357 Magnum with Hornady LNL

[gun_fan111v2]

I am getting ready to reload 357 Mag on the LNL and have a couple of quick questions before I start buying stuff.

- Am I right in assuming that the rifle rotor and powder metering insert will be more convenient to dispense 21-22 grains of H110?


- I plan to go with Hornady dies and did not see a separate roll crimp die, so am thinking to purchase two of their seating dies and use one for seating and one for crimping.

- I use PTX in other calibers and it works OK for me. Am I right in thinking that .357 one will work for this caliber? Am I better off using the expander die that will come in the set?

Any advice you guys have will be appreciated.

[crbutler]

Those velocities seem a little high.

If you are just starting with .357 loading, start out with some .38 spl level loads.

Given the 1 grain difference between start and max, weigh each charge if you trust that data. Looks awfully hot to me, like .357 maximum data.

[noylj]

> - Am I right in assuming that the rifle rotor and powder metering insert will be more convenient to dispense 21-22 grains of H110?

Probably. 296/H110 meters so well, that it probably doesn't matter

> - I plan to go with Hornady dies and did not see a separate roll crimp die, so am thinking to purchase two of their seating dies and use one for seating and one for crimping.

For ALL your roll crimp needs, much better to buy a Redding Profile Crimp die.

> - I use PTX in other calibers and it works OK for me. Am I right in thinking that .357 one will work for this caliber? Am I better off using the expander die that will come in the set?

No, you don't need the expander that came with the dies—the PTX fulfills that purpose. The expander die is there for those that us a bench-mounted powder measure. Keep the expander die in the box and forget it even exists.

Now, regarding your load data:
I don't believe ANY one source is better than any other, so I always check multiple sources and will almost always use the lowest starting load. Of course, you are using the ONE powder where low starting loads can actually be a problem.
W296/H110 (yes, they have always been the same powder) is difficult to ignite and needs pressure and temperature to burn fully. There have been cases where the powder did not fully ignite and a semi-molten "wad" of powder was left lodged in the barrel. This "wad" acts as a barrel obstruction and can lead to gun/shooter injury. Thus, there are warnings about not starting much below the max load.
Checking the Hornady 9th edition, they show 296/H110 at start of 17.4gn to MAX of 20.4gn.
Thus, if your lot of powder, bullet, and such perform like Hornady found in their lab, you will be starting over MAX.

[gun_fan111v2]

Velocities are for the 10" barrel, so mine should be more in the 1400-1600 range I think.

H110 is one of those powders that should not be undercharged so I do not think I will go below Min specified. I do need to check a couple of more sources though

[BigDog58]

I plan to go with Hornady dies and did not see a separate roll crimp die, so am thinking to purchase two of their seating dies and use one for seating and one for crimping.

I would suggest you take a look at the Lee FCD (Factory Crimp Die). It will save you a few bucks and does an excellent job crimping.

[grimbeaver]

> - I plan to go with Hornady dies and did not see a separate roll crimp die, so am thinking to purchase two of their seating dies and use one for seating and one for crimping.

For ALL you roll crimp needs, much better to buy a Redding Profile Crimp die.

I will second that suggestion. I also have the Redding Taper Crimp die for light loads with plated bullets. For anything you plan on roll/profile crimping make sure the brass is all the same length (if you did not know that). I bought some once fire brass once and variations in length were way more than I ever would have expected. I crushed a few rounds before I realized what I was doing wrong.

[gun_fan111v2]

Thanks all. I have been reading about that Redding die and it sounds very nice.

[Seismic Sam]

Gee you seemed like a nice enough guy.....

And the others are right: That IS a hot load, and the Hornady reloading manual lists the max for a 125 grain bullet as 20.3 grains.

So why in the name of God and little green apples are you getting data off the internet rather than a Hornady reloading manual???

HMMMMMMM??????

[gun_fan111v2]

Sam, I still need to cross-reference the H110 load in the manuals I have. Reading advice on this and other forums over the years taught me not to trust a single source.

My question for those with LNL presses is whether 17-22 grains are easier to dispense with the rifle rotor vs pistol rotor as I have not gone that far yet and all my loads for other calibers are usually under 7-8 grains of caliber appropriate powder

On that note, what powder do you guys use for 357 Mag?

[noylj]

>My question for those with LNL presses was whether 21-22 grains are easier to dispense with the rifle rotor vs pistol rotor as I have not gone that far yet

Again, as I said, it probably doesn't matter and you'll have to test it. I have always used the pistol rotor for all my charges up to .44 Rem Mag (about 24.0gn of 296/H110) and never had any problems, but I also never tried the rifle rotor.
You can call Hornady. I checked my manual, and I found it doesn't even MENTION the pistol rotor and metering assembly.
Finally, be sure to follow instructions for cleaning the measure. The Hornady One-Shot Cleaner and Dry Lube really does work great for cleaning any powder measure. Be sure to run a hopper of graphitized powder (like Bullseye or Unique or HS6 or such) or some powdered graphite through the measure before you ever start to use it. Also, if you use the Dry Lube, do not wipe it off--let it dry on its own so it leaves behind the dry lube.

[Seismic Sam]

Sam, I still need to cross-reference the H110 load in the manuals I have. Reading advice on this and other forums over the years taught me not to trust a single source.

My question for those with LNL presses is whether 17-22 grains are easier to dispense with the rifle rotor vs pistol rotor as I have not gone that far yet and all my loads for other calibers are usually under 7-8 grains of caliber appropriate powder

On that note, what powder do you guys use for 357 Mag?

Fair enough, but many n00bs in the past have come in here with ONLY internet data and their pants on fire, so it's certainly not a way to demonstrate that you have RTFM!!! 3 times. The other thing to be careful of is that H110/296 powder has a nasty tendency to DETONATE!!! in reduced loads, which means picking pieces of the revolver out of your face...

If you get the Lyman 50th reloading manual, they have a very nice feature: For each bullet they list loads for, the powder that produces the most consistent/accurate loads is show in BOLD type.

[gun_fan111v2]

Lyman 49th is in agreement with Hodgdon - min 21 and max 22 grains for 125gr JHP. They used the 4" barrel and got 1350-1500 fps in their tests.

It highlights 2400 as the powder they liked, but also lists a few other powders I have on the shelf which is nice

[gun_fan111v2]

I have always used the pistol rotor for all my charges up to .44 Rem Mag (about 24.0gn of 296/H110) and never had any problems, but I also never tried the rifle rotor.

I appreciate the point of reference as I thought I read somewhere that the pistol rotor is designed for up to 17 grains. Of course they might have been specifying that for the least dense powder...

Since the powder drop comes with the rifle rotor only I will give that a try first before ordering an extra pistol rotor. Too bad it does not come with both like the new press

Edit: found it

[OldmanFCSA]

I use Federal Magnum Small Pistol primers with WIN296 at a maximum charge as listed in the Hornady 8th Edition Handbook, but only if using a stout handgun capable of handling the pressure easily. I load only 140 grain XTP's at this maximum loading as they work best for all my applications and deliver the best accuracy out of my Ruger GP100.

If I want a lighter loading, I shoot 38Special loaded to a P+ condition using plated bullets.

For cast projectiles, I use Unique.