357 load help

Dakota Bones

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Hi again . Well I thought I would try again to find a load for the components I have on hand. Here is what I have . I shoot S&W 686 with 6” barrel. Have 2# Blue Dot powder,WSPM primers, and 1000- 158 grain swc .358 dia. with a 18 brinell from Missouri Bullet Co. Saw where one guy was using 11gr. Of Blue Dot for them said they 1308 fps. Does this seam hot for that bullet. Have three load manuals and no load for blue dot and this bullet. Any help would be appreciated.
 
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Hi again . Well I thought I would try again to find a load for the components I have on hand. Here is what I have . I shoot S&W 686 with 6” barrel. Have 2# Blue Dot powder,WSPM primers, and 1000- 158 grain swc .358 dia. with a 18 brinell from Missouri Bullet Co. Saw where one guy was using 11gr. Of Blue Dot for them said they 1308 fps. Does this seam hot for that bullet. Have three load manuals and no load for blue dot and this bullet. Any help would be appreciated.
 
If you will click on my name and send me an email I will send you a data page from Hercules/ Alliant that lists Blue Dot loads. It lists a 158gr LRN as well as other loads for that powder. I personally shoot 10 grains of BD with a 158LSWC which will produce 1100fps in a 4" barrel. You will of course work up to the load using all due caution.
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I have the data page all ready in the computer. If you are on dial up let me know so I can resize for faster downloading. Bruce
 
You really need to work up your loads and using Alliants data or more conservative data is especially important when using a WSPM primers as its about the hottest pistol primer made and will drive pressures well beyond what you see if using CCI and other less potent primers.

Alliant listed 10.3grs of Blue Dot as max with a 158gr LSWC, Lyman lists 10.9grs with their 158gr RN #358311, 10.5 with the 155gr SWC #358156, and 10.8gr with the 150gr SWC #358477. As you can see 11.0grs would be at absolute maximum for a lead bullet.

Its best to use Alliants data as they're relatively conservative. A start load of 9.3 grs would be your 10% reduction. I'd load one box of 50 shells with 10 rounds at each of the following loadings (9.3, 9.6, 9.8, 10.0 and 10.2). Label and keep like charges together and head for the range. Shoot the rounds for accuracy and over the chrono if you have one going from start to max of course. STOP if pressure signs appear and pull any heavier loads. Check for leading after each batch too.

Approach 11.0grs at your own risk.
 
IMO and experience, if you push that bullet much more than 1100 fps it will likely lead the bore.

Noah
 
I have been more fortunate than Noah in this area as I have driven my own cast bullets to almost 1600fps in this caliber without any leading at all. They aren't gas checked either.

Proper size, hardness and pressure are the key factors to accomplishing this though.

That being said, I have had some serious leading problems with commercially cast bullets even at 800fps!

Not a big fan of Blue Dot. Used it in 357mag years ago and did a stupid thing back then. Ran it over a chronograph. The results I got from that session swore me off of that powder forever. It was a little cold out, loaded near maximum. BAD COMBINATION!

FWIW
 
Originally posted by smith crazy:
. . . I have driven my own cast bullets to almost 1600fps in this caliber without any leading at all. They aren't gas checked either.

Proper size, hardness and pressure are the key factors to accomplishing this though.

That being said, I have had some serious leading problems with commercially cast bullets even at 800fps! . . .

My experience with personally-cast bullets mirrors that of yours, Crazy. It's the commercially cast and swaged bullets that have been problematic for me, starting in the late 70s with Speer and Alberts swaged lead bullets, and cast bullets from Penn Bullet and National Bullet Co. I had significant leading problems until I found the right powder and load, and finally resorted to using wax gas checks from CF Ventures. However, I was able to stoke my own cast bullets significantly higher than the commercial bullets I purchased.

Noah
 
I have been using 158 gr. jacketed SWC for 15 years.
I have been using 11.6 gr. of blue dot with zero problems noted shooting primarily a 686.
 
Smith Crazy Please tell me about Blue dot and cold weather. I live in North Dakota and I take the 686 with out Deer hunting and it is cold that time of year.
 
Well, Dakota, I don't want to promulgate an urban legend so I am looking for official information on this subject. Suffice it to say, for the time being that MANY re-loaders know about this issue and Blue Dot.

Some have experienced it for themselves at temperatures as high as 20*F.

At this time I will not say that it is a "fact" but that information will have to wait. Fortunately for us, cold weather is about over, along with hunting season!
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I will get back to you.
 
Skip,

When I talked with Alliant, I was told cold weather means 0 degrees F or lower to cause pressure problems with Blue Dot.

As far as I know, it's only been down to 0 one time here in east Texas.
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I know sources that I consider reliable that have had pressure spike issues with Bluedot at temps as high as low 20s.
 

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