I have a lovely stainless GP-100 that I consider to be my ‘primary’ .357. That is to say, of the half a dozen in the safe it is the one I take with me nine times out of ten when I need a .357. I got it from Caleb years ago after he stopped using it for competition. Its been slicked up a bit and shoots rather nicely. (Trivia: serial number ends in 1337 so…its my Leet gun)
A few weeks ago I stumbled into a decent deal on 2600 158gr. JHP bullets. Before I load up 2600 rounds of .357 I’d like to find a load that shoots well in my gun. So, off to the range today to try out a few loads. Best results? 8.0 grains of the old favorite, Unique. On a side note, I find Unique to be the most versatile powder for reloading…if you have a can of Unique you can load pretty much any pistol cartridge.
Anyway, the 8.0 of Unique shot controlably , ejected cases cleanly, and shot a lovely group in the 2″ orange sticker at 25 yards. Seems like a winner. So…next step is to set up the DIllon RL1050, run some brass through the tumbler, fill up a buncha primer pickup tubes, and get ready to crank out an apocalypse worth of .357.
I stuff fifty rounds into some cardboard boxes I got from repackbox.com. Theyre smaller than the usual plastic boxes which lets me pack more into an ammo can. I have them for pistol calibers and rifle calibers…pretty handy.
Oh, and why .357? After all, I have a lovely (and, it appears, rare) Ruger .44 Mag. Well, the .44 Mag is for when I’m out wandering the boonies and am worried about the four-legged. A .44 Mag is a bit of overkill for the two-legged and I really prefer the controlability of the .357 vs the .44 for fast DA shooting. And I doubt very highly that there are any two-legged that would fall to a .44 that wouldn’t fall just as DRT to a .357. ( I know, some retired badge will chime in about how when he was a rookie they encountered some drugged up monster that took five 12 ga. slugs to the head and they finally had to put him down with a Carl Gustaf.) But for normal day-to-day situations, I think the .357 is about as good as you can get in a revolver cartridge for when you’re carrying a full-size pistol.
I also like Unique. Not only is it good for pretty much any wheelgun caliber from .32 S&W up to .45 Colt, but I use it in all my autos including the 10mm. My favorite 16 gauge pheasant load is made with it. I’ve also rolled up some 12 gauge trap loads with Unique. Not my favorite for that purpose, but only because it seems a bit dirtier than my usual Green Dot loads. It does shoot soft and busts the birds as well as anything else, though. I wouldn’t hesitate to use it if I ran out of Green Dot. For a great multi-use powder to keep on hand it doesn’t get any better than Unique………
My GP-100 is one of my favorite guns too. I just started casting my own bullets for it, just as a hobby. Though as my personal defense rounds, I trust Hornady FTX with H110.
Great post, for the attributes and true utility of 357 magnum revolvers. I luv them biggly. I often would just use the base starting load data for the particular powder, bullet combination. It spares powder quantity over a longer production run when loading bigger bulks, lessens gun and spent brass wear, and as a practical person, I am not into making nuclear hot powder charged ammunition. Ensure those good tight roll crimps, especially into the provided cannelure groves on bullets. I wipe the exposed lead on soft points / hollow points with a silicone or super light oil on cloth to just seal that suface over, so as to not have that chalky white lead corroding or frosting on the exposed lead. Then packege up normally for future Wolverine needs. Yeah, overkill, but details do matter. Keep at it Commander.
The .357 still has the best success numbers on the street.
I hope the 1050 is quicker to change out than the 650.
I can rebuild a V-8 engine in my sleep, but changing calibers on my 650 seems to take at least a day. I just changed from 7.62 to .30 carbine.
I think I may have invented a new cuss word.
I think I may go back to my Dillon guy. He charges a hundred bucks to change calibers, lube, inspect, clean, change any worn parts, etc…
It’s just a hassle. A day there, a week to change, a day back… all for a few thousand rounds.
I think I need a second 650. Oh, heck, I need a half dozen machines.
Grumble, grumble.
It takes me about an hour or two to change calibers on the 1050, but thats because I only set it up when Im ready to do A LOT of ammo. And in that case I always strip everything down for cleaning between caliber changes. Its a little tedious but when its all done I can load a box of pistol ammo (50 rounds) in two and a half minutes.
Many moons ago, I reloaded for & shot my .357s quite a bit. I had a S&W mod 19 4″ and my 6″ stainless GP100 (still have it).
My impressions, generally speaking:
S&W liked factory loads only. Hot loads reduced accuracy & eventually warped the forcing cone.
S&W was also more accurate with .38 spec,. less with .357
The GP100 ate anything happily. No issues. Super strong gun.
Mine is less accurate with .38 specials but much more accurate with .357 (slower rifling, maybe?) GP100 shoots better, the faster the ammo.
My favorite handloads were with JHP 125gr & H110 or Winchester 296.
The H110 on maximum load puts out an amazing orange fireball that tends to cause a couple spaces near you at the range to go home early from the blast.
My 2 cents
Smith discontinued their K-frame .357’s a few years back for those same reasons.
the model 28 was a much better pistol
The 28 and other N-frames were, naturally, better than the k-frames. However, they are not better than the GP-100.
Your comment about “ejected cases cleanly” had me confused for a minute, but then I realized that you were talking about a clean ejection from the cylinder with a push of the ejection rod, not “eject” as in a part of the semi-auto cycle.
Even with factory ammo, I still find that my .357s will sometimes want to “stick” in the cylinder. I had always assumed that was caused by minor build-up in the cylinder from shooting .38 sp which as we all know has a shorter case. It hadn’t occurred to me that case deformation may be the culprit. Thanks for the food for thought.
357 is a fine stopper. My former partner at the SO shot a guy shortly after I left. Hit the left chest, angled downward and came out the perp’s right butt cheek. Just mangled everything in between. DRT. He carried 158 JSP (factory). Just a caution for the guys using the “dot” powders. I used Blue Dot with a 140 JHP. One day at the range my Ruger Security Six locked up. A blue dot ended up under the star. Never used it again but a shame because it was the cat’s ass. Changed to Unique and never looked back. Gave my sweet Security Six (6 in) to my FORMER son- in- dumbass. He sold it within a week. NEVER give a son-in-dumbass your prized guns. Buy him something else until you KNOW him very well. Like after 10 years well.
There ain’t no flys on the .357. Of the three handguns I own, one is an S&W 19 that has taken everything I’ve fed it with zero problems and after 25 years it’s still more accurate than my skill set can take advantage of. To go with the S&W 19 is a .357 Winchester Trapper and a couple of thousand rounds of 125-grain JHP.
As for dealing with four-legged critters, bullet size is less important than bullet placement. For those who would ould argue the point, you may want to visit the Alaska State Museum. Inside you will find the biggest polar bear that was ever taken. It was killed by a girl with a .22LR single-shot rifle.
As for me, I’ve used the Trapper several times to hunt deer without any problems.
Worse – .22 LONG.
357/44…as long as you have enough gun for the job, you are gtg. And if you just want to carry the 44 instead, you can always load it down to the job you anticipate. Krom Bless America- the land of Choice.
I also like Unique, but if you want the same/similar versatility but with lots of smoke, Bullseye will get it done too.
I got a similar deal years ago when Midway had free shipping. 2000 Remington 125g JHPs, + no tax! UPS guy almost got a hernia hauling cases up to the door. They look like this.
https://www.luckygunner.com/remington-357-mag-ammo-for-sale-357mag125sjhpremumc-100
A LEO told me long ago they weren’t allowed to use the corrugated style (where the copper meets the lead) JHPs because of over damaging perps. Over dead seems preferable to under dead. He also said the unique design ‘bit’ into windshields, car doors and such and seemed less likely to skip off.
If I could only bug out with one rifle and one handgun it would be my GP100 and the M1A. Still got a few black talons in speed loaders ftw!
A forcing cone, and face cutting tool is useful to have to dress up the surfacing and keeping it clean or spec’d. Ensure those 38 Special carbon rings are cleaned out of the cylinders, not crudded up and inhibiting that 357 length case feeding. I use a moto tool felt tip and polishing paste i.e. flitz to shine up the cylinders a bit, just to hot rod it for performance, or no “hang ups”.
I have a special affinity for the .357. I have several, but my “go to” is a 3″, full lug, 686+ seven shot. Round but with the new S&W grips. Coupled with my 16″ stainless trapper M92, a winning pair for travel in all 50 states (at least the ones I’m likely to be in).
I use it for shotshells as well. I did have an issue with it being dirty. I like HiSkor 700X. It burns clean and can use it on shotshells. The only drawbackbwith it is it only comes in 8 oz containers.
To be honest. Probably half to two thirds of the 38 spl ammo I have reloaded and is in storage is loaded with Unique.
Re: .357 vs. .44 – I carry a .44 daily and agree with your assessment. If I have to spend a week in a city I leave the .44 home and carry a (1911, yes I’m a boomer) semiauto. But I live in the boonies and love my .44 because it’s so ammo-diverse. I keep it loaded with expensive commercial .44 Special hollowpoints but carry a speedloader of handloaded practice rounds for fun plinking or small pest control, and a speedloader of 300 gr Magnums for oh-my-god-a-bear.
In regard to component preps – I didn’t *quite* get caught with my pants down but almost. Powder and primers enough for thousands of rounds but I was down to my last few hundred cast bullets when I ran into a money crunch and couldn’t stock up – of course just in time for the latest panic. I was able to at least partially resupply later but at half again the cost. Bother. When will I learn?
Good post! We just shot our 357’s the other day, also have the GP-100, great gun (have one in 44 special also). Love that Unique powder too! Loaded many pistol rounds with it, a bit smokey, but a great all around powder. Just loaded up 1000 rounds of 9mm with Unique. Love my Dillon also, great machine and great support from the company. Like ‘Crippled up’ said, the Security Six was also a great revolver from Ruger, I love mine, if you see one cheap snatch it up, you won’t be sorry.
I find Unique to give impressive results but think that it’s way too dirty. My first love (first handgun) is my stainless 6″ Python. My toy .357 is my SP-101 for playing around with. Both have Pachmeyer replacment grips that make a world of difference. I’ve often thought about a Dillon progressive, but for the time being still get by with my Rock Chucker.
Ah, 357 Magnum.
I stopped by my local FunShop because they listed as “in stock”, the new Blued Ruger SP101.
The display cases were at about 1/3 occupied and ammunition was scarce.
I did get my Ruger though.
But they had zero rounds of 357 FMJ/Target.
None.
Limits on every caliber.
I have some at home but it was the principle, I did grab 4 boxes of 38 Special at least just because.
Oh…
And this isn’t some “hole in the wall”, this is one of Columbus (Ohio)’s biggest shops, they have two stores in town, another out east, and are building a 4th.
When they’re low on stuff, it means there isn’t much to be had.
Also.
While waiting for my “background check” to clear, a local PD officer was in to pick up a personal firearm he’d ordered.
I think it was Daniel Defense, but it was an AR pistol.
As he’s pawing the item, the clerk says “just so you know, this being 300 Blackout, we have no ammunition in stock, haven’t had any for a while, and don’t have an ETA to get any more. So I hope you already got some.”
Lesson learned…
Don’t buy an odd caliber during a “panic”.
Other lesson, buy after the panic ends.
I’m glad I had some 357 at home.
Its kind of a waste in a 2.25″ barrel but I have a 4-5/8″ Convertible Blackhawk.
With all the ammo limits I may have to start reloading.
to be honest I usually carry a 22 mini mag. in a Smith air weight. If 1 isn’t enough I’ll just shoot them again, and I know I won’t put a round through a wall and hit something I’ll regret/ If I want more I’ve got an Air weight 357 that I use reduced V super hollow points in. They hit anything and they expand to the size of a 1/4. In the event of a war I’ve got 5 Brownings and some MBR”S No large bears in the houae
Love my GP-100, 3”, .357. Bought it for myself as a retirement gift. Carried it for years as my EDC gun. Switched back to my longtime off duty gun (S&W 3953) when all of this ballyhoo started recently but the GP is my primary revolver.