What happens when a .357 SWCLHP is pushed?

Many makes of .357 semi-wadcutter lead hollow point bullets fired from factory .38 special ammo don't expand in snub-nosed guns. They don't always from 4 inch barrels, either.

They seem to need 850 fps minimum. Many factory +P loads from 4 inch barrels barely make that. Some brands of 158 gr SWCLHP lead bullet expand sooner than other depending on cavity shape and lead hardness level.

So what about firing them from a .357 magnum case with a mild powder charge? 950 fps would be no problem from a snub-nosed gun. 1050-1100 fps from a 4 inch gun.

Lead in the 15 Brunell hardness range should have good obturation and expand at that velocity.

Perhaps someone has put a hot .38 Special +P 158 LSWCHP through a 6 or 8 inch barrel into a test medium? That might get the bullet up to that 950+ fps range.

Any info on this?

Why, you ask? Because lead is cheap.

Buffalo Bore has a leading that's just over 1000 FPS. From what I've seen it does well in testing.

I've read though that those bullets start to come apart pretty bad when pushed to full house 357 velocities.

The actual hardness of the projectile alloy is going to come in to play. Most of the .38 bullets are made to be very soft to expand at those velocities—so pushing them in to overdrive is probably going to going to cause the bullet to over expand. Obviously you can make a hard cast slug that will perform at full house magnum velocities. I have been impressed by the Buffalo Bore bullets—their FBI load is beating 1000fps from a snub and there are a lot of gel tests showing it performing very well.

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Originally Posted by Ron3

Many makes of .357 semi-wadcutter lead hollow point bullets fired from factory .38 special ammo don't expand in snub-nosed guns. They don't always from 4 inch barrels, either.

They seem to need 850 fps minimum. Many factory +P loads from 4 inch barrels barely make that. Some brands of 158 gr SWCLHP lead bullet expand sooner than other depending on cavity shape and lead hardness level.

So what about firing them from a .357 magnum case with a mild powder charge? 950 fps would be no problem from a snub-nosed gun. 1050-1100 fps from a 4 inch gun.

Lead in the 15 Brunell hardness range should have good obturation and expand at that velocity.

Perhaps someone has put a hot .38 Special +P 158 LSWCHP through a 6 or 8 inch barrel into a test medium? That might get the bullet up to that 950+ fps range.

Any info on this?

Why, you ask? Because lead is cheap.

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15 BNH is a little too hard for good expansion at those lower velocities, ime. Better around 12, with a wheel weight alloy or similar.

Lead isn't as cheap as it used to be, but if you can find a good source of wheel weights then stock up

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Originally Posted by gunnerblue

15 BNH is a little too hard for good expansion at those lower velocities, ime. Better around 12, with a wheel weight alloy or similar.

Lead isn't as cheap as it used to be, but if you can find a good source of wheel weights then stock up

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I'd rather push the bullet faster then.

If it flattens out to .45-.50 caliber it's going to need more speed for deep penetration. If the expanded ring peels away that's fine if the core keeps going.

I've been using 158 gr XTP's to develop a SD load but a 158 gr LHP can be had for less than half the price.

I wouldn't mind a heavier LHP if that was available. Haven't looked for that yet.

I don't cast my own bullets.

I don’t understand the need for cheap and good SD load together.

Buy a small quantity of good SD ammo then load the cheapest practice ammo that shoots to the same POA.

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Originally Posted by Todd.K

I don’t understand the need for cheap and good SD load together.

Buy a small quantity of good SD ammo then load the cheapest practice ammo that shoots to the same POA.

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Oh, just so I could buy one kind in bulk for less. I do have 158 gr truncated lead for practice and am working on a 158 gr XTP carry load.

A LHP would cost closer to the practice bullet and would be all I need, just loaded to different velocities. Just an attempt to simplify.

Sounds reasonable. I wouldn’t make the change unless you get some real solid info on the velocity and performance, it’s not worth giving up known consistency for a few bucks.

wrong post