180gr cast load for 357 Handi?

[cwilbanks]

I have a 357 mag Handi with a 18.5" barrel which makes an excellent deer rifle for my daughters.  Im just getting in to hand loading and am wanting to work up a load using Missouri Bullet Companies 180 gr cast bullet using 2400 because I have it on hand.  Im thinking of something like 12 gr of 2400 pushing the 180 gr cast out of the 18.5" barrel.  The load will be used on deer and hogs out to about 75 yards.  I do not have a chrono and really dont know what to expect as far as leading problems.  They advertise the bullet as having a BHN of 18.  I plan on testing the loads penetration by shooting milk jugs of water at 75 yards.  Any advice or experience with this load or something similar would be appreciated!

[twoshooter]

2400 is generally an excellent powder for the 357. Your load range is about 11 to 13.5 grains max and should be about 1500 fps from your barrel. If the lube is decent you should not have a leading problem. Also, if you go down to about 3 gr of Unique you should have a subsonic load that is extremely quiet. The inertia of a 180 gr bullet is surprising, even at 1400 fps it will zip right through a deer. Just find the most accurate load. I would suggest seating it long, just short of touching the rifling, and crimp it  some. I find that some crimp helps the accuracy considerably for me, makes the burn more uniform. I shoot a similar bullet over 3.6 gr of Unique in 38 cases for small game / plinker loads, mine stay under 1 " @ 50 yards. My deer load is a 158 gr XTP over 13.8 gr of 2400. My grandson has taken 3 deer with that load so far.

[50north]

If you are using the milk jugs to capture the bullet you will need a few of them to stop that load like 5 or 6 inline.


50north

[chrisheile]

Would the above loads be safe in a .357 handgun?