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SCSlim
HB Life Member
| Joined: | 2 May 2008 |
| Location: | Boise, Idaho USA |
| Posts: | 153 |
| Photo: | [Download] | | Are you a handloader?: | Yes | | Favorite type of cartridge to load?: | I load everything! |
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Posted: 31 July 2008 06:04 PM |
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Bought a .357 Sig "match grade" barrel for my Glock 23 at a gun show a couple weeks ago. It's a drop-in barrel switch, no other changes required. First round out the tube (a Speer "Lawman" 125 grain FMJ flat point) went right through the red center dot on a Shoot N See target at 7 yards, so I'm thinking the barrel is a good fit and lines up with the sights. Only shot 10 rounds of it, just so I'd have a few empties to set up the dies with for reloading, but those 10 rounds were FUN!
I learned a few things loading those 10 rounds:
1) Spray-on lubes don't work that great with this round. That RCBS pine-smelling goop that you spread on the green lube pad works much better. Helps to use the little bristle brush to lube the inside of the case neck, too.
2) Standard 115 grain FMJ round nosed bullets have too short of a shank for bottlenecked case to grab onto when loaded to the correct OAL. Nosler's 115 grain JHP is a good fit. With the seating die properly adjusted, it will apply a taper crimp to the Nosler that resists 5 or 6 good wacks from an inertia bullet puller.
3) The 2-die set that RCBS sells should include an expander die. I had an extra .380/9mm expander die laying around, and set it up to almost imperceptibly flare the case mouth, just enough so that the bullet base will stay put while the case is raised into the seater die. Without the expander die, it's a crap shoot as to whether it will be seated correctly or collapse the bottle neck.
4) Light-weight bullets leave the .357 Sig barrel in a hurry. The 115 grain Nosler JHP loaded over 9.0 grains of Power Pistol crossed the Shooting Chrony screens at 1420 fps, for 514 ft/lbs of energy.
5) Forming .357 Sig cases from .40 S&W brass seems impractical. The sizing die doesn't create a long enough bottle neck when it makes the shoulder, which leaves the case head sticking out beyond the rear of the chamber about twice as far as the factory .357 Sig brass does. I don't know if fire-forming with a reduced load would stretch it out enough. It might not chamber properly and end up locking up the slide. Anyone have experience in fire-forming .40 S&W into .357 Sig? Not that I'm over anxious to do it - the Sig brass is readily available. Just that every once in a while, I like to try stuff like that, just to see if it'll work. But I don't want to blow up my gun or tie it up to where I have to find a gunsmith to fix it.
Any comments, advice, observations, etc. will be appreciated.
Last edited on 31 July 2008 06:07 PM by SCSlim
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ohiococonut
HB Pro Staff
| Joined: | 10 April 2007 |
| Location: | Central, Ohio USA |
| Posts: | 87 |
| Photo: | | | Are you a handloader?: | Yes | | Favorite type of cartridge to load?: | I load everything! |
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Posted: 31 July 2008 10:41 PM |
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Everyone that reloads the 357Sig finds out what you did and has the same questions. Personally, I hate loading for it because of the short thin necks. I always lose at least one in fifty during the process.
No, 40S&W brass cannot be fireformed to make the 357Sig case nor can it be full length sized to make it either. The cases are too short and will split before they reach the right length. As designed, the case headspaces on the mouth, not the shoulder. However, there are some people that DO resize 40S&W cases and headspace it on the shoulder. As long as they think they're getting away with something with this high pressure round that's their business, I won't do it.
Use caution when crimping because the bullet should be held in place with neck tension, not crimping. Over belling and crimping will only lead to real short case life on already thin brass.
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SCSlim
HB Life Member
| Joined: | 2 May 2008 |
| Location: | Boise, Idaho USA |
| Posts: | 153 |
| Photo: | [Download] | | Are you a handloader?: | Yes | | Favorite type of cartridge to load?: | I load everything! |
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Posted: 31 July 2008 11:56 PM |
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I didn't think it would work, but it sounded like a fun experiment. Oh well, plenty of new brass available to load, so no reason to fire form any.
Went to the range and shot some Speer "Lawman" 125gr JFP today. Very accurate ammunition and very hot! Big time muzzle flash, very lound, recoil somewhat greater than .40 S&W, but not enough to fret about. Bought some Speer Gold Dot hollow points made for the .357 Sig on my way home, and some new brass. We'll see what adventures we can stir up with those.
It's a fun round to shoot, that's for sure. Barrel changes only take a minute, if that. I particularly like the accuracy, which is of course a combined result involving platform, ammo. shooter, etc., but at least they didn't go wandering all over the paper.
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