357 Maximum - old dog - new load?

[Steve P]

Just found me an original Ruger 357 Maximum.  Price was right.  Fits in the safe.  Found set of bomar/lansing sights.   They are on the way.  Thought I would check for some loads for the ruger before trying some of my tried and true DW loads in it.   It feels better in my hand than the DW and since I shoot lots of Rugers, it is probably more natural for me.  Figured to shoot some silhouette to put it to good use.  Anyone have any silhouette loads for the old Ruger Max??

Steve  

[supermag 445]

Man if I was lucky enough to find a ruger max frame I think I would have to send it off for some custom  SOMETHING :grin:  :grin: . I would have to turn it into a limbaugh 475 or 500 long.  But that is me.

Sorry that I didn't or couldn't answer your question but you a lucky man to find that.  Lucky Dog.

Brian

[jcsabolt2]

Steve P,

I would be careful with that Ruger if I were you.  A long ways back I was talking to my local gun dealer about the 357 Maximum and he had told me that hot gases excaping the cylinder were notorious for cutting the top straps of revolvers.  I believe at the time we were talking about Dan Wesson revolvers though.

However, on the other hand I have heard a lot of praise from owners of TC Contenders and Encores of the 357 Max.  I'm not telling you not to shoot that Ruger, but do with caution.  I would hate to see such a nice firearm get that kind of damage.

[B_Koes]

Go ahead and shoot your Ruger .357 Max.  Yes they did suffer some flame cutting of the top strap, but mostly because people didn't load them according to their original design.  Use heavy bullets...preferrably 180's and probably no lighter than 158's and you should have very little trouble.  Most (if not all) the trouble came from trying to turn the revolvers into hyper-.357 mag's by shooting 110gr & 125gr bullets 2000fps+  If you want super speedy loads then use the same cartridge in a pistola without a barrel/cylinder gap.

[Steve P]

thanks for the replies.  I already have a DW740 in 357sm and a contender barrel in the 357max.  This ruger does, like all of the other Ruger 357max that were ever fired, have a small line above the cylinder/barrel gap.  this frame was proof tested by ruger at 100,000 psi before being put into production.  They cylinder won't handle that, and I don't have any loads that nasty.   Many many many of these frames have been made into beastly rounds of a sort that I would never use.  I have yet to hear of, see, or find proof of any max frame coming appart.  I won't be the first.  I don't need the speed.  Just the accuracy.

I will stick with my tried and true loads that work in my other guns and work up to see how they do.  the Ruger has a different barrel twist and that is why I put up the post.  I think the 180s is about as heavy as I dare go.  Too slow a twist for heavier bullets.  

Thanks again.  enjoy the summer, prepare for the fall......hunt......

Steve  

[Graycg]

Every revolver gets some gas cutting, glad to see that you aren't scared by that!  Shoot that Ruger!!!  Did you ever know Bill Ruger to make something that wasn't over engineered 3 times over?
   I wish that I had one, I'd shoot the hell out of it!!  I agree about using the 180s with the Ruger, relatively short cylinder, but you can also use the 200 grain speer sillywet bullets and may find them to be your most accurate bullet, my friends Ruger does.
   You can get your hands on bulk Remington 180 grain hollowpoints that are extremely accurate and outstanding deer bullets, they really expand very well, even a little too well to make me comfortable with them for pig hunting and for them the Hornady SSP bullets get used, but you won't want to use them in your revolver...I use several contender barrels.

great gun, if you find another, let me know.

regards,
 Graycg

[414SM-E.T.GATES]

Ruger re-called these guns because of top strap cutting.  Wasn't tempered right and gapped.  I've seen a few at gun shows, not everyone returned them.  We still have #00  Bill didn't get it.