Obturation
Member
Hey all,
Been meaning to get this testing done for a couple months but with kung flu and a busy life I've been too busy.
I bought a ruger 77/357 in early March with the intention of using it as a light, handy camp rifle & general plinker . it was also intended to be paired with my favorite and most used range gun - a 6" gp100 I've had for the past 8-9 years.
The testing I wanted to do was to find a combination of loads that would be accurate in both guns and had very similar points of impact. I don't shoot anything lighter than 158 grain in 357 mag and 180 grain is the heaviest I've used. My standard load of 14 grains of 2400 (caution : that is slightly over max in some modern manuals but not over max in older manuals) under a swc has been my go to 357 load for years and its pleasant & accurate. I got some 180 grain coated flat points from MBC to work up a load with , I wanted the heavier bullet for the carbine but wanted a load that shot well from my revolver too.
Keep in mind, I'm not a rifle guy. I have a few but I pretty much never have a chance to shoot beyond 100 yards and I have no need to shoot further. I spend most of my range time with revolvers. Here are my 2 best 5 shot
groups from the 77/357 using either load. Fired kneeling ,outdoors at 50 yards - that's pretty darn good for me.
It seems to prefer the 180 grain bullet over 13.5 grains of w296, if I were a better shot I'm certain it would have been 1 ragged hole. The 158 grain load did well too , just slightly larger and a hair off center, maybe just me.
Shooting those same loads at 10 yards indoors offhand standing from my gp100 my 2 best 5 shot groups looked like this :
The 180 grain load produced a larger group, still acceptable but my classic 158 grain bullet did what it always does. The revolver was shot indoors and those targets aren't ideal as the front sight gets lost easily in lower light with such a dark target.
I may tinker with the 180 grain load a little but I was getting tired and likely not doing my best. I'm reluctant to mess with that load though because it shot so well from the 77/357.
I have heard internet stories of the 77/357 being a 3-5 MOA gun, doesn't seem to be the case. I'm sure off the bench I could get 1.5 MOA or maybe better, the rifle seems to be way more accurate than I am and will serve my needs well.
I think I'll retest the 180 grain load when I'm feeling fresh and see if I can get a better group, if not I'll probably try to try a different charge to see if it'll settle down.
Either way, a nice combo of rifle & revolver that should be good for camping and possibly some hunting. I'll keep you guys updated with further findings as I continue to test.
Been meaning to get this testing done for a couple months but with kung flu and a busy life I've been too busy.
I bought a ruger 77/357 in early March with the intention of using it as a light, handy camp rifle & general plinker . it was also intended to be paired with my favorite and most used range gun - a 6" gp100 I've had for the past 8-9 years.
The testing I wanted to do was to find a combination of loads that would be accurate in both guns and had very similar points of impact. I don't shoot anything lighter than 158 grain in 357 mag and 180 grain is the heaviest I've used. My standard load of 14 grains of 2400 (caution : that is slightly over max in some modern manuals but not over max in older manuals) under a swc has been my go to 357 load for years and its pleasant & accurate. I got some 180 grain coated flat points from MBC to work up a load with , I wanted the heavier bullet for the carbine but wanted a load that shot well from my revolver too.
Keep in mind, I'm not a rifle guy. I have a few but I pretty much never have a chance to shoot beyond 100 yards and I have no need to shoot further. I spend most of my range time with revolvers. Here are my 2 best 5 shot
groups from the 77/357 using either load. Fired kneeling ,outdoors at 50 yards - that's pretty darn good for me.
It seems to prefer the 180 grain bullet over 13.5 grains of w296, if I were a better shot I'm certain it would have been 1 ragged hole. The 158 grain load did well too , just slightly larger and a hair off center, maybe just me.
Shooting those same loads at 10 yards indoors offhand standing from my gp100 my 2 best 5 shot groups looked like this :
The 180 grain load produced a larger group, still acceptable but my classic 158 grain bullet did what it always does. The revolver was shot indoors and those targets aren't ideal as the front sight gets lost easily in lower light with such a dark target.
I may tinker with the 180 grain load a little but I was getting tired and likely not doing my best. I'm reluctant to mess with that load though because it shot so well from the 77/357.
I have heard internet stories of the 77/357 being a 3-5 MOA gun, doesn't seem to be the case. I'm sure off the bench I could get 1.5 MOA or maybe better, the rifle seems to be way more accurate than I am and will serve my needs well.
I think I'll retest the 180 grain load when I'm feeling fresh and see if I can get a better group, if not I'll probably try to try a different charge to see if it'll settle down.
Either way, a nice combo of rifle & revolver that should be good for camping and possibly some hunting. I'll keep you guys updated with further findings as I continue to test.
