Good powder 357 magnum
- Thread starter roc1
- Start date
m&p45acp10+1
New member
Accurate #9 is a great one. Once you use it, it is doubtful you will ever use 2400, or H-110 ever again. I like it a lot. I can use it for the medium warm to mega warhead hot loads, and it burns cleanly for all of them.
mrawesome22
New member
H110/W296
Linear Thinker
New member
Without knowing the goals of the powder experimentation, it's hard to give specific advise.
I played with Trail Boss for Cowboy loads out of my Ruger Vaqueros - it was accurate and soft-shooting.
For full-power Magnum loads, Win 296 is hard to beat. I used to shoot 160gr FMJ silhouette bullets over 296 with excellent accuracy. The chickens and the rams fell over, terrified, before I even cocked the revolver.
LT
I played with Trail Boss for Cowboy loads out of my Ruger Vaqueros - it was accurate and soft-shooting.
For full-power Magnum loads, Win 296 is hard to beat. I used to shoot 160gr FMJ silhouette bullets over 296 with excellent accuracy. The chickens and the rams fell over, terrified, before I even cocked the revolver.
LT
Scharfschuetzer
New member
For my normal .357 pistol load of a 158 grain cast bullet, I still like Unique at about 1,100 fps out of a 4" S&W. Not truly a hot load, but comfortable to shoot and very accurate out to a hundred yards or so.
Rifle wise, I've been using Hodgdon's Lil'gun behind 180 grain bullets in my Marlin 1894 rifle with exceptional results.
Over the chronograph it produces velocities well over a hundred fps faster than the other slow powders with seriously lower pressure and the ES and SDs are more consistant and lower too.
I haven't tried the load in my revolvers yet, but that project is on the radar screen for later this year. The Hodgdon's loading manual shows about equal velocity with H110 in pistols, but in the longer barrel of my rifle it is pushing the 180 grain Remingington hollow point at a true 1,700 fps.
Rifle wise, I've been using Hodgdon's Lil'gun behind 180 grain bullets in my Marlin 1894 rifle with exceptional results.
Over the chronograph it produces velocities well over a hundred fps faster than the other slow powders with seriously lower pressure and the ES and SDs are more consistant and lower too.
I haven't tried the load in my revolvers yet, but that project is on the radar screen for later this year. The Hodgdon's loading manual shows about equal velocity with H110 in pistols, but in the longer barrel of my rifle it is pushing the 180 grain Remingington hollow point at a true 1,700 fps.
Last edited:
Thanks for replies. I am mostly target shooting and steel plates nothing fancy. i have used up all my powder and need to restock and would like to try a different one especially for the light lead loads. I thought i might try one on the jacketed as well not necessarily mag loads.
Thanks again
roc1
Thanks again
roc1
sc928porsche
New member
W296 or IMR 4227 works well.
excelerater
Moderator
I loaded my first ever 357MAGS last week w Longshot,needless to say
it was a plinker so I handed the 686 to my wife and said,enjoy!
.....gonna look for H110 and pick me up some SMPs and try again....
it was a plinker so I handed the 686 to my wife and said,enjoy!
.....gonna look for H110 and pick me up some SMPs and try again....
Give Red Dot a try. That is what I have settled on for my target loads with both 125 and 158g bullets . I shoot exclusively lead now. H110 is only good for 'magnum' loads which isn't needed for busting steel or paper. No reason to give up on Unique or 2400 either as even after all these years they still work just as good as ever
.Scharfschuetzer
New member
Arub,
I have to take Hodgdon's loading data at face value for the actual numbers. The data from their pressure equipment shows Lil'gun working at about 5,000 CUP units less pressure than with H110, 4224 or 296 when all are loaded to their listed maximum velocity levels with the 180 grain bullet. Ie. 34,500 to an average of the other of about 40,000 copper units of pressure (CUP). Taking the Hodgdon data at face value, that's about a 14% reduction in pressure for similar velocities out of a short barrel and of course the noted velocity increase in longer barrels.
My personal observations are the usual clues that I look for. The primer is much more rounded and radiused than with the other powders listed above loaded at their maximum levels with the same bullet, ease of extraction and effort to size cases fired with Lil'gun is less than with 296 and 4227.
I have to take Hodgdon's loading data at face value for the actual numbers. The data from their pressure equipment shows Lil'gun working at about 5,000 CUP units less pressure than with H110, 4224 or 296 when all are loaded to their listed maximum velocity levels with the 180 grain bullet. Ie. 34,500 to an average of the other of about 40,000 copper units of pressure (CUP). Taking the Hodgdon data at face value, that's about a 14% reduction in pressure for similar velocities out of a short barrel and of course the noted velocity increase in longer barrels.
My personal observations are the usual clues that I look for. The primer is much more rounded and radiused than with the other powders listed above loaded at their maximum levels with the same bullet, ease of extraction and effort to size cases fired with Lil'gun is less than with 296 and 4227.
Last edited:
Mike Irwin
Staff
For light lead loads up to mid .357, I use WW 231.
For higher end loads, I use AA 7.
If I want firewall loads, I use WW 296.
For higher end loads, I use AA 7.
If I want firewall loads, I use WW 296.