Good morning: While looking for some .357 rifle loads for my new Handi Ive found that it is a lonnnnng way to the rifling. In my .308 and my 30-30 Handis Ive had my best results with bullets seated at max. C.O.L. With the .357 both the Lee C358-158-swc and my Saeco #62358 RNFP Cowboy bullets will chamber seated only in the M-Die step @1.858 well over .357 max. @ 1.590. I haven't made a cast to see how deep this chamber really is but buy the numbers you can see it is way long. The barrel on the little rifle is a SB2 so its strong enough to take out to .357 max. but I would like to stay with .357 mag as it is the less expensive way to go. Any thoughts or suggestions? Any heavier bullets that would be longer come to mind? Maybe something intended for 35 Whelen or other 35cal rifle? Thanks GP
.357 Handi
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- Last Post 19 November 2016
I bought a reamer and turned my handy rifle into a 357 max with a chamber throat like Ed Harris mentioned in his story about fixing 357 mag Ruger #1 rifles when he was working there. I've got two molds that shoot very well in this rifle both made by NOE. One is a 180 gr flat nose and one is a replica of the ranch dog bullet for Marlin 35 Rems. That one is 190 grains. I ordered the molds cut with both plain base cavities and for gas checks. They both shoot well but the plain base won't go as fast and retain accuracy. I'd estimate on average they will group five shots between 1-1/2 and 2 inches at 100 yards. The 357 max in a rifle gives the 35 Rem a run for the money and is a fine woods deer rifle. I've also shot the 180 gr bullet in my Marlin 94 in 357 mag. It is the most accurate bullet I've found (including jacketed) in that rifle and will group about an inch at 50 yds.
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I ran into the same song in my .500 S&W Mag Handi. The only bullet long enough to engage the lands that I cast is the Lee 440 gr bullet. I just seat the other bullets out to a length that the bullet is seated the same amount as the bullet caliber or the closest band center for Crimp location if I will be crimping.
By the way... the designation SB2 from NEF is a receiver designation, not a barrel designation. You can easily tell if your receiver is an SB1 or an SB2 , Here is the identification picture from their site:
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Gary: Yes, Ive used the same system when seating bullets in my guns, Ive heard it called squaring the bullet, don't know if that's the proper term or not but just means to me try for a depth that matches diameter. Maybe its confusion on my part as my H&R Handi is marked SB2 on the barrel not the frame. Thanks for your comments you are always good to hear from. GP
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Ditto on the Ranch Dog 190. I don't have an H&R .357 but it shoots real good in my Marlin 1894c and .336 .35 Rem both. Also good enough in some pistolas for a real heavy load for walking around in bear country. We have a lot of bears in California, they make me nervous out there at night. SB2 is a good thing, more options.
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tturnner: Guess I am going to have to step out side my Lee .357 mould rut. Up to this point the four I own have served very well but are all 148 and 158gr moulds. Between the kids and my guns we own five .357mags four revolvers and the new Handi. A mould that has a very wide melplat in RNFP and is in the 190gr range would be a welcome addition. As you can see bears and I get along rather well LOL (Just kidding found pic on the net but it makes me laugh when I look at it) Thanks for the comment. GP
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Gary,Which one of those frames is the stronger? Just looking at them the solid one would seem more substantial.
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The SB2 frame is the stronger it is made from a stronger alloy than the SB1. The SB1 has more metal but is a weaker alloy. The SB2 Frames are used for bigger high pressure centerfire cartridges. My Handi in .500 S&W uses the SB2 frame and easily handles full power factory .500 S&W Mag ammo at 60,000+ psi. That would blow up an SB1 frame.
Gary My SB2 in .500 S&W:
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NEF has a specific reason for marking barrels either SB1 or SB2. This is so that an SB2 appropriate barrel will not be installed on an SB1 frame. That mistake could be fatal.
Gary
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There are many others too. Accurate Molds will cut to your design also. Most of the 200+ grainers can be seated to engage the lands in a 357 mag Handi- rifle.
http://www.accuratemolds.com/index.php
Gary
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Thanks again for your thoughts Gary and the links. I sure have no problem coming up with things I “NEED” and can add some of the moulds to my list. The frame on the .357 is in fact the SB1 as you pointed out but no worries its a fun little rifle and I have two other Handis if I do need to get extra rifle barrels. GP
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Delmarskid1: Im leaning that way as im looking for a heavy weight bullet and have other Saeco moulds and the handles. My favorite .358 mould is the #62358 Saeco a round nose flat point plane base made for the Cowboy action matches. From hard alloy to soft, fast or slow it shoots very well in all our .357s Thanks GP
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NEF has a specific reason for marking barrels either SB1 or SB2. This is so that an SB2 appropriate barrel will not be installed on an SB1 frame. That mistake could be fatal.
Gary Is it possible to put a SB2 barrel on a SB1 frame? I would have expected some sort of mechanical block of some sort to make it at least “idiot resistant".
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understand the SB2 barrels are high intensity cartridge barrels and that those cartridges associated with the SB2 barrels will damage the weaker SB1 shotgun receivers. This is a major safety concern and the reason NEF did not sell barrels without factory installation and NEF would not put a SB2 barrel on an SB1 action for serious safety reasons.
The SB2 is made from a much stronger alloy than the SB1.
The idiot resistant block was the NEF corporations policy and warranty. they would not sell barrels without factory installation and warranty only covered factory installation.
Sure, in the used market people are swapping barrels around. Don't be a statistic from putting a high intensity cartridge barrel on a shotgun receiver....they blow up when you do that. The SB1 receiver is only suitable for shotgun gauges and 357 mag., 45 colt. and 30-30 an that is all they were available in. Other center fire calibers were SB2 specific actions only.
Gary
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understand the SB2 barrels are high intensity cartridge barrels and that those cartridges associated with the SB2 barrels will damage the weaker SB1 shotgun receivers. This is a major safety concern and the reason NEF did not sell barrels without factory installation and NEF would not put a SB2 barrel on an SB1 action for serious safety reasons.
The SB2 is made from a much stronger alloy than the SB1.
The idiot resistant block was the NEF corporations policy and warranty. they would not sell barrels without factory installation and warranty only covered factory installation.
Sure, in the used market people are swapping barrels around. Don't be a statistic from putting a high intensity cartridge barrel on a shotgun receiver....they blow up when you do that. The SB1 receiver is only suitable for shotgun gauges and 357 mag., 45 colt. and 30-30 an that is all they were available in. Other center fire calibers were SB2 specific actions only.
Gary Thanks, I did not know that! Any of us could find a Frankengun at a show, or in a pawn shop, that would be dangerous to fire.
One more thing to be on the lookout for.
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Ran into a big cinnamon black bear at Lake Tahoe a few years ago. My 50 lb (right sized) Golden Retriever got that bear on a “exit stage left” quicker than you could say WT#! Not saying I want to mix it up with one, but I would be more cautious about Mt Lions in the CA foothills than Bears. They have been off the Big Game list since 1975 and the population of our great social experiment has at least doubled and many of them live in prime MOLO (Minor league Football team's nickname AKA Sacramento Mountain Lions) territory.
Dave
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we here in farm-intensive iowa have the dnr claiming that there are no cougars running around in iowa...
except that a shooter friend saw one flipping a deer in the air like a cat playing with a mouse ... and geepers a lady had to get police to remove one sleeping in a tree in her back yard ....in des moines ...
a friend has a handi rifle in 357 mag now converted to 357 max that he likes .... and now my wife wants one ... very apt to happen ...
ken
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I decided to leave my 357 Handi in original chambering and at first I was cutting down Max brass to fit the long chamber. I'm now using 360 Dan Wesson brass. By the time I trim the new brass to an even length (1.400) they fit my Handi just right. Gp
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