I have done some research on HS6 loads for my 357 and have see a few comments on HS6 being too hard on the frames of revolvers and cutting the barrel or forcing cone. Has anyone had any experience with this?

HS6 is the only powder available to me, and I am shooting out of a 586 6" barrel.

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

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Thanks-T.J.

Fiction...

Ditto. Fiction.

I think all revolvers have the tendency to "flame cut" the frame and forcing cone, but in nearly 30 years of revolver shooting it hasn't been a problem with any of the powders I've used (nearly every popular powder for 38/357, .44 Spec/Mag.). I have read that some powders' "flame temperature" is higher and more damaging to guns, and certain combinations (125 gr. bullets pushed fast in .357 Mag. revolvers) but I don't reload an hyper velocity varmint ammo and most my reloading is low end stuff...

I used to load 40S&W with HS-6 with good results. Clean burning powder! I stopped loading 40S&W and have played with it for hotter 9mm and 45acp loads with the same clean burn and soft recoil. Looking at the load data it looks to get pretty good velocity with low pressures. If it was all I had I'd be loading 357 mag in a heart beat!

Sounds like fiction.

I've never had a load yet where HS-6 was best, though. I tried it in .38 +P and .40 and always found it had high extreme spreads and was very position sensitive--with both standard and magnum primers. I still have most of a pound left. In its burn rate, I found Power Pistol superior in every respect in my loads.

Fact, it's fiction

Were is ARCH? He sprinkles the stuff on his breakfast cereal

I like Power Pistol also in 9 and 40 but the OP was asking about 357 Mag

Flame cutting will occur with most mag powders for a little bit then stop, The ones that folks complain about are the alloy frames with the stainless steel flame guard. I have not even "dented" mine. If it does SW can replace it.

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Still Running Against the Wind

How could almost any powder be position sensitive in a 40 S&W???

Thanks for the info guys I don't push it with my loads and HS6 is the only powder I have available for pistols in Albuquerque, NM. I will load some with Hornady XTP 125 and 158 grain and see what happens, I'll work it up ffrom7.5 gr of HS6 for 158 and maybe 8.5 for the 125. Anyway thanks again.

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Thanks-T.J.

IF it cuts at all the frame at all it will only be cut superficially and stop. The hotter powders like H110 and W291 are said to do this, but it doesn't seem to bother my 686 any. I decided not to shoot the hottest loads anyway. Hurts too much.

HS-6 is no worse than most powders and better than many when it comes to how "hot" the flame is. I use mostly HS-6 for lead bullets in the .38 Special +P and .357 Magnum because I feel it's not hot and won't damage the bullet base as much as some of the other powders available like Longshot.

IMO HS-6 is a good choice for the .357 Magnum for anything other than the highest velocities and it's very accurate for me. I highly suggest you use a Magnum primer when loading HS-6. If you don't please don't make your next thread badmouthing HS-6 for being dirty and leaving a lot of unburnt powder in the barrel. Using a Magnum primer will fix that and probably drop your SD numbers to single digits.

Which bullet are you going to load and what weight?

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

I've never used HS-6 in the .38 Special but I have used HS-5 and it's one of the most accurate powders I've ever used! 700X is another powder that's been very accurate for me in the .38. I don't load a lot of .357 Mag. Usually jump to .41 Mag when I want more than the .38 Special can give!
Dick

You are right, HS-5 was a very accurate powder for the .38 Special. I don't use HS-6 for standard pressure .38 special rounds, only at +P pressures.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

I am loading Hornady XTP 158gr AND 125gr, I learned about HS6 being "dirty" and I use WSPM primers on all my loads for 357 and 38 loads with good results. I have been using cast plated bullets under 1000 fps so I was not worried about "cutting" the barrel, now that I finally got my hands on some good bullets I just wanted to make sure I don't damage anything. Thanks for the info

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Thanks-T.J.

I use HS6 for about everything I shoot handgun wise any more so that's 10MM 45ACP 44 Magnum and 357 I like that it fills the cases nicely and burns clean for me at medium to full loads. I have never had any gun damage form it.

I have a few pounds of Winchester 540 which is supposed to be HS6 in the Winchester label. The powder is at least 20 years old, stored in a Winchester can. Any thoughts if is safe to use with magnum pistol primers for moderate target loads in .357? Thanks, Ed

Sorry for my ignorance, but can you explain what you mean by position sensitive?

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Brad

Why would it not be safe? The worst that could happen is, it doesn't go bang. lol

Yes, W540 is/was HS-6 and is a great choice for middle to middle hot .357 Magnum loads. I use nothing else for that job and I always use a Magnum primer because it makes HS-6 really shine.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

Thank you very much....oh, yes, I will listen for the "bang". 😁. Best Regards. Ed

Just an update at least a thousand rounds later and no flame cut in my model 10, 19, 586, 29, or any others I use it in (rugers). Happy shooting

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Thanks-T.J.

The slowest powders for pistols can flame cut, but it seems to be self limiting and I've never heard anybody say it really damaged the gun.

As far as being to hard on the frame, you don't say what model .357 you are using, but some of them, like Model 19s, aren't made for continuous heavy loads. Typical procedure is to shoot enough of the hot ones to be proficient and for SD or HD use those rounds, but shoot not so hot loads the rest of the time.

If you want a .357 that is built to take it, get an L or N frame.
Some of the smaller frames can handle hot .357s, but they are murder on your hands to shoot.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

HS6 is my favorite powder! If you have extra and don't love it, I'd be happy to take it off your hands! I love 9MM, 40S&W, and even .38's with it. Typically for my magnum loads I'll use IMR 4227.


Matt

HS-6 is great, especially with magnum primers and a firm crimp. It's my 'magnum-lite' .357 powder.

The only powder I've heard of that prematurely wears forcing cones and top straps is Lil' Gun. And I thought that was the powder eroding the metal, not flame cutting, but I'm not 100% on that.

HS-6 in my 6" 686 is clean and accurate with a 158gr XTP at 1108 fps.

It was a little "Smoky" with the lead 158gr SWC bullet at 1173 fps
but the accuracy was very good but this was with a std primer.
A mag primer might cut down on the "Black Powder" look.

I never heard of Unique cutting..........so why should HS-6 ?

Fiction..............
Use it and have fun.

The only flame cutting I have experienced is in my bullseye .44 Magnum N-frames. Shooting thousands and thousands of 240gr XTP over a fat charge of H110.

My N-frame .357 Mag load is 158gr XTP over 17.0 gr H110 and no flame cutting after several hundred rounds.

My J-frame range load is 125gr XTP over 10.0gr HS-6. Haven't had any issues with that and it's real pleasant to shoot in large frames.

I was shooting 125gr XTP over VV N310 but that powder is scarce around here hence the switch to HS-6. Better performance, almost as clean and not very 'blasty'.

I don't have any experience with non magnum primers in any of these loads. I will be doing load development for .38 spl and HS-6 and I suspect that the high percentage case fill will want a magnum primer.

Just my $0.02

I don't know how old it is but HS6 is an old powder. I've loaded for a long time and I've never heard anyone complain about flame cutting or excessive temperatures with it. I have heard this regarding Lil Gun and Longshot. HS6 should be fine in .357 if you're following published data, and especially if you are not pushing it too hard.

Regarding "flame cutting".
If it is a steel frame revolver, I do believe you would wear out every moving part of the revolver from excessive use/discharging before flame cutting would become an issue.
However, using a light bullet and a ball powder, it could become a cosmetic issue soon if it were a fine collectible firearm.

I had good results with HS-6 in 45 Colt. I use Unique in that load now, but I could get equal results with HS-6.
BTW, one reason I quit using H110 in my 357 M686 was flame cutting. I didn't want it to progress any further.