what do you think

[albrosm]

i reload my ruger gp100 and was looking for a new bullet to try and seen that the size for a 35 cal is .358 and a 357 is .357, was wanting to know if it is possible to load those bullets in my 357, i was wanting to try somthing bigger than a 180 grain bullet is why.

[Icon-oclast]

I sure wouldn't recommend it. That .001" isn't much when working with lead bullets of moderate hardness, but the jackets on slugs intended for rifle use tend to be thicker and harder than those used for handguns, so right there you are asking the load to do more more work and putting more strain on the mechanical components even before trying to swage down an extra .001" of hard (er than lead) material. The twist in the barrel is optimized for a certain weight range - the heavier .35 caliber rifle bullets are above this - accuracy is going to suffer. The bullets are longer, so to keep the OAL within spec (i.e., to be sure the cylinder will rotate), the base will protrude deeper into the case, reducing space and affecting - quite possibly in a dramatic way - the pressure curve. Etc. If it made sense, the bullet makers would offer heavier bullets out of the factory. If you want to shoot heavier bullets in a handgun, go to a bigger bore. My $0.02, anyway.

[albrosm]

thanks for the infor i'll stick with the bullets made for it.

[mtnboomer]

If you really want to go over 180 grains, try hard-cast gas-checked bullets sized to .357". Be careful with your load information as most manuals don't list over 180 gr. Also make sure your overall cartridge length is not longer than your cylinder or it will not cycle.

[inplanotx]

Cast bullets should be sized .001" over bore size. For cast bullets I would suggest you slug the bore and then figure out what size bullet you need. For jacketed bullets, use the .357.