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Hi all, I own since a long time ago a S&W 686 in .357 Mag, I load it with 16.5 H110 for a 158 gr bullet. One month agor I have purchased an other gun in the same caliber. A Ruger New Model Blackhawk. I have seen on Hodgdon website some load for heavy bullet in .45 Colt in a Ruger. As my Ruger have more steel between chambers in the cylinder I just wondering if I can load hotter than with my S&W. I need load for a 158 gr bullet only. Thanks for your input. ------------------ | ||
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BER007 - Looks like you're pretty close to the max, according to the Hodgdon manual. You should be getting around 1500 FPS +/- depending on the barrel length, which is pretty close to the best you can expect. The heavy loads shown for the 45 Colt are based on the fact that the original loadings were so low. The 357 has always been loaded pretty hot, so there's not a whole lot you can improve on. R-WEST | |||
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by R-WEST, I agree with you but in all relod manuals, datas are made for the S&W 6 shots, and old Ruger in .357 max. But the New model Blackhack made by Ruger is built on the super Blackhawk frame. The cylinder is 9% longer than original. And more space between each chamber. I know as is a new gun we had to wait for reload data for this revolver. I just want to know if someone experienced this "new" load. Nothing more. : Looks like you're pretty close to the max, according to the Hodgdon manual. You should be getting around 1500 FPS +/- depending on the barrel length, which is pretty close to the best you can expect. The heavy loads shown for the 45 Colt are based on the fact that the original loadings were so low. The 357 has always been loaded pretty hot, so there's not a whole lot you can improve on. R-WEST[/QUOTE] ------------------ | |||
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quote: The loads that you see listed in manuals are based on SAAMI standards. There is not a greater pressure loading for the 357 Magnum. It IS the highest pressure magnum of the 357, 41 & 44. If memory serves me, i believe that it operates at 42,500PSI. The loads listed were developed for ALL 357's not just for S&W's.... What you are shooting IS a magnum load. mike ------------------ United States of America, Love it or LEAVE IT! | |||
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If you want more power buy a bigger gun ie 41 44 or 454. Sure you could most likey put more powder in but want are you really gaining. If you just want more speed drop down to 125s but 158 at around 1500 well do most of anything you want out of a 357. | |||
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BER007, Like you I have owned a couple different brands of 357 revolvers and it is clear that not all are created equal. The three brands I have worked with the most are the Ruger, S&W and Taurus revolvers. As far as finished handguns go, meaning metal finish, trigger pull, action smoothness, the S&W revolvers are hard to beat. The newer Taurus revolvers are also very nicely put together, the one I own now is the new M608, eight shot with a 4" ported barrel. Trigger pull and action is nearly as smooth as any S&W I have played with at about 2/3 the price. These two revolvers do have week spots though. Their refined lock work is not made to handle constant pounding of top pressure magnum loads in any revolver caliber. This is where the Ruger revolvers come in, double and single action. While their trigger pulls may not be quite as good as the S&W revolvers, the extra strength of the Rugers are easily seen. I would agree that you are about max for what most would recommend out of a 375 with a 6" pipe, especially if you are getting 1500 fps with the 158 gr bullet. If you are getting this with a jacketed bullet, you may be a bit higher then most would like. I have developed some hunting handloads with the 180 gr XTP that would do +1300 fps out of a 6" Blackhawk but I will not list the loads because they are quite a bit above what our sue happy friend would want us to use. These are safe loads in the Ruger Blackhawk and Redhawk revolvers though. I would not push the S&W or any other revolvers even as hard as you are right now, that is if your getting 1500 fps. Load data for the 357 is a funny thing. The older the data is the hotter it tends to be. Recently the standard pressure of the 357 has been dropped again to 36,000 psi. Old data will often run 10,000 psi more then this and it is due to all the new snubbies and ultra light revolvers chambered for the 357. This is to bad and almost the opposite of what you have seen with the 45 COlt. It started low and now is loaded in strong revolvers where it should be, in a magnum class. The 357 started out as the most powerful handgun round at the time and now is down loaded by alot of manuals to very low performance. I get tired of hearing that the 357 Sig with its 125gr bullet at 1400 fps is a higher performance bullet then the 357 Magnum. Load the Magnum to max pressures in the Blackhawk and it will smoke the 357 Sig by 200-250 fps even in a short 4 5/8" barrel. All in all, you will have to determine what is max for your revolver, it will let you know when your to hot. Good Hunting!! 50 | |||
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Several of the above posts refer to the Ruger being sooooo much stronger than the S&W. I must assume that you are talking about the S&W "K" frames. They are a little light for a steady diet of full power loads. The S&W "L" (i.e. 586, 686, etc...) frame was specifically designed and built to handle a continuous diet of MAGNUM loads. Thought you might like to know... mike | |||
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mssmagnum,: Thanks for your reply. I have forgot to specify which S&W I'm talking about. I own a 686 L frame 6". This is why I can compare it with my Ruger New model Blackhawk 6 1/2". Both are designed to handle magnum loads. But one is stronger than the other. ------------------ | |||
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p dog shooter, I know a little bit guns with more power I own guns in .454 Casull, in .50 AE and next year one in .500 Long. ------------------ | |||
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Fiftydriver, Many thanks for your reply. One more time you have developped hot loads that you want to keep for you only I own only 2 brand one 686 S&W and one Ruger. Regarding trigger pull, accuracy,... my vote goes to Ruger. I love my S&W too. ------------------ | |||
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quote: There is no S&W revolver made, no matter the caliber, that will digest as many heavy magnum loads as the Ruger revolvers in same cailbers. This is not saying that the S&W cylinders are unsafe by any means, not even with full tilt loads, this is not the area that I have refered to as being a weak link. If your loading a Ruger hot enough to cause a S&W to fail with that same ammo, your loads are far to hot. I and any handgun shooters know full well that a S&W can be shaken loose by magnum loads much quicker then a Ruger. This is simply because the lock work in the Ruger is very large and stout compared to the finely tuned S&W. This is the area that the Ruger revolvers have no peers in the major factory revolvers, single or double action. This is not a cut on S&W's, just a statement that Rugers are built to last longer under severe recoil. Good Hunting!!! 50 | |||
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quote: I couldnt disagree MORE! The S&W "L" (357mag) frame guns were built for the pressures of the 357 magnum. The lock work and frame size are built for a continuous diet. Do not confuse the bulk of a cast frame vs. the lack of bulk in a forged frame for greater strength.... I am not trying to flame you, just stating the fact regarding this model. mike | |||
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Again, I am not referring to the external dimensions on these revolvers but instead the internal lock-work. Remove the cylinder on a Ruger Blackhawk and examine the cylinders portion of the rotory system. They swing the S&W cylinder out and examine it. The difference is dramatic. Again, I am not saying the S&W is not safe to shoot with max load, only that if 1500 fps loads with 158gr pills are the menu, the S&W will loosen up much sooner. 50 | |||
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38 Casull, you can get brass for it from Starline... mike | |||
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graff, The best FA revolver in this caliber for silhouette shooting is the Freedom Arms .353 Casull. A .357 Mag bullet 158 gr and 180 gr at 1700 fps. ------------------ | |||
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