The weather finally co-operated here today and I got out to the range with the new .357 and .44 mag barrels. I had loaded up some Rem 180 HP and some Mag tec 158 Sp. for the .357. Both were over heavy loads of 2400. After sighting in the scopes I started shooting for effect. As the .357 is supposed to have a deep chamber as some suggested I loaded both bullets 'longer' than usual. The Rem 180s shot great. I was shooting at 50 yards and the only bullet out of 15 that didn't touch was one flier that went about 4 inches low and to the left. Don't know what went wrong with that one but it had a different sound than the others. The barrel did not like the Mag Tec 158 gr. load much as the group was about 3 or so inches wide. I looked down in my shooting box and saw three AA#2 OT 158 gr. cast loads and for giggles and grins I shot them and darned if they didn't all go in the same hole although it was about 4 inches to the right of the bull's eye.
The .44 mag didn't do as well. I was shooting 240 gr mag Tec SPs again over heavy load of 2400. The best I was able to do at 50 yards was about 4 inches. Again I had some 240 OT cast loads over AA#2 and while these did better than the jacketed rounds the best they did was about 3 inches. It looks like it's back to the drawing board with the .44. I'll try some of the Mag tecs over H110 and Hornady 180s and 240s also over H110. I have had good luck with the latter two in my 1894 44 which is picky about what it will shot. I'll also try several OT lite loads in 180 and 240.
I could not get over how well the .357 shot the 180s and the cast 240s! As it looks like the weather is going south again for about a week or so it will give me time to construct some different loads.
RJ
