I'm a new member of CBA and am planning a new rifle for cast bullet competition.Is there anyone out there that has experience with this caliber such as rifles-bullets-powders-loads and etc. Any and all information would be appreciated.
David a. Cogburn
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I have always considered the Maximum a real sleeper cartridge for BPCR. Good cast bullet round. How easy is brass to find?
Cheers from New Zealand
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The brass is available from Starline, so pretty easy to come by. The new Winchester round, the .350 Legend may have the same potential.
https://winchester.com/350-Legend
David Reiss - NRA Life Member & PSC Range Member Retired Police Firearms Instructor/Armorer
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my friend john goodrich from so. minnesota has been playing with the 357 max for several years, in custom chamberings ... he doesn't post much but i think he reads this forum sometimes. maybe he will throw in with some thoughts.
i talk to him often, i will see if he will contribute a bit. i know he has me thinking about a 357 max for myself. i have a new varmint weight barrel blank in 35, and i think grizzly bears are seldom seen here in so. iowa ... red bull cans are plentiful though ...
ken
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I have a cadet, one of those that was imported and converted to .357 mag, I opened it to Max. Shoot a 190gr cast, PP or GC, and love it, consistently inside 1" I use 1680 powder but my notes are out in the shop. Did take a deer with it last year, one shot, one kill. GW
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Just a note on the 350 Legend. It has some quirks. They are: Non-standard case head (it is not a blown out 223), non standard bore diameter (smaller than 358) and head spaces on the case mouth. All of these are manageable but seemingly unnecessary inconveniences.
Jim
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The .357 Maximum can be a potentially great cast bullet cartridge. The availability of molds ranging from 180 to 250 grains in both gascheck and plain-base bullets, reasonable recoil, rimmed for headspace, larger bullet to touch the next ring, there are advantages. It could even work for breech-seating.
Farm boy from Illinois, living in the magical Pacific Northwest
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What action are you going to build on?
I have a Winchester LW that I rechambered to Max from Mag, in 1992. It has a 28" barrel.
I mostly shoot it breech seated but, I have some HV fixed data, also.
Shooting breech seated, 14 gr of #9 and 14 gr of 4227, give me 1" groups at 100 yards. The bullet I used was a 35875, casting a 208 gr bullet, in 20/1. The 14 gr load of #9 was 1437 fps. I didn't chrono the 4227 but, the accuracy was the same.
Frank
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Hello Frank,
I haven't decided on what action I will use. I have some bolt actions and some single shot actions that have been laying around here waiting on something to do. And I may rebarrel an existing rifle and not have to go through the total rifle build again. If I go the bolt action I think I'll build a sleeved action with a aluminum bedding bloc.k I'm not close to picking a caliber yet, I'm still thinking and hope to hear some good stuff from experienced CBA shooters.
Thanks for the Info.
Mashburn
David a. Cogburn
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Mashburn
If you really haven't a firm choice for caliber, the 30 BR pretty much rules in the benchrest rifles. If you would like to not follow the herd a few guys are beginning to experiment with the 6 BR.
Jim
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You can build either a falling block type action or a bolt action and shoot in the PB class. The Max will deliver some serious horse power in a strong rifle. The LW, isn't that strong but, in my HV loads, I was able to get 1832 fps with the 358315 (also 208 gr) and 2342 fps with a H&G 150 gr GC bullet, both fixed loads with #9 powder. I'm sure you can break 1900 fps, with that 358315 using a little slower powder.
I think if I could only have one cartridge, it would be the Max. It will do both heavy game and target work in a strong action.
I also have a DW 357 Max 
Frank
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Frank
What is the 10,000 ft description of the mods required to the bolt face for a 357 Max. I have an extra Remington action - standard bolt face.
Jim
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I'm not sure what your asking but, a 308 size bolt face will be to large for the Max's .438 rim Diameter.
You can open a 223 bolt face or if you pay close attention to case length, you can make them out of 223's and head space on the case mouth. You might have to neck turn also, with the 223 case.
If you use the 223 case, you can also make a Super Max and trim them to 1.705, .10 over the Max's 1.605
Frank
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Jim,
Like the man said a .223 case could be used and head space on the casemouth Probably the most sensible cure.. As far as re-working the bolt face I don't see any way possible to make it work by a simple method. The main reason is that the face of the bolt face is too deep to hold the case head rim against the back of the barrel unless you decrease the depth of the rim on the front of the bolt face and then set the barrel back.. Then the big problem is; there is no longer any steel left to hold the weird Remington extractor in place. The only other modification would be to take an extractor from something like a savage AXIS and machine the remiington bolt head to take something like the savage extractor.I haven't ever sat down and thought about such a conversion. I'm sure there are some people out there that has done things like this, however the chamber pressure on your wallet would get awful high.I have a friend who sent his 700 off somewhere and they put a savage bolt head on the Remington bolt.He did this for some weird little cartridge. I don't know what the cost was.Bolt guns with claw extractors can be reworked for about anything.The .223 has a deeper bolt face that the larger 700's have.
This would make a good discussion topic for all the gunsmiths out there. Why do we insist on doing such things. Years ago, I put a O3 Springfield bolt into a 6.5 Jap rifle reciever. Why? Because I heard that it could be done.The action is still laying on the shelf for years waiting on something to do. It made a neat looking action, but again, WHY. The person that told me that he had heard it could be done was P. O. Ackley's son-in-law.
Mashburn
David a. Cogburn
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frank... the bolt face for a 308 is about 0.475 ... the 357 max rim is only about 0.440 ... the 308 min-extractor on a remmy won't reach a 357 max rim . make that * i think *, only 0.018 short ...
i wonder if a ( mauser, old win 70, 54, ruger 77 ... or a sako/m16 type ) extractor would work . or at least be easier to crutch up .
of course the Ruger1,2,3 ..... are always fun ... extractors are about $7 ...
ken
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mashburn ... speaking of the ruger1 .... can you just lathe-cut the seat for the extractor.... all the way around the breech of the barrel ?? ... i can't think of a reason why not ... or will the extractor flop around ?
just some 3am thinking ... i have a r3 in 45-70 that i was thinking would be just as much fun in 357 max, and easy to change back.
ken
hey, i also am thinking you can chamber a 357 max with just a chucking reamer ... no $270 bill and 6 weeks wait ... whatcha think ??
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My thought was that a Sako extractor could work. In the past we converted 308 bolt faces to 223. Mill a new ring to enclose the case head and install a sako extractor, I have 2 of these I have shot for years.
I am sure a 35 Remington or 358 Winchester would make more sense but as Mashburn said, it is no fun to only do what makes the most sense. Sometimes you just have to do it even if it isn't logical. Actually I have a 358 Win barrel laying around here someplace but I can not find it.
Jim
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There are many extractor kits out there to convert the Remington extractor, to a Sako type. I think PTG sells one.
There is not much difference between the rim diameter of the Max and the PPC case so, a PPC bolt should work.
You can save money on a reamer, by ordering a neck and throater and have them put a little taper in the neck area. Make sure you specify the neck area, be at least 1.7 long. I had PTG, do that for a chambering reamer, to make a 28 (7mm) caliber on the 25/20SS case. I cut the rim with a boring bar but, you wouldn't have to do that for a bolt rifle.
Frank
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Jim,
You have the same problem. The distance between the face of the bolt and the back of the barrel would be too far a distance for the bolt to headspace the front of the cartridge rim against the back of the barrel. Remember rimless cases have the head of the cartridge sticking out of the chamber. Rimmed cases have the front of the rim seated against the back of the camber or even recessed in most cases. That creates a distance to over come. You would have to build up the front of the bolt if you did something like this with a rimmed case. I don't want to put that much heat on a heat treated bolt head. In changing the front of the bolt for a smaller cartridge like a mauser or etc. I have soft soldered the right size washer on the bolt face and machined the washer out to fit the case head and remove what was needed to keep the control feed functioning .Soft solder heat shouldn't bother the temper of the bolt face. But again it could be done my setting the barrel back in the receiver to take up this headspace problem. Claw type actions don't present a very big problem to convert to rimmed in most cases. Hey, it's beginning to sound like the extracter problem is easy compared to the rest of this project. Again, why do we think of this kind of stuff. OH, I know. It's fun.
You mentioned have a .358 barrel.. By any chance, did it come off a model 88 Winchester. I would like to have one I gotta get off here, when I get started talking gun projects I can't shut up. Especially after I've had a pain pill for my old aching carcus.
GOSH, it sure is fun talking shop with you guys. When you think about it we are the few that know how to do things in the modern world. In todays world if you can saw out plywood silhouttes and paint them, you are considered to be a craftsman. I raised my boys to do the same and am starting some of my grand kids.
Mashburn.
David a. Cogburn
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Mashburn
It took me awhile to understand what Frank and you were saying but now I have a grip - duh.
My 358 barrel is threaded for a Remington action. I think it may be like big foot though. I can not find it.
I took it off in the first place because we never could get it to feed right and I wanted the rifle for deer hunting. I currently have accumulated 4 - 243s so I can spare at least one to build a 35 caliber. Darn you, you got me thinking about it all over again .
I have never owned a 35 Remington. It just might be time.
The weather looks like we may be at least a month away from decent conditions at the range. That means it is a good time to start a project.
Jim
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