someguy2800
Member
I thought I would share some of my experience in finding two loads that shoot same point of aim in the same revolver.
The gun is my favorite companion when I am out tooling around my small property and when hunting. I bought this Ruger SP101 with 4.2" barrel a couple years ago. I slicked up the action by polishing all the internals and shaved on the transfer bar, installed a wolf spring kit and did a trigger job on it. I also customized the front sight as I hated the fiber one it came with.
This is exactly what I was looking for in a "kit gun". Being an SP101 is extreamly compact compared to say a smith K frame, yet its heavy enough to comfortably shoot stout 357 loads and has the sights and sight radius to hit what you want with it. I love it.
Now the goal was to find two loads for it that I could shoot without sight adjustment between the two. I wanted a non expanding 38 special load for plinking and hunting small game such as rabbits and grouse, and a stout expanding 357 load for backup duty deer hunting, or whenever I feel like making some noise.
I started out shooting 158 grain hard cast RNFP for 38 special and 158 jacketed soft points for 357 but found point of aim at 25 yards was a foot apart. After experimenting with different bullet weights in both 38 and 357 loadings to see how changing bullet weight affects point of impact I eventually found the right combo.
The 38 special load is a 125 grain berry's flat point loaded with 4 grains of 700x and a S&B primer which gives 800 fps in this gun. The 357 load is a 140 grain hornady XTP loaded over 18 grains of Win 296 and a federal magnum primer which gives an average of 1225 fps. The 357 load could go higher based on pressure signs and is just under max book loads but this load gives great accuracy and the two loads are exactly the same point of aim at 25 yards.
The 38 special load and the 357 load will both easily group 2" at 25 yards off a rest and I have no problem hitting a 4" steel offhand with either of them at 20 yards. When I practice for deer season I can keep the 357's in a 4 or 5 inch circle at 50 yards with the barrel resting on something. I have taken 1 rabbit with the 38 special load with no meat damage and two deer already with the 357 load. The first deer was a 4 point buck that my wifes uncle shot and we had to blood trail through a willow thicket. I shot it in the back of the head as it was trying to get up from about 15 yards away and dropped it. I also shot a 2 year old doe with it this last year resting on the side of my stand at about 40 yards. Clean shot through the lungs and the bullet passed through. She ran about 100 yards and went down and I put her down with another shot to the head.
Anybody else done any experimenting with this? Post your results
The gun is my favorite companion when I am out tooling around my small property and when hunting. I bought this Ruger SP101 with 4.2" barrel a couple years ago. I slicked up the action by polishing all the internals and shaved on the transfer bar, installed a wolf spring kit and did a trigger job on it. I also customized the front sight as I hated the fiber one it came with.
This is exactly what I was looking for in a "kit gun". Being an SP101 is extreamly compact compared to say a smith K frame, yet its heavy enough to comfortably shoot stout 357 loads and has the sights and sight radius to hit what you want with it. I love it.
Now the goal was to find two loads for it that I could shoot without sight adjustment between the two. I wanted a non expanding 38 special load for plinking and hunting small game such as rabbits and grouse, and a stout expanding 357 load for backup duty deer hunting, or whenever I feel like making some noise.
I started out shooting 158 grain hard cast RNFP for 38 special and 158 jacketed soft points for 357 but found point of aim at 25 yards was a foot apart. After experimenting with different bullet weights in both 38 and 357 loadings to see how changing bullet weight affects point of impact I eventually found the right combo.
The 38 special load is a 125 grain berry's flat point loaded with 4 grains of 700x and a S&B primer which gives 800 fps in this gun. The 357 load is a 140 grain hornady XTP loaded over 18 grains of Win 296 and a federal magnum primer which gives an average of 1225 fps. The 357 load could go higher based on pressure signs and is just under max book loads but this load gives great accuracy and the two loads are exactly the same point of aim at 25 yards.
The 38 special load and the 357 load will both easily group 2" at 25 yards off a rest and I have no problem hitting a 4" steel offhand with either of them at 20 yards. When I practice for deer season I can keep the 357's in a 4 or 5 inch circle at 50 yards with the barrel resting on something. I have taken 1 rabbit with the 38 special load with no meat damage and two deer already with the 357 load. The first deer was a 4 point buck that my wifes uncle shot and we had to blood trail through a willow thicket. I shot it in the back of the head as it was trying to get up from about 15 yards away and dropped it. I also shot a 2 year old doe with it this last year resting on the side of my stand at about 40 yards. Clean shot through the lungs and the bullet passed through. She ran about 100 yards and went down and I put her down with another shot to the head.
Anybody else done any experimenting with this? Post your results
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