I just got a sweet Dakota Sharps in 357 mag that I plan to hunt with. I've always believed in using as heavy a bullet as possible as long as the accuracy is there. Is it practical and safe to use a 200 grain bullet with this cartridge? If so are there any loads that can give me 1000 fps or better out of a 24 inch barrel? I won't even try it if it's questionable.  Thanks

If it's a strong rifle, it's not questionable. There are even 200 gr loads, at much lower pressures for the 38 Special.

Here are two:

38 Spec
4.0 gr Unique
9.0 gr 2400
9.5 gr 4227

357
5.5 gr Unique
11.0 gr 2400
12.2 gr 4227

From Lyman's 45th Edition manual

The 357 loads give 1000 fps in a pistol barrel and the 38 Spec should give at least 1000 fps in a rifle barrel.

I have shot longer cast  RN  bullets  up to 265g  in my #1 357 CHP with no problem at 900 fps.Throat is very generous. The initial ones were not throated properly, and they corrected them later on, and they used a 38 AMU reamer to put a beautiful leade in them.
I was using about a case full of Reloader  7 if I remember correctly.
Marlinguys friend Bob Mills was the one that gave me these loads.

Cbashooter wrote on May 9^th, 2026 at 7:43pm:


Bob Mills of Sequim, Washington?

We were pretty good friends

I've only owned this rifle for a few days but have already put 100 rounds through it using 4227, 2400 and Unique with a 158 grain semi wadcutter and the results are promising. All shots inside of an inch at 50 yards. One of the reasons that I bought it is because  of it's versatility. I plan to use it with 100 grain bullets in gallery loads for barn pigeons, starlings and indoor practice and for cats and snapping turtles at higher velocities. This is quite likely to become my favorite deer rifle but my old eyes will require a scope for field use. I think that a Lyman 438 will serve me well. I have an RCBS mould for a 200 grain gas check bullet designed for the 35 Remington which I will start working with for a deer load. Thanks to all for the information.

You need to know your powder capacity, meaning you need to know your maximum overall cartridge length with the bullet you plan to use.

1.      Take your bare bullet, not loaded into a cartridge, and push it into the breach of your rifle barrel as far as it will go, using a section of 3/8" dowel rod or an appropriate jag on a cleaning rod.  You now have it touching the lands at the mouth of the chamber.
2.      Insert a cleaning rod with appropriate 35 cal. jag into the muzzle and slide it rearward until it contacts the bullet you inserted from the breach.  Simultaneously push the bullet from behind so it remains in contact with the lands.
3.      Now take a piece of blue painters tape, or similar, and stick it on your cleaning rod right at the muzzle of your rifle.
4.      Next push the bullet back out of your chamber.  Close the breach on an empty chamber.  Slide your cleaning rod in fully from the muzzle until it contacts the face of the breach.  Now mark this position using blue painters tape at the muzzle.
5.      Slide out your cleaning rod and measure the distance between your two blue tape markers from front to front.  That is the maximum overall length of your cartridge.

I have found Accurate 1680 superb for heavy .357 Mag. loads in my rifle, giving great velocity, moderate pressure, and fine accuracy.  You don’t want to compress that powder, but you want to know the amount of powder it takes to fully fill the case to the base of your bullet (so you know your absolute stopping point, see below).  

Using a fired .357 Mag. case that will allow your bullet to slide in and out, dribble your powder into the case until sliding your bullet onto the powder gives the cartridge overall length you determined above.  Weigh that volume of powder.  You now know the absolute maximum amount of powder you can physically load in your rifle.

For final load development you will reduce this to a starting load, perhaps a 10% reduction.  Go to the range and give it a try.  I'm using a magnum small pistol primer (WSPM).  Assuming all looks ok, increase by small increments for new “try” loads.  Keep going up until prudence tells you to stop or until you reach the maximum load determined above, whichever first occurs.  If you safely get to that maximum load, you go no further.

~ 2500 characters reached, to be continued next post . . .

I know, with no pictures, it ain't real.

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
My rifle with my 180 gr. Speer loads.



One final comment: Using A1680 I was able to safely load the Hornady 200 gr. FTX bullet to 1490 fps, yielding 986 ft. lbs. muzzle energy.  This was quite accurate in my rifle.

APPROACH ANY OF THIS USING YOUR UTMOST CAUTION!


Be careful,

Curly