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I'm planning on running my S&W 10-5 snub in an ICORE match later this month and have been practicing... call me a wuss if you like but with my "usual" load of 3.7 HP38 these 158 MBC #11s are pretty stout recoil wise. I imagine my stag grips hit my thumb bones in the wrong places. In any case, I tried to find a load that recoiled less but still hit close to POA at about 15-18 yds on steel (which is what I'll mostly be shooting).
Tried starting loads (or therabouts, based on starting loads from Lee and Hornady which vary greatly) with HP38, WST, Trail Boss, Bullseye and Unique. (attempted Red Dot and American Select but couldn't get consistent throws at starting charges in LCT/PAD so I gave up).
You can probably already guess the winner but I'll report below for any interested. All targets shot offhand at 18 yards. If I could hit 8" plates regularly I called it a success. I also shot at least 2 groups on large torso plates to judge relative accuracy and POI.
All loads are under 158 MBC #11 "cowboy" LRN, seated and crimped lightly to groove, CCI SPP.
I've never tried to build a load with these criteria before and I found it pretty interesting.
1. must be significantly lower recoil than my "standard" load.
2. must hit close to POA and be reasonably accurate.
3. Must use RN bullets to facilitate quicker loading with speedloaders.
4.0 Unique: similar recoil to 3.7 HP38 "standard" load, so not really seriously evaulated. Seemed reasonably accurate but not as good as other loads below.
2.8 Bullseye: recoil not light enough to recommend a change. Seemed moderately accurate and would work for a "plinking" load if I needed to use this powder.
3.3 WST: a bit lighter recoil than "standard", but not enough of a difference to impress. Seemed pretty accurate. Worth remembering for the future if low recoil is not the first priority. This powder is rapidly moving up the list of favorites due simply to its light grey color (easier to see the charge in the case) and excellent metering at smaller volumes. I could easily see this being my "only powder" for handgun use if I could find it regularly.
3.1 HP-38: Very accurate; in fact more consistently accurate than my current "standard" load. More evaluation in this regard would be warranted. Recoil noticeably lighter, and about the same as the WST load if maybe a bit lighter. Possibly the most accurate of all loads; maybe tied with Trail Boss. I'd have to shoot some groups on paper with each to be sure. Worth remembering. This may be my new "standard" range load for new shooters or where recoil is a concern. (If I don't have any WC loads made up.)
2.65-2.8 Trail Boss (that's as consistent as I could get with the PAD; I weighed nearly every charge with this load to be sure. Powders above drop very consistently.): The clear winner with regard to recoil. Surprisingly POA/POI seemed to be close enough, and accuracy was quite good, perhaps tying with 3.1 HP-38. Where high-volume low-recoil shooting with 158 RN is a priority, this is the clear choice of the loads I tried. I finally found a good use for Trail Boss.
Tried starting loads (or therabouts, based on starting loads from Lee and Hornady which vary greatly) with HP38, WST, Trail Boss, Bullseye and Unique. (attempted Red Dot and American Select but couldn't get consistent throws at starting charges in LCT/PAD so I gave up).
You can probably already guess the winner but I'll report below for any interested. All targets shot offhand at 18 yards. If I could hit 8" plates regularly I called it a success. I also shot at least 2 groups on large torso plates to judge relative accuracy and POI.
All loads are under 158 MBC #11 "cowboy" LRN, seated and crimped lightly to groove, CCI SPP.
I've never tried to build a load with these criteria before and I found it pretty interesting.
1. must be significantly lower recoil than my "standard" load.
2. must hit close to POA and be reasonably accurate.
3. Must use RN bullets to facilitate quicker loading with speedloaders.
4.0 Unique: similar recoil to 3.7 HP38 "standard" load, so not really seriously evaulated. Seemed reasonably accurate but not as good as other loads below.
2.8 Bullseye: recoil not light enough to recommend a change. Seemed moderately accurate and would work for a "plinking" load if I needed to use this powder.
3.3 WST: a bit lighter recoil than "standard", but not enough of a difference to impress. Seemed pretty accurate. Worth remembering for the future if low recoil is not the first priority. This powder is rapidly moving up the list of favorites due simply to its light grey color (easier to see the charge in the case) and excellent metering at smaller volumes. I could easily see this being my "only powder" for handgun use if I could find it regularly.
3.1 HP-38: Very accurate; in fact more consistently accurate than my current "standard" load. More evaluation in this regard would be warranted. Recoil noticeably lighter, and about the same as the WST load if maybe a bit lighter. Possibly the most accurate of all loads; maybe tied with Trail Boss. I'd have to shoot some groups on paper with each to be sure. Worth remembering. This may be my new "standard" range load for new shooters or where recoil is a concern. (If I don't have any WC loads made up.)
2.65-2.8 Trail Boss (that's as consistent as I could get with the PAD; I weighed nearly every charge with this load to be sure. Powders above drop very consistently.): The clear winner with regard to recoil. Surprisingly POA/POI seemed to be close enough, and accuracy was quite good, perhaps tying with 3.1 HP-38. Where high-volume low-recoil shooting with 158 RN is a priority, this is the clear choice of the loads I tried. I finally found a good use for Trail Boss.
