My 357 mag Bowling pin loads

[Skeptic 9c]

Back many years ago when I shot pins I used 145 gr. Silver Tips in .357 magnum. (Yes, I'm old.) .38 Special just bounced off the pins even with a perfect hit. I used the old Blazer 200 gr flying ashtrays in .45 ACP. PO'd the admins who collected the brass I suspect.
Geoff
Who had to give up competition when his knee went, now my eyes are giving problems even after cataract surgery...sigh.

 

[m657]

had to give up competition when his knee went, now my eyes are giving problems even after cataract surgery...sigh.

understand.....my cataract surgery gave plenty improved vision but didn't do anything to speed me up on the firing line....drat!!!

 

[nachogrande]

NOPE!

nacho: guess you disagree with reply #11 where that quote originated;

the use of the falling stop plates was somebody's excellent realization timer isn't necessary for the type of match the local pin director wanted; plate is about 3-4" diameter on a ground level stand; sitting side by side, not parallel but aimed to cross the path of the other; with very close times the one that hits the bottom first is the judged the winner of that stage. If it seems a 'tie' the one on top is judged slower and heads for the double elimination loser board. Go slow twice you're out.

No matter what size magazine, only 6 per round are loaded. And yes, if you have to shoot at one twice regardless of the reason, it's likely you're going home early.

I've seen plenty of accurate 9s & 38 shooters that were not hot loads, continue to the last few brackets.

The only thing I disagree with, is the NEED for hyper velocity and a high PF. Actually hitting the pin matters most, IMO. The rest is just differences in how one plays the game. If you are having fun, how "wrong" can it be? I like timers cuz they are impartial, give you an actual numerical speed/time vs "you were slower/faster than the other guy. If everyone is paying the same amount of $ to play, IMO all should get the same amount of trigger time. I'm NOT SAYING my clubs way is better or worse than anothers, just that the best & worst shooters get the same chances to shoot at the same # of tables. It is more fun/inviting & tends to attract more people to give it a try, as it is not intimidating to beginners or experienced players.

 

[RGVshooter]

With the way how we do pin matches down here we just load 6 rounds, set up 5 pins, no time limit. No stopwatch, no buzzer. All we have is a RO that gives out the command to "load & make ready", "shooter on the ___ ready?" "shooter on the ___ are you ready?" "shooters......Fire!"


Then it's whoever clears the most pins. If there's a tie, then the pins stay and we load up another 6 rounds and at the start it's "sudden death".


But remember guys. We stagger the pins. I mean we cut the top 6" off the pins and stagger them, 3 pin bodies, and two pin tops. At 15-17 yards. it's not as easy as one would think. To shoot at a 6" tall by 2" wide target at 45 feet with full power 357 magnum with only a few tries. I've been doing this for years with a revolver and yes, on a good day i can clear the table.

Here's a photo of one of my 148 grain 38 special wadcutter loaded up with 2.7gr Titegroup. The point is, try to find a balance of knock down power and good recoil management for a quick and accurate follow up shot. By the way, I took this shot at 45' with a 4" heavy barrel model 10-8. (yes, this pin went flying 3' behind the table) lol

 

[BigBill]

I tested reloads in my '75 colt Python and the best reload I came up with for pin point accuracy was the 140gr Speer jhp using 2400 powder.

 

[RGVshooter]

Fast forward to June 2018 and to date my favorite 357 load has been using Berry's 158gr plated flat point bullets, 13.9gr H110, winchester small pistol magnum primers or CCI 550 and a COL of 1.590". Chrono'd at a 5 shot average of 1136fps.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

Just picked up 500# of those Berry's...

Fast forward to June 2018 and to date my favorite 357 load has been using Berry's 158gr plated flat point bullets, 13.9gr H110, winchester small pistol magnum primers or CCI 550 and a COL of 1.590". Chrono'd at a 5 shot average of 1136fps.

Still trying to figure this out: wondering whether the 6.8gr of AutoComp you graciously recommended for a 158gr (on your post from 4/10) doesn't get us to the approximately 1,100fps but by using 1/2 as much powder?

Half as much (by weight) of any powder for the same basic result doubles the number of loads per lb. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the published reduced load warning as they apply to the 296/H110 twins. What is the advantage of using one of them over the other more... "Economical"(?) powder choices?

I'm not trying to be argumentative in the slightest degree: both powders meter pretty much the same, so it is not a "ball vs. flake (800-X)" choice... I guess there's the "dirty vs. clean" question, but my experience is they both burn a lot the same in other loadings.

I truly appreciate the value of those more experienced on this forum.

Cheers!