I am kinda mad at Bear

Ever since bear pointed out that you dont have to pick up brass when you shoot a revolver, I have been thinking about how that might come in handy in a carry gun. I have never thought about that.

Then about that same time I inherited a model 19 Smith and Wesson. I have shot it several times and really like it. In fact I cant quit thinking about a couple of other Smith's I would like to have.

The other day I got to fondel a K-22. I have ben thinking about it ever since. I have also been thinking about a model 29. I also think the model 14 is a gun that will increase in value in the future.

Dang it Bear, See what you got started.

 

In 1962 I got  a k-22, and will never part with it.  For years it was my comp gun when I shot in the Police Revolver League; so I can't even guess how many 1000 rounds I have thru it,  A great choice  and a wonderful gun from S&W.  I have the target hammer and the target trigger, with three sets of grips that I've used over the years.

Re: the model 29.  The same from is made in 41 mag and called the 57 (or 657 in SS)  great gun and a very good hunter; my son uses one for hunting and target.

The model 19 with a 6 inch barrel is one of my favorite go to guns for heavy night-time carry.  Points good and more than needed for CCW.

And as you say, you never need to stoop down and pick up those spent trackers.

straight walled pistol dies, I buy Carbide, no lube needed.  I always buy RCBS (got 40 sets, yea my wife says it is sinful).  Most 357 dies also load 38 special.

41 vs others.

The 41 was designed in the mid 6os.  most metro and state police were using the S&W revolvers.  I think Illinois was fist state police to go to an auto (S&W mod 39) and that was in the mid 60s also IMMIC.

S&W wanted a higher power offering for state cops as cars had gotten a lot tougher than the 20-50s 38 spl days.

The 44 mag was around then, but thought to be too much for LEOs to handle (true then and now).  So the s&w people came up with a new load/round.  The 41 mag is what the 44 should have been.  It is plenty powerful, and shoots lights out.  The 44 mag was and is very difficult to shoot.  Even the Dirty Harry character said " I shoot the 44 specials in it as it takes the edge off and lets me shoot more accurate" when in a range contest.  So Dirty was only shooting the 44 spl or 44 Russian if you prefer; and NOT "the most powerful hand gun in the world" as said in the movie.

 

I've own, shot, and reloaded a lot of 44 mag.  from 4" to 8 3/8", to the 10 inch Ruger Super BlackHawk.  And I have a 44 marlin lever gun.  The 44 is just not a good revolver cartridge in my opinion.  TOOO  tough for the average gun to shoot.  And since revolvers lose most of their ultra high power out of the cyl/barrel gap.  The 44 gives too much recoil for the slight improvement in power (that is not needed). 

Yes, I'm selling the 41 by down selling the 44.  The 41 didn't catch on with the average handgun buyer, solely because the $$ was more powerful.  Lots of 44s out there that have only a half box thru them, and not hits on target.

The 41 lost to the hunter, bigger is better.  And lost to the light 9mm auto for the LEOS.  An orphan child.

I think that wild boar is a good proving ground, my brother and son both use 41 mags on boar.  Just plain great stopping power.  My other bro shoots a 44 mag blackhawk for boar, he has the record 13 shoot on one boar.  IMHO most were misses.

For hunting revolvers the 41, 44, 45 and 357 are all pretty good.  Even the 44 has it's place if like Harry you load it down to the 44 special level.  In the large frame S&W the 41 also has a better (heavier) weight distribution, the barrel is a true .410 not the .429 of the 44mag.  yep, the 44 mag is really a 42cal.

Wished I'd have gotten the marlin lever in 41 mag.

Note the model 57 is availabe again from S&W but only thru the custom shop.

 

Wing;

The .357 was the first cartridge I reloaded for when I started the obsession a coupla years ago.  Or is it decades? 

1.  Clean brass always reloads better.  If you don't have a case tumbler, get one.

2.  Don't over-bell the case mouth.  The bullet doesn't have to fall in, you just don't want to buckle the case forcing it in.  The belling & crimp work-harden the lip of the case & will cause cracking over time.  You can anneal the cases to prevent that if you care to.

3.  Here's a practice/plinking load that's worked very well for me for quite awhile:  Use a Ranier or Berry's 125gr copper washed lead bullet, and somewhere between 4.5 & 5.0 grains of 700X with a CCI std pistol primer.  Your gun will let you know where it wants the powder charge to be.  For me, this has always been a very clean and accurate load.

900F

Thanks 900f.

Do you use your Dillon to load .357's?

I have been shooting 38 specials in my model 19. They seem to shoot really good.

Can you load .357's down to 38 special velocitys instead of loading 38's?

The only complaint I have against S&W revolvers is all the different model numbers that make them difficult to identify. Sure a few like the K-22 make sense and some include the frame size like K or N in them but many do not.

Everything else is cylindrical magic. When was the last time you found one that didn't shoot well? I've had a 28 and a 10 that looked like a cop duty carried them for 20 years with the inside of the holster coated with abrasive truck bedliner and the both worked perfectly.

Years ago you used to hear about "flame cutting" the top strap. Has this ever resulted in one coming apart? I doubt it.

I could be way off here but it seems everybody has a "pet load" for the .38-357? I think it is because just about anything you feed it works? Load development consists of looking at a book picking a load, trying it and finding it works, so why continue? By the way mine are 2.7 Bullseye with 148 WC's for .38's and 17.6 2400 with the 125 Speer in the .357. Be careful touching off one of those in the house as you may start the walls on fire with the flash and obtain a hearing deficit all at the same time.

Stay away from Performance Center S&W's. They are expensive and addictitive. I'm currently seeking treatment for my habit. They are like Lay's potato chips, you can't have just one.

I agree that in a perfect world the .41 mag is nearly a perfect cal. If they had as many platforms available, brass, bullet selections, etc. as the .357-.44's I'd be all over them as would everybody else. I've shot several and do really like them but I don't own one. If they came out with a .41 in a Scandium frame 5-shot chief's special then the .41 would some get some bad press. Other than that I can't think of anything wrong with it.

Most of my reloading is for Specials both .38 and .44 for use in Magnum guns.

I have shot deer with a .357 revolver and a rifle. I find it very marginal for that task. I've shot one with a .44 mag and while it was better, "Dirty Harry" results did not happen for me.

Good luck on your search.

DD

CB900F wrote: ..... As a matter of some interest, Alliant, the maker of Blue Dot, has now specifically said not to use Blue Dot in .357's with 125gr bullets.  But, they don't say why.  With the track record I've got with that combination, I'm at a loss as to what caused it & am not going to stop myself. 900F

I remember reading about Blue Dot - Its just Blue Dot and the 357 mag combination that has lead to very eratic (dangerously high) pressures.  My impression was that Alliant really could not explain the reason - It had happened too often so they put out that warning. 

Well, I think this thread is about wheelguns, so I will brag about my new one. I picked up a stainless Ruger Blackhawk in .327 Federal Magnum today. She's got a 5.5" barrel and holds 8, yup 8 .327 Federals, or .32 H&R Mags, or .32 S&W Longs, or .32 S&Ws. I got the biggest kick of buying a revolver with some testicular fortitude (100 grain bullet at 1700 fps) that holds more rounds than my carry gun (Kimber 1911 with 7 rnds in the mag). .327 Federal is so hard to come by these days I will most definitely need to get some dies for it and start reloading again, though I couldn't find any dies on Midway's website. Going to swing by another gunshop tonight to see if they have any ammo, though I have 4 boxes coming from Cabelas. Now I just need to find some lefty leather for this honey, and she is going to be my new woods bumming companion. 

Will they work in an officer framed 1911? I am running Wilson Combats and the factory mag and they are all 7 in the officer grip frame. 

Gotta agree about those .41 mags. I also have a 657 and LOVE it. My dad got us a pair with sequential serial numbers when I graduated HS, and that pistol just might be my favorite gun. It is accurate, powerful enough, but not something that you worry about having to hold on to. Perfect combination.