My personal favorite load for my SMITH@WESSON model 28 6" barrel is 14.7 grains of 2400 powder with a cci 550 primer and a 158 grain speer tmj bullet.

my model 27 s&w likes 5.7 to 6.2 grs. of bullseye under a home cast 150 gr. swc real well....

i use win small pistol standard primers.......


THE 2ND AMENDMENT PROTECTS US ALL.....

My all around, use for anything load is 7gr. of Unique under a 150-158gr. cast bullet. This is used in all of my 357's even the leveractions.It a nice shooting load with out beating up on you or the handgun. It is said to be a "dirty" load, but I've found that the gunk just wipes right off. Most of the smoke and gunk come from the lube on the cast bullets. Cheap to shoot, as you get 1000 round out of a pound of powder!

My personal favorite is the Remington 180 grain soft-nose hollow-point over the Speer #11 Contender data maximum charge of H110. It clocks 1500 fps on the nose out of a 10 inch Contender barrel and groups under 2 inches at 100 yards with the help of a 2x scope. I recovered a fired bullet from the tree a whitetail doe was trotting past when I shot her from about 20 yards. The nose was gone back to the jacket and the scallops were folded over. No telling how much more deer it would have penetrated had the angle been any worse. Good hunting!

S&W 686, 6 inch barrel
180gr Hornady XTP or Nosler Partition
13.3gr of H110
CCI Mag primer

For Marlin 1894C, 16.5 grs Lil'gun behind a 180 gr XTP for 1834 fps from an 18 inch bbl. 20 grs will drive the tried and true 158 JSPs to 2090 fps. Pressure is moderate.

What's a MAXIMUM charge of W296 (or H110) or Lil'Gun for a 180 gr. bullet to be fired in a .357 Mag. pistol - say the SP101? The Speer manual lists loads of W296 at 15.9 grs. and H110 at 16.1 grs. Any thoughts?

AIU:
Why would ya want to shoot an 180gr bullet out of a SP101? We're talking a snubbie right?

Please correct my ignorance, but isn't the SP101 357 Mag bullet weight limited by the cartridge OAL that will fit in the cylinder?

quote:

Originally posted by TCLouis:
Please correct my ignorance, but isn't the SP101 357 Mag bullet weight limited by the cartridge OAL that will fit in the cylinder?

Yeah but --

Big bullet in a small frame gun. That's just a weird way to go.

Above -- If you like 2400, have a look at Hodgdon H110. It's formulated specifically for magnum loads. In the 44 mag. H110 gets a higher velocity at lower pressures than 2400.

But Elmer Keith liked 2400.

Hodgdon HS6 is a good general use pistol powder. I stay away from the "hot" stuff like Bullseye and Unique.

quote:

Originally posted by Ackley Improved User:
What's a MAXIMUM charge of W296 (or H110) or Lil'Gun for a 180 gr. bullet to be fired in a .357 Mag. pistol - say the SP101? The Speer manual lists loads of W296 at 15.9 grs. and H110 at 16.1 grs. Any thoughts?

A nice load for the Ruger SP101 is 6.3 grs. of W231 and a 158gr Hornady XTP. It is pleasant to shoot, and is regulated with the fixed sights. I don't know what the velocity is but the bullets expand real well.

My favorite heavy load - practically my ONLY 357 load as I shoot 38 Spcl for everything else - is 14.5 Grs of 2400 behind the Hornady 158gr XTP JHP or the Speer Gold Dot 158gr JSP. My S&W Mod 66 with 6" Bbl loves this load and will shoot them better than I can hold them. And they will blow right on through an average size whitetail with good expansion, etc. What more do you need?

"Elmer said it, I believe it, and that's that!"

16.8Grs W296 over 158Gr JHP Mag Primer

Straight out of Winchester's Recipe book. Quite the fireballs, but quite accurate.

11.2 gr bluedot and 158 gr xtp

My old (guessing 1985) Hornaday book lists 11.4 gr of Blue Dot as a max-- the Alliant manual lists 10.7 as a max. I think the old Blue Dot was made by Herco - Is the Alliant stuff hotter, or is alliant more conservative?

I just loaded 200 rounds with 10.3 grains Blue dot under a 158 grain Hornaday FP/XTP Bullet.

john

Can't answer your question as to the difference between herco and alliant bluedot. However, my 2002 Hornady manual still lists 11.4 gr bluedot as max with the 158 gr XTP. This is a stiff load, but does not show any sign of high pressure in my 6" GP-100. BTW, I use standard primers.

18 gr LIL'GUN 158 gr LSWC or XTP JHP
4" barrel + cylinder length = 1173 fps

Speer 140gr JHP with a stiff dose of W-296. Very accurate.

quote:

Originally posted by TCLouis:
Please correct my ignorance, but isn't the SP101 357 Mag bullet weight limited by the cartridge OAL that will fit in the cylinder?

Sure, as are all revolvers, however. . . . Mine is a hammerless model with a 2-1/4" barrel. It shoots best, and to point of aim at 25 yards with a 180 gr. LBT FN and either 12.5 gr. 2400, or 16 gr, Lil gun. Both are heavy loads, but they are what I use in it for woods protection. It is accurate even out to about 250 yards with those loads if I do my part. You could hunt with it. The lighter bullets are much less accurate. It's a little brutal as for recoil, but with both hands, I find it manageable, and exilerating!

HERCO IS A -POWDER NOT A COMPANY. HERCULES IS THE COMPANY. HERCO IS NO LONGER MADE BY ALLIANT. 150 GRAIN CAST HOLLOW POINT 11.6 HERCO WSP MAG. HOT, VERY HOT. FROM THE 1970 LYMAN MANUAL. NOTE: THE ORIGINAL 357 BRASS HAD LARGE PRIMERS NOT SMALL. IT WAS CHANGED. SO.... IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT OLD ARTICLES WITH VERY HIGH VELOCITIES REMEMBER A LARGE MAG PRIMER COULD HAVE BEEN IN THE CASE. ELMER SHOULD BE ON MOUNT RUSHMORE OR HARRY POPE.

Mt. Ruchmore I can believe but why would Elmer be on Harry Pope.

quote:

ELMER SHOULD BE ON MOUNT RUSHMORE OR HARRY POPE.

Long as the gun will take it, some loads "ain't meant fer plinkin" they are for social encounters and recoil and discomfort is likely to be missed during all of the excitement.

My favorite load for the 6"GP-100 is 13.5 or 15.0 grains of Lil Gun and Remington 180 SJHP.

I have not found a good load with cast for this gun so far with either light plinking or heavy cast bullets . . . . YET?

Most times for me, the search for the "good load" is over half the fun.

Harry Carey:

When did Alliant quit making Herco? I just bought 2 lbs. last week, and they still list it in their latest powder brochure. Maybe I will have to buy some more - it makes great 20 ga. skeet loads. Thanks for any information you can give me on the status of Herco.

quote:

THE ORIGINAL 357 BRASS HAD LARGE PRIMERS NOT SMALL. IT WAS CHANGED. SO.... IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT OLD ARTICLES WITH VERY HIGH VELOCITIES REMEMBER A LARGE MAG PRIMER COULD HAVE BEEN IN THE CASE.

Harry, just how long ago are we talking about? I have a Lyman Manual from the 70's and it says to use a small primer in the 357.
Peter.

The change from large to small pistol primers occurred in the mid to late 1950's, around the same time the .44 mag. came out. It took several years for the transition to take place. Old stock on dealers shelves still had large primers up into the 60's.