grain L-SWC (14BHN) for $55.71/1000--or $200 or less delivered to my door.
Yes, they manually cast (you know, by hand) in the specific mold referenced--no casting machines, no sizing/lube machines.
The RCBS 452-201-SWC is the most accurate cast bullet I have found for my .45 Autos. If I was rich enough, I would try 500 of their hand cast bullets from that mold. However, I am not, so I am VERY happy with buying 3000 mastercastbullets.com 200 grain L-SWC (14BHN) for $55.71/1000--or $200 or less delivered to my door.
You might work on not being condesending since you have no way of knowing what I'm loading for. You don't know how long I've reloaded. Or how much.
aaaahhhhhh, they will be fired out of a rifle('92) and revolver. What ain't worth it to you may be worth it to me.
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Where were you thinking of finding any load data for this?
I experimented with some gas checked 148 gr DEWC bullets in a 38 spcl case and ended up with chrono'd 1000+ fps monsters that bulged the cases. Glad I only made six and was shooting my GP100. No leading was observed though!
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Sorry if I am condescending. I thought I was simply mentioning some things to think about as you considered. As I said, if you are shooting over 1700fps, you may need a GC.
Maybe mentioning a rifle would have given me some reason to consider the expense as worthwhile.
My recommendation is, if you are having leading problems that are not solved by playing with bullet size, hardness, or lube, you may just need a GC. Likewise, as I said, if you are shooting over 1700fps, you may need a GC.
Scooter-maclusky: Load data, when I used GCs, was always the same as the lead bullet data. Always start at the lowest starting load and work up.
Maybe mentioning a rifle would have given me some reason to consider the expense as worthwhile.
My recommendation is, if you are having leading problems that are not solved by playing with bullet size, hardness, or lube, you may just need a GC. Likewise, as I said, if you are shooting over 1700fps, you may need a GC.
Scooter-maclusky: Load data, when I used GCs, was always the same as the lead bullet data. Always start at the lowest starting load and work up.
No problems on this end, and sorry for assuming you were being condesending.
No, I'm not having leading problems since in the past I've mainly loaded plated or jacketed bullets. (When using plated in the rifle I load to .38+p to keep the speed down).
But since you do have a good knowledge of GC what have you seen as performance advantages or disadvantages over quality jacketed rounds at .357 rifle velocitys?
I'm not putting cost factor into it since they wouldn't be practice/plinking rounds for sure. The goal would be medium range accuracy/hunting rounds.
A chrony is in the cards since I've tried the 300MP that seems to have some real "thump" in the rifle and a fireball from heck out of the revolver even at minimum load.
"On paper" Alliant claims 1900fps for 125 gr w 10" barrel. There are a lot of paper tigers out there so a chrony would prove or disprove those claims. I would like to see "safely" 1800fps or so out of the rifle(20" barrel) w 158gr, if possible. I think anything over that I would just need a bigger gun. But I find the .357 enjoyable and love the looks of the old '92 design. Maybe a .454 some day.
No, I'm not having leading problems since in the past I've mainly loaded plated or jacketed bullets. (When using plated in the rifle I load to .38+p to keep the speed down).
But since you do have a good knowledge of GC what have you seen as performance advantages or disadvantages over quality jacketed rounds at .357 rifle velocitys?
I'm not putting cost factor into it since they wouldn't be practice/plinking rounds for sure. The goal would be medium range accuracy/hunting rounds.
A chrony is in the cards since I've tried the 300MP that seems to have some real "thump" in the rifle and a fireball from heck out of the revolver even at minimum load.
"On paper" Alliant claims 1900fps for 125 gr w 10" barrel. There are a lot of paper tigers out there so a chrony would prove or disprove those claims. I would like to see "safely" 1800fps or so out of the rifle(20" barrel) w 158gr, if possible. I think anything over that I would just need a bigger gun. But I find the .357 enjoyable and love the looks of the old '92 design. Maybe a .454 some day.
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ken, I envy you. I always wanted a 92 chambered in .41 Magnum but waited too long to buy one. Maybe one of these days one will show up at a gunshow. One thing you might want to consider for both the 92 and revolver loads pushed very hard would be bullets from Oregon Trails/LaserCast. They are very hard with a brinell rating at 26. Typically I use Missouri Bullet Co. cast lead bullets that are 18 Brinell. That's plenty enough for revolver loads but the harder OT bullets will give you an added measure of comfort as far as avoiding leading in your 92. I wish I could tell you that they make a gas check bullet in .357", but neither Mo. Bullet or OT does. OT makes an excellent GC bullet for .30-30 that I've loaded. Another thing, typical performance is a little less for GC bullets whereas you can push the OT bullet to whatever data you have for cast loads.
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