Handi 357 hot load for 38

[Awkiii]

I just got a new handi rifle in 357 mag. After reading here, it will eventually get rechambered to 357 max.

I know this question has probably been beat to death, but I cant find any info for certain  My question is about reloading some stout 38 spl loads. I have thousands of 38 spl casings. I am casting Lee tl 158 gr swc. I have a large amount of clays universal, red dot and 700x.  I don't own any 38 specials and I don't have any friends that have any, so I don't have to worry about these finding there way into a 38 pistol. And if I load them they will all get shot up, so there won't be any laying around after I'm gone.   

I guess my question is how hot can I load these for the handi rifle with the powder I have on hand?

Thanks in advance, Andy

[quickdtoo]

38 Spcl +P data runs less than 20kpsi, about half what 357Mag data runs, the SB1 cast iron frame of the 357 Handi will work fine up to Maxi pressures, it's also chambered in 44mag which has a larger case head and a SAAMI MAP of 36kpsi.

Tim


http://www.lasc.us/SAAMIMaxPressure.htm

[anachronism]

Don't exceed 38/44 loads in 38 Spl cases, regardless of the guns strength. Handi rifles are known for sloppy chambers, and plain 38 spl brass isn't the stoutest stuff out there. 357 Max cases are made from the same brass  that's used to make 223 rifle brass, and the 357 Max case is designed for high pressure. Not so the lowly 38 Spl. Of the powders you list, only Universal comes even slightly close to what you need anyway. What's really needed is something like 2400 if you want to hotrod 38 Spl. Your tumble lube bullet won't take extreme loads well either. You're going to want real lubrication in the long run. How fast are you planning on going?

[Awkiii]

I'm not looking for anything crazy. I would like to hit about 1,000 FPS.

[Doublebass73]

You should be able to hit 1000 fps no problem with published data from the Hodgdon website. They have data for Universal and 700X. The velocities shown on there are handgun velocities, your rifle will do better than what's shown. They show a max standard pressure load with Universal and the 158 SWC at 974 fps from a handgun barrel.
http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

[Awkiii]

Ok, did a bunch of reloading today. I started out with 4.0 gr of 700x and loaded 4 rounds. I then went outside and test fired the four rounds, checking for signs of over pressure. I continued to do this in .2 gr increments. I worked my way all the way up to 5.4 gr. That's where I think I'm going to stop. I know this is way over published data and no one else should use this load unless they work their way up to it. The cases and primers never showed any signs of over pressure. I even used the same four cases throughout the testing. So that means each case was reloaded eight times. No splits, no loose primer pockets, no measurable case lengthening, and the primers weren't even flattened. So I just loaded 50 rounds with 5.4 gr and now I'm going to go test them for accuracy and see if I need to back off the charge any.

Thanks for all the input, Andy