Handloading .357 Sig

[creeky]

Is anyone here handloading .357 sig?

What Powder do you use?

Primers?

Where are you getting your bullets?

I'm thinking of getting the dies and giving it a stab.

Prices are just so high for ammo. Trying to decide if it is worth it.

My buddy gave me a little over a thousand pieces of once fired nickel brass

a while back.

Weighing my options.

Thanks.

[musicman]

I haven't started loading any bottlenecked cases yet so I'm no real help, but here are some links for you. Hope they help!

http://www.reloadammo.com/357sig.htm <---- Good resource for info on reloading in general

http://www.recguns.com/Sources/IVG15.html Lots of good info here once you get past the first bit about department usage.

Let us know how things go!

[creeky]

I've reloaded .223, .38-357mag, .45 acp, and .308 I suspect it would

be the same as reloading for any other rifle cartridge except it doesn't headspace on the shoulder but the case. If I remember right.

I'm going to have to run the numbers real good. Money is getting tight for me so I need to take everything into consideration... time, materials, vs.

ordering ammo in bulk or maybe buying a beater G19 to play with.

This year has really had some peaks and some major valleys!

[musicman]

I understand what you mean about finances going crazy!! I've been in a 2 yr slump personally since starting my business, but that's all part of the game. Someday, it will all turn around.... I hope.... right?!

What gun are you shooting .357 sig in? Can you just get a drop in barrel and switch mags or anything like that? I know you can usually go to .40 pretty easy, not sure about going to 9mm. I'm a wheelgunner, so I don't deal with these types of problems very often.

The nice thing about 357 sig is that you can load it just as cheaply as 9mm. well.. a little more in powder, but that's not much more $$ to drop another couple grains in a case. Thankfully I have started to see some component prices come down a smidge from the smaller mfgrs of lead bullets already... maybe we'll see the same for jacketed soon... but I'm not holding my breath!

[creeky]

Mine is a HK USP compact...

I can get a Jarvis barrel for about $200 bucks.

(If I did that I would get a threaded barrel and save for a can.)

The mags are the same, in fact I only have one .357 sig

mag the rest are all stamped .40

I've read that with the USP Compacts you can replace the whole

upper slide with a 9mm one and slap in a 9mm mag and be good to go, but HK doesn't sell the uppers, and I'm not sure you would ever be able to fine a used upper for sale. And who knows what someone would charge.

Wish I had the money for a used "beater" Compact in 9mm. That

would be ideal.

Money wise we have had unexpected expenses pop up and we're trying to adjust for those.

[musicman]

Do you have a .22? THAT would save you some money!

[creeky]

Hahha! Yup! A Ruger Mark II. Love it to. Also a .22 single action.

But I really like knocking pins over.

[musicman]

Maybe if you shoot the two guns at the pins together?

Wait, strike that.... I had .22s from a pistol bounce back at me when I did that. They seemed to get enough velocity out of a rifle to be safe, but .22s and light .38s with a flatpoint both bounced back. My shin really hurt after that 158gr swc popped me!