Help - 357 SIG loads, lead

[jody3870]

Any suggestions for 357 SIG loads for SIG P229 with lead bullets for IDPA?  Thanks

[Savage]

Tough one. It will be hard to find a bullet/lube combination in .357 Sig that will make power factor without leading. Looks like your choices are:
Jacketed/Plated Bullets
Get a "Lewis Lead Remover" and live with the problem.
Get a .40 barrel and load the 170-180 gr (Bn 18) to right at 1000fps. (My Choice, it makes major)
A hard cast, gas checked bullet with the proper lube (MIGHT) reduce the leading to a tolerable level in the .357.
Good luck!
Savage

[jody3870]

Thanks for your input.  I feel that you are correct and leading will become too much of a problem.  I'll just continue to run the 40 S&W bbl. as it is doing quite well with 175 gr. swc bullets at some 800 fps.  May load some Berry's or Speer 124s in the 357 SIG just for kicks but will probably stay away from the lead.  Thanks again!

[GH1]

 As listed in the IDPA rule book, your ammo needs a power rating of 125,000. Any bullet weight above 125 gr can easily acheive this with not much danger of fouling.  The problem is I wasn't able to find any load date for lead bullets in my Speer, Hornady, or Lyman manual.  According to Lyman ".. the short neck of the 357SIG proved unsuitable for use with any of Lymans cast bullet molds."
 According to all the specs I was able to find, the SIG is sized at .355.  A cast .380/9mm round is sized at .356, which should work in the SIG.  Friendswood Bullet makes a cast 147 gr 9mm bullet which at 850 FPS or greater will make you IDPA legal.
 Will the Friendswood bullet work in the SIG?  I don't know. There still may be a case length issue. Then again, just because the Lyman bullets won't work doesn't mean nobody else's will. I load cast bullets in .380 ACP all the time, and they're quite short.
 Perhaps you can find a bullet caster that will sell you 100 to try out, or better yet, maybe they'll have a definate answer.
Good luck finding a solution to your dilemma.
GH1

[Savage]

The cast bullets hardness optimized for .38 super velocities in the 115-125gr range would work as well as anything. Finding reliable published load data for those bullets is another animal.
You might compare case capacity of the Sig case to the parent .40 S&W and arrive at your own starting data to carefully use as a starting point to work from. Not suggesting you do this, proceed at your own risk!  An old Powley computer, or perhaps some of the new ballistics software programs might be of help here as well.
If it were me, I'd shoot the .40 barrel. The Sig brass is harder to come by than the .40, and data is available for cast in the .40.
As an aside: Clocked my latest .40 S&W cast load yesterday. It's making a solid 161 pf. Won't have to bump it much to make major!
Savage
 

[jody3870]

Thanks to all for your help.  Believe I'll take your advise and stick with the 40 for SSP and the 1911 for CDP.  Please delete.