Can I safely use titegroup powder with 357 magnum 158 gr. LSWC MEI type bullets (hard of 18, with coating)? Hodgdon manual list loads for regular LSWCs but none for the harder, coated LSWC. Thanks, Dennis

__________________
S&W M60-15 Pro 3", M69 2.7"

It's OK to use the data Hodgdon has listed for 158 gr. LSWC as long as your bullets are a similar profile 158 gr. LSWC . Bullet metal hardness and a coating will not dangerously increase pressures BUT...do not start with a maximum load. If you want max. start minimum and work up to maximum...safety concerns come first .
Load safe,
Gary

gwpercle thanks!

__________________
S&W M60-15 Pro 3", M69 2.7"

Can you? Yes you can as there is data for it.

JMHO but there are far better powders for the 357 Mag .

Something a little slower burning.

TG is a very fast powder and a little bit too much in a big 357 case can cause issues.

Try something like HP38 or slower.

But if that is all you have then just be sure to measure/weigh it carefully.

The data listed by Hodgdon is for a a CAST 158 bullet which is hard like what you have.

https://www.hodgdon.com/wp-content/u...-2015-2016.pdf

__________________
Still Running Against the Wind

If you are a long seasoned handloader and you don't want to hear what (apologies!) may sound like preaching... please SKIP MY POST.

Titegroup is a horrendous powder for magnum revolver round -MOST- of the time. If what you seek is an extremely tame, target, low velocity round in a magnum revolver, Titegroup does a fine job, it actually does a really good job because Titegroup doesn't care at all about all of the empty space inside the large case where other powders often act really wacky in the same situation.

But to the larger point... Titegroup is a horrendous idea in any kind of a magnum revolver round if your goal is to make typical, normal-for-caliber magnum ammo. BAD BAD BAD, because it burns far too quickly, the pressure peaks far too early and you get absolutely all of these attributes rolled in to every round:

--won't give you the velocity you expect, or is standard for the round
--won't feel like a typical round
--won't sound like a typical round
--won't recoil like a typical round
--WILL GIVE AS MUCH/MORE PEAK PRESSURE as a typical round

..you will save literally a penny or two in the cost of powder and a low charge weight, but you will be using one of the absolute best powders possibly ever made for blowing up a handgun with a double or triple charge, which easily fit in to any magnum revolver round when you use Titegroup.

I use Titegroup to make an 870 fps load with a 240gr cast LSWC in .44 Magnum, a target load that is a *****cat to shoot and would never be mistaken for a proper, "normal" .44 Mag load. It's literally -500- fps slower than a full .44 Mag load I build with AA#9. In this role, Titegroup works very well.

If you wish to make proper .357 Magnum ammo that is typical for .357 Magnum, use Alliant 2400 or AA39 or H110 or 300-MP or a laundry list of other, better, slower burning powders. If you wish to make a normal, full-spec .357 Magnum load, don't use AA#2 or Bullseye or Red Dot or 700X or especially... Titegroup.

I have found that a fast burning powder in a magnum load gives a sharp, painful recoil. My favorite magnum powders for .357 and .44 are - H4227, WW296/H110, Alliant Blue Dot. All these give good accuracy and moderate recoil.

It will make a very pleasant gallery round for punching paper. If you enjoy 200+ round shooting sessions like I do, you will like the results of fast powder in the magnum case with the your described bullets. If you ever decide to go to plated, you be shocked how clean your gun is after a couple hundred round with Titegroup.

If you are loading .357 to the same specs as a .38 Titegroup is a good powder. You can get into the warm range with it, but that will be near max charge. Though you CAN do something doesn't mean you should

Fast burning does not make a powder bad. What is BAD is not being extra careful not to double load a cartridge with powder. It will blow your gun to smithereens.


PS: If I get higher with a fast powder load I weigh every charge.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I use Titegroup for both .38 special AND .357 but do not load them to maximum. I find recoil is not bad and there have been no downsides in the 15 years I've been doing this.

Truthfully, I do not shoot that many Magnum loads and so it does not pay for me to start with another powder just for a few hundred or so a year. The Titegroup works perfectly fine for my purposes. If I were to shoot thousands of Mag's a year I might seek out a different powder - maybe.....

I have used TG with 18 hard SWC's coated and uncoated and they shoot well in many revolvers. Generally speaking, between 4 and 5 grains you will find a very accurate load. In my experience 6" and shorter barrels like 4.5 grains and 8 3/8" barrels liked 5 grain. All loadings were with a standard primer.

Thanks! 4.5 grs seems to be ideal.

__________________
S&W M60-15 Pro 3", M69 2.7"