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Old February 26, 2007, 03:41 PM   #1
steelrat
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.357 loads

Hey guys, I'm looking for some of your favorite .357 recipes. I'm looking for something for plinking for the most part, but also some hot loads as well. Thanks for the input.
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Old February 26, 2007, 04:11 PM   #2
HSMITH
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From light plinkers to full magnums I like Power Pistol, it works great across the board.

For maximum power with 125 and lighter bullets Blue Dot is the king according to my chronograph, but be aware that at the top end of the data it will get nasty on you with little or no warning.

For maximum power with 158's I like H110/W296, it won't go much if any faster than Blue Dot with the same bullets but it is a world more forgiving.
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Old February 26, 2007, 05:22 PM   #3
SIGSHR
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I recall reading in Shooting Times 30 years ago or so that Blue Dot can be funny in cold weather, the author said he saw signs of high pressure such as
flattened primers, e.g. I found Blue Dot worked great with jacketed bullets but
not with lead bullets. My all around favorite .357 load is a 158 gr SWC over
13.5-14 grains of 2400. I go for accuracy rather than power.
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Old February 26, 2007, 05:38 PM   #4
ShootingNut
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Play it Safe

if you want load receipes, go to your powder manufacturer for that.
Don't just get everyone's "hot load" online, or in the magazines.
The makers of the powder will guide you to be safe, you do want all your fingers don't you?
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Old February 26, 2007, 05:42 PM   #5
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For plinking, get some Trail Boss powder and cheap 158gr cast lead bullets.



-tINY

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Old February 26, 2007, 09:25 PM   #6
Trapper L
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15.0 grs of H-110 under a 158 HP. It's not a max load and it seems to be one of those loads that shoots in just about every gun. You can step it up to 17.0 grs. It's a hoot to shoot at night- MUZZLEFLASH!!!!!!
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Old February 26, 2007, 09:38 PM   #7
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Yep, play it safe.
Straight out of Speer No. 11, this is my target load. Light and accurate.
.357
5.4 gr W231 powder
CCI 500 small pistol primer
158 gr. LSWC

For heavy loads, I use W296 powder. Go by the book. There isn't much room to play with magnum powders.
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Old February 27, 2007, 11:09 AM   #8
Crazy4nitro
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Pardon me if this is a dumb question,
How does Blue-Dot tend to get "Nasty" on the upper end of the power range?
My understanding is that Blue-dot is a "Slower" burning powder and most likely will not all burn efficiently. Please correct me if i'm wrong in my theory as I'm just over 500 rounds and IMO still a nOOb...

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Old February 27, 2007, 11:45 AM   #9
benedict1
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Why don't you take a look here?

http://www.reloadammo.com/

M. D. Smith has been a good source for handgun loads for me. You'll find about everything you might want here--just pick the caliber you're interested in.

Also, this is a good source,

http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/default.asp
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Old February 27, 2007, 12:27 PM   #10
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Shooting Nut has it Right!!

Steelrat--Your fingers, eyes, and general well-being, not to mention your .357, deserve better than everybody's anonymous pet loads from the Internet. Some posters are notorious for advocating particularly hot, unsafe loads.

You DO have a reloading manual, do you not? Why not check there for good .357 loads? A published source has a great deal more credibility--they are identifiable, and they hire PhD's in lab coats to test their loads in pressure guns, so the loads they publish are pretty safe. Dogjaw has it right, too.
Quote:
Go by the book.
That way you run FAR less risk of destroying your own expensive revolver proving that a given load was not such a good idea.

Sorry if I come across as a fuss-budget safety wuss nanny. Or a kill-joy. Well, OK, they're YOUR fingers.

Another thought--My perfect load isn't necessarily going to work perfectly in your revolver. You still have to do your own load development and testing. So start with a load manual's minimum reccommendations, gradually work up, and you will eventually find your own perfect load. Part of the joy of reloading is that search.
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Last edited by Smokey Joe; February 27, 2007 at 12:32 PM. Reason: The usual--had another thought.
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Old February 27, 2007, 12:57 PM   #11
steelrat
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Thanks for all the input, and concern.

Smokey Joe - I do have manuals and will definitely be going off of those, but was looking for different peoples preferences as a starting point as to what types of powder and bullets to use.
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Old February 27, 2007, 01:28 PM   #12
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Well, then!

Steelrat--Well, that said, W231 works well for light loads, e.g. 148grain wadcutters, in the .357. AA2400 works well for heavy loads, e. g. 180 grain hardcast lead large meplat gas check bullets for hunting.

Glad you clarified.
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Old February 27, 2007, 02:21 PM   #13
Mike Irwin
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My favorite hottish load for my Model 28s is 19.5 grains of WW296 and a 125-gr. bullet.

Very snappy, but nary a pressure sign.
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Old February 27, 2007, 06:42 PM   #14
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my favorite load is 5.9 bullseye and a 158gr swc. Recoil is not to bad and it is fairly accurate for me. Not exactly a target load but a great plinker.


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Old February 28, 2007, 12:07 AM   #15
HSMITH
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Crazy4nitro, Blue Dot will spike pressure much higher than you would expect for a given change and do it with very slight changes in the load, that is what I mean by "nasty" in the upper ranges. It will provide little or no warning prior to this either. You will be working up, a tenth at a time and go from everything just fine to stuck cases with a single tenth of a grain increase. Each gun is an individual, so there is no way to predict where this will happen with your gun. In some guns it will be within printed data by a couple tenths of a grain, in other guns you might be able to go a tenth or two over max before it spikes.

A chronograph is almost essential when working up Blue Dot full magnum loads, the speeds it will make are surprising and need to be watched so you don't just keep on working up. It is pretty easy to challenge the construction of the bullet with Blue Dot, and only a chronograph will tell you that.

Mike Irwin, that load makes a little over 1400 FPS in a 4" M19 for me with a Speer JHP, and the powder will make almost 1600 before pressures get high. I won't post what I run, but with a bullet that will seat and crimp in the cannelure at 1.590" it is a good bit higher. Blue Dot is a little faster, but caution is the better way to go here.
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Old February 28, 2007, 12:51 AM   #16
Crazy4nitro
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HSMITH,
Great Answer..TY,I understand loud and clear....I have 6lbs of Blue-Dot to work with,so it looks like I need to Score a Chrono and some Good Bullets that aren't afraid to be Pushed hard. I found that (in my 4" .41Mag) 12.6gr. of Blue-Dot with my 200gr LSWC's is a Nice load.

Am I correct in guessing that in my wifes 2 1/4" .357 that it would be better to use a Faster Burning powder (Bullseye) vs. a somewhat slower powder (like Blue-Dot)? I'm guessing that the Pressure cant get up soon enough to get the Efficient burn of the Powder with slower stuff and alot of powder get blown out and wasted...

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Old February 28, 2007, 08:27 AM   #17
HSMITH
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c4n, it has been my experience that Blue Dot will still make the top speeds in a snubby just like it does in a 4" and 6" barrel with 125's. Blast and flash are going to be worse in the short gun for sure, but if you want top speed that is the price you will pay.

The chrono will be nice, you will be able to make speeds equal or greater than factory ammo easily and can stop there. Blue Dot in 357 doesn't recoil as hard in my opinion as H110/W296 does at the same speeds, so using 'feel' is really tough. If you get up to the point where the brass STARTS to stick just a little bit in a clean cylinder stop right there, the next tenth can really stick them in some guns.
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Old February 28, 2007, 08:45 AM   #18
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I use Blue dot for my 357 loads. Don't use any 357 Bluedot data from the Speer 11. Some of it's starting loads are over others max load. Get a Speer 13, it's 357 Bluedot data is OK.
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