357 Magnum Load

[Hondo 60]

I usually use Titegroup, but I'm running low & have other powders.
I want to try using Lil Gun and I'm looking for a safe load.

By the way the bullet is MBCs 357 Action (18 BHN, 158 gr SWC)

The only load data on Hodgdon's site is for a Hornady XTP.

 

[zxcvbob]

158 grains is a little light for Lil'Gun. It works better with 180's.

I really like 8.0 grains of Herco with 158 grain SWC's. That should be a nice step up from whatever you're loading with Titegroup, and it's a lot more economical than using 296 or Lil'Gun. If you need more power than that, try AA#7 or 2400 (load data is pretty abundant)

Note: if you try 296 or H110 powder, you need to be careful not to load too low, crimp it good, and use a magnum primer or a small rife primer.

 

[243winxb]

Lil Gun shows low pressure with a 158 gr jacketed. Add a lead bullet and pressure will drop even more. Not a good choice.

 

[wanderinwalker]

Agreed with the above. Try Alliant 2400 or Winchester 296 (Or Hodgdon H-110, it's the same powder as 296) if you want full-house loads. If you want more power but don't need the full-snort, try Alliant Unique of Hodgdon Universal.

Any of the above is much more suitable than Titegroup. TG is what you want for low-powered .38 Special loads.

 

[Walkalong]

Unique is great for midrange to midrange plus loads in .357. So is N340.

After that you are looking at 2400 and then the really slow stuff like AA #9 or W-296/H-110.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I wouldn't use H110/W296 with a lead bullet. They just don't play well together. The above suggestion of 2400 is a good one with a 158gr LSWC but my favorite powder for that bullet in a .357 Magnum is HS-6.

 

[Skip_a_roo]

Really Tony?

I have used Lil' Gun in the 44Mag carbine with lead bullets. The velocity was way up there but accuracy wasn't. I think that is the rifle though, not the powder. I did talk to the Hodgdon Tech and they spoke pretty strong against lead and Lil' Gun. Melting bases and all of that. Maybe.

Lil' Gun in revolvers has been spoken against pretty widely. Flame cutting and barrel crystallization in some of the bigger calibers. Freedom Arms is telling folks to stay away from it.

All of that being said, I do have a load for a 158gr XTP load that moves that baby out of my Marlin at over 2000fps! Accurate and powerful enough for most whitetail sized animals.

If you have a subscription to LoadData.com or read Rifle Magazine from Wolfe Publishing, check out the article in Issue #226 - July, 2006 for the data I use. It is over the Hodgdon maximum suggested load so I am not going to post it here.

 

[evan price]

Buy some more Titegroup. 5 grains T/G and a 158 lead SWC is a great shooter.

 

[flipajig]

another is W231 or HP-38 im using it in 44mag,9mm,38spc,and 357 mag for light loads 158gn wc on the 38 and 357. I also use 2400 for my full house loads.

 

[rcmodel]

Switching from Titegroup to Lil Gun or 2400 is a major leap in power.

Titegroup is a very fast target powder for relatively light loads.
Lil Gun & 2400 is a much slower Magnum powder for maximum power.
You would use about three times as much powder per shot with Lil Gun or 2400.

Which is it you want to do?
Light target loads, or barn burners?

rc

 

[Funshooter45]

I just haven't had much luck with LilGun. I guess it did OK in the .454 and the .480 Ruger, but it wasn't as good as other powders. I tried it in .357 and didn't like it at all. For the strong loads, I would much rather use 2400 or 296 or Enforcer. The 2400 works fairly well with the cast bullets. For the weak loads, it's hard to beat 231 and TiteGroup. Mid-range loads call for mid range powders like Universal or True Blue.

 

[ljnowell]

If you are wanting a good full power flamethrowing load, I would recommend 2400 with that bullet. I load the exact same bullet over 14.5gr of 2400 and get great accuracy, no leading, and plenty of goofy smiles from the flash, bang, and recoil.

 

[zxcvbob]

I still think Herco or WSF gives the most bang for the buck... but I haven't tried Power Pistol yet

2400 is a *great* powder for .357 Magnum, it just takes a lot more.

 

[Grump]

1. IME, pressures go UP with lead bullets, compared to jacketed. Winchester's loading data from the 1980s when they had more powders tends to agree. Pressures were published, and equal-weight lead bullets almost always took less powder, at same or even higher pressures.

2. WW-296 works great with Oregon Trail 125-gr TCs in two .357s I've shot them in. 1400 fps and decent accuracy. YMMV and all that.

3. I tried working up with now-discontinued WAP (don't remember what Ramshot or whatever powder it is now--I really liked its low-flash tendencies) just before there was published .357 data on it, and it was kind of a flop. Pressures went bad before I could get very close to full-power loads. Accuracy was so-so.

4. Herco and Unique seem interchangeable in performance with 146-grain and heavier bullets, BUT with differing charge weights. For my favorites, 125-gr bullets cast and Hornady XTPs, Herco seemed to pressure spike about 75-100 fps slower than Unique.

Finally, with my 125-gr loads (I know you're asking about 158s), there really is a noticeable recoil difference with comparable velocities, between the 19-20 grain WW-296 loads and the other loads using more like 10 grains of powder. Total mass of recoil ejecta, my friends. It's a physics thing.

ETA: Power Pistol works pretty good, gets close to max velocities with less powder at least with 125s, but it still flashes pretty bright like WW-296. I really considered fabricating a flash hider, but I was not shooting an L-frame at the time with that convenient lug to screw it onto.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

3. I tried working up with now-discontinued WAP (don't remember what Ramshot or whatever powder it is now--I really liked its low-flash tendencies) just before there was published .357 data on it, and it was kind of a flop.

I'm fairly sure it's Ramshot Silhouette that is exactly the same as Winchester WAP.

 

[Jeff H]

Another vote for 2400 for the 158gr lead bullet. They just work well together.