what powder do you like for 357

jim8115 · August 17, 2011, 12:31 AM

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?

Wuchak · August 17, 2011, 12:41 AM

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.

PawPaw · August 17, 2011, 06:54 AM

Hodgdon Lil Gun, 2400, Win 296, H110, Blue Dot, there are lots of good powders for the .357.

243winxb · August 17, 2011, 06:57 AM

Alliant's 2400- 13.0gr, i load a 158gr cast lswc.

**Mike Irwin** · August 17, 2011, 07:55 AM

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.

Shootest · August 17, 2011, 08:26 AM

Alliant 2400, 17.1g, 125g JHP, is legendary out of my 6” Python.

abber · August 17, 2011, 10:00 AM

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.

WESHOOT2 · August 17, 2011, 10:16 AM

-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.

CowTowner · August 17, 2011, 10:23 AM

H110 always for my .357 and .41 Magnum Pistol Loads.

BigJimP · August 17, 2011, 02:12 PM

Hodgdon TiteGroup is my preferred powder for .357 mag and .44 mag...

Hodgdon Universal is also pretty good....

Ksmoker · August 17, 2011, 02:43 PM

HP 38 & Universal..

WCW · August 17, 2011, 03:10 PM

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.

GURU1911 · August 17, 2011, 05:42 PM

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

zxcvbob · August 17, 2011, 06:09 PM

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)

Jim243 · August 17, 2011, 06:30 PM

2400 powder.

Jim

buck460XVR · August 17, 2011, 08:03 PM

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.

Super Sneaky Steve · August 17, 2011, 09:35 PM

H110 for my big booms and HS6 for cheaper practice rounds.

Crankgrinder · August 17, 2011, 10:30 PM

2400 is a good powder. never tried h110 but i dont always use max loads anyway. blue dot and acurate #9 are also popular

salvadore · August 17, 2011, 10:40 PM

I believe you can get faster velocities with the slower burning H-110 and 296, but I have always liked 2400

Mike / Tx · August 18, 2011, 07:59 AM

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.

sundog · August 18, 2011, 08:47 AM

HS-7 and Ly 358156. Just about out of HS-7 and no more to be had, but AA7 works pretty good also.

223 shooter · August 18, 2011, 05:15 PM

Quote:

I loaded some 140 Grain XTP's with 7.0 grains W231 .........I am looking for full power load. Any suggestions on a better powder?

I've had very good results with 231 and the 158XTP but for "full power" the 140XTP has been extremely accurate in my 686 with 296. I might have to try 231 with the 140XTP.

AlaskaMike · August 18, 2011, 06:42 PM

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

jim8115 · August 18, 2011, 06:58 PM

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

August 17, 2011, 12:31 AM	#1
jim8115 Senior Member Join Date: July 23, 2011 Location: Arkansas Posts: 229	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?

August 17, 2011, 07:55 AM	#5
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 14, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,642	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. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

August 17, 2011, 10:16 AM	#8
WESHOOT2 Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 1999 Location: home on the range; Vermont (Caspian country) Posts: 14,324	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.

August 17, 2011, 02:43 PM	#11
Ksmoker Member Join Date: December 6, 2009 Location: NE Kansas Posts: 74	powder HP 38 & Universal..

August 17, 2011, 05:42 PM	#13
GURU1911 Senior Member Join Date: December 22, 2010 Location: SEALY, THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS Posts: 501	.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

August 17, 2011, 12:41 AM	#2
Wuchak Senior Member Join Date: June 1, 2007 Location: Shawnee, KS Posts: 1,093	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.

August 17, 2011, 06:54 AM	#3
PawPaw Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2010 Location: Central Louisiana Posts: 3,137	Hodgdon Lil Gun, 2400, Win 296, H110, Blue Dot, there are lots of good powders for the .357.

August 17, 2011, 06:57 AM	#4
243winxb Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2011 Location: USA Posts: 1,757	Alliant's 2400- 13.0gr, i load a 158gr cast lswc.

August 17, 2011, 08:26 AM	#6
Shootest Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2011 Location: Just outside Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 722	Alliant 2400, 17.1g, 125g JHP, is legendary out of my 6” Python.

August 17, 2011, 10:00 AM	#7
abber Senior Member Join Date: January 15, 2008 Location: PRK Posts: 735	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.

August 17, 2011, 10:23 AM	#9
CowTowner Senior Member Join Date: October 17, 2007 Location: Cowtown of course! Posts: 1,747	H110 always for my .357 and .41 Magnum Pistol Loads. __________________ NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, Home Firearms Safety, Pistol and Rifle Instructor *“Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life......”* President John F. Kennedy

August 17, 2011, 02:12 PM	#10
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	Hodgdon TiteGroup is my preferred powder for .357 mag and .44 mag... Hodgdon Universal is also pretty good....

August 17, 2011, 03:10 PM	#12
WCW Senior Member Join Date: March 6, 2007 Posts: 132	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.

August 17, 2011, 06:09 PM	#14
zxcvbob Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2007 Location: S.E. Minnesota Posts: 4,720	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) __________________ "Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire!" —Lucille Bluth

August 17, 2011, 06:30 PM	#15
Jim243 Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2009 Location: Just off Route 66 Posts: 5,067	2400 powder. Jim

August 17, 2011, 08:03 PM	#16
buck460XVR Senior Member Join Date: December 28, 2006 Posts: 4,342	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, 09:35 PM	#17
Super Sneaky Steve Senior Member Join Date: August 9, 2011 Posts: 1,324	H110 for my big booms and HS6 for cheaper practice rounds.

August 17, 2011, 10:30 PM	#18
Crankgrinder Senior Member Join Date: July 24, 2011 Location: Texas Posts: 917	2400 is a good powder. never tried h110 but i dont always use max loads anyway. blue dot and acurate #9 are also popular

August 17, 2011, 10:40 PM	#19
salvadore Junior member Join Date: January 1, 2007 Location: Idaho Posts: 2,282	I believe you can get faster velocities with the slower burning H-110 and 296, but I have always liked 2400

August 18, 2011, 07:59 AM	#20
Mike / Tx Senior Member Join Date: April 9, 2000 Posts: 2,133	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, 08:47 AM	#21
sundog Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 1999 Location: Green Country, OK Posts: 783	HS-7 and Ly 358156. Just about out of HS-7 and no more to be had, but AA7 works pretty good also. __________________ safety first

August 18, 2011, 06:42 PM	#23
AlaskaMike Senior Member Join Date: September 26, 2005 Posts: 947	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, 06:58 PM	#24
jim8115 Senior Member Join Date: July 23, 2011 Location: Arkansas Posts: 229	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