Been loading 9mm on 550B..about to start .38spl/.357 mag..any advice?

[lucky strike]

So i've been loading 9mm on my Dillon 550B and been having a good time shooting more and saving money. I just ordered a set of .38spl/.357 dies and am looking for any advice on things I need to look out for on the differences between my experience with 9mm and these two calibers.

I'll be shooting the ammo with a Ruger GP100 revolver and Marlin 1894C lever rifle

Edited April 12, 2010 by lucky strike

[GrumpyOne]

Follow the same principles that you follow with loading 9mm. Go by your load data and load books.

[lucky strike]

My main concern is the crimping as I've heard you're supposed to crimp revolver ammo differently then semi-auto. For my 9mm stuff I basically just lightly taper crimp to take the belling out.

[twodownzero]

For magnum ammo you'll want to use a fairly tight roll crimp.

[lucky strike]

For magnum ammo you'll want to use a fairly tight roll crimp.

I'm not familiar with roll crimping...do you need a special die to do that? I just bought the Dillon 3 die set.

[8ring]

For magnum ammo you'll want to use a fairly tight roll crimp.

I'm not familiar with roll crimping...do you need a special die to do that? I just bought the Dillon 3 die set.

The Dillon die set should come with a separate roll crimp die. I've had better results using a separate roll crimp die than performing the seating and crimping with the same die. Using cases with fairly consistent lengths will make it easier to get the crimp in the crimp groove of a lead bullet or the cannulure of a jacketed bullet.

When reloading .357 mag, I recommend that you measure OAL and examine each case carefully each time you reload it. Certain cases, such as some nickel plated ones, can split after a few reloads. If you're a Type A person, you may want to keep track of how many times each case has been reloaded.

PM me if you would like some .357 reload suggestions that work well in a Ruger revolver.

Chris