Titegroup for 357

[raljr1]

I haven't been loading for very long, but my process is thus.

I dry tumble the cases

I size and remove primers on all cases.

I use a hand held tool to install primers, again all cases

I flare the all the cases.

I use an electronic scale to measure the powder load, put the powder in a single case and seat the bullet.

I never have more than one charge of powder at one time, and once i pick the case up to charge it, it doesn't get set down until the bullet is seated.

I know there are faster ways of doing this'but for my purposes this works...i had trouble with the primer feed on the turret press' so I went to hand priming...i also have zero confidence in the powder measure so I went to a Hornady unit that auto measures. I use a second small digital scale to verify charges every so often.

I use my turret press as a single stage press...the first 100 i loaded I rotated that darn turret 400 times and decided that was a pain.

Robert

 

[dla]

One of the most dense powders and the color of case soot - responsible for a lot of blow ups. So you definitely need ro understand your reloading approach, especially how to cause and detect double-charges.

Titegroup has a very wide and linear load range. It would not be my first choice for 357mag.

 

[STORMINORMAN]

The turret press convenience aspect comes into play (for me, at least) when I'm loading up a small number of test loads... Say a dozen, or so.

Easy to complete all the reloading steps with finished rounds, then move on to, for example, a different powder charge (or even a different powder entirely) without having to set/reset the various dies.

For "normal" production I use the single stage much like raljr1... For the most part.

Cheers!

 

[Sevens]

Titegroup has a very wide and linear load range. It would not be my first choice for 357mag.

I’m not following you.

As a matter of fact, Titegroup has just about THE shortest powder charge range from start to max and Titegroup has likely the single LEAST linear pressure curve of any powder on the market.

Where a slow burning magnum powder builds pressure in a predictable fashion, Titegroup goes from start to max to blown up with very little warning.

 

[dla]

I’m not following you.

As a matter of fact, Titegroup has just about THE shortest powder charge range from start to max and Titegroup has likely the single LEAST linear pressure curve of any powder on the market.

Where a slow burning magnum powder builds pressure in a predictable fashion, Titegroup goes from start to max to blown up with very little warning.

Nope.
Titegroup is very well behaved from mild to wild which is a big part of it's popularity. You should try some sometime and see for yourself. My only beef with Titegroup is that it very dense, the color of case soot, and very hard to spot a double charge. Well I guess I've got one other beef with it - the combustion temp is high enough to vaporize lead and deposit it on cylinder faces - only powder I've used thst will do that.

 

[S&WIowegan]

TiteGroup is not a "bad" powder but it is very dangerous to handloaders who get distracted. A shooting buddy who is a very successful owner of his own business purchased one of the first S&W 627 8-shooters. He loaded his ammo with Titegroup and somehow managed to load a double charge(Dillon 650). He was shooting a local IPSC-style match when the whole top of his cylinder plus the top strap blew sky-high. No injuries occurred except to pride. None of the pieces were found even though many of us searched. My friend went home and pulled 21 bullets out of his ammo and all weighed correctly. He talked to S&W and argued it was metallurgical failure. They said "NOT"! and refused to even sell him a 627 but did offer him a 625 at dealer cost. I personally have no doubt he loaded a double charge. The point is a mistake like that with TiteGroup will destroy your gun!

 

[Sevens]

You should try some sometime and see for yourself.

The next pound of Titegroup that I finish will be my 7th pound of this powder. I’ve experienced Titegroup in .32 Long, .327 Federal, .380 Auto, 9mm, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .40 S&W, .45 ACP and in .44 Magnum and possibly in other places I don’t recall at the moment.

Everything I wrote in post #10 is true.

 

[dla]

The next pound of Titegroup that I finish will be my 7th pound of this powder. I’ve experienced Titegroup in .32 Long, .327 Federal, .380 Auto, 9mm, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .40 S&W, .45 ACP and in .44 Magnum and possibly in other places I don’t recall at the moment.

Everything I wrote in post #10 is true.

You can load 158gr 357mag from 2.5gr to 10+gr - poofter to normal. Very wide load range.

 

[alwslate]

My chronograph shows that 5.7 grs of Titegroup and a so called “magnum” load of 14.5 grs of 296 with a 158 gr cast SWC yields about the same 1,050 FPS out of a 4” Mod 28-2.