How to fix a BOO BOO ??

[Jacko]

I am a newby to reloading for my .357 mag Rossi . I just bought a Lee Hand Press and all the needed tools , Alliant 2400 powder and Hornady 158 gr jhp XTP bullets .

A member of this forum advised me in a previous thread of a little BOO BOO . A gunshop has sold me Remington 1 1/2 small pistol primers . He pointed out Remington have a disclaimer on the primer box warning of using those primers in high intensity handgun cartridges like the .357 . I clearly stated to the gunshop sales bloke that I was reloading for a .357 mag rifle . I am a newby to reloading so was relying on good advice at the point of purchase . They sold me what they had - not what my reloading manual recommended which I also advised them of , it will be fine they said ?

Its not worth the 1 1/2 hour drive and fuel to exchange 300 primers and I am seeking advice if 38 special velocity loads are feasable / advisable using these primers in my .357 mag cases . I am looking for loads suitable for plinking and small game that use these Remington 1 1/2 primers . I was thinking of buying some Unique powder and lighter bullets for these loads as my reloading manual does not list 2400 as suitable for 38 special loads . The Unique will be handy for the .357 according to my reloading manual .

Open to any and all advice thanks folks

regards Jacko

[the telegraphist]

Gday Jacko
Fair dinkum mate, give Noosa shooters a call, he is only an hour up the Bruce from your location. Guy named Dave is the owner, nice bloke as well. Also on the web at noosashooters.com Cleaver firearms is even closer at 275 Oxley Ave Margate. be about 30 mins from you. His phone is 38831733.
You can load to 38spl pressures in 357 brass without a problem, but you would be wasting good jacketed projectiles at those lower velocities even in a rifle. Not up to pig standard. You can use 2400 in 38spl cases, my info shows a max with 160g JHP of 9.0g for 900fps out of a handgun, so about 1100 outta your lever. Would be wary of reducing to 9g in 357 brass. Could cause problems of secondary explosion, its a risk. Reduced charges of slower burning powders is not recommended. Cut your losses mate and get the primers you want not the ones the guy wants to clear off his shelf.
I would ring the bloke who sold them to you and suggest either he or his staff start showing a little more professionalism
and start listening to what the customer wants or asks for. Was it QGE?

Rgds

[Hobie]

Yes, I load 6 gr. Unique under the 158 gr. swaged bullets for just such a .38 Special in .357 Mag case load. It is a top load but works fine.

FYI, The same load can be use in the .357 MAXIMUM case and produces a fair approximation of .38 Special factory 158 gr. RN ballistics and is a good small game load for the MAXIMUM.

[Tycer]

160 grain jacketed over 11.4 grains of 2400 should be near 23,600 CUP which is just over 38 special Max pressure and well below the 40,000 CUP the 357 magnum is usually loaded to. 6 grains of Unique puts you in the same range. When you get your cast bullets up and running, you can run them a tad faster at the same pressures.

I'd save my jacketed bullets for Magnum loads and load my cast at the above charges for 300 rounds of learning trigger control.

[Jacko]

Thanks for the tips and loads folks . Once I'm casting I will will gather all the info I can and try some 38 velocity loads .

It was teligraphist , Ive emailed them , they should reply sooner than later and I'll see what happens from there . They are just to far away to bother with under $20 worth of mistake . I do not want to dis them online , give them the benefit of the doubt . I have not been up to Noosa Shooters supplies yet , getting the time on weekends ? but visit Cleavers and Pine Rivers Gunshop on the way home from work . This arvo I will be dropping in and buying the correct primers .

I am being plenty cautious asking lots of questions otherwise I would not have picked up this issue . This is half the fun of learning new skills though you folks must roll your eyes sometimes . I know after 30 years in Archery there's not much I have not done or tried and I enjoy the new people myself .

regards Jacko

[J Miller]

I am a newby to reloading for my .357 mag Rossi . I just bought a Lee Hand Press and all the needed tools , Alliant 2400 powder and Hornady 158 gr jhp XTP bullets .

A member of this forum advised me in a previous thread of a little BOO BOO . A gunshop has sold me Remington 1 1/2 small pistol primers . He pointed out Remington have a disclaimer on the primer box warning of using those primers in high intensity handgun cartridges like the .357 . I clearly stated to the gunshop sales bloke that I was reloading for a .357 mag rifle . I am a newby to reloading so was relying on good advice at the point of purchase . They sold me what they had - not what my reloading manual recommended which I also advised them of , it will be fine they said ?

Its not worth the 1 1/2 hour drive and fuel to exchange 300 primers and I am seeking advice if 38 special velocity loads are feasable / advisable using these primers in my .357 mag cases . I am looking for loads suitable for plinking and small game that use these Remington 1 1/2 primers . I was thinking of buying some Unique powder and lighter bullets for these loads as my reloading manual does not list 2400 as suitable for 38 special loads . The Unique will be handy for the .357 according to my reloading manual .

Open to any and all advice thanks folks

regards Jacko

Jacko,

I do not have any Remington 1½ primers in my supplies. Is there any way you could scan in the box and post the pic of it for me so I could read it? Also has anyone told you the why to this warning? That is my major curiosity.

Joe

[marlinman93]

Always good to be cautious when starting out reloading! Some folks haven't and suffered the consequences later.
Using non-magnum primers in a .357 case is not a problem, as long as you're not loading full power .357 magnum loads. The magnum primers are needed for real .357 magnum loads to ensure complete burn of all the powder when the larger volume of powder is used. As long as you keep loads down in the lower range, or .38Spl. range the burn will be complete, even with std. small pistol primers. I've used them for many years in reduced charges and never had any incidents or problems.-Vall

[Chuck 100 yd]

Stash those 1 1/2 primers for future use and get what you need and don`t look back. We all do similar from time to time,
that`s why pencils have erasers on them.

Double check every load with two manuals and use the suggested components. If you don`t have a certain component then research more data to see if the combination is listed
elsewhere, if not go get what you need and have at it!
Have fun!

[KirbyAUS]

Hi Jacko,
the previous posters have given great advice.

But I have always used small pistol primers in my .357 Rossi carbines without any problems whatsoever.
Been popping them off since 1978...
I prefer Win. 296 for my full power .357 / .44 magnum loads, but have burnt up plenty of 2400 as well.
My favorite .38SPL rifle loads are propelled by 2400.

If any loads using small pistol primers in your rifle display problems such as cratering or piercing, I'd bet a too long firing pin would be the culprit.
My various reloading manuals such as Speer / Hornady etc. both specify small pistol primers for the .357Mag. rifle loads.

Respectfully,

Kirby.

[Griff]

Hi Jacko,
the previous posters have given great advice.
But I have always used small pistol primers in my .357 Rossi carbines without any problems whatsoever.
Been popping them off since 1978...
I prefer Win. 296 for my full power .357 / .44 magnum loads, but have burnt up plenty of 2400 as well.
My favorite .38SPL rifle loads are propelled by 2400.
If any loads using small pistol primers in your rifle display problems such as cratering or piercing, I'd bet a too long firing pin would be the culprit.
My various reloading manuals such as Speer / Hornady etc. both specify small pistol primers for the .357Mag. rifle loads.
Respectfully,
Kirby.

Kirby,
I think the question is really why does Remington recommend NOT using their # 1-½ small pistol primer for .357 Magnum loads? I suspect it may be a thickness issue, or something to do with the primer mixture itself. While I have some .38Spec brass that uses Large Pistol Primers, I've never seen any .357 Mag brass that has larger primer pockets.

[Jacko]

Thanks for the tips again fella's . I called in another gunshop on the way home and bought the correct primers today . Later in the week I will buy a pound of Win296 or Unique for a bit more choice and work up some good hunting loads for the .357 and some light loads for range work , Good to go now .

JMiller Remington has printed the disclaimer on the thin edge of the primer packet , it's too small to scan and post !

[El Chivo]

I think Marlinman nailed it, I used both magnum and regular primers when I was working on my first load (a reduced load). The man at the reloading store said I probably wouldn't tell the difference. The magnum primers were slightly more accurate.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Remington Small Pistol primers have a Flame temperature and Burn time somewhat less than is needed to proprly ignite LARGE quantities of slow burning powder. Such as 296 H110 4227...
Also the brass material used in this Remington primer is somewhat thiner and under MAX Magnun pressure may rupture when combined with a sharper longer firing pin blow.
2400 is around that border area of "somewhat hard to ignite". But generally 2400 is not going to produce the High Pressure you need to worry about. Trying to push Unique or Blue Dot to Max velocity is where you will encounter the pressure spikes Remeington is concerned about.
Mike in Peru God Bless ya´ll

[the telegraphist]

Thanks for the tips again fella's . I called in another gunshop on the way home and bought the correct primers today . Later in the week I will buy a pound of Win296 or Unique for a bit more choice and work up some good hunting loads for the .357 and some light loads for range work , Good to go now .

JMiller Remington has printed the disclaimer on the thin edge of the primer packet , it's too small to scan and post !

Gday Jacko
Missionary5155 his post may have the reason why, sounds logical. At this point in your reloading career I would have a tendency to leave 296 alone at present until you have a bit of reloading under your belt. 296 is a powder that requires near max charges, reduced charges can be a danger. Usually with 296 I start at about 94% of max. A magnum primer is essential with this powder. Unique or AP70N is good for full power loads as per a reloading manual, and does not usually require a mag primer. If you get a chance buy some lead projectiles of 158g weight, Westcastings or Hawkesbury River, am loathed to suggest semi wadcutters as some levers do not feed them all that well, my Marlin hates semiwadcutters.
I use a round nose flat point. 6 to 6.5 of Unique with hard cast would be a good load, similar with AP70N. Mag primer not required. Have fun and take care out there.

[Jacko]

Thanks telegraphist , I have a 158 gr semi wadcutter mould that I traded for making a mate a knife sheath and have been wondering if my rifle will feed them myself . When I do get around to casting my own projectiles I will be using the semi wadcutters for range work only and single loading them . I will also be looking around in the near future for a 160 - 180 gr FP mould for silhouette and hunting . I have to drip feed myself shooting supplies as family comes first - I hate restraint

Interesting hint re 296 and the other powders , I have one reloading manual Nick Harvey's 8th edition and it only lists 7 .357 mag loads . A few other folks have suggested a second reloading manual which is a good idea . It does give details of all the powders available on the Australian market and their seems to be plenty with application in the .357 mag .

I am arranging to buy some Westcast bullets , the gent is getting back to me soon re purchasing a small qty of samples of the Hornady style 160 and 180 gr FP gold supreme projectiles so I can work out which my rifle likes . Can't beat the prices they charge . I also realised yesterday I got ripped off with the Hornady 158 gr XTP bullets I bought , paid $10 per hundred too much and I even saw Winchester jacketed pills under $20 a hundred - not cast bullet prices but much easier to live with than paying $40 per hundred

regards Jacko