357Mag 158gr SJSP with Bullseye

[Jesse Heywood]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

At the moment i load .454 Casull,45 Colt,357 Mag, 45 ACP and 9mm. I use only jacketed bullets, the only except is the .45 Colt with cast bullets.
I tried Titegroup in .357 Mag and 9mm with good results and i liked H110 in .454 Casull and .357Mag.
I know there is nothing like a universal powder, but id like to keep my storage small because im planning to buy a 45/70 Marlin and im also shooting cap and ball from time to time.

One powder for your handgun rounds could be Unique. It is even listed for the Casull, but I have no experience there. 2400 is a choice for the heavier loads, but you have that covered with H110. Power Pistol is an unknown to me. The 45-70 will require it's own powder.

 

[joneb]

. This does, however, demonstrate why you don't use too fast a powder for high end loads. Very quick pressure spike, and not much gained in velocity.

I agree but, Bullseye is very predictable at the upper end as well as the lower end and does not seem to be very case position sensitive. So for short barrel applications it is better than you think is.

 

[jstein650]

It is extremely consistent. Case position sensitivity for the .357 is more in the 'theoretical' for me, as I don't use it in large cases. In applications like .38, 9mm, 45acp, it's always performed better than expected for velocity and accuracy. Kinda like W321, it just works. When it comes to jacketed bullets in something like the .357, which isn't much bigger, admittedly, I just want to use a powder that will give a smooth, very hard push, like the slower powders are designed to do. Like I said, B'Eye still works.
That said, if I were loading for something like a 2" snubbie, I'm sure I'd stop at something like AA#7 or Blue Dot. While the internal ballistics are kind of an unknown, it's not like I'd be going for a max of 2400 or H110, or anything.

 

[joneb]

I mostly use Bullseye for 45acp and 38spl, but as things are, I explore other options.

 

[gamestalker]

It's not really a good .357 powder. I would look at 2400, 296 / H110, H4227, Lil Gun. About as fast as I've gone with .357 has been Longshot and HS6, they ran fair, but still not ideal in that cartridge under a 158 gr. jacketed.

I have stayed with H110 / 296 as my primary for decades, and I stick with it because it's been an extremely consistent and predictable powder that delivers top end velocity, with very easy to manage pressures loaded at the mid range, or the higher end of the table. I also forgot to mention Blue Dot too. I've had a good run with it off and on for about 10 or so years, but it can get spikey.

The .357 mag. is actually a pretty easy cartridge to load for, it just doesn't do stellar using fast powders and jacketed bullets. Other wise, a good slow burner doesn't typically demand much work up to get decent results.

GS

 

[Dunkelheit]

Do 2400 and Pistol Power produce constant drops? I recently used Titegroup and regulary had inconstant powder weights.

 

[chutestrate]

Power Pistol is very consistent in my experience. Titegroup is problematic for drops. I have a routine which I'm comfortable with to get consistent drops, but I understand what you are saying.