Power Pistol "lite" 158gr .357 magnum recipe

[GTSteve03]

I'm trying to work up a recipe for a "lite" .357 magnum load for my Ruger SP101 2.25" barrel for carry. I prefer using jacketed hollow points over lead and I really prefer heavier bullets like the 158gr. PLEASE no comments about reloads for self defense, to me it's a non-issue.

According to my research online, Alliant Power Pistol is a great powder for "short barrel" .357 loads. Based on the data I found on the Alliant website, the max recommended load for Power Pistol and a 158gr JHP is 8.0gr. This load supposedly gives ~1300fps based on their data. All I'm looking for is getting around ~1000fps from my snubby, which I think will be fine combined with the heavier JHP.

I loaded up 10 rounds using new Starline .357 brass, Zero 158gr JHPs, Winchester standard small pistol primers, and 7.0gr of Power Pistol. I assumed downloading more than 10% would give me plenty of room to work with and still get some good velocities.

So, I finally went to the range yesterday and tested the rounds out. They definitely had a kick to them, but nowhere near a full-house .357 magnum. They had some boom and flash but nothing excessive, even with the short barrel. I would have no trouble using this load as a carry round if the number work out.

I would love to know what kind of velocities I'm getting but I don't have access to a chrono at the moment. Can anyone out there run this data through some load development program they might have and give me an estimation of what I'd be achieving? Or if you have other suggestions on a good load for Power Pistol and this bullet weight, I'd love to hear it.

 

[zxcvbob]

That load is just a little more than a .38 Spl +P. You're probably getting about 900 fps with that short barrel (which isn't bad, btw.)

Do you have any Bullseye? Try 6.5 grains. HTH

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I did some work on replicating the 135gr Speer Short Barrel rounds for both the .38 Special +P and .357 Magnum.

I think I've found a very close match to the Speer .357 Magnum Short Barrel round. I'm using a 140gr Hornady XTP/HP bullet and a charge of 8.8gr Power Pistol. The velocity and felt recoil are almost exactly the same as the originals. That load will do just as well with a Speer bullet, I only used the Hornady bullets because I got a VERY good deal on 4 boxes of them. ($12/100)

Hope this helps...

 

[GTSteve03]

bob,
No Bullseye, sorry. 900fps is definitely not bad, I'd like to get it closer to 1000 though to be sure.

AACD,
Thanks for your input! You and I believe jfh were the 2 guys working on that 135gr "short barrel" duplicate load and that's where I read about Power Pistol being a good powder for short barrel .357s. Those threads are a wealth of information!

I know the 135gr load is very popular, but I guess I just feel more comfortable with a heavier bullet that I know will penetrate deeply. If it takes 8.8gr of Power Pistol to get that load moving enough out of a short barrel, I should probably up my load a slight bit. I have a whole grain to work with so I definitely have some room to expand. I'll give 7.5gr a shot next go-round.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

GTSteve03,
Yes, it was Jim and I who did a lot of work with that round. I'm glad I was able to help even if it was just a little.