16in50calNavalRifle
Member
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2009
- Messages
- 355
I have contacted Hodgdon about this (Trail Boss is an IMR powder, but the IMR email contact came back undeliverable, so I just sent the email to Hodgdon) - we'll see if they get back to me.
Meanwhile, a question for the very wise reloaders of this forum - after I set the stage -
* loading 125 grain jacketed flat-points, in .357 brass - to avoid the carbon ring in the cylinders
* ammo is for a snub-nosed stainless revolver, 2.5-inch barrel
* "down-loading" to reduced pressures for reduced recoil - for practice, plinking, informal steels matches
* so far have loaded the above brass/bullet combo with 6.4g of Silhouette, and 4.8g of HP38 - these were, respectively, mid-range and upper range 38 special loads for these powders and a 125g jacketed bullet (following advice on this forum to avoid 38 special starting loads when using jacketed bullets for down-loaded 357)
Main issue here is not under-loading so as to get a stuck bullet. The two loads above, using 38 special data in the .357 case, produced fairly snappy recoil, and I'd like to reduce it.
Today I loaded some test rounds with smaller charges (6.2g Silhouette and 4.5g HP38, still both above starting 38 special loads). Not worried about these sticking a bullet, but as always will follow my cumbersome but safe procedure with test loads: use Shoot-N-C targets @ short range to confirm each bullet leaves the barrel, examine brass and bore carefully after each round, take careful notes on recoil and accuracy.
Question: I have been very happy with Trail Boss - especially the light recoil - in my regular 38 special lead bullet loads out of my K-frame, so would it be reasonable to try this powder with these 125g jacketed bullets?
I have no Trail Boss data for jacketed bullets (duh, it's made for lead). But I was comparing the 38/357 pressure data for Trail Boss with that for HP38. In 38 special, for a 125g XTP, the data show pressure @ max load of 4.9g HP38 at 16,300 CUP. In 357 Mag, for the max load of 5.3g of Trail Boss, and a LEAD RNFP, the data show 17,900 CUP.
Is it reasonable to conclude that since (as already shown by my first HP38 test loads) 16,300 CUP is more than adequate to push the jacketed bullets through the bore, then 17,900 CUP with Trail Boss will also be adequate? Or are the pressure data affected by the bullet used, so that I could not expect to get 17,900 CUP out of a jacketed bullet in a 357 case?
Meanwhile, a question for the very wise reloaders of this forum - after I set the stage -
* loading 125 grain jacketed flat-points, in .357 brass - to avoid the carbon ring in the cylinders
* ammo is for a snub-nosed stainless revolver, 2.5-inch barrel
* "down-loading" to reduced pressures for reduced recoil - for practice, plinking, informal steels matches
* so far have loaded the above brass/bullet combo with 6.4g of Silhouette, and 4.8g of HP38 - these were, respectively, mid-range and upper range 38 special loads for these powders and a 125g jacketed bullet (following advice on this forum to avoid 38 special starting loads when using jacketed bullets for down-loaded 357)
Main issue here is not under-loading so as to get a stuck bullet. The two loads above, using 38 special data in the .357 case, produced fairly snappy recoil, and I'd like to reduce it.
Today I loaded some test rounds with smaller charges (6.2g Silhouette and 4.5g HP38, still both above starting 38 special loads). Not worried about these sticking a bullet, but as always will follow my cumbersome but safe procedure with test loads: use Shoot-N-C targets @ short range to confirm each bullet leaves the barrel, examine brass and bore carefully after each round, take careful notes on recoil and accuracy.
Question: I have been very happy with Trail Boss - especially the light recoil - in my regular 38 special lead bullet loads out of my K-frame, so would it be reasonable to try this powder with these 125g jacketed bullets?
I have no Trail Boss data for jacketed bullets (duh, it's made for lead). But I was comparing the 38/357 pressure data for Trail Boss with that for HP38. In 38 special, for a 125g XTP, the data show pressure @ max load of 4.9g HP38 at 16,300 CUP. In 357 Mag, for the max load of 5.3g of Trail Boss, and a LEAD RNFP, the data show 17,900 CUP.
Is it reasonable to conclude that since (as already shown by my first HP38 test loads) 16,300 CUP is more than adequate to push the jacketed bullets through the bore, then 17,900 CUP with Trail Boss will also be adequate? Or are the pressure data affected by the bullet used, so that I could not expect to get 17,900 CUP out of a jacketed bullet in a 357 case?