Questions from a New Reloader

[TKHover]

I'm fairly new to this and have some questions. I'm loading 9mm, .38 Spl, & .357 Mag on a Hornady Classic Single Stage. I've been using Alliant Unique for all. I am very happy with my first loads of 9mm & .38. My question is with the .38 & .357. For the .38 I'm using 3.2 gr Unique under Zero 148 gr. HBWC and DEWC. My first loads were shot out of a S&W 4" M15 with very accurate results, 3 to 1 in the X ring at 25 yds compared to factory ammo. The results were not as good, using the same .38 loads, out of my S&W 4" M586, which has always been a very accurate gun. Would I be better off just shooting .357's out of the 586? If so, what is a good .357 load using Unique with Winchester small pistol primers, not magnum primers? Most of the loading manuals give figures with the magnum primers. How much difference does that make? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Tom

 

[BobC]

An advantage of reloading is the ability to tailor your ammunition for optimum performance in a particular gun. As you have noticed, a good recipe for one gun may not function as well in another gun. Not that one gun is better than the other, just that they're each unique.

Try varying the powder quantity in small steps. Load 5 or 10 rounds of each recipe. (I chose 5 or 10 just because that will fill a row in my ammo box and is easy to label) Hopefully, you'll see a trend in accuracy, or lack thereof, and can adjust accordingly.

You can find info on the issue of standard vs magnum primers in a recent thread entitled: "Magnum primers - any disadvantage?"

Also, check out the thread: "How to make a .38spl level load in a .357mag case? "

The Speer reloading book will specify which particular powder & bullet combination requires a magnum primer. Most other books tend to prescribe mag primers for all 357 loads.

 

[Frohickey]

You just found the beauty of reloading... the ability to tailor loads for a particular gun. An accurate load for one gun is not necessarily accurate in another, even an identical model and barrel length.

Just take good notes, and experiment with various SAFE loads. You should be able to find a load that your gun likes.

 

[winwun]

I have found that in a .357, the same load will shoot better out of a .357 case than a .38 spl case. If you are shooting .38's out of your .357 and they are loaded beyond .38 specs, mark them good so you won't get them accidentally loaded into a .38 gun. I turn the loads upside down in a loading block, and dust the bottoms of the cases with red spray paint. It is enough of a mark and generally comes off in the tumbler.