I now have two short-barrelled revolvers, a 4.75-inch SRH 480 Ruger and Freedom Arms 475 Linebaugh with 4.75-inch barrel.

1. Shooting 325-grain Speer Gold Dots, what is the best powder to use in the SRH 480 to obtain 1050 fps ± 50 muzzle velocity with least muzzle blast and pressure?

2. Shooting 340-grain LBT WFN GS, with or without the gas check, what is the best powder to use in the SRH 480 to obtain 1050 fps ± 50 muzzle velocity with least muzzle blast and pressure?

3. Shooting 340-grain LBT WFN GS, with or without gas check, what is the best powder to use in the Model 83 475 to obtain 1300 fps ± 50 muzzle velocity with least muzzle blast and pressure?

4. Shooting 400-grain Speer Gold Dots, what is the best powder to use in the Model 83 475 to obtain 1250 fps ± 50 muzzle velocity with least muzzle blast and pressure?

I suggest you try a few different powders, see which ones give you the performance you desire.

The powders I like and use for my big bore handguns are, H 110, W 296, Lil-gun, 2400 and IMR 4227

These are the same powders I use in long-barrelled revolvers. So short barrels do not seriously take advantage of quick burners?

Bluedot

Do you have a chronograph? It can be hard to find a good powder for short barrels, I understand that. However some of the slow powders will not lose a whole lot. You can aid it by having a harder boolit and real good case tension so the powder burns better.
With tight brass, you don't want too soft of a boolit that will get sized when you seat them.
Some dies just do not give what you need. I like the Hornady dies best, other then a collar type BR die.
A firm crimp without over doing it is needed too but has a limited effect.
The ideal is to actually see the grease groove marks showing through the brass of a loaded round.

Yes, Blue Dot or HS-6 are good to start with.

For full patch loads, H-110/W-296 are the ticket, weather 4 5/8" or 10" or anywhere in between. Just subract 25-30 fps/inch and that'll let you know where you'll get.

I've only shot cast trhough my 480, and primarily 310 gr and 400 gr.

From my 7 1/2" srh, 9.7 gr Unigue under a 310 cast clocked 950 fps, from my buddies 7 1/2" 480 1000 fps. Accuracy was phenominal. Recoil was mild. I'd imagine somewhere between 9 and 10 grs of unique would do the trick with the 325 gr bullet, you'll likely be a tad under your velocity goal, but accuracy is what matters. When I can shoot 3 shot 1 1/2" groups at 100 yds from a revolver, I'm more than happy. Especially when I figure the revolver is capable of better accuracy but I'm the limiting factor.

For the 340 gr, I'd try blue dot and 2400. You should be able to nail your velocity goal and get good accuracy.

For the 400 gr 475 loads, H-110 will do the trick. Probably around 25 gr.

I have worked with HS-6 in my .475 with the Lee 400 gr boolit. I used 15 gr's and accuracy at 50 yd's was very good at an inch. Sorry, I never ran it over the chrono so I don't know what it does but it is still a thumper load. I was impressed with the powder.
A small loss in velocity with the short barrel does not make it less of a killer. It just blinds you near dark!

I really like AA9 for my SRH 480. My favorite load is a 400 gr LBT WFN in front of 19.5 gr AA9. This gives 1030 fps out of my Alaskan clone (chopped to 2.75 inches).

With the same bullet and a near max load of H110 (22 gr) I could only get 960 fps.

Muzzle blast and noise is noticeably reduced with the faster AA9. I disagree with others who claim H110 is good for these big bore short barreled guns. There just isn't enough length to burn all the powder.

I can't offer a good load for a 325 gr bullet since I just plink with those little guys (800 fps).

The AA powders meter really well compared to many others. I use them pretty much exclusively.

John Davies
Spokane WA

quote:

Originally posted by Naphtali:
These are the same powders I use in long-barrelled revolvers. So short barrels do not seriously take advantage of quick burners?

Naph,

Tests have shown that even in 2" snubbies, when it comes to velocities, the longer burning powders still deliver the fastest speeds. Yes, there is the law of "diminishing returns" which holds true.

Still, with tests I've seen from .357 to .44 mag & .45 Colt, powders such as 2400 & H110 still give better velocity than Bullseye or even Unique.

There's no reason to believe that the .480 Ruger would behave any differently.

After lots of testing I use. HS-6 for light loads (850fps - 1000fps). 2400 for medium loads (950fps - 1200fps). H-110/296 for Max loads 1250fps +. This is in a 5 1/2" 500 Linebaugh with bullets from 400gr to 470gr. The same goes for 44Mag with 250gr to 325gr. All pwoders have a "sweet spot" a small pressure range where they work best.

Chad

I cast another vote for H110 and lil gun. Accuracy and velocity always seem tops with these two from .44 Spc-to-.500 S&W.......from 2.5" to 10" barrels these two are hard to beat.

I use 14.0 gr of HS-6 with the 400-420 grain cast bullets for a velocity of around 1050 fps. This is from a 6" FA and a 5.5" Linebaugh custom revolver.

I tried Li'l Gun when it first came out and was not impressed with it, but that may have just been the particular lot of powder I purchased.

Whoa. A reason for the existence of commercial reloading components is uniformity. A powder whose combustion characteristics vary from lot to lot is like an unexploded bomb awaiting defusing. Do you want to do it?

Exactly where have you been? I've got news for you; burn rates change, albeit mostly slightly, but they do change from lot to lot. IMR4350 was pulled for a time because of large changes in burn rate from lot to lot. Alliant 2400 does not burn the same as Hercules 2400. This is not a new occurance.

This next couple years, I plan on getting "into" reloading in more depth... ( I've been in the powdered food ingredient business for the last 25 years, & deal with bulk densities, & moisture levels of powders all the time )... I personally haven't loaded enough to notice, but been told that "powders" do change bulk densities alot between different manufactue lot numbers... this is likely caused by varrying moisture contents of these powders... I'm sure the varrying moisture rates also effect burn rate as well as bulk density... I plan on measuring the bulk density & related moisture content of each lot of powder as I use them, adding data to a spread sheet... it might be interesting to determine if there is an optimum moisture content, or lack there of for best burn vrs pressure vrs velocity of the same cartridge, with the same charge, & different lots of powder...

...

... anyway... I also use alot of AA#9 or W-296 for my big bore short tubes...