Henry Big Boy .357 load

[coyotehunter4]

Has anybody worked up a good load for the Henry .357 ?

 

[throttletony]

I don't have a specific load for you, but I'd imagine the slowest safe powder, in a healthy dose, with a good magnum primer would be a good fit.
There's conflicting info on what brands, if any, load magnum primers hotter or if the only discernible difference is the cup thickness. I, for one, think that the Federal and Winchester magnum primers are a bit hotter (it might be in my head, but they haven't let me down yet)

 

[Michigan Slim]

It will shoot any published load. It might NOT shoot every bullet. Stay away from semiwadcutters and everything else should cycle well. We use my cast 125 grain RNFP and Hornady XTP's in all our lever guns.

 

[singlesix]

125 grain bullet, I use H110, load to Max as published by Hogdon. If you decide on H110 don't load below the published data, you get misfires.

 

[87iroc]

I don't recall load qty but I use extreme bullets and acc #5 powder. Good thump plinking load in my rossi.

 

[357 Terms]

I use an 180grn XTP with 14.3 grns of VV n110 and a SRP in my Marlin 1894ss.
Been my deer load for years.

 

[Broom_jm]

357 has the right of it...if you're going to hunt with that rifle, go with one of the heavier bullet options and stoke it with 2400, H110/W296 or the VV n110. Definitely use a magnum primer to ensure the powder burns uniformly, even in cold temps.

If you're just going to plink with it, buy yourself a bunch of 158gr cast boolits and use any middling charge of a suitable pistol powder, like Unique. Folks get too hung up on loading for a pistol cartridge for a carbine or rifle...it's still the same cartridge, either way.

 

[Leadeye]

^ This. A good lever gun shooting straight wall pistol cartridges is one of the most versatile rifles made if you reload.