Trouble generating a fullhouse 357mag load

I don't really believe that. They may have used 8 3/8 barrels, but I don't buy the fly by the seat of thier pants pressure stuff. See there is little to no reason for a .357 if a 9mm +P+ 124 grain will fly out of a 4" barrel at 1400fps (measured that on too and it was a factory loading).

I have become a huge AA #9 fan. Uses a smaller charge than W296, doesn't require a magnum primer and seems to have similar magnum power.

It's actually the only powder I've seen pressure signs with. My rifle liked a hot charge of it just fine, but my revolver had some flattened primers and sticky extraction.

The biggest problem right now is finding any new powder to try. I Intend to spend a little time with Lil Gun if I can ever find some. I have read from someone named Clark about Lil Gun and that seems promising.

I understand the whole full tilt thing, cause that's all I do. But I sure hope the OP doesn't get hurt by setting the bar too high, a .357 mag. can only do so much before it's physical limitations are exceeded.

GS

How about giving up on the flash and concussive bang and just go for smoke? Load up with black powder?

Seriously, though, I had a friend who used to produce super-impressive fireballs and blast with a .30 Carbine out of a Ruger Blackhawk. I would look up factory-equivalent loads for the .30 Carbine and see if there are recipes for .357 Magnum using the same powder and similar caliber-to-weight ratio.

Lost Sheep

Jason Neighbors said:

My current .357 mag load is 20.3grains of W296 under a 125 JSP. I'm looking for something hotter. I have have measured 1450fps with my crono. If the information I have read is true back in the 30's when the .357 was king those boys pushed 158 grainers over 1500fps.

Click to expand...

Hodgdon lists a charge of 22.0gr W296/H110 as the Max charge for a 125gr Hornady XTP bullet. Try working up to that charge weight if you are looking for "something hotter". you will be surprised at how much a difference 1.7gr will make, and be sure to use a magnum primer.

I rarely use a 125gr bullet in the .357 Magnum. 158gr bullet are the ones I like best and a lot of them are lead pushed to "old velocity" levels and without any leading to speak of.

Any time I can help I'm happy to do so.

Welcome to the forum...

I would also like to say. I'm all for saftey, but the people that say something like "don't hot rod .357 it's not worth it". I say this in reply. There is no point in moderate .357 loads. It's easier to find .38 special brass and it serves the purpose perfectly for over 100 years now and all .357 mag revos will eat them right up.

The thing about max book loads is they constantly get weaker. My W296 is so old it's in a metal can so I'll stick with yesterday's data. For my point look at the (could have been) 10mm. That thing started out very promising then some panseis got involved and made "FBI" loads now it's all but impossible to find factory full power loads. I don't load for 10mm but I have heard it has the same problem as .357 with finding orginal loading power factor. My personal opinion is the problem with loading data and guns in general is the market is decided by what sells best not what works best. For instance the extreme popularity of Glock pistols stems from thier heavy police contracts, not their fitness for purpose ( I think they are ok guns don't misread that). To the OP's problem the best I can say is look for Mag powders at your LGS maybe you'll get lucky just stay away from Blue Dot it'll make the power and fireball you want but it's the only pistol powder I ever experienced pressure signs with.

Oh, and to be clear I don't think I'm "smarter than the ballisticians". However people should relize the data they extrapolate in a lab in, a pressure barrel that looks and acts nothing like any gun we would recognize has little to do with the real world. Remember folks if no one experimented we wouldn't have guns much less magums. I bet those ballisticians would have slapped P.O. Ackley on the hand and said bad boy.

Good luck

jwalts27,

i have found h110 a bit slow for 357mag full-house loads. it is also a bit finicky for that cartridge, for some reason. i use blue dot, or hs-6 with 158gn lswc bullets for my full-house loads. i save the h110 for the 44mag and the heavier bullets.

ymmv,

murf

jwalts27 said:

I would also like to say. I'm all for saftey, but the people that say something like "don't hot rod .357 it's not worth it". I say this in reply. There is no point in moderate .357 loads. It's easier to find .38 special brass and it serves the purpose perfectly for over 100 years now and all .357 mag revos will eat them right up.

My point exactly. I bought my 686 for the power factor, not to reload it to softer loads. I shoot Factory 158FP I got at Walmart for a good price. Its got a good amount of recoil and power. This is pretty much what I aiming for. Nothing more nothing less all while staying safe. I will just wait until I can find some magnum powder. Thanks for all the replies

Click to expand...

It all sums up to you need the right powder(s) to achieve what you want. Even with say H110 or 2400 shooting max loads all the time is hard on the gun and the shooter. If you wish to spend the day at the range shooting all high powder loads than more power to you. The 686 will handle them very well. Try some in a snubby I just got a 460 SW Mag. Shooting full powder loads in that is plain brutal!! I'll save those for when a Brown Bear comes by.

Having trouble finding Win296/H110 I found some AA#9 that makes for a real nice magnum powder with regular primers in .44 magnum and I understand works great in .30 carbine.

Glad I picked up several pounds of it now.

H100 with magnum primer rocks my 357 Wiley clapp. Awesome muzzle blast. Lots of kick. Granted that muzzle flash is partly wasted powder burning outside the barrel.

I've been criticized to death, and have been throughout most of my reloading life for my full tilt loads, it does get on my nerves at times, that much I honestly understand. I mean, for me and my desired shooting, a given cartridge / firearm is designed to safely handle X number of PSI, anything less than that, and I feel cheated, so I do get it. .357's aren't marketed for their soft low velocity potential, quite the opposite actually.

The point I'm trying to make, is that it requires specific powders to accomplish such. H110 / 296 will most certainly get it done, and with plenty of flash bang also. I haven't tried 300 MP yet, but Alliant is boasting some impressive numbers with it, it's supposed to be right up there with H110/296, maybe give that one a try?

GS

im loading for BOOM factor.

Click to expand...

Almost the same as KABOOM. http://www.photobucket.com/kabooom Good luck, be safe. [/URL][/IMG]

See I would like the back story to that pic. How did that happen?