.357 magnum questions

[U.S. Patriot]

I will be reloading .357 magnum in the future. I have been using TiteGroup for my 9mm loads and have been very happy with it. Would it be hot enough to reload light .357 loads, as I will be loading target loads to begin with? Also, does it require using magnum primers, or is there not such a thing for handgun ammo?

 

[AllenM]

I like something slower for 357 I use 2400 alot. One of my guns likes Longshot and light bullets though.
As far as magnum primers yes there is such a thing for handguns. My loads don't require it but with some ball powders it is suggested you use them. I have not used them much and have not had any issues primer related.

 

[shooter1054]

For my 357 I use Winchester 296 and light it with CCI small pistol magnum primer. I've never used tightgroup in anything. Not saying that as a knock on tightgroup, I've just never used it.

 

[HDSilvrStreak]

I just shot my first 357 reloads this past week. Since I had a lot of TiteGroup around, that's what I used.

I loaded 158 gr plated round nose from Berry's on top of 5.7gr of TiteGroup. I used CCI small pistol primers. They shot great. No issues at all and a very manageable recoil. We shot them in a S&W model 28-2 and a S&W model 686. No issues with either revolver. There were 4 of us that shot them and I had nothing but compliments on my load.

 

[rimfire_crazed]

You definitely do not need magnum primers for TiteGroup. If you're using large charges of slow burning magnum pressure ball powders like 296/H110, you'll need them to reliably light the entire charge consistently.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[XtremeVel]

For target loads, TiteGroup would be fine ! Even if you hear of a better option, I would still give it a try being you already have some on hand.

Stay away from the magnum primers. 20 + years ago, data would call for a wider use of them. Now days, most the data only calls for their use when using H110 or Winchesters 296...

 

[msd]

For plinking I've used Unique or bullseye.

 

[sbcman]

I will be reloading .357 magnum in the future. I have been using TiteGroup for my 9mm loads and have been very happy with it. Would it be hot enough to reload light .357 loads, as I will be loading target loads to begin with? Also, does it require using magnum primers, or is there not such a thing for handgun ammo?

I've used Titegroup in 357 target loads. They will be "hot" enough for those loads. The only downside I personally found to Titegroup was accelerated topstrap cutting. This is no big deal, as it will happen with every revolver, but something about the Titegroup really sped it up.

There is such a thing as magnum primers for small pistol. And, I'm going to go contrary to the other posters and say "yes" to using magnum primers for Titegroup. My main reason for saying this is that Hogdon calls for them on their load data. In fact, they call for magnum primers with all their powders for 357 loads. Now having said that, Titegroup really does not "require" magnum primers in the sense of setting them off, but they are called for and I make it a practice to stay with the manufacturer's published data.

For reference: http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load_print.asp?printnow=1

 

[HDSilvrStreak]

I've seen some mixed data on this.

My Lee Manual calls for Small Pistol Primers. My Speer manual calls for Magnum primers for a few powders, but small pistol primers for most (they don't list any recipes for TiteGroup though). And my Lyman manual calls for Magnum.

I had no issues whatsoever using the small primers. My loads were similar in function to some factory that we also shot that day.

 

[Aszerigan]

Titegroup works well in a .357 case, but there WILL be deviations in velocity due to the small volume of powder vs the large volume of the case. It causes inconsistent ignitions since the powder only fills about 30% of the case, but it does work fine. 6.1gns under a 158gn bullet is a pleasant target load. Stay up near, at, or (dare I say) slightly over the listed max powder charge to combat the ignition problem. You may suffer in the accuracy department though.

Now, if you want something with a little more stink behind it, try H110. That powder is awesome in a 357 Mag. I like 21.5gns of H110 under a 125gn bullet. Pushes that puppy to over 1900fps out of a 6" barrel, and it feels like a .357 mag. Puts a smile on my face very time. On top of that, the charge completely fills the case, so accuracy is tops.

SBCman is correct that Hodgdon calls for magnum primers. I just tend to use regular SP primers since I have them in my cabinet anyway.

One quick note - if you're shooting .357's, just use 38 brass with 38 load data. It's less expensive for plinking, far more available on the used market, and the ratio of titegroup : volume of the case is higher, leading to more accurate and consistent loads.