Accurate load for my .357 Martini Cadet

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  • Last Post 20 January 2016
Baltimoreed11754 posted this 13 January 2016

Hi guys. Old fart with a new gun. New to CBA. Been reloading for a long time. Been out of casting though for many years but have recently started back. With becoming retired and a large stash of miscellaneous lead in my barn Ive been playing with powder coating my .45acp and .300 blkout cast bullets. As to my question, I've had several .45-70 single shots rolling blocks over the years, but my main hunting rifle was a Ruger #1 varmit bbl in 25-06. I now own a Cadet in .357 mag with a 1 in 20 twist bbl. it came with a x1 scope but I replaced it with an old TV screen 2x-7x Redfield. I dont plan to hunt with it,  just want to get as accurate of a load that I can get. It seems to really like black hills .38. It doesn't like my cowboy loads though. If I can work up an accurate load I will probably buy a target scope. While it likes .38 Special I would think that the rifle would shoot better with the longer .357 case to eliminate the bullet jump. This is my first .357 so I would appreciate your imput. Thanks, Ed

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Ed Harris posted this 13 January 2016

In my 20-inch twist Green Mountain barrel with .357 brass I use 4.2 to 4.5 grains of Bullseye with an old Walt Melander production NEI #161A.  Powder charge should be adusted with your powder lot and barrel length to obtain 1050+/-30 fps so as to avoid transonic buffeting. In my Cadet with 6X Unertl scope five consecutive 5-shot groups at 100 yards averaged 2.18” and inch 50-yard groups can be shot pretty much on demand.  My rifle has a “.357NRA” chamber which is a 3-degree included angle forcing cone taken directly off the .379” chamber mouth diameter with no ball seat.

Hunter's Supply .358” 190-grain FN is the same bullet if you want to buy some before getting a mold.  The harder 92-6-2 alloy shoots well at higher velocities too.  If buying a new mold, rather than trusting current NEI production, I would opt for the similar bullets of this shape from Mountain Molds, NOE or Accurate.  I cast my bullets for subsonic loads from 1:30 tin/lead I get from Roto Metals.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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beltfed posted this 13 January 2016

My 357Mag Cadet is one of the rifles imported and rebored by Klein's Sprtg goods -Chicago in late 1950s/early '60s.

Twist checked out at 13".

My favorite load in 357mag cases, WSP or CCI, 13 grains Dupont 4227, topped with a LYman 358318 bullet- 200 gr RN, gas checked, cast of 9+1 WW/Lino, MTL lube.  This load shoots very well, to my ability to see the orig Vee/Inverted Vee sights.

(Can't wait to try it after I install a P-H #7 receiver sight)

It also shoots my regular revolver loads of 12 gr 4227 under the Lyman 358429.

beltfed/arnie

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Baltimoreed11754 posted this 18 January 2016

Ed, thanks for the info. I bought some of the 190 gf bullets you suggested from Midway and tried your recipe. The target shows where I walked the bullets over to the center. The lower group is 6 rds. This was shot at 45 yds off a bag from my deck. Now I need to load up the whole 50. I'm ringing my 65 yd, 6 inch gong offhand. I'm going to enjoy this rifle alot.

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Ed Harris posted this 20 January 2016

Shows promise. With proper rest it should do that or better at 50 yards.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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