357 loads

[AERacing1813]

Hey all! Thanks for the add. I’m fairly new to loading, and curious what you guys are doing for .357Mag/38 special, the only book I’ve got is Lyman 50th & Hodgen’s websight.

The main thing I’ve loaded is 9mm, 4.0G of Tite-Group under a 115 projectile and it’s working amazingly well with consistent velocity & reliability through anything I try.

do y’all have a particular 357/38 you like to load with Tite-Group? I know a lot prefer a powder that takes up more space in the case for a revolver(unique etc), just getting something else to load is a pain in the butt right now, and I’ve got 4LBS of titegroup.

 

[Bill M.]

For me tightgroup works fine in .357. I use a light and look directly at the powder charge for each case before I drop a bullet on it. I have a routine worked out that I think and hope prevents double charging. I use the midrange load of tightgroup from the Hodgdon website for each bullet weight I use and have had no problems with it. 158 grain bullets are good in a .357. I like the Hornaday XTP. I have other powders I use more in .357 but I am not sure they are any better, and maybe not as good, as tightrope.

The simple thing is, just don't double charge it.

 

[ballman6711]

I don't have or use Titegroup so my response may not be relevant.

For both 38 and 357 I like a 158gr jsp or jhp, although I prefer the jsp. I use W231 (same as HP-38) and it's a nice, mid power load in my 6" gun. If you can find a pound give it a try, although 4 pounds of Titegroup will probably last you a very long time.

chris

 

[Obturation]

I don't have any titegroup experience, I use 2400 or h110 for 357 , I prefer 2400. 357/38 is among the simplest cartridge to load and many powders are fine and the range of available projectiles is great. Looking at the hodgdons data it looks like titegroup will work ok for a wide range of bullets but the max /min charges are close together, so use care. You won't get magnum velocities using titegroup , just the way it is.
Next time you buy powder keep an eye out for 2400, if you see it, give it a try

 

[2ndtimer]

I have loaded Tite Group in .357 Magnum cases, generally 4.0 gr with a 148 gr wadcutter and 5.0 gr with a 158 gr SWC. Nice, mild plinking loads. For more of a “magnum” load, without stepping up to W296/H110 or 2400, you might try to find some Power Pistol. I like 7.5 to 8.0 gr behind a 158 gr SWC, for about 1200 fps out of my 6” GP-100.

 

[Hartkopf]

I’ve used titegroup in 40S&W and it’s fine but seems to run hot if you’re doing much volume shooting. Since I was lucky enough to find slower powders before china’s biological attack, I won’t use titegroup for 357 magnums.

I’ve just discovered Longshot for a mid range 357 magnum load. The starting load recoil is equivalent to some of the soft shooting factory rounds you could buy way back in January. Longshot is cheap and burns clean but doesn’t take up much space with aprox 7.3 grains in the case for starters with 158 XTPs. It feels like a magnum which won’t be the case with titegroup.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I tried it once in .357mag. 5.5 gr of Titegroup with 158gr plated swc. It seemed to shoot consistantly and I didn't have any accuracy problems to speak of.
It will heat your barrel up quicker than a lot of other powders.

I don't know if that hurts anything, just don't shoot so fast.

Now I use BE-86, 7.3 gr with 158gr standard plated bullets and 2400 @13.7gr with 158gr thick plate plated bullets. These are both mid range loads and shoot very well.
I also like 8.6 gr of Blue Dot with the 158s also, also a decent load for practice.

You may be able to find Blue Dot if you look around but it doesn't meter well through a volumetric measure. I run it through my Auto Charge when I use it or go old school with a stand alone measure and dribbler.

 

[Mr_Flintstone]

About 6.5 gr TG under a 140 gr XTP. It splits the difference between 125 gr and 158 gr. I must admit, I load more .357 Mag for a rifle rather than for a revolver. That’s where you get better performance from slower pistol powders like H110, 2400, IMR 4227, etc... I’ve always thought fast powders like TG do just fine in revolvers, and 4 pounds will let you load about 4000 rounds of .357 Magnum.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

Titegroup isn't as position sensitive as some of the faster pistol powders are either. Don't need to use a magnum primers either.

Just load them and shoot 'em.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

Longshot is cheap and burns clean but doesn’t take up much space with aprox 7.3 grains in the case for starters with 158 XTPs.

I've used long shot in .357 mag. It worked pretty decent also.

 

[Blue68f100]

The main thing I’ve loaded is 9mm, 4.0G of Tite-Group under a 115 projectile and it’s working amazingly well with consistent velocity & reliability through anything I try.

I don't use TG but, I hope you meant to say 4.0 gr not Grams. Over charge on super fast powders normally do not have a good outcome.

 

[frankmako]

i load 6.5 titegroup with the 158 hp zero bullet for my marlin 1894cb. this is my nra lever action pistol cartridge silhouette load.

 

[AJC1]

I love 3.0 grains of tg below a cast 158grn lee bullet in a 38 case. I load them and my retired vet neighbor shoot them in his stubby 636. Its definitely a very low recoil load that is decent and tons of fun. If I was shooting greater than 15 yards indoors I may up it some but it's a great short range plinker

 

[IlikeSA]

I like titegroup with a lead wadcutter. It's mild shooting and accurate.

 

[valleyforge.1777]

I have loaded thousands of 357 Magnum rounds for lever rifle with Titegroup using 7.0 grains of powder and regular small pistol primers and Montana Gold 357 125 grain JHP bullets. These work fine, but are not as fast as I want. I do not have a chronograph but I judge velocity indirectly by comparing point of impact for a given point of aim between my loads and factory loaded Remington 125 grain SJHP loads.
I am trying to specifically find a load that allows POI to equal POA at both 50 and 100 yards without changing the sights on the rifle. With my 7.0 grain Titegroup load the POI is a little lower than the POA at 100 yards when the POI and POA are set for 50 yards. The factory loads are higher POI at both 50 and 100 yards by a few inches compared to my Titegroup loads. Based on the load data from Hodgdon's website, I figured I have room to go to safely increase the Titegroup load, and I could have tried that. It turns out that an ordering mistake during a previous buying-panic-shortage era led to an extra pound or two of Win 231 winding up in my cabinet, so I am just using that powder now for 357 lever rifle loads and it works fine. Not much better than Titegroup but a little better. And the loading range is wider than with Titegroup. I also got a little burned away from trying to go to a higher Titegroup load because I discovered there appears to be an error in the Hodgdon data for 9 mm 115 grain FMJ bullets for Titegroup and that made me wonder just how much I can trust their 357 data, or any other caliber data, for this powder.

 

[lordpaxman]

Welcome to THR and the new addiction!

The simple thing is, just don't double charge it.

Or triple, or.... Reduce the COL too much! Either one of these will lead to a bad day in a hurry.
I use Hodgdon’s data for TG loads and in .38 it produces some of the tightest groups out of my 686. Just make sure you get that charge weight correct. I load 125 and 158 bullets and either can be loaded at the start charge weights for a mild load.
Stick with the published COLs until you get some more reloading time under your belt. Reducing the COL for a given charge weight will increase the pressure and TG is not a well behaved powder like N320 is. Good luck and let us know how it goes!