.357 Mag 158 gr lasercast lrnfp & Titegroup

under_dawg · October 9, 2008, 03:56 PM

I want to try Titegroup with a 158gr lrnfp Lasercast bullet for my GP-100. I can't find any Oregon Trails load data, however my Lee book has a min COL listed at 1.610. The Lasercast bullet appears to be made for a 1.58 col because of the placement of the groove. Lee data shows starting charge of 4.5gr of Titegroup and a max of 5.0gr (not a lot to play with). should I reduce this starting load? I sure don't want any bullets stuck in the barrel, but I don't want too much pressure from seating the bullet too deep either.

Dr. A · October 9, 2008, 04:19 PM

Use the groove, and start with the min. I've lapped 45-70 bullets (405gr.) with 4gr. of Titegroup with no problems. The biggest problem you or anyone else will have with titegroup is an overdose.:

Even a higher close to max dose has been too much for my GP-100. Looks like 4.5 would do the job. those are some super hard bullets.

zxcvbob · October 9, 2008, 04:24 PM

If you are worried, use the max load data for .38 Specials for that particular combination as your starting point. (IIRC, it's about 3.5 or 3.6 grains of Titegroup).

Hodgdon's load data for cast bullets is awfully low IMHO across the board; I think they are trying to keep velocities down far enough to avoid leading with soft Hornady swaged bullets. Look for an alternate source of load data and compare them. I think you have *plenty* of headroom starting at 4.5 grains.

under_dawg · October 10, 2008, 03:51 AM

Thanks for the responses, I did not realize it is ok to use the max .38 special load in the .357. That will help a lot with reducing the starting charge for plinking loads.

October 9, 2008, 03:56 PM	#1
under_dawg Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: Cayce, SC Posts: 222	.357 Mag 158 gr lasercast lrnfp & Titegroup I want to try Titegroup with a 158gr lrnfp Lasercast bullet for my GP-100. I can't find any Oregon Trails load data, however my Lee book has a min COL listed at 1.610. The Lasercast bullet appears to be made for a 1.58 col because of the placement of the groove. Lee data shows starting charge of 4.5gr of Titegroup and a max of 5.0gr (not a lot to play with). should I reduce this starting load? I sure don't want any bullets stuck in the barrel, but I don't want too much pressure from seating the bullet too deep either.

October 9, 2008, 04:24 PM	#3
zxcvbob Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2007 Location: S.E. Minnesota Posts: 4,720	If you are worried, use the max load data for .38 Specials for that particular combination as your starting point. (IIRC, it's about 3.5 or 3.6 grains of Titegroup). Hodgdon's load data for cast bullets is awfully low IMHO across the board; I think they are trying to keep velocities down far enough to avoid leading with soft Hornady swaged bullets. Look for an alternate source of load data and compare them. I think you have plenty of headroom starting at 4.5 grains. __________________ "Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire!" —Lucille Bluth

October 9, 2008, 04:19 PM	#2
Dr. A Senior Member Join Date: July 17, 2007 Location: Salina, KS. Posts: 215	Use the groove, and start with the min. I've lapped 45-70 bullets (405gr.) with 4gr. of Titegroup with no problems. The biggest problem you or anyone else will have with titegroup is an overdose.: Even a higher close to max dose has been too much for my GP-100. Looks like 4.5 would do the job. those are some super hard bullets.

October 10, 2008, 03:51 AM	#4
under_dawg Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: Cayce, SC Posts: 222	Thanks for the responses, I did not realize it is ok to use the max .38 special load in the .357. That will help a lot with reducing the starting charge for plinking loads.