![Image](http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y141/nitesite9/357Handi_rifle1-1.jpg)
I am loading a Lee 140-gr LSWC that drops from the mould unsized at 0.3595" and is lubed with LLA, and crimped into the upper lube groove (not the top crimp groove) because the leade/freebore in my rifle is quite long. This puts the front driving band about 0.015~0.020 off the rifling. I leave them unsized because of the Micro-Groove rifling and it seems to grab the rifling very well with absolutely ZERO leading.
With 4.2 Grains of Unique in a .357 Magnum case and a medium roll crimp, these go over my Chrono at a consistent 940-fps (ES=60, SD= 17) and are subsonic but still have some pretty good thump and are accurate with iron sights. I looked up bullet drop with that bullet coefficient and velocity and it's 12.4" @ 100 yards when zeroed to 25-yards. And the 50-yard drop is just 2.4 inches so anyone handling this gun can basically lay the sights on anything out to 50-yards and be on target given the margin of error with iron sights.
I've been having so much fun with this rifle just this way that I haven't put a full-power .357 magnum load thru it for a while now!
Shooting a "Lite" .357 from a rifle length barrel has an added plus in that there is a very slight amount of noise, less than the crack of a .22LR leaving the barrel above the sound barrier. So it's not objectionable to onlookers or neighbors.
And since I cast these bullets from free wheelweights, at 50 bullets per pound of lead, I can make 100 rounds including powder and primers and free re-useable brass for $5.25 per 100 rounds, about what 100-ct plastic pack of CCI Mini-mag 22 rimfire rounds would cost.
Anyone else out there handloading a pistol caliber for their Handi Rifle?