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August 16, 2011, 11:31 PM | #1 |
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what powder do you like for 357
I loaded some 140 Grain XTP's with 7.0 grains W231. 10% below max according to Winchester data.Shooting out of a new Ruger gp100 6".. I really wasnt impressed with the accuracy. i could easily outshoot it with my wifes model 67 4"..........I am looking for full power load. Any suggestions on a better powder?
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August 16, 2011, 11:41 PM | #2 |
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Hodgdon Lil'Gun. Gets to Win296 velocities at 2/3's the pressure and fills the case so there is no possibility of a double charge. Plus it burns clean. It's my favorite powder for full power .357 loads. Accuracy has been great in all my guns with it.
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August 17, 2011, 05:54 AM | #3 |
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Hodgdon Lil Gun, 2400, Win 296, H110, Blue Dot, there are lots of good powders for the .357.
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August 17, 2011, 05:57 AM | #4 |
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Alliant's 2400- 13.0gr, i load a 158gr cast lswc.
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August 17, 2011, 06:55 AM | #5 |
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I have three powders I use for .357 loads: WW 231, AA7, and WW 296
The three overlap somewhat. I originally bought the AA 7 to load 10mm, but subsequently got rid of the 10.
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August 17, 2011, 07:26 AM | #6 |
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Alliant 2400, 17.1g, 125g JHP, is legendary out of my 6” Python.
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August 17, 2011, 09:00 AM | #7 |
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There's a new kid in town. Alliant 300MP (if you can find it). You said you want full power, and this seems to mimic 296. Similar feel and smell. I have only loaded and shot 50 rounds with it so far, but it performed very well. The only place to find data, that I know of, is the Alliant site.
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August 17, 2011, 09:16 AM | #8 |
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not guessing; not one little bit
-New sized case
-CCI550 -140g XTP -19.0g H110 -Crimp into cannelure -Firm crimp using the Redding Profile Crimp Die No exceptions or substitutions. I should add this load is effective on normal-sized deer out to 120 yds.
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August 17, 2011, 09:23 AM | #9 |
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H110 always for my .357 and .41 Magnum Pistol Loads.
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August 17, 2011, 01:12 PM | #10 |
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Hodgdon TiteGroup is my preferred powder for .357 mag and .44 mag...
Hodgdon Universal is also pretty good.... |
August 17, 2011, 01:43 PM | #11 |
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powder
HP 38 & Universal..
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August 17, 2011, 02:10 PM | #12 |
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I found I get the best accuracy in my .357 using N110 with the 140 gr XTP. N110 gives me just slightly better accuracy than I get with 2400. Since this is a combination I often use as a hunting load, I want the best accuracy I can get. Both are good powders in this caliber.
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August 17, 2011, 04:42 PM | #13 |
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.357 propellents
Since the mid-1970's i have used the following powders with great success:
Light practice loads: Unique & 158 gr. Cast lead swc jacketed hi-performance loads: Blue dot & nosler / hornady hollow points (125 / 158 grain) primers: Winchester small pistol guru1911
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August 17, 2011, 05:09 PM | #14 |
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I bought a bunch of surplus gunpowder that is pretty close to AA#7. That's probably my favorite, because it was so much cheaper than using 2400 and it gives higher velocity than Herco or WSF.
(those are all great powders, but WSF load data is hard to come by)
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August 17, 2011, 05:30 PM | #15 |
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2400 powder.
Jim
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August 17, 2011, 07:03 PM | #16 |
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H110/W296 for full power loads, Unique for plinkers. IMR4227 comes in a close second to H110/W296, really like it in the carbines.
I too got on the Lil' Gun bandwagon a few years back, but it never gave me those advertised velocities or the accuracy of H110/W296. What I did notice was my guns got much hotter, much quicker than with any other powder. Then when the reports of it causing premature forcing cone erosion came out, I quit using it altogether in my revolvers. The little I got left is gettin' used in the carbines. |
August 17, 2011, 08:35 PM | #17 |
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H110 for my big booms and HS6 for cheaper practice rounds.
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August 17, 2011, 09:30 PM | #18 |
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2400 is a good powder. never tried h110 but i dont always use max loads anyway. blue dot and acurate #9 are also popular
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August 17, 2011, 09:40 PM | #19 |
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I believe you can get faster velocities with the slower burning H-110 and 296, but I have always liked 2400
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August 18, 2011, 06:59 AM | #20 |
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Blue Dot Warning from Alliant....
Just be sure of your loads with this powder......
Alliant Powders Safety Notice Safety Notice At Alliant Powder, we take safety seriously. That’s why we periodically test our products in different situations to be sure our use recommendations stay current. Check here for any safety notes or recall information. Stay safe and keep accurate. Alliant Powder periodically reviews and tests their published reloading data to verify that our recommended recipes have not changed over time. During the latest review Alliant Powder discovered that Alliant Powder's Blue Dot® should not be used in the following applications: * Blue Dot® should NOT be used in the 357 Magnum load using the 125 grain projectile (Blue Dot® recipes with heavier bullet weights as specified in Alliant Powders Reloading Guide are acceptable for use). * Blue Dot® should NOT be used in the 41 Magnum cartridge (all bullet weights). Use of Blue Dot® in the above cases may cause a high pressure situation that could cause property damage and serious personal injury. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause and appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter. I realize that there are many here, including myself, that have used this powder for many loads. Just thought it was prudent to post this up in this thread even though the mentioned bullet weight is appropriate. |
August 18, 2011, 07:47 AM | #21 |
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HS-7 and Ly 358156. Just about out of HS-7 and no more to be had, but AA7 works pretty good also.
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August 18, 2011, 04:15 PM | #22 | |
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Quote:
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August 18, 2011, 05:42 PM | #23 |
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Everybody kind of jumped in with their favorite .357 loads and overlooked something.
You mentioned that you could "easily outshoot it with my wifes model 67". Does that mean you tried that same load in your wife's gun and it worked great, or were you using some other ammo in your wife's gun? If you used the same load, then obviously the GP100 doesn't like that load, but the Smith does, and that's not that uncommon. You also mentioned that you were looking at full power loads--you're not going to get it with 231. Pressure will spike well before you get to the same velocities safely attained using slower powders. For full power loads, I'd recommend the following powders for the 140 grain XTP: AA#9 2400 N110 W296/H110 I never had good results with either Lil' Gun or Blue Dot in my S&W 4" model 28. Lil' Gun gave good velocity but I had better accuracy with 2400 and 296. Blue Dot got very squirilly when I tried it. I found that 10.2 grains with a 158 grain cast SWC gave acceptable accuracy, but partially burned powder flakes sometimes would fall under the ejector star and tie up the gun. If I bumped the charge up to 10.4 grains, velocity shot up almost 100 fps, showing that pressure was starting to spike. Velocity also started to get more erratic, another sign that I was rapidly reaching the edge of safety. I no longer use Blue Dot for .357 at all. I know that some like it, but for me it was just way too erratic and unpredictable. Mike |
August 18, 2011, 05:58 PM | #24 |
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Mike, I shot some of the same ammo out of both ( 158 LSWCHP 4.5 gr 231 ).. the ruger didnt group near as well...... as far as the magnum loads, I went and got some H110, and have loaded some 158 Gr JHP with 16 Grains of that....We will give it another test as soon as I can get to the range
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