Guys
I'm intrigued with your use of SR 4756,that is one powder that does'nt exsist in my inventory in my powder cabinet.I have W-231,W-296,WW AA 452,some very old 680.In IMR,4227,700X and 800X.Alliant,2400,Bullseye,Unique,RedDot,GreenDot,Bluedot,Accurate Arms #2,#5,#7 and#9,Hodgdon H-110,4227,finally a pound of Lil'Gun I picked up today,just for pistol cartidge loading,how well does SR 4756 meter,how universal is it?You guys steer me the right way,it seems to work very well for you all.
Equalizer

SR 4756 is a medium burning (a little faster than 800X) single based flake powder that meters pretty well in the 8 gr and up range. It doesn't meter worth a hoot in the 5 gr range. Because it's a flake, it doesn't need a magnum primer to ignite it.

It's similar to 2400 and Unique in wanting some pressure to burn cleanly.

One of the LEOs on Handloads.com said it's very low flash, which was important to him. Since it doesn't have any nitroglycerin in it, that's reasonable.

I mainly use Speer #8 loads for SR 4756, but I do moderate some of the non-magnum loads, unless I shoot them out of magnum guns or guns noted for their strength.

It doesn't perform as good in large cases and with real heavy bullets, but in .38 Special and .357 Mag it's at it's best.

When I compared two lots, that were 48 years apart in age, the results were very close in 3 different .357 Mag guns.

I like it enough to have about 7 pounds of it.

I had been wanting some SR4756 for my .22 Jet and for some Speer #8 loads for the 38/44. Finally found a can in Albuquerque yesterday morning. None of the shops I frequent in CA have any available, and I couldn't justify the HazMat fees for a single pound. Now that I have some, I;m hoping it'll be everything I've read

I'm not aware of any .22 Jet loads with SR 4756, but it may work pretty good in it. I think it might really shine in .256 Win Mag, if it's possible for anything to shine in it.

I've shot it in .45 ACP/AR and while it does just fine, there isn't any sense in using more powder to do what Bullseye will do in light loads. With a little more powder, it'll produce 1100+ fps with a 230 gr Golden Saber and that might be hard to match with Bullseye.

I've been using 8.0 gr in .41 Mag with 210 gr cast bullets for a medium load around 900 fps.

11.0 gr in .44 Mag with a 250 gr bullet puts it around 1100-1200 fps.

Paul,

Hodgdon's online reloading data lists a max load of 6.7 grains of 4756 as being good for 1925 FPS in the Jet. That is the only place I can recall seeing a 4756 load for the Jet. I expect actual speed will be about 200 FPS slower. Unfortunately they don't list a minimum, so it appears 6.7 is the limit for the Jet.

I have some H110 loads I have to run over the chrono. Supposedly, the 4756 will be easier on the forcing cone than H110.

Paul has already weighed in, and I'm sure smithcrazy will shortly, but I'll give my side too.

I load the Speer #8 load for .38 Special that Paul talk about, and It's become my everyday load. A 158 LSWC at 1100 fps is exactly what I want, and it's what THE LOAD delivers. SR-4756 will stay on my shelf for years to come, I think.

quote:

Originally posted by Vanilla Gorilla:
Paul has already weighed in, and I'm sure smithcrazy will shortly, but I'll give my side too.

I load the Speer #8 load for .38 Special that Paul talk about, and It's become my everyday load. A 158 LSWC at 1100 fps is exactly what I want, and it's what THE LOAD delivers. SR-4756 will stay on my shelf for years to come, I think.

I am one of the first two to publish a review on this forum of this load you are talking about. In fact I coined the term "THE LOAD" for this load. I am here to tell you that this load from Speer #8 should not be considered an "everyday Load" for any .38 special short of a .38-44 HD. If fired at all in lighter frame guns, do so sparingly. ........just remember I told you so

Guys,
Thank you for all for your input,I'll be picking up some SR 4756 to experiment with,thank you all again.
Equalizer

I heartily concur with Jess'(NKJnut) warning.Like Paul, my tests with lots decades apart indicate that SR4756 has been a consistent powder. Curiously both Speer 10 and11 peg 4756 as FASTER than Unique in relative burning rate....but obviously that wasn't the case in #8 and it isn't the way ot appears incurrent BR charts nor the way it performs in my experience. oNe can speculate as to whether Speer had an exceptionally slow lot when testing for manual 8 and an exceptionally fast lot when preparing number 10 but, in any case, my own testing of 4756 has convinced me that high pullet pull is needed for consistency in revolvers. Without a high bullet start resistance it shows pressure spikes and wide velocity spreads. When all is set up right it performs well and consistently but "THE LOAD" is a MUCH higher pressure loading than current +P.I really wish we had some pressure data for The Load and some of the intermediate loadings between current handbook listings for 4756 in the 38 special.

Back in the "old days", they must have thought the K-38/M14 is stronger than what we assess it at today. Speer, Hornady and Sierra all used the K-38/M14 in their velocity tests for the manuals dating around 1970-1977. Here's data from the 1973 edition of Hornady showing 1150 fps as an appropriate load for the K-38/M14.



Here's data from the Sierra 1977 printing, again using a K-38.

My thought on that is that they did not get hung up on shooting a lot of heavy loads in those days. Elmer Keith shot 600 .44 Magnums the first year the gun came out and thought that a lot of magnums.

Wadcutters and ball did most of the shooting in those days and the guns stood up well enough with limited firing of heavy loads.

Jim,

That would amount to a box a month, not 2 or 3 boxes, or more, an outing.

The modern "quantity" approach to shooting has probably put more strain on guns than the occasional "hot" load we used to shoot. It kinda goes along with the quest for more powerful handguns that have to be shot full power each time it's shot.

Erich was the first, Jes was the second and then "along came Skip!" (sung to the tune of: "Along came John! )

Jes has rightly stated that he coined the term "THE LOAD". I simply have followed suit as it seemed as the proper name for something so notable. I have ventured into much higher realms with this powder than what was discussed in the monstrous thread: http://smith-wessonforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/5701039...401026672#9401026672 , which has made it to 39 pages and seems to have a life much it's own!

I concur with Jes about what type of firearms to give a steady diet of these types of rounds. Now, a 357mag of any size SHOULD be able to handle them, I shoot mine in "L" frames and above.

One thing I like about this powder, is the velocity I get with less conspicuous pressure signs. It ignites very easily and likes the upper end of the data. That is the only function I can find for it. Not just in the 38spl and 357mag but also in the 45AutoRim with heavier bullets.

Paul, Erich, Jes, 38-44, and many others have pioneered loads with this great powder. As some of them have already joined in, I hope there will be others too.

Check out the link to the thread I started above. Get a couple cups of coffee though, it's going to be a long one!

There was some heated discussion, wade through all of that and "strain out all of the gnats" so you can get to the camels!

quote:

Erich was the first, Jes was the second and then "along came Skip!" (sung to the tune of: "Along came John! )

AND aloong came Skip. skipping aloooooong. Skip was Skipping aloooong. Somebody bring out a GEE-tar

I think Jim and Paul have fairly well nailed down the problem. People now days are insisting on shooting full throttle loads all of the time, even just to punch holes in paper. This coupled with the wide spread use of progressive presses and folks buying cast bullets from commercial casters by the thousands, meant a lot more shooting of these hotter loads (and lighter loads too). That is a big reason why the load manuals have reduced the data IMHO. In the old days folks loaded one at a time on a single stage press and cast their bullets in hand molds. They weren't too likely to burn up 500 rds perforating tin cans on Sat afternoon. Not near as likely as many of todays shooter's including Yours Truly BTW I am not knocking pro. presses and I sure am not down on folks buying their cast bullets, since I derive a good part of my income from selling cast bullets, many of them to folks right here on this forum

Just remember folks, handloading is a hobby for the thinking man. Reserve those high pressure loads for when they are needed and your guns will last longer and you will enjoy your shooting much more. And remember those paper targets really aren't all that tough.

Jesse, your warning is taken to heart. Like Erich, I only use large guns (I only own N frame revos) and I figure if a Model 28-2 can't handle THE LOAD, then there's something very, very wrong.

I am especially thankful for THE LOAD, for a very different reason than most. I get free brass from a local cop range, but only .38 Special. No .357, since the PD doesn't issue .357 ammo. I needed/wanted something to bridge the gap between the .38 and .357 and still be a usable all-around load.

Besides, shooting those wimpy .38 level loads just isn't as much fun at the 200 yard line.