Re-loading for new 357 toys

[Univibe]

I'm with BB57.

I load up a 158 grain hardcast to around 1000 or 1050 fps. More than a .38, less than a full power magnum. It's accurate, fun to shoot, and will do most anything you want to do.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

38SuperMan: OK, please tell me those "124 gr XTP's" were really...

I’ve been trying XTP 124gn hollow points. They were on sale pretty cheap so I bought 3 boxes to play with.

I picked up a bottle of H110 yesterday and thought I’d see what a heavier load was like. I loaded 21 grains under the 124 xtp and took 7 rounds to the range just to get a feel for them.

First, I’m in my 70’s and getting pretty arthritic and like lighter loads. I’m not super sensitive to recoil but don’t think I’d want to shoot these loads all day and certainly wouldn’t want to shoot them in a revolver. Second, in informal shooting I think
They were pretty accurate but only shooting from a rest will tell. Third, they shot very clean.

If I were a hunter this might be the right powder but I’m just too lazy to hunt. This old dog don’t hunt.

Back to my HS-6 or CFE Pistol and 158 JHP’s and coated 158 RNFP Acmes.

...just a typo and actually were 125 gr .357" XTP's loaded for your Henry.

Please! 21gr of 110 won't fit in a 9mm or even a 38 SUPER(MAN?) case!

Cheers!

P.S. Interesting that Hodgdons shows that 21gr as a start load for pistol and rifle both.

P.P.S. As of April I'm now in my 70's as well: 69 on the 28th!

 

[STORMINORMAN]

colt_ssa: I tried to edit to only the Model 19 pic, but...

I happen to LOVE H110. I have burned through probably close to 200 pounds by now between the 357 Magnum and the 41 Magnum.

In the 357 Magnum, I push it to the MAX. 16.7 grains under a Winchester 158 JHP with a Winchester magnum primer. I also like to load these into nickel cases where the target loads I put into brass.

This load will have acceptable velocity in the snubby, but with a rather loud, deep, throaty bark and huge orange fireball. My shooting buddy used to call this load out of our 2 1/2" Model 19s "The Attention Getter"

It will really shine out of your Big Boy with much less bark and flash

Just make sure that you start 10% lower and work your way up with your component mix in your firearm



For the mid/light load, I use 150-158 grain hard cast SWCs over 6 grains of unique and a standard primer. This is what I plink with



The only thing that I load lighter than that is my HBWCs, but that is hardly a plinking bullet. Soft swagged HBWCs are expensive when you can find them.

I believe I have that exact same Model 19 in 1/2": is yours a -3, by chance? How do you describe the bluing on yours?

Was that by chance a Police Service Weapon at one time?

I love mine: with a companion Model 66-1 in 4" I find them both shooting to almost the same impact points at the range with all but the hottest loads.

Cheers!

 

[colt_saa]

I believe I have that exact same Model 19 in 1/2": is yours a -3, by chance? How do you describe the bluing on yours?

Was that by chance a Police Service Weapon at one time?

I love mine: with a companion Model 66-1 in 4" I find them both shooting to almost the same impact points at the range with all but the hottest loads.

Cheers!

Yes, it is a -3 engineering revision. The blue on mine is very good. Nice and bright

This revolver was never a LEO gun, at least nit until it came to me

However, my stepfather bought it new in 1977 at the local Police Supply outlet in Merritt Island Florida. The invoice is still in the original box. The head of KSC Security took him over there and told him what to get

I doubt that Arnold put 2 boxes of ammunition through it.

When I got it, I put the Hogue LE grips on it and I have easily put ten times as much ammunition through it. I often wear it in a Galco holster when doing classes

I have 4 snubby 66s at the moment, one being a older 3" and another being an F-Comp, plus several longer barreled 66s. In the K frame 357s I only shoot the snubbies these days.

If I am going to shoot a longer barrel 357, it is usually an N-frame or the BIG Dan Wesson SuperMag

 

[DeplorabusUnum]

Range Report

So we finally made it to the range on Monday. My bride LOVED her new revolver. Thanks for all the shared information on good loads.
I started her out with some 38 sp. loads of 148 gr LWC over 2.8 gr of WST. Nice mild load with little felt recoil and good accuracy. She got better fast.

Next load was 357 brass with 6.6 gr of Unique under 158 gr Hornady XTP. Noticeable increase in felt recoil, but nothing intimidating for her. She was very accurate and was hitting the 8 inch metal target at 25 yards 8-9 times out of 10. She really liked this load.

Finally we got to the flame thrower. 16.5 gr H110 under the same ogive. Impressive power. She handled it fine, but she won't be wanting a steady diet of those loads. She was impressed by the power of her new pistol.

We made a couple videos, but they are in .mov format and everything crashed when I tried to upload it. If I figure out how to convert it, I'll come back and post.

Thanks for all the good suggestions. We'll be trying lots of your other favorite loads in the future, and I think we'll be doing a lot more pistol shooting than we used to. Maybe I'll get the chrono out there and get some muzzle velocity numbers as well.

Thanks again, and happy shootin'

 

[stansdds]

So we finally made it to the range on Monday. My bride LOVED her new revolver. Thanks for all the shared information on good loads.
I started her out with some 38 sp. loads of 148 gr LWC over 2.8 gr of WST. Nice mild load with little felt recoil and good accuracy. She got better fast.

Next load was 357 brass with 6.6 gr of Unique under 158 gr Hornady XTP. Noticeable increase in felt recoil, but nothing intimidating for her. She was very accurate and was hitting the 8 inch metal target at 25 yards 8-9 times out of 10. She really liked this load.

Finally we got to the flame thrower. 16.5 gr H110 under the same ogive. Impressive power. She handled it fine, but she won't be wanting a steady diet of those loads. She was impressed by the power of her new pistol.

We made a couple videos, but they are in .mov format and everything crashed when I tried to upload it. If I figure out how to convert it, I'll come back and post.

Thanks for all the good suggestions. We'll be trying lots of your other favorite loads in the future, and I think we'll be doing a lot more pistol shooting than we used to. Maybe I'll get the chrono out there and get some muzzle velocity numbers as well.

Thanks again, and happy shootin'

Outstanding! Definitely invest in a chronograph, I find it to be a fantastic tool in developing handloads.

 

[DeplorabusUnum]

Outstanding! Definitely invest in a chronograph, I find it to be a fantastic tool in developing handloads.

I have a chrono, I just typically don't set it up when my wife and I are plinking. I'm definitely going to get some numbers on these loads though. I'm anxious to compare velocities and see how they correlate with recoil.

 

[DeplorabusUnum]

Oh, I almost forgot. Our second load before the Unique 357 load was a 357 load of 4.5 gr Trail Boss under the 148 gr LWC. That load was accurate, and you could shoot it all day long. Very manageable recoil, and very little drop from 10 yard range to the 25 yard range. She was hitting that steel plate at will.

About the flame thrower video. Can't post videos here I'm told, but you can post a link, so here is a link to my wife shooting her flame thrower (in slow motion for effect). Turn up the sound you can hear it hit the steel target. Take a big whiff as well. Smells like freedom! :

Box

Happy shootin' all

 

[stansdds]

Yep, watched the video and that's classic, flame throwing, high blast, clears people from either side of you on the firing line H110/W296.

 

[DeplorabusUnum]

Chrono Data

Went out yesterday and chromo'd the loads

38 Sp. loads
1) 2.8 gr WST under 148 gr LWC
597 617 686 676 657
2) 3.6 gr WST under 148 gr Berry's plated 148 gr HBWC
734 735 733 717 720

.357 loads
1) 4.5 gr TB under 148 gr LWC
798 779 750 790 777
2) 6.6 gr Unique under 158 gr. Hornady XTP
908 908 904 928 911
3) 16.5 gr H110 under 158 gr. Hornady XTP
XXX 989 XXX 1055 XXX
Trouble with chrono at this point. Tried another string, no better

Just for fun, chrono'd the last load in the Henry rifle
1594 1681 1705 1683 1696

The Trail Boss 357 round is fun to shoot and accurate as well out to 25 yards. The Unique rounds are very accurate and a little more punch.

Big surprise of the day: I really like the 3.6 WST load with the 148 gr Berry's plated HBWC. Someone on another forum said it was his competition load for 38 Sp rounds, so I thought I'd give it a try. Very consistent, accurate and very pleasant to shoot.

Happy shootin'

 

[stansdds]

I'd say that the chronograph was too close to the muzzle with the revolver and H110 ammo. H110/W296 produce one heck of a blast, lots of flash, and hot, burning powder may still be exiting the muzzle and following the bullet. The blast and powder can confuse a chronograph. I always put my Shooting Chrony 15 feet from the muzzle with this powder. With any of the faster burning powders, I can put the chrono 10 feet from the muzzle and not have any problems.

 

[DeplorabusUnum]

I'd say that the chronograph was too close to the muzzle with the revolver and H110 ammo. H110/W296 produce one heck of a blast, lots of flash, and hot, burning powder may still be exiting the muzzle and following the bullet. The blast and powder can confuse a chronograph. I always put my Shooting Chrony 15 feet from the muzzle with this powder. With any of the faster burning powders, I can put the chrono 10 feet from the muzzle and not have any problems.

Thanks, that's probably it because I was about ten feet away. DOH!!!