Recent content by Snobal

4227 is my favorite powder for .41 and .44 mag with cast bullets. With my chronograph, I've found more difference between lots of either IMR 4227 or H 4227 than between brands. In .41 Mag, I used bullets cast of wheel-weight lead with about 5% added tin from a RCBS 210 grain SWC mould. I set...

What size groups do you expect from a revolver at 25 yards? I use 3.3 grains of Bullseye powder in .357 Mag cases (to avoid the .38 case lead ring) with 148 grain BBWC bullets from an RCBS mold for a target load at our Bullseye Matches. This load typically produces 6-shot groups around 2" (or...

I carry a 638 airweight and it ain't no fun to shoot. Only carry it because it disappears into my jeans pocket year-around. On the other hand, I have a 3" SP101 that is a hoot to shoot --- but a tad heavy for daily CCW. My old loading manuals caution against loading anything above basic .38...

I believe that HP-38 and Win 231 are the same powder. I've been wanting the try either one to compare to my "pet" 357 Mag target load with Bullseye powder and my cast BBWC bullets from an RCBS 148 Grain BBWC mold. Last week I tried 3.4, 3.6, and 3.8 grains of HP-38 with my cast bullets and got...

I do count reloads on brass. With one lot of 50 Starline .357 Mag cases, I got the first split neck at reloading #31. With another lot of 50 .357 Mag Starline cases, the first split neck happened at reloading #25. I'm still reloading both lots and retiring the cases with split necks. The...

I really like Unique.... ...but I've always had the best groups with Unique when at the max. load. Bullseye groups better for me when I'm looking for reduced velocities. JMHO - YRMV

I'm doing a "test" on .357 Mag Starline brass. I have one batch of 50 that is on loading #41. I've lost 6 cases of the original 50 due to split necks. I shot those six cases for a "group," and they did just fine. I really don't know why all my reloading manuals say to discard cases with...

I've been shooting Speer and Hornady 148 Gr. HBWC bullets with Bullseye powder in my S&W Model 14 since I got it new in about 1970. The gun shoots very well with the "standard" target loads. However.... Once I started casting my own BBWC bullets (and playing around with sizing, alloy, and...

Get the 57! I have never been able to afford to shoot any of my guns at the price of factory ammo, so I have been reloading since the 1960's. Not much difference in the price of "home-made" ammo between the two calibers. In the 1970's, I shot over 30,000 rounds of cast bullets from my nickle...

I found a very dirty, beat up, and homeless 6" S&W Model 66 (no dash) last month.:( From the looks of it, that poor baby had been fed a diet of lead .38 Specials and "poor nutrition" combined with a life banging around some-one's car seat added to the pathetic condition.:eek: It now has a...

I have used CCI small pistol standard primers since the early 1970's and never once had a fail to fire (FTF)..... ....until last fall when I got a brick of one lot of CCI primers that appeared to be made with small rifle primer parts.....those suckers were "hard as a rock!" ...I have uses my...

As I remember....(and I'm getting old)... S&W has at least three (3) heights of rear sight blades for K-frames. A shorter blade (or whatever you call it) will lower your Point of Impact (POI) versus Point of Aim (POA). I recently found a Model 66 (no dash) and it shoots high at 25 yards with...

I found a "no dash" Model 66 last week and have since put over 200 rounds of my favorite .357 cast bullet target load through it. Shooting from sandbags, my target load with BBWC wheel-weight bullets from my old RCBS mold is averaging 6-shot groups of less that 2" from sandbags at 25 yards...

I life in the desert North/West portion of Arizona. The name "Snobal" was the name of a motorcycle I had when I lived near Lake Tahoe in Nevada --- got caught in a blizzard on the way home from the dealer on the day I purchased that bike. The "new to me" Model 66 has a 6" barrel. I use .357...

Good Afternoon! Just logged on to this site to see what I could learn about old S&W revolvers. My wife and I both shoot and truly enjoy the fellowship at the local, twice-a-month Bullseye matches. We both used to hunt, but now just shoot targets with our revolvers. My wife has one...