I have a Marlin 1894C in .357 and a Ruger revolver. Both date from 1984, so the Marlin is Microgroove and doesn't like cast bullets loaded to .357 Magnum velocities, but it does very well with 158-gr. lead at subsonic velocities, and handles certain heavier plainbased bullets of 175-180 grs. having a long bearing surface to about 1400 f.p.s. I haven't tried gaschecked lead bullets in it because if a plainbased lead bullet doesn't do the job I go right to jackets and keep a supply of factory bulk Remington 158-gr. JHPs for the revolver and JSPs for the rifle.
I don't shoot CASS. Both of my guns are used for plinking, varmint, small game and turkey hunting. The .38 Special is almost ideal as a "woods loafing" round. It doesn't shoot quite as flat as a .32-20, but the brass is more common and it has more energy. It is also highly accurate, effective on varmints and edibles, and very cheap to shoot.
I use the Saeco #358 158-gr. FN Cowboy bullet cast of wheelweights for just about everything. My loads split the difference between standard velocity factory LRN and +P. I have found best results for shooting steel targets at 100 and 200 yards using loads which give 800 +/- 30 f.p.s. in the revolver and 970 +/- 30 f.p.s. in the 18" Marlin. Heavier loads don't group as well for me.
Charges I use are either 3.7 grs. of Bullseye, 4.2 grs. of W-W231, 4.6 grs. of SR-7625 or 4.8 grs. of PB in .38 Special cases with the Federal 200 primer.
Bullets are cast uniformly frosted and allowed to air cool. I don't quench because I don't want any additional hardening. My bullet lubricant is Lee Liquid Alox. I tumble bullets all over to a light golden color and this is all that is needed. I assemble my loads with the unsized bullets, and then run every cartridge through the Lee Factory Crimp die. This has a built-in carbide sizer which full-length sizes the entire round. This sizes the bullet only as much as needed for reliable function, completely eliminating "fat" rounds which chamber hard in the revolver. Bullet deformation is reduced because sizing of the bullet is done in compression by the die sizing the case, rather than in shear. This makes assembling large quantities of loads fast, easy and consistent.
I feel that it's important to trim all cases initially with the Lee trimmer. I use this in a drill press and can do 1000 cases an hour. The first time around using new brass I also uniform flash holes and primer pockets using the same tools I do with my benchrst rifle cases. This only needs to be done once and pays great dividends in accuracy. Mixed headstamp, trimmed and prepped brass makes more accurate loads than new, bulk unprepped brass of the same headstamp.
I expect "good" loads to produce 12-shot groups of 2" or less at 25 yards in the revolver and about the same at 50 yards with iron sights in the rifle. I have no trouble keeping almost all rounds in fast offhand shooting with the revolver at 50 yards on the
www.MGMtargets.com 6" automatic setting Colt Speed Plate, or with the Marlin at 100 yards, or a hanging 12" gong at 200 yards with the rifle.
I feel that it makes more sense to use one basic load and learn it's trajectory, rather than to have a bunch of different ones and not know how they shoot at unknown ranges.
I don't view the .357 lever gun as a deer rifle, but if reduced to that, I would use factory 158-gr. jacketed loads or equivalent handloads and would feel confident within 100 yards.
