.357 doesn't like cast

[3sharps]

My .357 shoots jacketed bullets great but cast bullets give me groups 4 to 5 times larger than jacketed. What am I doing wrong?

[johniv]

A little more info would help, bullet weight load level etc.

[GRV01]

Off the cuff guess would be theyre sized too small but yes, more info please

[Ranch Dog]

Yeap, a lot more information needed. The following would be considered the minimum information a cast bullet handloader would need to consider with any given load.

• Bullet:
  • Bullet manufacturer or mold
  • Alloy
  • BHN
  • Diameter
  • Lube
  • Gas Checked or Plain Base
• Powder
  • Name
  • Charge
• Rifle
  • Bore diameter

Not to discourage anyone, but there is a bit more to successful cast bullet shooting than is needed with a jacketed bullet.

[nagantino]

My own cast bullets were never a success. I gave up on all the calibres except the 230 grain .45acp. I do buy lead bullets though for my 92 and they are fine. I think my own bullets are not hard enough.

[Ranch Dog]

My five 92s love cast, never have had a bought bullet (cast or jacketed) sent down the barrel.

[mr surveyor]

Somewhere around 95% of everything I shoot in my .44 mag and .357 mag R92's are cast bullets, with the remaining 5% being Hornady XTP jhp. The only problem I've ever had with cast bullets, unfortunately, is being able to chamber wide flat nose. I'm pretty sure the biggest problem with that is the fact that the lifter is still at too steep an angle when the bullet nose hits the chamber.

I will have to admit though that the XTP jhp does tend to shoot a tighter group in the .44 mag than my favorite LeadHead 265 gr gc Silhouette cast bullets, but not enough to seriously affect normal hunting accuracy.


jd

[3sharps]

I have a light load of 4.5 grains of titegroup, Lyman 158gr semi wadcutter. I am looking for a load to use on deer.

[Ohio3Wheels]

Right now I'm using a Penn Bullets 180 gr sized 359 with H110. Both the 357 and the 45 Colt show a preference for "fat" bullets when shooting cast. I had these Penn left over from my IHMSA days in the 90s when I used them in a 357 Herret they are cast fairly hard but i believe they's work on deer fine.

Make smoke,

[mikld]

My Puma likes cast bullets, but with these considerations; a good bullet design, a medium soft alloy and a good bullet to barrel fit. I use 2 of Ranch Dog's original Lee molds for my .44 Magnum; a 240 RNFP and a 265 RNFP and size them to .002"+ over groove diameter (which in my Puma is .433"). Wheel weight alloy (approx. 12 BHN) works great and this bullet/alloy combo works well in all 5 of my .44s...