Loads for Model 52-2

[Al W.]

Howdy,
I've been loading for 38sp.
My model 14 likes 148gr HBWC over 2.7 gr of BE.
No surprises there. Works good. No complaints.
I picked up a model 52-2 that I like a lot and have been shooting the same Hornady or Speer 148 HBWC and the same 2.7 gr of BE and a flush set bullet.
So far so good, but I have a few pounds of Sport Pistol down in the loading room and wonder if any of you guys have experimented with the Alliant Sport Pistol yet.
Any one have any ideas on powder charge for the Sport Pistol.
From what I've read so far it seems to be about the same as BE, though its said to burn cleaner.
Any ideas on this guys ?
Model 52 and some Sport Pistol... And lets not forget my Model 14.

 

[Rule3]

From Alliant it appears the max charge is the same as your Bullseye charge,

Alliant Powder - Reloader's Guide

38 Special 148 gr Speer HBWC Speer 1.155 6 Fed 100 Sport Pistol 2.7 701

 

[Al W.]

From Alliant it appears the max charge is the same as your Bullseye charge,

Alliant Powder - Reloader's Guide

38 Special 148 gr Speer HBWC Speer 1.155 6 Fed 100 Sport Pistol 2.7 701

Yes thats what I thought too, which is good news from my point of view.
I checked the Alliant guide you linked to and it suggests 3.1 for BE and 2.7 for SP. Those are supposed to be max loads . If they give 3.1 as a reference for BE and I'm loading it at 2.7 thats .04 gr less . So I suppose I would find through experimentation that the equivalent load of SP would be .04 lower which would give me a 2.3 gr charge. Or something like that . Guess I could start at 2.3 and work up to 2.7 and see how it goes. The data suggests that the Sport Pistol is somewhat faster burning ?

 

[Rule3]

I have never used Sport Pistol so can not give any direct info.

Per Alliant the start weight would be 2.43 gr with the 148 DWC
So I would go with 2.4 or 2.5 either is pretty insignificant,
(.90% of 2.7)

Without testing on a chrono, impossible to tell.

The differance between the BE and SP is 0.4 grains max load.
The velocity of BE load is 98 fps more from a 6 inch barrel

To me it is tomato, tamato.

 

[ontargetagain]

I have a 52-2 as of recent. I have been loading Sport Pistol at 2.6-2.7 and it is softer load than Bullseye 2.7-2.8 but cycles my gun just fine. Very clean shooting powder too. The rating at 2.7gr was 705fps from Alliant.
I am going to likely stay with Sport Pistol @ 2.7gr for my Hornady HBWC's unless I begin to see erratic patterns which so far I have not.

I really have taken a liking to Sport Pistol!
Karl

 

[Sevens]

Wow, I have never heard of this powder!

It's curious how we have heard rumblings in recent years that some of our older favorite powders will be or might be taken out of production... (but we haven't actually seen that happen) meanwhile, they do keep adding new powders to the market.

For a specific, if someone asks, the Australian maker (ADI) of the powder that is (was) imported by Hodgdon and packaged/sold under the name Universal Clays was the subject of a press release that stated they would eventually end production of it because they felt that the process created some manner of by-product or pollution that they no longer wanted to deal with, they actually stated in a release that they would reduce productions and ultimately phase it out. And what did we eventually see...? Hodgdon continues to offer Universal Clays but now the stuff is manufactured in Canada.

 

[Al W.]

I was chatting with a fellow at the range today.
A master shooter and very experienced loader.
He thought that in his experience with SP vs BE that SP would be the lighter charge.
That seems confirmed by some of the data shared in the thread, though some of that data also seems to indicate that they are roughly equivalent .
Might be that I'll start at 2.4 and work up to 2.7 and see what I get.
Meanwhile I have a few hundred rounds loaded with 2.7 BE to shoot.
Thanks for the input.