Another 357 reloading thread.

[ShowMePro]

I do the 12.5 grain of 2400 with 158 grain Berrys pills. Great mid-level round, so satisfying to shoot in my Smiths.

 

[M29since14]

I’ve used 13.0 grains 2400 for years now, but am just about out of 2400 and would like to buy more. Encouraging tidbit about some wholesale-retail outlets getting shipments. I would be a buyer IF the price is reasonable.

Re the small rifle primers. I have used them in .38 Super for a long time and don’t recall any problems of any sort, including failures to fire. Presume they would work similarly in .357 but have no experience in that area. Presumptions don’t count for much. Always best to reduce a bit and work back up after any change.

 

[Law-dog]

I realize this is a little OT but if I wanted to try those loads, do you know of some place that I could buy Unique?

Unique is back in production. I just got a notice from Midway but they sold out before I could reply. Other places are said to be getting it again.

 

[Law-dog]

I reload for 357 handguns with barrels of 2.5, 3, 4 , 6.5, 16.5, 18, 18.5 and 20 inches. We have 4 Marlin and Rossi lever guns in the family, so we have lots of shooting in 357.

With jacketed bullets, I load the Rem 125, the Hornady 140 and the 158 grain bullet. A few years ago I found a great load for the handguns I like really, really well, not full power but far above the 38s.

It is simply 7.5 grains of Unique that gets 1,125 fps at the muzzle in 4 inch barrel. It is over 400 foot pounds, not the 535 fpe of full power loads but right up there with most 40 SW and hotter than most 9mm Plus P. and even the 45 acp.

The data looks like this.




These are pleasant in a 4 inch gun and not bad in my 3 inch model 36. Certainly not wimpy but I cannot enjoy that 24 ounce gun very long with factory 158 grain ammo, which goes 1,205 fps in it.

I am now trying to duplicate that load since I cannot fine Unique or Universal, I hope to duplicate that load with CFE Pistol, W244 or HS 6 or the Alliant BE 86.

If you look at the Alliant site, they show 7.7 grains as a max load with Unique, surprising to me. Here is their chart. Certainly slower than my testing and they use a 6 inch barrel.



Alliant also tells us that their powder BE 86 is the replacement for Unique. Again their chart and it shows nearly an identical load and velocity for the 158 grain JHP. I note that they claim 1,156 fps with a lead bullet and 8.1 grains of powder which would bump the power up to 469 fpe. I may try that one but that is more power than I want for plinking, so probably will drop down from the 8.1 grains to the 7.5 grains and try to duplicate the load that I like so well. Even down under the speed of sound to maybe 1,100 fps would be fine by me.






Hope this helps. I have loaded lots of them since about 1972, and like this 1,125 fps load better than any for general use.

YMMV

 

[shootnduck]

Since Alliant was bought by the Cezh company, not seeing very much Alliant products in my area shops. Read that Hodgdon is acting as agent for Alliant. Have no idea if new owner of Alliant will return the products to the shelves here in US. The govt should have never okayed the sale in the first place. Just my opinion.

 

[sniper]

Current production AA#5 and HS6 confirmed last year by Hogdon to be the same powder now. Not to be confused with the older lots of AA#5 though.
BE-86 per weight is almost a perfect replacement for Unique. Longshot works though for slightly heavier loads very well. I'm loading cast bullets in my 35-55 with the Longshot.

Source? I have two pounds of AA #5, One older one and one newer. I have heard that H6 is finiky and needs Magnum primers. I guess that presupposes all new data is required for the new formulation?

 

[Chuck Edwards]

I don't have the nostalgic attachment to Unique that others have. I've switched to BE-86 for everything I used to use Unique for. Hodgdon's CFE-P also works well.

I went through most of a case of small rifle primers loading 9x19 during the Covid-induced primer shortage, and they worked fine. I haven't tried them in revolvers.

 

[rockquarry]

Source? I have two pounds of AA #5, One older one and one newer. I have heard that H6 is finiky and needs Magnum primers. I guess that presupposes all new data is required for the new formulation?

I've tried HS-6 with standard CCI-500s and magnum CCI-550s in .357 (probably other cartridges, but I'd have to look up old notes). Velocity and accuracy virtually unchanged between primer types. I recall that it was a better .38 Special powder than a .357 powder; a bit fast for .357 use. For me, HS-6 is a "niche" (limited use?) powder. After going through an 8lb. keg, I decided no more for me. I developed some accurate loads with HS-6, but not many in comparison with other powders; far more mediocre to poor loads.

One hears or reads that HS-6 works best at heavier/near maximum levels. That may be true sometimes, but of the few accurate loads I developed with this powder, a number of them were closer to moderate than near max. All my HS-6 handloads have been with my own cast bullets. Maybe this powder performs better with jacketed bullets, but I doubt that.

 

[The Norseman]

From previous post above. Well I reloaded
10rds 357S&W Mag with CCI #400 Small
Rifle Primers (SRP). I’ll try them next time out
practicing and also Chronograph them.

 

[1lnbrdg]

Source? I have two pounds of AA #5, One older one and one newer. I have heard that H6 is finiky and needs Magnum primers. I guess that presupposes all new data is required for the new formulation?

Give Hodgdon a call.

 

[sniper]

Give Hodgdon a call.

I did, and got the answer that all current loading data could be used.

 

[1lnbrdg]

I've tried HS-6 with standard CCI-500s and magnum CCI-550s in .357 (probably other cartridges, but I'd have to look up old notes). Velocity and accuracy virtually unchanged between primer types. I recall that it was a better .38 Special powder than a .357 powder; a bit fast for .357 use. For me, HS-6 is a "niche" (limited use?) powder. After going through an 8lb. keg, I decided no more for me. I developed some accurate loads with HS-6, but not many in comparison with other powders; far more mediocre to poor loads.

One hears or reads that HS-6 works best at heavier/near maximum levels. That may be true sometimes, but of the few accurate loads I developed with this powder, a number of them were closer to moderate than near max. All my HS-6 handloads have been with my own cast bullets. Maybe this powder performs better with jacketed bullets, but I doubt that.

HS6 works great for .38 Special+P loadings. In our bowling pin matches we're limited to non-magnum loadings so my .38s are about as spicy I I can get them to shoot accurately. Very good with the 170gr bullets. It doesn't shoot nearly as well with 150gr and lighter bullets but pretty decent with the 158s.

 

[Nevada Ed]

That's certainly interesting if true. Again, if true, I wonder how much difference there was in the two powders some years ago?

I have found that Unique and BE-86 are different in FPS as well as volume amounts,
that can be used in the little 9mm case.
Bullet seating depths and weights MUST be accounted for, to keep the loads pressures safe.
A LOT more BE-86 will fit into the 9mm case.
Use correct Data.

 

[The Norseman]

Continuation and conclusion from post #39

I got a chance after doing chores with the
sun almost gone to try out my June 2025
S&W 686 Mountain Gun with 4/10 of my
reloaded 357mags with CCI Small Rifle primers.

Single Action and Double Action worked just
fine. Firing Pin indentions deep enough to
fire Sm Rifle primers.

Unfortunately I was not able to chronograph
my new reloads.

Thanks for reading my post.