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.357 SIG
YankeeClipper
Member Posts: 669 ✭✭✭✭
Looking for an accurate 357 sig load. thinking of going with 124 gr. hornady's. will be shooting out of an XD 4". thanks.
When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.
When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.
Comments
This is what I have found out.
Since I am use to reloading bottle neck rifle cartridges, I find that it is no problem to reload .357 sig cases.
Many posts have been made on the internet stating not to resize .40 Smith & Wesson Cases to .357 Sig, as the cases are shorter, and not loaded up to the pressures of .357 Sig.
It is true that the .40 Smith & Wesson case is .020" shorter than the .357 Sig Case, but when you run the .40 Smith & Wesson case into the .357 sizer die, the excess Brass is extruded up into the die. This has the effect of lenghtening the case by .015", so that the reformed .40 Smith & Wesson case is now only .005" shorter than its .357 Sig counterpart.
The next myth about the .40 Smith & Wesson case not being as strong as the .357 Sig brass is easily dispelled by your scale. What I found was that in weighing a Winchester .357 Sig case and a Winchester .40 Smith & Wesson case was that the .40 Smith & Wesson case actually weighed more, by 1.7 grains. This point out that there is slightly more brass in the .40 Smith & Wesson case, and if anything, you must presume that the .40 Smith and Wesson brass is slightly thicker, and therefor completly satisfactory.
The final test is in the shooting. Using Hornady 124 grain XTP bullets, 7.0 grains of Unique, and .40 Smith & Wesson Brass reformed to .357 Sig, I was able to produce a load which will put all twelve shots from a Springfield XD into the head of an IPSC Target at 25 meters. Velocity was 1470 FPS.
I am posting this report simply to prove that you can in fact reform .357 Sig brass out of .40 Smith & Wesson and produce a good accurate cartridge. Considering how much surplus .40 Smith & Wesson brass is out there, and the fact that it is many times being given away, this is certainly the way to go.
Watch your overall bullet length closely. I had problems with the bullets slipping back into the case, and that can create some dangerous pressure levels.
buy a book!
Buy a reloading manual. Only a suicidal idiot would use date from a public form. Here is an example - Yea I load for 357 sig all the time. I like 60 grains of bullseye behind a 180 gr bullet. I get moa at 200 yds. Try it -
buy a book!
Severely Compressed Load ??? [:D][:D]
Its a hot little round, it like it a lot, shoot it out of a Glock 32. Nice woods carry gun. Will kick the tar out of most anything up to 200 lbs or so.
Don't know what bullets/powder you are using. Also have Winchester data for their one listed powder/bullet combo............
The manual gives you the min and max loads for each weight bullet. Although you will notice from manual to manual there is a slight difference of opinion as to what the range is.
I always recomend you start with light target loads, try them out and work up to more powerful loads to see if you prefer them, then decide where you want to go with your prefered load. Its a lot of fun. Good Luck.
If you need more info or want my prefered loads simply send me an e-mail and I will tell you what I am currently using.