.357 MAX shooters

[spinafish]

Anyone ever used Cast Performance's 200 grain gas checked bullets?  I have a box and was wondering how fast I could run them without concerns of leading.  Looks as though they would be a sledge hammer on whitetails!

[handi243]

should  do well i'm using xtp 180's happy with them

[haroldclark]

I have used lots of 200 grain bullets (RCBS 200 gr Gas Checked and Saeco 200 Grainer) in a 14" Contender.  I am somewhat recoil sensitive and loading the 200 grainers up to maximum loads hammered me more that I wanted.

My favorite load is 17 Grains of H4227.  At 200 meter steel Rams, it will just hammer them down with modest recoil.

I went to the 500 meter Shilhouette distances and using the 200 grain RCBS home cast bullet with Wheelweights and 2% tinn added and sized to .358".  See my notes below:

7/9/02  I fired all of the loads (7/07/02).  With Iron Williams type open sights and I could take 330 meterPigs, Turkeys 385 meters and 2- 500 meter rams.  It was incredible.  However, I think the 17 gr H4227 load would take Rams with more authority.  I hit a Ram several times (14 gr. H4227) without it going down.  By the time I got to the Rams I had used up all of the 17 gr load on Turkeys. 
The sighting difference between the 14 gr and 17 gr load was dramatic.  I had the TC sighted for 300 meter pigs with the 14 gr load.  I moved to the Turkeys and switched to 17 gr load.  No sight change was required to hit the turkeys.
The open s

[GrampaMike]

I use Beartooth 200 gr. FNGC in my 357 MAX Contender. 
My most accurate load is 22.6 gr. of H4227. 

[Lone Star]

I use Beartooth 200 gr. FNGC in my 357 MAX Contender.  My most accurate load is 22.6 gr. of H4227. 

Unfortunately that load is well over the maximum published by Hodgdon.  For a 200-grain jacketed bullet their max is 18.0 grains (yes cast usually gives lower pressures but 4.6 grains worth?).  Hornady lists 18.6 grains as max with their 200-grain bullets.  I suspect that your load is very high pressured.


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[WayneS]

When the Max first came out HANDLOADER MAG. did a reloading article about it, one thing they did with the contender was to seat the 180 & 200 gn bullets way long, giving  more case cap. for powder . I lost my collection of data in hurricane Ivan so this is just speculation on the 22.6 gn load

[GrampaMike]

Sierra Manual #5 has the H4227 range as 19.5 - 22.8 grains for 200gr RN.  No signs of pressure (I know that can mean nothing), also no leading, and like I said very accurate.  But I appreciate the heads up and will check ALL my other manuals.

[spinafish]

I appreciate all the input, Gentlemen. thanks

[Lone Star]

Sierra Manual #5 has the H4227 range as 19.5 - 22.8 grains for 200gr RN....

I stand corrected, I had looked at the Sierra T/C data for that bullet and no H4227 loads were listed.  BTW, Nosler lists just 16.5 grains as maximum for their 180-grain bullet....   

When the Max first came out HANDLOADER MAG. did a reloading article about it, one thing they did with the contender was to seat the 180 & 200 gn bullets way long, giving  more case cap. for powder.

Back then a lot of off-the-cuff loads were published to make the Maxi look more powerful.  Handloader  didn't check it's author's loads for safety.  Those are were not pressure-tested and there is no guarranty that they are any safer than a typical load you'd see on the Internet today.
 
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