Custom barrel work since 1979
This page is dedicated to the .357 Maximum.
I specialize in Thompson Center Encore and Contender barrels but also rechamber CVA, H&R, Traditions, and Henry single shots in .357 Magnum to .357 Maximum with a proper rifle type cylindrical throat for best accuracy.
Why .357 Maximum?
The short answer if you are new to the "Max":
It is one of the most efficient medium bore size cartridges that meets various states' deer cartridge straight wall & cartridge length regulations. Loaded to potential it beats the legendary standby .30/30 Win. and .35 Remington "deer & black bear cartridges" in rifle length barrels with 20" being the optimum length and only slight gains with Lil Gun and AA-1680 in barrels up to 22-24". .357 Maximum 180 gr. loads come within about 100 ft/lbs. of the muzzle energy of 180 gr. .308 Winchester loads and does it with about 1/3 less powder, less recoil, and less muzzle blast, yet is more flexible downloading for practice and grooming new shooters than the .308 Win.
Background with the Max:
When I first started making Thompson Center Contender barrels in 1983, the year it and the Ruger .357 Maximum revolvers were introduced, 2 of the first 6 barrels I made with new fixtures were .357 Maximum. One was a 12" shooting 100 yard 5/8" groups, and the other a 15" made for a gentleman who at the time was doing outsourced work for Freedom Arms and who shot a nice mule deer that fall at about 150 yards with it. In the mid-1980's I made a number of carbine length .357 Maximum Contender barrels. During the period after that the focus of my work shifted to primarily rechambering & customizing various Thompson Center factory Contender barrels, including rechambering a LOT of .357 Magnum 10" barrels to .357 Maximum since .357 Maximum has proven to be one of the very best hunting cartridges in 10" Contender barrels.
Then as deer cartridge restrictions loosened up straight wall and maximum case length limits to include .357 Maximum, it really took off! Yet NONE of the firearms manufacturers would make guns or team with a major ammunition supplier for those who do not load their own ammo. This is one more annoying instance of "the industry" introducing guns and ammo, then leaving shooters high & dry with guns they can't find or make ammo for when they need it.
To this date, SAAMI still lists .357 Maximum as "OBSOLETE", in spite of state game regulations legalizing it for deer and all the .357 Maximum chambers cut by various custom barrel makers, hobby & general gunsmiths, and manufacturers that included Ruger, Thompson Center, Dan Wesson, Freedom Arms, H&R/New England Firearms, Savage in their over/under guns, and others that don't come to mind.
.357 Maximum got a number of unjust kicks in the head with a frozen boot:
1) Ruger pulling their revolver off the market due to some flame cutting of the revolver top strap with reportedly only hot loads with 125 gr. bullets, not an issue at all in a closed breech gun, and
2) the ill-conceived conical forcing cone chamber throat that lets powder blow around the bullet for about 1/8" before even long shanked "flying beer keg" 180 gr. Hornady XTP bullet before the nose closes off the bore. The SAAMI spec closed breech forcing cone design is for all intents and purposes the same as a "shot out" barrel before it fires the first shot!
3) Typical high production bad/random chamber alignment. It appears those barrels with good chamber alignment shoot reasonably well, in spite of the design, but virtually none I know of shoot anywhere the cartridge's accuracy potential which is on par with a majority of "varmint rifles"...... when throated right!
4) The 3 producers of factory ammo, Remington, Winchester, and Federal dropped .357 Maximum long ago. Remington continued to supply brass sporadically with sometimes years with none on the market. Jamison produced it for awhile & ran into severe case splitting. Finally Starline started producing it about 2016 but is often out of stock for a year or more.
5) The original SAAMI maximum pressure for .357 Maximum was 48,000 c.u.p., which is something over 50,000 using the p.s.i. scale. Today's loading data only goes to an anemic 40,000 p.s.i., scantly higher than .357 MaGnum, and the insurance companies in lock step restrict the commercial custom ammo makers to the same pressure levels.
OK, what does "throated right" mean?
When I get this website program figured out better, I'll post the diagram of the differences between the forcing cone and traditional rifle-type cylindrical throats. For now, you who have not seen my older websites, turn on your mental spatial abilities and follow along best you can.
"Right", for starters means first building everything around a straight line, which is easy enough on paper or computer but for many it is a lost concept applying it to steel. Go figure. As I write this with over 46 years reworking who knows how many thousand barrels, I had to work out techniques to correct chamber and throat deficiencies.
OK, as it applies directly to .357 Maximum:
1) Something has keep the bullet in line with the bore as the bullet is forced into the rifling. Otherwise, in plain words, it goes in crooked, gets bent/distorted, kinda like bending a nail with a hammer. Archers can see how a crooked arrow flies. Same idea applies to bullets. If it goes into the bore crooked, it comes out crooked.... and out of balance.
2) There has to be some clearance around the case neck. What's the chance that thin brass tube can steer the back end of the bullet if it doesn't want to follow on center with the front end? It can't.
3) In my early years of barrel work, a benchrest gunsmith taught me to make inline neck size and seat dies for tight neck benchrest chambers. The light came on. Only a very, very elite few shooters go to all the work of turning case necks and the costs of all the barrel work involved. Mmmm..... gee, why not make the chamber throat do what the benchrest shooters work so hard to achieve keeping that "perfect bullet" right out of the box still "perfect" coming out the muzzle? Only God is perfect applies or all guns would shoot like lasers.
It is man that messes things up tripping over what should be obvious as a train wreck.
4) To keep the back end of the bullet in line with the front end, the bullet must be held in a cylindrical area closely fitted to bullet diameter, aligned with the bore, and long enough to keep the bullet shank from bending or distorting as it is forced into a bore that is not perfectly straight to start with. This is what makes the .223 Wylde chamber do what it does, for example, or what gives the 6.5 Creedmoor an accuracy advantage when done right.
5) .357 Maximum overall cartridge length in a single shot is not restricted by a magazine or feeding mechanism. Only about .2" of bullet shank in the case neck is all you need. Thus I cut the throat long enough and held closer to .357" diameter for the longest shanked .357" Hornady 180 gr. XTP, an excellent game bullet with double the jacket thickness of typical .357 Magnum bullets. Then, I open up the back approx. .2" of throat length to a scant .358" for .358" bullets. The chamber body is cut with a short cone, just enough to keep lead bullets from shearing lead going into the throat. Bottom line: My throating is designed for accuracy to cover a wide range of bullet choices.
6) However, before I do anything, I dial in the bore AT THE POINT WHERE THE THROAT WILL BE CUT. I cut the chamber body, THEN cut the throat last, giving the throat reamers the best chance to follow the bore.
Loading .357 Maximum Ammo:
.357 Maximum was designed around Rem 7 1/2 primers, considered a magnum rifle primer.
Use magnum primers except perhaps with lighter loads of easier to ignite flake powders like 2400, 4227, Blue Dot, and similar.
Bullet choices:
The .357 Maximum is readily a 250 yard deer cartridge but bullet choice is a major consideration!
Typical .357" revolver bullets have thin jackets and relatively hard lead cores. You certainly can use them, but they are prone to breaking up on shoulder or angling shots. Not the best choice at .357 Maximum top end velocities!
You need the best accuracy and trajectory you can get AND a bullet that will expand at lower impact velocities for reliable kills if you are taking game shots out around 250 yards or more. Inside of about 150 to 200 yards, bullet choice is less critical so long as the bullet does not break up.
The optimum bullet weight for lead core bullets is 180 gr., though well constructed lighter bullets like Hornady's 158 gr. XTP is a good choice. Some deer hunters report Hornady's 140 gr. Flex Tip works well though maybe not enough penetration for bigger sized bucks.
200 gr. jacketed round nose bullets in general are geared to cartridges in the .35 Rem. class velocities and ok for
moderate distances where trajectory is not critical. Avoid using high b.c. .358" "rifle" bullets that require about 1900 fps to expand at longer ranges.
Cast lead bullets with a wide meplat are reported to kill as well as jacketed bullets and offer higher velocity with equal powder charges due to lower friction in the bore. Down side is most cast lead bullets have to be kept to about 2,000 fps. If bullets are not coated to shoot at higher velocities, you can compensate by increasing bullet weight to 200-215 gr.
The best bang for the buck, pun intended, is the Hornady 180 gr. XTP, limited to moderate ranges due to its very low ballistic coefficient. It gives excellent accuracy, though generally not as accurate as .358" bullets, holds together well on close shots, and expands well at lower impact velocities. It has double the jacket wall thickness of other typical .357 Magnum type revolver bullets and a wide enough notched hollow point to initiate expansion.
Best custom lead core bullet choices for the cost, accuracy, higher ballistic coefficent for long range, and expansion at low impact velocities come from Fury Custom Bullets. Choose .358" diameter for really impressive accuracy in my throating.
Cutting Edge monolithic custom bullets offer the best combination of high b.c. for long range trajectory and low impact velocity expansion. In spite of cost, they are probably the best bang for the buck for longer ranges.
Note that most other monolithic bullets require higher impact velocity for expansion. Cutting Edge puts about a .001" oversize gas "sealing band" at the nose and can be seated out in my throating.
If your whitetail shots are the more typical 100-150 yards or less, most jacketed rifle bullets up to about 200 gr. should expand ok.
Bottom line: My throating is geared to a wide variety of bullet material, bullet diameters, bullet lengths, and weights. Always keep in mind the terminal velocity vs. bullet expansion.
Powders:
I have not kept up with all the newest and import brand powders so admit there are a lot of powders to experiment with in the highly flexible .357 Max case.
Here are some well proven choices.
Generally speaking the various .357 MaGnum slower powders in the burning rate range of 296/110, Lil Gun, & AA-5744 work well in handgun length barrels.
For serious hunting loads in rifle barrels, some top picks are 296/110, Lil Gun, and potentially fastest
in barrels over 20", AA-1680. Tests show 1680 is gaining only about an average 14 fps per inch past 20". Lil Gun only about 3 fps.
Bottom line: .357 Max does well in shorter barrels due to the relatively fast powders is uses. Very little is gained past 20", and with faster burning powders velocity actually drops past 20" where the muzzle pressure drops low enough for friction in the bore to start slowing the bullet down! Choose compressed loads of 29-30 gr. of 1680 with 180 gr. high b.c. bullets in a 24" barrel IF you are really trying to optimize the Max for shots 250 yards or more.
Maximum pressure:
Take loads up to the point where the primer first starts to crater, meaning you can run a finger nail across the primer and feel a slight snag. Back off the charge until there is no snag.
Even in the moderate strength Contender, you can run the same pressures as the similar chamber diameter 5.56 Mil-Spec ammo in barrels properly throated for it of course.
For Remington .357 Maximum brass, custom barrels (click this link,ENCORE PROHUNTER), and Henry single shot rifles, email kurt@bellmtcs.com or call Kurt Bellm at 970 433 9525.
For rechambering your barrel to .357 Maximum, scroll down this page for price list and shipping instructions.
Now Rechambering Henry Single Shot .357 Magnum Rifles!
The Henry Single Shot is one VERY nice little rifle!
For complete guns, call Kurt Bellm at 970 433 9525.
You now have a number of .35 cal. chamber choices:
.357 MAGnum throated long to accept .357 MAXimum published loads in MAGnum brass,
357 MAXimum, .360 BuckHammer (BHMR), .350 Legend if handloaded with .357 or .358" bullets
(Ask [email protected] about other rechamber options.)
The goals are to:
- Optimize the potentials of the .357 MAGnum by long rethroating the factory chamber.
- Full rechamber to .357 MAXimum or .350 Legend for energy levels on par with .300 Savage or moderate .308 Winchester loads and a bonafide 250 yard rifle.
- Or, take advantage of factory .350 Legend ammo, which can be reloaded to equal or exceed .357 Maximum.
The option for a MAG long throated chamber lets you load published .357 MAXimum loads in the MAGnum case.
This gives the widest range of loads from .38 Special target loads, .357 MAGnum standard ammo up to the equivalent of .350 Legend factory ammo with
the best accuracy at all levels and is especially good for beginning shooters developing shooting skills and working up to
250 yard hunting levels for all ages of shooters using common .38 Special and .357 MAGnum brass.
THE IDEAL TRAINING PLATFORM FOR KIDS with ballistic potentials equal to .350 Legend factory ammo.
With sporadic industry support of .357 Maximum brass, and always the potential to rechamber to more potent rounds later,
this is an excellent starting point.
If on the other hand you want the full potential of this diameter chamber and have .357 Maximum brass, choose .357 Maximum.
I'm always being asked about shooting .38 Special and .357 MAGnum in the .357 Maximum chamber.
Yes, you certainly can, but with powder blowing around the bullet for .3" to .4" before the bullet even gets to the throat, don't
expect the best accuracy!
Given a long minimum diameter throat, a MAGnum gives better accuracy with standard MAG ammo for those wanting to shoot .357 MAGnum
and .38 Special loads while also being able to essentially duplicating .350 Legend factory loadings.
The MAGnum case with the bullet seated out holds exactly the same charge weights as factory .350 Legend ammo, 21 to 23 gr.!
Short Version:
Choose to either optimize the MAGnum chamber or go all the way to the .357 MAXimum or larger chamber.
Refer to pricing printable pdf order form.
If you choose to remove the forend, contact me first so you don't lose parts removing the forend!
.357 Remington Maximum beats many of the traditional factory loaded "deer cartridges" such as .30/30 Winchester and .35 Remington.
.357 Remington Maximum is one potent game harvesting machine with more energy potential than factory .30/30 Winchester
and .35 Remington, roughly equal to factory .300 Savage, and not far behind .308 Winchester energy levels, but with much
less powder, less muzzle blast, and less recoil!
Perfect for those states with straight wall case limits and/or overall cartridge case length limits where in most cases the .45 cal. rounds
border on simply dumb when the .357 Maximum is so much more accurate and easier to shoot accurately with its moderate recoil.
.357 Maximum is a perfect starter gun for kids to learn and grow on. It is easy to load moderately for closer range shots and lighter recoil.
Its moderate recoil makes it perfect for smallish folks such as the ladies and folks with disabilities who simply can not stand the recoil of the various .45's.
.357 Maximum when loaded down in a rifle length barrel is almost like shooting an air rifle. But stoke it up and hear that little dog bark like a big dog!
Hornady XTP 158 gr. and especially their 180 gr. bullets have proven to be the best of the revolver type bullets for all applications.....
handgun and rifle. Other brands and types of lead core handgun bullets tend to blow up and not penetrate into vital organs when driven
at rifle velocities close in.
Optimum overall rifle performance is 2300 to 2400 fps with 180 gr. bullets and 1800 (+) fps from 10" barrels at the short end of barrel lengths.
For full power loads like 30 gr. of AA-1680 give top velocities and energies for shots upwards of 250 yards or more with 180 gr bullets from 24” barrels.
Not quite as fast but a staple item is 296/110 with 23 gr. being a good functional maximum charge with 180 gr. bullets in barrels around 20”.
Past 20”, pressure drops off and so do velocities.
Lil Gun starting at 26 grains and worked up to as much as 30 grains gives top velocities in 24” barrels and good velocities in shorter barrels.
Lil Gun is proving to be one of the very best powders for maximum performance in any barrel length but watch for known flame cutting,
while AA-1680 is still gaining a little more speed per inch in 24” barrels. Both are top performers.
IMPORTANT NOTE: THROAT LENGTHS IN CUSTOM BARRELS VARY. THROATS SHORTER THAN MINE WILL INCREASE PRESSURES.
AS ALWAYS, START ABOUT 10% LOW AND WORK UP! NEVER JAM BULLETS INTO THE RIFLINGS! CHECK FOR EXCESS PROTRUSION
OF THE CASE FROM THE END OF THE BARREL BEFORE FIRING!
Loads published in the major reloading manuals are pitifully understated, going to only go to about 40,000 psi. SAAMI maximum is 48,000, and in the
closed breech guns pressures can be run at the same levels as 5.56 NATO, about 54,000 psi.
My standard rule for maximum pressure that I have gone by for over 35 years is to take pressures to the point where a slight crater (ridge)
begins to appear around the firing pin indent, then back off to just below that point.
Use only MAGNUM Rifle primers in .357 Maximum loads.
Where it all started.....
(This site is new and under continual construction.)
I'm an Illinois farm boy that started shooting and hunting on my own at age 7, reloading shotgun at 12, and high power rifle by age 14.
There were not many days on the farm that a gun was not with me or close by.
I was introduced to NRA Bullseye Pistol around age 15-16, which led to serving in the Air National Guard for 10 years as marksmanship instructor/armorer, followed some years later with a stint as an Army Combat Engineer and activated for Desert Storm specializing in, guess what, demolitions and explosives.
I've competed on two state pistol teams and qualified for the Air National Guard Security Police Combat Team which competed against all branches of US and NATO security police teams.
But once I got in over my head in barrel work, my competitive shooting ended.
Briefly, I could say my career in gun barrels began in high school soaking up every Shooting Times' "Gunsmith's Column" written by P.O. Ackley in the early 1960's. But February 2, 1979 I took the plunge buying his business, having never even so much as turning the switch on a lathe.
Photo is P.O., seated autographing his books, Handbook for Shooters and Reloaders. 35 year old young buck standing is me at half my current age.
Confidence? Foolishness? Whatever it was, it meant a long hard learning curve.
P.O. was always on tap to answer questions, BUT, it was not until after he passed August 23, 1989 over 10 years later that I realized that not even ONCE did he ever SHOW me how to do anything.
In his own way he forced me to learn to think, and that is largely what the Ackley mindset is, a "getting into" what is going on, often in spite of and contradictory to "the industry".
Our Approach
Our Story
A custom TC barrels legacy that goes back to the Ackley connection, through me, and served as the start for a number of other notable custom TC barrel makers we all know today. Here is a brief history of the custom TC barrel craft:
With the exception of Dave Van Horn and J.D. Jones who preceded me, virtually all custom TC barrel makers today trace their beginnings back to me and the Ackley connection..... whether they will acknowledge it or not.
I did much the same work as P.O. up through about 1997, but starting in 1983 I also got into making Thompson Center Contender barrels, making the first dozen for Bullberry who later went on their own with the start I had handed Fred Smith. This Ackley connection via me, led to the start of at least 3 other custom TC barrel makers.
Fred Smith/Bullberry's crew, the Stratton family, left Fred and started VirginValley Custom Guns around 2000 and lasted about 4 years. During this time the Strattons were also making E.A. Brown's custom TC "accuracy" barrels.
When Virgin Valley Custom Guns closed down, the TC barrel prints and presumed "leg up" making barrels was handed to E.A. Brown.
Jeff and Kerry Stratton stayed on when Wade Sip bought out Virgin Valley Custom Guns and renamed the company Match Grade Machine. Kerry was the last Stratton to leave Match Grade Machine in November of 2015 when Wade Sip's son, Marshall Dylan, took over production.
December 2015 I moved P.O. Ackley's barrel machinery to Match Grade Machine (MGM) along with enough of my own machinery to continue doing my work while I waited for them to give me the go ahead to set up Ackley's barrel machines.
In the meantime, MGM opted to go all new machinery and tooling for making their own barrel blanks, leaving Ackley's barrel machinery sitting for sale in storage for anyone who wants to buy it to have me set it up and train them in making barrel blanks.
In the meantime, MGM opted to go all new machinery and tooling for making their own barrel blanks, leaving Ackley's barrel machinery sitting for sale in storage for anyone who wants to buy it to have me set it up and train them in making barrel blanks.
With no further need for me at MGM and with Dylan doing a great job running the plant, November 2017 I moved to El Dorado Springs, Missouri.
My focus on reworking barrels and making the TC system work:
Rechambering TC factory barrels proved to be a great route to great shooting barrels with less cost and quicker delivery time, so much so that I phased out of making barrels and made an art & science of just reworking existing barrels.
By the time the Encore came out my focus had pretty much boiled down to just reworking and customizing existing Contender and Encore barrels largely to correct factory defects in throat alignment and crown........ my main work to this day.
But even with the best custom work, a barrel can shoot no better than the gun as a whole will let it. Tools, parts, and instructions on how to make the TC break open guns work soon followed when I got on the internet about 2000.
2010 my son, Kurt Bellm took over the parts and accessories side of our http://www.bellmtcs.com website. He has also expanded into sales of TC factory barrels and tons of accessories. Check out the Bellm TCs website for many of my instructional articles also.
