.357SIG with available components

[filefish]

I got another .357 sig gun in jail and am starting to load for it. Problem is available components. I’m not sure if I can make one with what I have.

Primers: all sorts of SP standard and magnum

Powder: blue dot, green dot and several other pistol powders that aren’t even close

projectiles: 115 grain truncated cone FMJHP

I’m not finding any recipes for 115s with either of those powders


help please.

 

[mcfred]

Alliant lists 10gr of blue dot in 38 Super+P with a 115gr projectile:

Alliant Powder - Reloader's Guide

alliantpowder.com

Given that 357SIG has more case capacity than 38 Super and operates at a higher max pressure, you can probably start with the above load data and work up. Of course, maybe you could call Alliant and ask if they can recommend a starting load for SIG.

FWIW I've had success with Accurate No.7, No.9 and Alliant Unique with the SIG.

 

[BBVDD]

Nosler has one recipe with 115s and blue dot

https://load-data.nosler.com/nosler-load-data/pdf/357-sig/357-Sig-115gr.pdf

 

[mcfred]

Ha! 10gr Blue Dot was not a bad guess.

I guess Speer has BD data for their 125gr too. (11gr max compressed)

 

[filefish]

Ha! 10gr Blue Dot was not a bad guess.

I guess Speer has BD data for their 125gr too. (11gr max compressed)

Thanks guys! I've been looking all over and you guys came through... my decision was to go with #9 and 124s I'll have the 124s in a week and the #9 when I order it but I wanted to make some rounds now

 

[filefish]

Ha! 10gr Blue Dot was not a bad guess.

I guess Speer has BD data for their 125gr too. (11gr max compressed)

I’ve changed my mind.... unless I have done something horribly wrong, and that’s a distinct possibility, 9.2 blue dot under a 115 FMJHP didn’t work out well. I loaded up 50 and I’m not happy with the results. Lots of failure to extract, groups were large and the recoil and muzzle flash were spectacular. I think I even perforated a few primers

 

[mcfred]

It's a bad idea mixing headstamps with fast powder and high pressures. Just last weekend I worked up a different load for 357SIG. I sorted a few hundred headstamps, and within the same "Federal" cases there was an 500mg (~7.5gr or 10%) spread in weight. That difference in weight accounted for a tenth of an inch difference in powder level in their respective cases!

In your photo I see at least 6 different head stamps(!):
PPU
Speer
FC
R-P
G.F.L.
Winchester

Sort them and weigh them for a coarse comparison. If they're all the same weight then it's less dangerous at the pressure limit.

How are you dispensing powder? If you're inconsistent then you may be getting excessive pressure in one case and safe pressure in another... Then, being that you're reloading SIG, have you confirmed that you're not getting any bullet set-back on chambering? High variation in cartridge overall length at the time of ignition can severely affect peak pressure too. Different head stamps might yield differences in neck tension as well.

And don't load and shoot 50 of something that's blowing primers! You're literally playing with fire.

 

[filefish]

I’m throwing them on a progressive.

dillon thrower. It was inconvenient so I tore it down, cleaned and polished, changes are now +/- 0.1 grain.

 

[DaveWilson]

I reload my pistol stuff on a Dillon 650. Attaching three of my recipes for 357SIG.

 

[filefish]

Should I just buy a set of star line brass?

 

[mcfred]

I have been re-loading a pile of those Speer "s" cases, like what you have in your pics above, for more than a decade. I have run them in a carbine at some pretty high pressures and through a couple pistols and I have not had one fail on me yet. I'd sort those out of your mixed cases and run those, personally.

That said. I picked up 1500 of the Starline cases a few months ago. As far as pistol brass goes Starline has a good reputation. I have not yet loaded any but they're nice, just looking at them. Well polished, round case mouths, flash holes consistent diameter and centered. FWIW 4.198 grams each average, 150mg ES, 35mg SD sample of 100.

 

[filefish]

I reload my pistol stuff on a Dillon 650. Attaching three of my recipes for 357SIG.

looks like you have your .357sig dialed in!

Unfortunatly, I have none of those powders.

How do you like your labradar? I'm seriously considering getting one when I can find one.

 

[filefish]

I have been re-loading a pile of those Speer "s" cases, like what you have in your pics above, for more than a decade. I have run them in a carbine at some pretty high pressures and through a couple pistols and I have not had one fail on me yet. I'd sort those out of your mixed cases and run those, personally.

That said. I picked up 1500 of the Starline cases a few months ago. As far as pistol brass goes Starline has a good reputation. I have not yet loaded any but they're nice, just looking at them. Well polished, round case mouths, flash holes consistent diameter and centered. FWIW 4.198 grams each average, 150mg ES, 35mg SD sample of 100.

I'm sorting out speer and it seems that Winchester is my most common headstamp. any opinion of the Winchester? I'm setting the starline I find aside. should I mix that in with any new starline I buy or not risk it?

 

[filefish]

I have been re-loading a pile of those Speer "s" cases, like what you have in your pics above, for more than a decade. I have run them in a carbine at some pretty high pressures and through a couple pistols and I have not had one fail on me yet. I'd sort those out of your mixed cases and run those, personally.

That said. I picked up 1500 of the Starline cases a few months ago. As far as pistol brass goes Starline has a good reputation. I have not yet loaded any but they're nice, just looking at them. Well polished, round case mouths, flash holes consistent diameter and centered. FWIW 4.198 grams each average, 150mg ES, 35mg SD sample of 100.

you've triggered my inner OCD.. thanks

I had 549 pieces of brass, of that 158 is speer. Of that 158, 44 are stamped with something other than an "S" or are light stamps or nickle plated. of the remaining 114, there are 11 deviate more than .7 grains from the average weight of 70 grains leaving me with 97 pieces ....


next I think I trim and uniform flash holes....

 

[DaveWilson]

looks like you have your .357sig dialed in!

Unfortunatly, I have none of those powders.

How do you like your labradar? I'm seriously considering getting one when I can find one.

It is the easiest to set up ( I also have a PACT and a MagnetoSpeed ). There have been complaints about trouble aiming the thing, especially with smaller caliber bullets, but it always gives MV. It records the shot strings in CSV files on an SD card which I then import to a spreadsheet program on my computer, hence the PDF reports that I pasted. IMHO if you are going to get a chrono, get a LABRADAR.

 

[filefish]

It is the easiest to set up ( I also have a PACT and a MagnetoSpeed ). There have been complaints about trouble aiming the thing, especially with smaller caliber bullets, but it always gives MV. It records the shot strings in CSV files on an SD card which I then import to a spreadsheet program on my computer, hence the PDF reports that I pasted. IMHO if you are going to get a chrono, get a LABRADAR.

I had a Caldwell G2 which is a vast improvement but still an optical. The one thing I loved was the Bluetooth app which had some manageable issues but did directly import data to the iPad and made naming and organizing groups a breeze.


I’m betting labradar will copy that so I’m going to go the labradar rout when I can find one.

 

[filefish]

Ran 20 rounds of my OCD sorted brass starting load of 10.7 AA#9 under 124 grain museum gold jacketed FN. that glock won’t never group well no matter whe I do with it, but my 229 did OK. (229 made a very nice group with .40 barrel at the wall). Anyways, vast improvements and that’s just the starting load. Bad news is that of the 20 rounds I shot, I only recovered 8 casings I guess I’ll be buying 500 of the starline brass.

That AA#9 throws like a dream, I’ve polished the guts on that particular powder measure and I weighed the first 13 rounds with no deviations from 10.7 grains. I did get one 10.9 when I got a brass in wrong and it shook the press.

 

[filefish]

Not great but we are getting there. 12.0 grains A#9 Ofer the Montana gold 124 .357sig bullets slowfire 50’. I put a quarter over my POA for reference. I think I can tighten that up a lot . I’m only finding about 50% of my brass so I ordered 600 starline nickel, hopefully it will stand out better. One flier over the top of the photo area.

 

[mcfred]

If you're just shooting from one position you can put down a tarp to catch brass. I lose a lot of my cases too, and spend too much time easter egg hunting for them.

I worked up this cast load weekend before last:

I suck at pistols and factory glock sights don't help. I think you're doing better than me. 10 yards:

The .22 holes are from a Ruger Mk2 Target pistol: better sights, better trigger, factory ammo for comparison.

 

[Powder_Burns]

Blue dot is a gnarly fast powder and pressures can spike pretty quick. I messed with it for a little while in 9mm, and if I recall correctly the spread between min and max charge weight was like .4gr, and the dispenser I was using had an error margin of like .3gr. Decided this was a bad idea, stopped using it.

 

[filefish]

Blue dot is a gnarly fast powder and pressures can spike pretty quick. I messed with it for a little while in 9mm, and if I recall correctly the spread between min and max charge weight was like .4gr, and the dispenser I was using had an error margin of like .3gr. Decided this was a bad idea, stopped using it.

I didn’t load much with blue dot but what I did I didn’t like.

 

[filefish]

to be fair, most my handgun shooting is indoor public range. Slowfire is the rule so I challenge myself by tightening groups.

that target was over 50’ because I stood as far back as I could to keep brass from going forward of the firing line.

glock 31 was the first gun I ever shot .357 sig from, been a fan ever since. Glock 23 sucks on paper and P229 is the cats meow.

If you're just shooting from one position you can put down a tarp to catch brass. I lose a lot of my cases too, and spend too much time easter egg hunting for them.

I worked up this cast load weekend before last:

I suck at pistols and factory glock sights don't help. I think you're doing better than me. 10 yards:

The .22 holes are from a Ruger Mk2 Target pistol: better sights, better trigger, factory ammo for comparison.

 

[Powder_Burns]

Now that I recall, it was red dot that was bad juju in 9mm. I did a few blue dot loads in 10mm.

 

[mcfred]

Winchester is my most common headstamp. any opinion of the Winchester? I'm setting the starline I find aside. should I mix that in with any new starline I buy or not risk it?

I have some winchester, but I haven't used it much, so I haven't much of an opinion on it. If you get more Starline, if it weighs the same/similar then I'd consider mixing it, depending on condition of the fired cases and how hot you intend to load it.

 

[filefish]

I have some winchester, but I haven't used it much, so I haven't much of an opinion on it. If you get more Starline, if it weighs the same/similar then I'd consider mixing it, depending on condition of the fired cases and how hot you intend to load it.

I just ordered 600 starline in nickel, I figured nickel would be easier to pick out at the public range I shoot at.