S&W Highway Patrolman ONLY loads

[Doug.38PR]

Are there hot .357 Magnum loads that you would put through your Highway Patrolman (or N frame in general) that you would NEVER even think about putting through your J, K or even L frame?

In other words, how tough is the N frame? (I can't think of a L or K frame that can take .44 Magnum loads)

 

[bdriller]

I used to load some 125gr jfp with 17.5 grains of 2400 behind them in the early 90s for a gentleman that shot a mod.27 with a 6" barrel, he love the load,I shot some I found when I was cleaning out a box this summer and fired them out of my mod.60 with a 3" barrel and it was a bone crushing experience. Probably not very good for the 60 but the 27 did not seem to care

 

[Old Corp]

Don't have access to my old notes, but back in the '70's I shot some stoopid-hot loads in a 6" M28. I was young, dumb and determined to make it bark like a .44 through nuclear handloads.
It never missed a beat.
Wouldn't do it now.

 

[mkk41]

Factory or handload?

The short-lived .357 Rem Maximum showed that driving a .38cal bullet any faster creates more problems than it's worth.

The loads I shoot thru my 5-screw HP and 27-2 are the same loads I put thru my Python for many years. A Lyman #358429 over 10grs of Blue Dot or 13grs of 2400.


A friend bought a .357 Redhawk the same time I bought my .41. Now that thing is thick!

 

[JP@AK]

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, I used to shoot a load in my 4" Model 28-2s comprised of a 140 grain jacketed hollow point pushed by 15 grains of (then) Hercules 2400. The chrono showed it at just over 1100 fps. I also used a load of 19 grains of Hercules 2400 behind a 110 grain Sierra JHP, which showed a velocity of more than 1520. Neither of these loads seemed to stress the N frame revolver. I don't recall if I ever experimented with anything heavier than those loads. But these were easily acceptable to the Highway Patrolman revolvers. Several hundred rounds of each of these loads were fired back then.
I don't shoot .357 Magnums much any more, but when I do the old N frames process them without a whimper.
Jack

 

[JP@AK]

Looking at more notes, I found another load I used, comprised of a Speer 146 grain jacketed SWC, pushed by 8 grains of Unique. Speer shows that as a maximum load and my chrono notes show it producing around 1400 fps, on average. This may have been from a 6" barrel.
I also note, looking at the old Speer book, that the 140 grain JHP load with Hercules 2400 that I mentioned before was below the recommended maximum of 16.5 grains. I suspect I cut it off at 15 grains because I was seeing signs of high pressure. But I don't see any records of trying anything above 15.5, and I seem to have settled on 15. I was probably finding that to be the optimum for accuracy in the 4" revolver. But memory dims . . .
Jack

 

[Muley Gil]

Looking at more notes, I found another load I used, comprised of a Speer 146 grain jacketed SWC, pushed by 8 grains of Unique. Speer shows that as a maximum load and my chrono notes show it producing around 1400 fps, on average. This may have been from a 6" barrel.
I also note, looking at the old Speer book, that the 140 grain JHP load with Hercules 2400 that I mentioned before was below the recommended maximum of 16.5 grains. I suspect I cut it off at 15 grains because I was seeing signs of high pressure. But I don't see any records of trying anything above 15.5, and I seem to have settled on 15. I was probably finding that to be the optimum for accuracy in the 4" revolver. But memory dims . . .
Jack

I used to load that Speer half jacket bullet over 7.5 grains of Unique. That load would group 1"-1 1/2" at 25 yards out of a 6" M28.

 

[Gunhacker]

Factory or handload?

The short-lived .357 Rem Maximum showed that driving a .38cal bullet any faster creates more problems than it's worth.

The loads I shoot thru my 5-screw HP and 27-2 are the same loads I put thru my Python for many years. A Lyman #358429 over 10grs of Blue Dot or 13grs of 2400.


A friend bought a .357 Redhawk the same time I bought my .41. Now that thing is thick!

This L-Frame ad used to drive my cousin who was partial to DA Rugers up the proverbial wall, plus it didn't help that I started hiding those little foil packets of ketchup in his range bag after it came out.

He had a reload using a real stout charge of Hodgdon H110 that when fired from my M28-2, produced flattened primers with signs of firing pin cratering.

 

[JP@AK]

I used to load that Speer half jacket bullet over 7.5 grains of Unique. That load would group 1"-1 1/2" at 25 yards out of a 6" M28.

Yes. I recall it being quite accurate, even with half a grain more powder. Except for it being dirty, I always got pretty good results with Unique.
Jack

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

This L-Frame ad used to drive my cousin who was partial to DA Rugers up the proverbial wall, plus it didn't help that I started hiding those little foil packets of ketchup in his range bag after it came out.

He had a reload using a real stout charge of Hodgdon H110 that when fired from my M28-2, produced flattened primers with signs of firing pin cratering.

I remember that "Ruger Burger" add from back when.........Glad you posted it.

 

[loc n load]

M-28's

I have a 6" M-28 that I bought in 1975, it has logged over 40,000 rds of 357 magnum loads thru it since then.....most of them were 160 gr cast SWC's over 13.5 gr's of 2400( I got turned onto this load by the late Skeeter Skelton).....which is my "go to load" for everyday use in the 357 magnum....however it has also digested a good amount of 15. gr's of 2400 driving the same bullet and also a good amount of 16.5 gr's of 2400 driving the Speer 140 gr. bullet....I have harvested several large body whitetail deer with the 158 gr JHP over 15. of 2400. As long as you follow loading data from handloading manuals in the N frame, you are not going to hurt it. If you exceed the 357's limits it will manifest itself in flattened primers or cause the primer to "flow" back into the breech face and lock up the gun...trust me...I know. I have been shooting this one for 38 years, and it was with me on opening day of this deer season.

 

[Gunhacker]

I used to load that Speer half jacket bullet over 7.5 grains of Unique. That load would group 1"-1 1/2" at 25 yards out of a 6" M28.

7 - 8 grains of Unique seems to work in just about every thing. I've used it in a number of different caliber loadings such as .357, .45 Colt, .41 Mag, etc.

 

[bmcgilvray]

I've taken the Model 27 to 15.5 grains of 2400 with a 158 grain cast bullet. Didn't offer much more velocity than 15.0 grains when fired over the chronograph but primers were a bit flat. So, 15.0 it's been.

 

[colt_saa]

There are no 357 Magnum loads withing SAAMI specs that I would hesitate to shoot in any modern 357 Magnum revolver in good condition. That includes my J-frames through my N-frames.

If I wish to exceed the performance that SAAMI spec 357 Magnum ammunition gives me, I do not HOT load the 357 Magnum cartridge and then go shoot it.

I choose a cartridge with more performance. Perhaps the 357 Maximum or the 357/44 Bain and Davis or even the 357/45 Grizzly Winchester Magnum

 

[Joe Kent]

I very much enjoyed seeing the posts with the Burgers and Shakes being better thicker. I thought about our friend, Sherry Collins who was ad manager for Smith at that time. I always enjoyed her humor and thought she had some neat ideas. It took me back to our great times at the Masters Shooting Match in it's hayday.

 

[steamloco76]

The hottest load I ever used in my first S&W M-27-2 and Ruger GP-100 was a Speer 125gr JSP with 21gr of W296. That load had a ferocious, deafening muzzle blast! I mainly used it to drive other shooters away from me. The Ruger ate hundreds of that load with no issues. Today, I reserve W296 for .44 Magnum use and stick with Unique and 2400 for .357 Mag.

 

[Engineer1911]

To properly clear a congested out door range, shoot mil spec 223 Rem 55 gr ammo in a Remington XP-100 hand gun. The noise, flame, and muzzle blast is memorable. The annoying shooter without hearing protection left after the second shot.

 

[Doug.38PR]

The hottest load I ever used in my first S&W M-27-2 and Ruger GP-100 was a Speer 125gr JSP with 21gr of W296. That load had a ferocious, deafening muzzle blast! I mainly used it to drive other shooters away from me. The Ruger ate hundreds of that load with no issues. Today, I reserve W296 for .44 Magnum use and stick with Unique and 2400 for .357 Mag.

W296. Interesting. What kind of velocity (out of how long a barrel) did you get out of it?

 

[colt_saa]

W296. Interesting. What kind of velocity (out of how long a barrel) did you get out of it?

21.6 grains of H110 (same as 296) under a Winchester 125JHP has been a standard load of mine for decades. I can no longer account for how much of this powder I have used, it has to be around the 100 pound mark

I do not think I would call it ferocious. H110/296 does not go "bang" like most powders, it is a much deeper, longer, throatier "KaaaBOOOM" type of sound.

As to Velocities, the one time I measured then I had three firearms with me

3 1/2" Model 27 1315 FPS
8" Python 1599 FPS
20" 1892 2196 FPS

BTW, the beautiful orange Fireball that H110/296 produces is incredibly impressive out of a 2 1/2" model 19/66 or one of the 2 1/8" model 60/640s. One day I will chrono this load out of the snubbies.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

N frame tough?. NAAAAHHHH,

This is tough.

The N frame is blued. The Redhawk 357 Magnum is in stainless.

Look at the steel around holes. The N frame is not even in the same ballpark in terms of tough guns. Yes compared to an L or a K 357 magnum it is a great, but when I want to play with reloads, out come the Redhawks.

As to hot loads for the N frame, I shoot a lot of 14.5 grns of 2400 with a 158 LSWC. That is my standard 357 Magnum plinker round. You can take it to 15 grns in current reloading manuals.