looking for some advice from someone with experience

[jlincolnGP100]

Okay, quick background:

Gun: 4" GP100 357 Magnum

Reloading equipment: Rock chucker with all the goodies (charge thrower, scales, priming tool), Speer loading manual.

Supplies: mostly 38 special and +P cases, along with 50 cases for 357 magnum, Finocchi primers, bullseye powder, and speer 158gr lswc bullets.


Now, the question:

What is the most entertaining round to load and shoot for 357 magnum?

By that I mean lots of bang, considerable recoil, and the ability to blow stuff (mostly cans and boards) apart.

I've loaded and fired a few hundred rounds of 158gr lswc's, and it's cool, but when my grandpa came down with his 40 cal s&w, it seemed like a much more powerful firearm. I'm convinced that it's not the gun, its the ammo. The 40 cal would blow big holes in the ground behind the target while my ruger would sometimes go off without any evidence that a bullet was sent downrange!

I don't care about home defense (I have 4 other guns for that), hunting, man stopping power, penetration, or any other stuff. I just want a round that makes me laugh like an evil villian while I'm loading dropping the shells in the cylinder because I know what's about to happen.

My GP100 seems to weigh as much as an intake manifold, so I'm not worried about kick.

The closest description I found to what I'm looking for is a buffalo bore 125gr round. Has anyone used frangible rounds?

... I can't seem to find the answer to this question anywhere. I signed up here specifically to ask this question.

Thanks!

 

[pvtschultz]

I've found the Hornady XTP's to be exciting when shot into jugs of water in .30 and .45 (.452 and .458) cal. Not what you're looking for exactly, but a place to start.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

A Max. load of H-110 behind a 158gr or 180gr XTP bullet.

http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

...Jimbo

 

[GP100man]

H-110behind any bullet heavier than 140grs. will fill the bill !!

SAAMI pressure limit is 35,000 for the 357 now .

As far as the visible impact it`s not sheer size difference , but with compareable projectiles & close to the same velocity I think they should be close .

 

[Pal Val]

Put in a 180 grain hardcast with a max load of H-110 and shoot it in semi-darkness. You'll know why I call it the dragon's round.

Just make sure not to put a .357 mag load into a .38 shell. You risk a bad accident.

 

[Jbrown75]

I will second (or is it third now?) the XTP's. I've got them in several calibers and they make for some 'fun' when popping jugs of water and old logs.

 

[Lost Sheep]

(edited for brevity) the question:

What is the most entertaining round to load and shoot for 357 magnum?

By that I mean lots of bang, considerable recoil, and the ability to blow stuff (mostly cans and boards) apart.

The entertaining part is experimenting around and finding the right load.

I will grant that you have to bring the right mind-set to the hunt, the the research can be as entertaining as the find. (This is analagous to saying, "It's not the kill, it's the HUNT".)

Finding the perfect load (and discovering what doesn't work and WHY) is edifying; if you bring the right mind-set.

If you want flash, use a slow powder like H110. If you want lots of recoil, a faster powder. If you want lots of smoke, use black powder.

I have a friend with a black powder 36 caliber that would blow 6" hole in the back side of a phone book using a pure lead round ball at relatively low speed. Impressive, that. On the other hand, his ..30 Carbine chambered Ruger Blackhawk revolver would shred that same phone book into super-fine confetti while producing a ball of fire out the muzzle that rivaled the sun and a report that made 44 Magnum shooters drop their cookies and say, "What was THAT!?" I don't know what the powder was. If I remember correctly, it was factory ammo. (That's a hint: If you want flash, use rifle powder.)

I know that you asked about .357 Mag, but I wanted to point out that you can do pretty much ANYTHING you want with a Ruger. You just have to find the right combination. And, as the ocean cruise line used to advertise, "Getting there is half the fun".

Good hunting.

Lost Sheep

 

[jlincolnGP100]

Well, I have to say that this has been a learning experience for me. I appreciate all of the informative replies. Now I have confidence that I can move in the right direction from here.

Specifically, that direction will be to the gun store for some new reloading supplies 8)

Now we'll see how many tin cans and water jugs I can take out before I leave for this upcoming deployment (first time going on active duty since I picked up E4!)

Thanks everyone.

P.S. I feel obligated to (breifly) express my complete satisfaction with the 4" GP100. Hitting a paper plate consistently, standing unsupported with open sights from 40 yards is a pretty good feeling, and I know that the shooter is the limiting factor, not the gun.

 

[contender]

All the above advice is the kind of thing to get you started on the right track. My first thoughts drifted towards the 30 carbine and it's known reputation for fireballs & noise.

Congrats on E-4, and you stay safe on the next deployment brother.

 

[WESHOOT2]

...bullseye powder, and speer 158gr lswc bullets...

That Speer bullet is swaged, and soft, and only for lower-velocity ammo.

In 38 cases (size all cases, new or used) recommend 3.0g Bulleye; in 357 cases recommend 3.2g Bullseye.
In the 38 you can go from 2.7g up to whatever your Speer manual says is MAX; in the 357 you can go from 3.0g up to whatever your Speer manual says is MAX.
Use Speer data for THAT bullet.

7000 grains of powder in a pound, so you'll enjoy excellent economy.

For more oomph in 38/357 buy Universal. Buy a cast lead bullet from someone like Penn Bullets.

For maximum velocities choose the Hornady XTP jacketed bullets, or Sierra, or Remington, and H110.