A short time ago I decided to give myself a Christmas gift. I have a custom Ruger Single action that has been extensively worked over to accommodate a wildcat round called the .356 GNR. It is a .41 Magnum case necked to a .357 bullet. It is impressive and actually outperforms the old .357 Maximum round.

I like to have a Contender barrel in a caliber that I have a revolver chambered for. So to keep in tune with that philosophy I had Arizona gunsmith Gary Reeder make a stainless TC Contender barrel chambered in that caliber. The barrel has a beautiful deep dish target crown and some engraving. A nice buck on the top of the barrel. It adds a great touch of class. The 12 inch barrel should perform well. I have a friend in the Bear State who is getting around 2000 to 2100 fps with a 180 grain bullet in the same type of barrel.

I wished I had it back in November but then again I did not have the time to really go out anyways. There is always next year and I can see that barrel taking a trip to Florida.

I can also see that barrel being used this winter for some serious varminting. I know it is odd to hear of such a caliber for varmints but I can load up some 110's and 125's for those damned coyotes.

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congrats n have fun........

but....

....sounds about like a 357 maximum to me....er at least close enough to not make much difference. i think i'd just prefer the max myself, or 35rem in the contender. nothing special required.

not raining on your parade though!....just have fun and enjoy!

Don't ya just love it when that happens ;-)

Have fun wif yer new toy, I've often thought of the 356 GNR.

Reeder has always been optimistic about a rounds full potential. He has lowered a few published fps in the last couple of years... lol

Reeder makes a good barrel. Everyone that I have ever had was a shooter. The nice thing is you will be getting my 15in 357 Max vel with a 12 in barrel. Really what the round sounds like is a 357 Herrett.

I loath my dumb phone...

Watch your bullet depth. Reeder likes to cut them for the heavy bullets in respected caliber. You shouldnt have a problem with the heavy bullets, but you will the lighter ones, it will and has affected my accuracy with them. But the good news is Reeder head spaces of the rim.

Dont forget to try the 180 SSP's. Yoty showed me the light and I tried them. They are getting 75 - 100 fps more than there XTP counterparts in my barrels.

Ps, If you cast, or have a friend that does, look at the 190 Ranch Dog bullet. It is doing VERY well in my Max and Herrett

i reckon maybe the 356gnr might be a "fit" in a regular length revolver cylinder?....for an advantage of not having to have the stretch frame, like a 357max ruger.

yep duane, velocities i've seen listed for gnr cartridges are usually quite optimistic....and i find humorous, 25 yrd accuracy testing for new cartridges. about any decent gun will shoot tight at 25yrds.

Yoty, I really like my Reeder barrels. All the ones I have had will clover leaf at 100 yards. The ONLY problem I have with him is his customer service. His TC products have never disappointed me. My next one will be a SSK... Nuff said...

i hate to be derailing the thread(oops)....but how do you like the reeder contender barrel set up with no dovetails for forend attachment?


back to the original post....would love to hear reports on the revolver and contender barrel in 356gnr as you go......

I have a 357 Bain and Davis in a 12 inch barrel for my T/C (barrel made by made by bulberry). It is the only non T/C barrel I have and is as smooth as glass inside and a great shooter. The round is a 44 magnum necked down to .357. It has a short neck and the barrel isn't throated much so I can't seat 180 grain bullets that far and loose a lot of powder capacity. 158 bullets are superb. My load (from the hornady manual) is 24.6 grains imr 296 with a hornady 158 fp/xtp. My 5 shot avg. on a chronograph is 2148 fps. I did kill a deer with it two years ago (used a 44 magnum this year to get one). The bullet performed great. I shot a big doe facing me quartering slightly to the right. Bullet went in just behind shoulder and went in middle of deer and made a mess on innards. No exit wound. Deer went 40 yards and expired. I tried a remington 158 jsp 3 years ago and swore I hit a deer but, never found it. Just keep in mind that you are going to get velocities with the .356 GNR that push the expansion ranges of typical .357 bullets. I recommend the hornady fp/xtp and if using the 180's the hornady ssp has proven itself at those velocity ranges.

I too was wondering about the tapped barrel sans dovetailed tenons. I will find out when I have some free time to rig it up. I am hoping to get some range time this coming Sunday afternoon. I figure that a nice Burris 2x I have collecting dust needs to go on it.

I did have some trouble handloading the .356 GNR when I first got the revolver. I was swearing at the gun up and down. I found out that you have to be gentle when loading that short and sharp necked round. As a rule I just ram a straight wall case up the dies but with this you have to ease it in for some reason.

Sounds good and I cant weight to here from you after your randge adventure!

Yoty, Both of my Contender barrels have two dovetails, although I really did have to fight him to put them on...

I am not a Reeder lover, just telling my experiences... In a TC his rounds do well. In a revolver, well, I will call Rod when the time comes...

I always had a liking for bottleneck rounds in revolvers. Had Reeder recut a S&W 27 cylinder to 356, however, case set back and top velocities were not what I expected. BUT, a single action revolver will perform much better then the DA with the 356 which is why I know you will get better performance then me.
Paco kelly had a Ruger 356GNR and really enjoyed it.....

I have several Freedom 83s, Ruger Blackhawks, Ruger Redhawks,S&W 27s and 28s, Contenders that I rechambered to 357-44 Bain & Davis. A 44 Mag necked down to 357. I think it is a fantastic round. Never had problems with case setback, great velocities ( 4" BHK is faster than 6" BHK and 4" S&W 28s ). I use 180 for hunting, get 357 Max velocities. I rarely use max loads, however.

Doc

I finally gave up on my 410 because of set back at top end and once I was set up I totally rebuilt, re barreled and re chambered it to 454. My two 475's are cool looking a decent shooters but I've improved on them too.