Power Pistol is a Good .357 Mag Powder

[GunAdmirer]

After reading an article in a recent past issue of Handloader magazine, I decided to load up some .357 rounds with 7.5 and 8.0 grains of Power Pistol and some bulk 158 gr. Remington JLHP bullets crimped to the cannelure. I already use Power Pistol extensively for 9mm loads and have a lot of it on hand.

I got to the range today and found them to be very accurate and fun to shoot. I couldn't chronograph them this trip. Neither load showed signs of excessive pressure in my 6" Ruger GP100.

The loads used standard primers and burned completely and cleanly. Plus you get the recoil, boom and flash that makes the .357 fun.

I think Power Pistol is a great powder for moderate .357 defense or plinking loads. I'm making more...

 

[JDGray]

I use PP in 9mm, myself. I was thinking of loading some 45s up with it, to see how it does. I use HS6 in my 357 loads, but may check out PP there also

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Speer recommends 8.8gr PP to replicate their 135gr .357 Magnum Short Barrel round. I made some up and they "feel the same" and the velocity is just slightly higher than the Factory rounds. I also use PP for 9mm rounds and also use Longshot for the 9mm.

 

[Texas Colt]

Now this gets me to wondering how well PP will work in the 38 Special. Will it work better then HP-38, 231, Bullseye, or Unique?

 

[XD-40 Shooter]

I use Unique for my mid range 357 loads, 9 grains behind a 125 grain SJHP gives me 1350 fps and its damn accurate. For full power magnum loads, I like Winchester 296.

 

[jfh]

Over the last few months I've worked with Power Pistol in both 38 Special and 357 Magnum. Most of that was with Speer's data for reloading the Gold Dot Short Barrel 135-gr. JHP.

Speer's load data is at the upper end of 38Special; the lowest I have gone with it is about 5.6 grains under a lead 140TC round or a lead 140RNFP. 6.4 grains with the Speer bullet is a +P load that nominally replicates the 38+P GDSB135 factory round at about 900 fps out of a 2" barrel. It is very accurate, with a bit sharper recoil than the factory 38+P PD round, and I get low SDs and ESs from it. I don't consider it a softball powder like 231; GunAdmirer has it pegged pretty well, I think.

Note that Speer's data for Power Pistol for this bullet really spans the range of loads in both 38Spl and 357 Magnum, and it is working just fine with the 140-gr. lead bullets to provide an economical practice round for 2" barrel snubbies. See ArchAngleCD's post about two above this one.

Jim H.

 

[zxcvbob]

WSF is between Unique and Herco (much closer to Herco) and it meters better. It works great in .38SPL and .357Mag and heavy .45 Colt loads, but there is no published data for it in revolver cartridges. I wish Hodgdon's would remedy that little problem now that they own it.

I use Herco data, and work up starting at -10%. You'll have to decide for yourself if this is safe in your guns; it's safe in mine.

 

[jfh]

"WSF...works great in .38SPL and .357Mag...." ​

Thanks so much, zxcvbob--I've been casting about for another powder to try for the Speer 135-gr. replica / practice loads, and I was wondering about WSF.

I just looked it up on the Lyman Burn Chart in the 3rd Editiol Pistol & Revolver Handbook. It is ranked number 28 there; AA#5 is 26, and Power Pistol is 30. Herco is about 25, I think--there seems to be an order issue or typo in that part of the chart.

I'm gonna try it--I have 6 lbs I bought about twelve years ago--IIRC, I paid $29.95, with no HazMat fees....VBG.

Jim H.