quote:

I see in my Hornady 7th Edition that 2400 allows the highest velocity of the loads they tested,

The Hornady data I have shows AA#9 doing a bit better than 2400.

jibjab,
comparing max loads from Hornady's 4th and 7th edition,these are max load comparisons.
4th edition
AA#9 13.2 grains 1350fps
2400 12.5 grains 1300fps
both fired from a 27 8-3/8" barrel

7th edition
AA#9 10.5 grains 1050fps
2400 12.6 grains 1150fps
both fired from a 8" Python

AA#9 is working for you so I'd stick with it.
Equalizer

I use 14.8gr Lil'Gun with good success.

Just another chrono test for your data book.

12.7 grs. of 2400 under the 180 grn. HDY HP-XTP with WSMPs gives me 1200 fps. out of a 4" bbl Ruger GP-100. Accuracy is outstanding. I won't be shooting these out of my J-Frame any time soon!

WG840

quote:

12.7 grs. of 2400 under the 180 grn. HDY HP-XTP with WSMPs gives me 1200 fps. out of a 4" bbl Ruger GP-100

575 ft/lbs of E not bad

Do you have anything like a Marlin levergun in .357 to try out that load? I'm going to go deer hunting for the first time soon, and I need to come up with a good load. All I have for a rifle is my 1894 in 357. I've got lots of Hornady XTPs in 125, 158, and 180 grain weights. I'd think a 180 grainer cookin' along out of an 18.5 inch barrel should work nicely. What do you guys think?

I don't know about a "smoking" load, but here's the 180 XTP at 100 yards.



In .357 brass, you should reduce the load to 10.0 gr of 800X. .360 DW brass is a little longer, so it'll hold more powder than .357 brass.

IIRC, the velocity was 1650 fps out of a 22" Handi rifle.

musicmanbass,
go to my last post on page 1 of this topic,I think you'll find what your looking for.I load for a Marlin 1894CP(ported) 16" barrel it is a dandy little deer rifle.I've had great results with the Hornady 158 grain XTP Flatpoint out of this little carbine,also the Nosler 180 grain Partition-HGs when I could afford to buy and load them,I believe the 180 HornadyXTP h.p. will perform great out of your 1894.What kind of distance are you going to be shooting at?What kind of terrain are you going to be hunting,hardwoods,evergreen or open fields?I would limit my shots to 100 and 125 yards at most with .357 to ensure you have enough energy on impact to make clean kills.I've tried the 125 XTP out of my Marlin and it's better suited for varmints,violent expansion upon impact and not much penetration,the 158s and 180s are better suited for whitetail,my 7 year old son took his first 2 deer last year with our 1894 and the Hornady 158 grain XTP flatpoint loaded on top of 16.5 grains of H-110 and a CCI550 primer in Starline cases.He's 8 now and can't wait for rifle season in November.If your going to be shooting out to 100 yards I think the 180 will better suit you and have sufficient energy left at that range to do the job.Hope this helps you out if you want to contact me by email you're more than welcome it is hjmh2000@verizon.net
Equalizer

From what everyone here in TN tells me, 100 yards is considered a long shor for deer. Most folks tell me I'll probably be shooting under 60 yards. I'm thinking I'll sight in at 50 yards, then measure rise or drop about every 10 yards to 130 and see what the flight curve looks like. I think I like the idea of the 180, too. The bullets I have are HPs, not FPs. Do you think that's ok? I don't necessarily want the bullet to break apart on impact, but I'm figuring even if a little fragmenting happens, the 180 has a lot of lead behind that hollowpoint to keep on trucking through the vitals. Is that a fair assumption?

musicmanbass,
The 158 XTP HP or the 180 XTP HP should give you complete penetration out of your lever-action at the range you've stated.
The .357 shoots relatively flat out to a 100 yards for me out my 1894.Either bullet should suffice I think,the 180 will retain more down range energy from my experience.My best 180 grain loadings had more energy at a 100 yards than some did measured at the muzzle from a revolver project,and deer I have killed with the 180 XTP from 6" revolvers have not been recovered from any of my kills but upon examining the the entrance wound following through the wound channel, expansion looked to be textbook due to the damage to the vital organs and the exit wounds have been massive.I'd just see which groups best from your rifle and go with it.Either weight in the XTP HP will do it's job well,but like I stated the 180 will retain more downrange energy,so I guess I'm saying go with the 180.Hope I'm helping and not creating confusion.
Equalizer

Excellent advice! I wasn't thinking about finding out which bullet groups better, the 158 or 180. I think you're right that the difference in terminal effectivity within 100 yrds will be negligible, and I should just find out which one I can shoot better.

Thanks for the help!!

Paul,
Hadn't had a chance to talk to you to see how you weathered the storm,hope everything went okay for you.Got a question for you on the .360 DW brass case length compared to the 357 mag,I know it has to be trimmed for revolvers and pretty sure for leverguns,is the chamber long enough on a single-shot such as Contender or a Handi-Rifle,I have a Contender with a .357 maximum barrel and also a 357mag barrel.on the Hornady 180 XTPs are you crimping in the bottom or top groove for your handi-rifle.Considering adding another .357 rifle to the battery and have been looking into the handi-rifle.Thanks.
Equalizer

Equalizer,

The Handi rifle I have has a very long chamber and doesn't have any problems chambering .360 DW brass. Normal .357 brass is 1.29", but .360 brass is 1.40". Here's what it looks like loaded.



The left hand side is 180 gr XTPs seated to the bottom groove in .360 DW brass. The second from the right is a 250 gr Beartooth in .357 brass for comparison.

I have trimmed some .357 Max brass (1.60") down to 1.50", which is the maximum length my Handi will take. I haven't determined whether it's detrimental or a bonus, since I get some of this too.



The cause for this may be getting the bullet too close to the rifling, i.e. bullet in the leade too far, which is developing too much pressure.

One specimen of T/C Contender I have knowledge of does chamber the .360 DW brass, but I don't know if that is common or not.

Paul,
Thanks for the reply.I'm getting ready to order some brass from Starline,needing some .38 TJ brass for my Colt Commander,10mm brass for my S&W 610 and Glock 20,I was noticing the .360 DW brass the smallest lot is 250 for about 57.99 before taxes,but if they work out of my Contender and I happened to pick a handi-rifle in .357 mag,I think they'll pay for themselves.Out of my Marlin 1894CP with the 16" tube I get a little over 1600 fps with Nosler Partitions loaded on top of 13.5 grains of W-296 or H-110 with a WSPM primer.My best 100 group offhand with iron sights before scoping it out was 1.70" firing offhand,best I 've ever done off hand with this rifle before scoping it out,off the bench at a 100 yards with my fixed 2.5x Leopold is a whole different story.Thank you for the introduction of the .360DW brass in case I pick up a handi-rifle.
Equalizer

Midway has it for $14.33/100 in a closeout. Even with shipping, it's considerably cheaper than what Starline is offering.