wadcutters in the .357 Mag,,,Sweet~!

[alan in ga]

Had to pop some primers in the new Handi Rifle .357 mag. Took 5 Target Wadcutter loads out to the woods behind the house. Pow~!...or should I say "POP"?~!
I"ve owned .223 Rem, .357 [I reamed it to Max but never shot the rifle~!],.44 Mag, 45/70, 30/30, 30/30 Ackley Improved, 17 HMR Handi Rifles,,,and more than one in most of these calibers. However, the .357 Mag Limited Edition I found last week is just so much FUN. I did not think I would buy another Handi Rifle,,but I just CANNOT resist such an inexpensive rifle that does so well.
With the Handi I had several years ago, I shot TWO deer with the 30/30 Ackley Improved barrel, and one with the 45/70 barrel using paper patched bullets. Sold all of them. Figured that they were nice, but I was thru with them.
Then,,found this .357 mag laminated stock [straight grip],,and just fell in love again.
I am hoping to make this my suburban COYOTE RIFLE. Lo and behold,,,flipped the pages of my VARMINT HUNTER MAGAZINE open,,and there is an article on THIS RIFLE [caliber] for COYOTE HUNTING~!.
This is going to be fun. I have about 6 or 8 boxes of .38 SPL and .357 Mag in the shop. Then, when and if I get bored,,,a friend has a MAXIMUM reamer.
I need to break this on in on a coyote. I think I have a 2.5-8X Leupold Matt finish scope in the shop. Scope will cost more than the rifle~!
Alan in Ga.

[mt3030]

Glad to hear you're happy with that 357. Like you, I love mine. Besides being fun, it is one of the best training rifles made. All of my daughters went from rimfires to a H&R Topper in 357 Mag. Started them with 38 Spls and worked them up the mag loads.

Don't wish to hi-jack the thread, but I have a question for you. How can you have a 30-30AI in a Handi? I have been told by several that it can't be done. Did you experience any problems? Excessive head space? Case seperations?

[handi243]

Unless you have set the barrell back you can't have a TRUE AI it will be close. You can go to a longer cal. like 6mm ai from a 243.

[alan in ga]

Not sure what the discrepancy is,,but yes,,I had one,,,worked great. It is not a .308 Win,,and I didn't try to make it one.
IF the Handi Rifle in 30/30 Winchester has correct headspace from the factory, [which is possibly what some are questioning],,then reaming it to Ackley Improved will also have correct headspace.
I have had some bolt action rifles in rimless rounds that were Ackley Improveds that were made by not setting the barrel back and getting at least a 0.004" crush on the shoulder/neck joint. I purchased them, removed the barrel, set it back a thread or whatever it needed, and it performed perfectly after that. I actually like closer to 0.010" crush as some factory rimless ammo is sloppily formed by the factory.
Alan in GA.

[OBXPilgrim]

I think the AI question has made several rounds - plenty of more info in the ".30-30 Ackley Improved" thread.  If you searched back a few months, you could probably find one that got everybody even a little more torn up.

Anyway, getting back to the original thread here (no offence meant to anyone)- don't get too quick to ream that .357 MAG once the new wears off.  There's another surprize in store for you.  If you check you chamber size, you may have an extra looonnnggg throat and chamber in that barrel.  Several, including me, have found the straight cut chamber long enough to chamber .360 Dan Wesson.  Not a real common round, but brass is available from Midway.  Kinda nice to not require any mods & still get a little more from your barrel.  I've found a .360 DW case still has .025"-.030" clearance - the throat is so long a bullet can be seated around the O.A.L. of a .357 MAX round.

Check it out.

[alan in ga]

I think I MUST have come in the back door on the Ack Improved thing! Wowsers,,,makes me wonder what I know after building several. I'm not even sure what the initial POINT of some of the posters was. Oh well, my 30/30 Ackley worked great with no headspace problems. I'll try to find the older posts on it. I just found and logged back in here after a year or more away. Hope it's not all fuss and fidget on such matters.
I dropped a Hornady 250 gr Round Nose jacketed bullet in the chamber,,YUP,,longish on the throat there! I may leave the chamber alone as you say. No real reason to go MAX, so I'll leave this one alone and just have fun with the rifle as is.
Alan in GA.

[db22]

Just got my .357 yesterday, haven't shot it yet, but . . . the transition from the chamber to the rifling does seem very long and gradual. Any one have experience loading .360 DW? How much longer is the case?

[cowboyup453]

Here is some good info on the 360 DW.
http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/smf/index.php/topic,109359.msg1098327079.html#msg1098327079

[MSP Ret]

For a fun round in the .357 Mag Handirifle to be used on squirrels and rabbits and such try loading some mid range .38 Special HBWC (hollow base wadcutters) with the bullet reversed so the hollowbase now becomes a big hollow point. We used to shoot these out of revolvers at vermin (rats) at the dump many years ago and it was blast!!!....<><....   

[Datil]

 There was another man shooting DW 360 brass from Starline went having trouble
 with bras s splitting after about 3 loadings He then bought maximum brass Trimming
 Them . Marv.