power pistol 357 snubby

[jim8115]

Been playing around with power pistol in 357 Magnum. I am finding that it really shines if you are loading for a short barrel.

158 cast 8.0 PP
1103 FPS from a 2 1/2" 686 , 1226 from a ruger 6"GP100 a loss of about 10%

158 Nosler JHP 8.0 PP
1030 from 2 1/2 , 1160 from 6" -11%

For comparison
13.5 #9
1024 from the 2 1/2" , 1296 from the 6 " -23%

Especially interesting, 8.0 PP actually outperforms the #9 load in the 2 1/2"

JIM

[AlaskaMike]

The AA9 load seems a little conservative. Aren't typical magnum loads for it about 14.5 to 15 grains? I don't use AA9, and I don't have any load data handy.

I do like Power Pistol--that 8.0 grain load under a 158 grain SWC is a very nice load in my 4" S&W model 28.

[jimbob86]

It's been my experience, both with pistol and rifle, that the quicker powders lose less velocity in shorter barrels than the slower ones, though they start with less to lose. There is definitely less flash and bang to them.

Aren't typical magnum loads for it about 14.5 to 15 grains?

My books show max loads of 11.5-13.5 for AA9 and 158's.

[iraiam]

Is the flash any better/worse? I never tried PP in a revolver before, but every recipe I have for a pistol generates a pretty good flash. I also have recipes specifically for my snubbie.

[bkhann]

I load PP in my 357 snubbie 2.25" barrel. 9.3 gr PP, 125 gr JSP bullet, small pistol magnum primer, COL 1.590" yields 1118 fps with a pretty good flash. For range work the flash is ok, in fact it is a crowd pleaser. For anything serious, I use low flash factory SD ammunition. 1118 fps is quite manageable in a small frame snubbie. It looks and sounds like a 357 magnum load without the brutal recoil of a heavy load.

[joneb]

In a Ruger Sec Six w/a 2.75" AA#7 or 9 works well with 158gr jacketed bullets.
I have given thought to PP but I hear its flashy and not kind to lead bullets.

[jim8115]

AS far as I can tell PP has less flash than # 9

[AlaskaMike]

I have given thought to PP but I hear its flashy and not kind to lead bullets.

Nah, it's perfectly fine with cast bullets. Most of my midrange loads for my magnum revolvers use PP with cast bullets.

Flashy? Perhaps, but if I have to shoot a gun at night I will have far more important things to worry about than the level of flash from my gun. Honestly, I haven't noticed any more flash from PP than from the other powders I use in my magnum revolver loads, and it's definitely less flashy than some.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Originally Posted by JimBob86

It's been my experience, both with pistol and rifle, that the quicker powders lose less velocity in shorter barrels than the slower ones, though they start with less to lose. There is definitely less flash and bang to them.

The affect may be so but the cause is the opposite.

Faster powders generate peak pressure sooner and therefor accelerate the bullet earlier. They should reach higher speeds in shorter barrels. But, burning faster means being burnt up faster, obviously, and so those same powders drop off in pressure quicker than do slow powders. The slow powders then "catch up" to the fast ones because the slow powders can generate/maintain pressure longer.

If you start with a really, really short-barrel, the fastest powders should generate the highest speeds. If you start with a really, really long barrel, the slowest powders generate the fastest speeds.

As you cut down that long barrel, the powder than generates the fastest speeds should continue to generate the fastest speeds, to a point. Somewhere along the line, round abouts the length of really long pistol barrel and/or really short rifle barrels, that starts to change, back to the faster powders creating faster speeds.