22 August 2002, 12:31
Magnum Mike357 Maximum in a rifle? Your Experience??
Lookin for any info from your experience.....
TIA
22 August 2002, 18:59
Orygun MarkI have a H&R topper with a Numrich barrel in 357 Max. I shoot 150-240 gr cast bullets out of it. I get around 4" groups at 100 yds. I'm still working up loads for it. I also have a T/C 14" barrel. It shoots a little tighter groups. About 2.5-3" at 100 yds. Doesn't shoot 38's very good but 357 Mags do OK. I'm using 2400 and 4227 powders and large pistol primers. Orygun
23 August 2002, 02:03
<wildcat51>Soon as this weather cools off I will have some info to share. I will be working up a load in my .358 1-14 twist 357 Max VVCG/Bellm chambered 20" contender carbine barrel.
I am going to start with Reloader 7 with the discontinued Rem 35 cal 150 PSP bullets. Max book load for Reloader 7 and a .357/158 bullet is 26 grains. 26 grains fills the case. If I don't get the velocity I need with Reloader 7 then AA1680 will be the next powder that I will try.
26 August 2002, 07:32
Magnum MikeLookin forward to hearing the reports!!
I am also interested in other loads such as , light bullets, round ball, pointed bullets, etc....
26 August 2002, 07:44
Magnum MikeHere is some excellent information that i just copied from another thread here...
quote:
Originally posted by dave3220:
Nice Martini!
I have a .357 MAX myself.
It is an NEF that has been shortened to 16 1/2" barrel, 31" OAL, has a J&S Hawken trigger guard replacing the plastic abomination, and a carrying sling. The stock has been stained and oil-finished, and the forend has been slimmed down, shortened and contoured like older firearms.
I have three cart. loops on the buttstock with the cart. inletted to 1/2 their depth so they don't stick out so far as a butt cuff with loops.
I dovetailed the breech of the barrel for a homemade drift adj. only peep sight and have an AO white patridge front. (Both front & rear sights are 'hell for stout').
This is a pick-up, horseback rifle and chore rifle for me, as that is how I travel since I have legs that don't work so well and I cannot abide atv's and travel where they cannot go.
A close friend loads 25 gr. Rel 7 and 200 gr. Hornady RN for sub MOA 3 shot groups @ 100 yds in his MAX NEF.
I load thru a Harrel measure with drop tube, 25.5 to 26 gr. Rel.7 and 200 gr. Sierra and Hornady RN's. (Rem. .35 cal. RN Core-Lokt may be worth trying...)
This load hits harder than 30-30 and leaves a much wider, deeper wound channel.
I am "guesstimating" 1,900 fps.
.35 Rem and .33 Win are around 2,000 to 2,200 with longer barrels and same weight bullet.
Both had an enviable "rep" among deer, bear, and elk hunters of the era after the turn of the century till WW2.
The trajectory is less arched than a .44 mag. rifle with 240 gr. bullet, and I believe I have an effective "point blank" clear to 150 yds., which is my personal limit for deer hunting with iron sights. (Most of my deer have been shot considerably under 100 yds., only 3 over 200, and none at all between 100 and 200 yds.)
Around here there are mtn. lion, blackbear, deer and feral dogs.
I am going to try to get the fastest, accurate, same POI 158 gr. or less, HP, possible for feral dogs and cougar. (30-30 has been very dissapointing here, as have .308 with the excellent for deer 165 Rem. Core-Lokt.)
MAX has also shot every .38spl./.357 load I have put thru it very well.
I will load a single .360 roundball over 3 to 4 or maybe 5 in the long case, gr. of RedDot for grouse, rabbits and squirrels. (These roundball loads have worked very well for me in everything but micro-groove barrels, in .32-20 and .357/.38spl.)
If you have a .38 spl./.357 pistol, try your loads in your MAX rifle. You may be pleasantly surprised how well they will shoot out of it!
I think this is a super subsistance/hunting/woods roaming cal. whether you travel by foot, horse, snowmobile, or canoe.
(Share your loads with us?)
Regards,
Dave 32-20
27 August 2002, 05:58
<wildcat51>Thanks mmsmagnum.
Supports my Reloader 7 theory. My starting load will be 26 grains behind the 150 PSP. Just waiting until the temp gets down around 80 degrees or lower. I will post some actual speeds (Oehler).
28 August 2002, 01:40
<Dalton>My wife shoots a 357Max out of a 20" VVG barrel and I out of an 11" VVG/Bellm barrel. The bore on both barrels is .358 with a 1-14" twist. My wife uses hers primarily for hunting but sometimes for club silhouette shoots. The best groups we get out of it are 1.5" at 100yds. and 3.25" at 200yds. It's plenty accurate for hunting and that 180gr. Hornady SSP bullet does a great job on deer.
I have been using the following loads.
Target Load
Bullet - RCBS 210gr. RNFP Cast (.358 Dia)
Bullet Comp. - 5:1 (Wheelweights/Linotype)
Powder - AA1680 or W680
Charge - 21.0gr.
Primer - Winchester SR
Hunting Load
Bullet - Hornady 180gr. SSP
Powder - AA1680 or W680
Charge - 25.0gr.
Primer - Winchester SR
Hope this helps.
![[Big Grin]](images/icons/grin.gif)
29 August 2002, 01:20
<wildcat51>Dalton,
Do you know the velocity of the 180gr. SSP load?
[ 08-29-2002, 22:42: Message edited by: wildcat51 ]30 August 2002, 04:55
<dave3220>I got to Chrono my 25 1/2 gr. Rel. 7 and 200 gr. Nornady RN out of my 16" barrel. 1,800 fps. (A factory 150 gr. 30-30 out of same length barrel is barely over 1,900 fps for comparison.)
I have been loading a .360 roundball bumped 1/2 it's dia. into the case re-sized case neck with a rubber mallet with a smear of LBT, over 1.5 gr. RedDot for 550 to 600 fps.
There is a little verticle stringing (as is obvious from the vel. fluctuation), but most will be covered by a fifty-cent piece 10 to 15 yds., which is where I get most of my small game.
This shoots to POA of my heavy load, and so is very useful, and makes no more noise than a pellet gun.
Have taken squirrels and grouse, and belive it would be ample for cottontail at close range, but that you would want a bit more for close range woodchuck, hares, and raccoons, tho with head shots it will work fine.
Shot one squirrel out the top of a tall tree. Held on his head and hit him high in the neck. Ball exited the far shoulder due to the angle of the squirrel on the branch.(And down he came...)
This 1 1/2 gr. RedDot load is as at least as good a killer as RN .22LR, in my opinion, at the short ranges I am shooting at.
(My MAX is a chopped NEF with 16" barrel and iron sights.)
I have uses similar roundball/buckshot loads in 30-30, 32-20, .44mag. for a fair while, and have found that a case modified to use a shotgun cap is subject to less vertical dispersion, (maybe due to more uniform and complete ignition?)
Regards,
Dave 32-20
13 October 2012, 18:47
Cliff LyleI had Mike Bellm rebarrel a 222 Rem into a Max for my CVA Apex. It's a 20" bbl and looks really nice. I've only shot factory ammo through it, to date but will want to develop some handloads this winter.
Thanks for the information posted. It will prove helpful for many.
13 October 2012, 20:52
rnoviHoly Dawn of the Dead Batman! 10 year old thread resurected!
17 October 2012, 04:59
Steve E.About the only advice I can offer for reloading the Maxi is use Lil'Gun as that has given me the top velocity and the best accuracy also. I am shooting a 14 inch OTT barrel.
Hey rnovi, any thread about the Maxi is a good thread old or not. LOL.
Steve E.....
17 October 2012, 08:14
DoublessI had a NEF 357 mag barrel stretched to 357 Max... I also have a 200-grain LBT WLN GC mould, and 18 grains of pulldown WC 820 powder shot three rounds into 1/2" at 100 yards. So accurate it scared me.
25 October 2012, 07:28
RockratMine is a Ruger #1 357 mag CHP rifle that I rechambered to 357max. 156gr cast to nearly 2600fps, 200gr cast to 2200 fps and a 267gr cast to 1700fps. Accuracy, about 1.5"@100yds, except for the light weight slug, then about 2.5" and the heavy, which will do about 1". Seems like the heavier the bullet, the better it groups. Powders are WW680 and 2400 for the range of weights.