Trail Boss
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ironworkerwill
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You can use either. It was designed for cast Cowboy loads but uses range from auto pistol plinking to subsonic jacketed rifle. Just don't compress it.
I tried Trail Boss with plated for .357 mag I didn't like it. I find it works well with cast lead, I have not tried it for reduce rifle loads yet.
Originally IMR said not to use TB with plated or jacketed bullets, did they change the formula?
Originally IMR said not to use TB with plated or jacketed bullets, did they change the formula?
Buckeye357
Member
I posted earler in a thread that I used Trail Boss in my 44mag with Nosler JSP bullets and I had very good results with these jacketed bullets. The reason I didn't use lead is because I was out but had a lot of old stock jacketed bullets. I got the results I wanted a very mild plinking load for my 629. The load was also very accurate and left the barrel clean if that matters to you. I have loaded Trail Boss in my 357 Mag using 158 gr lead Mis bullets with a 12 br and also Laser -Cast with very good results but have not tried any jacketed or plated bullets yet.
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Trail Boss was erratic for me with plated bullets. I won't be trying any more loadings with it in pistol rounds with plated bullets.
It loves lead though.
But yes, it will be fine. Don't compress it, but other than that, you can't get enough in the .357 case to hurt anything.
It loves lead though.
But yes, it will be fine. Don't compress it, but other than that, you can't get enough in the .357 case to hurt anything.
I sent an email to hodgdon and got a reply, off to
the press this weekend
Trail Boss should work fine with the plated bullets. We always recommend the magnum primer in the .357.
Dave Campbell
Customer Service Representative
Hodgdon Powder Company
the press this weekend
Trail Boss should work fine with the plated bullets. We always recommend the magnum primer in the .357.
Dave Campbell
Customer Service Representative
Hodgdon Powder Company
Lost Sheep
Member
Shortly after Trail Boss was marketed, I was teaching a friend of mine to reload and discovered TB. I wanted a powder with low energy density. At the time his 500 S&W was the only gun he had and the only .50" bullets we found were actually for the .50 Action Express (jacketed, naturally). I think this makes us what you might call, "Early Adopters" to using TB with jacketed bullets.I sent an email to hodgdon and got a reply, off to
the press this weekend
Trail Boss should work fine with the plated bullets. We always recommend the magnum primer in the .357.
Dave Campbell
Customer Service Representative
Hodgdon Powder Company
I sent an email to Hodgdon asking if they had any load data for jacketed bullets. Their reply was "Trail Boss does not like jacketed bullets,"
I was unsatisfied and sent an additional query asking "How does Trail Boss express this dislike?" I never got an answer.
What I have heard since is what I have gleaned over the internet, that TB was developed for CASS (this, from Hodgdon's web site) and for plated and jacketed bullets (from various forum threads) that reloading shooters have expanded the uses of TB to jacketed and plated and Hodgdon has gotten of board.
What I have learned from the internet is that you take a case, fill it full of TB (but only up to where the base of your bullet will be-DO NOT COMPRESS Trail Boss), then weigh that powder charge. Take 70% of that weight as your starting charge and 100% of that weight as your maximum.
Lost Sheep
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Jlr2267
Member
I use it in 45-70 loads. Ok for plinking, but if your rifle is sighted for a hunting load, you may not even be on paper at 30 ft
ironworkerwill
Member
I'd say a big hunk-o-lead out of the Gov't would be rather parabolic.
Jlr2267
Member
Well I finally made it to the range today first time shooting/loading trail-boss I settled on 3.5 gr and xtreme 158gr plated SWC in 357 case what a soft quiet load accurate enough for me to punch paper kinda of a neat powder to work with don't have a chrono have no idea of the numbers just wanted to add my update
I used it in my 357 wiley clapp with magnum primers and worked great. It had a nice mild kick to it which was better than when I used it in 45lc. That was like shooting black powder!
I was plesantly surprised that it was still as accurate as my medium loads with accurate 7
Not as precise as h110 but I knew it couldn't be.
I was plesantly surprised that it was still as accurate as my medium loads with accurate 7
Not as precise as h110 but I knew it couldn't be.
Shanghai McCoy
Member
I use it in my 45/70 and 32 Winchester Special both with lead bullets. Works fine for light loads and it does fill the cases.
I use Trail Boss in my 1882 Danish RB and Colt 1896 army. I tried it in a super blackhawk with mag primers but the primers sat too high and rubbed the flash sheild. I guess I could have made the primer pocket deeper but then I would have to use mag primers all the time.
anothernewb
Member
I just completed a couple test rounds with 2.6 grains TB in 357 cases under a 148 DEWC. 6" GP100
They worked flawless. excellent accuracy. I do not know the velocity, but I assume since 2.3 grains in a 38 case has yielded about 660fps out of the same gun, that I'm in a similar ballpark, perhaps edging 700. They worked so well that for now, I am ceasing further load development. Not often that you nail it on the first try. Then again, they're full wadcutters. pretty much anything under 800fps gives excellent accuracy with them at 50 feet.
They worked flawless. excellent accuracy. I do not know the velocity, but I assume since 2.3 grains in a 38 case has yielded about 660fps out of the same gun, that I'm in a similar ballpark, perhaps edging 700. They worked so well that for now, I am ceasing further load development. Not often that you nail it on the first try. Then again, they're full wadcutters. pretty much anything under 800fps gives excellent accuracy with them at 50 feet.
Elkins45
Member
I use it in 308 to shoot 200 grain cast lead subsonic loads. It seems to work just fine.
buck460XVR
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As to the use of TB in rifles and with jacketed bullets....as per IMR.
http://www.imrpowder.com/PDF/Trail-Boss-data.pdf
I was told by IMR that TB is also safe with jacketed bullets in handguns. My best results with jacketed is with 90-95% case capacity.
180+ lead gas cked in the 30-06 is subsonic
with trail boss loaded down a bit yet still pretty darn accurate.
iirc 10 grains but measure yourself using the 70% formula Hodgdon published
would make a great late night coyote stopper and as it's a subsonic lead, no real danger of major overpenetration.
Quiet, no recoil to speak of and shoots to poa at 75 on my Howa and my Eddystone sporter...I really like Trail boss...though I haven't loaded low velocity pistol with it yet.
with trail boss loaded down a bit yet still pretty darn accurate.
iirc 10 grains but measure yourself using the 70% formula Hodgdon published
would make a great late night coyote stopper and as it's a subsonic lead, no real danger of major overpenetration.
Quiet, no recoil to speak of and shoots to poa at 75 on my Howa and my Eddystone sporter...I really like Trail boss...though I haven't loaded low velocity pistol with it yet.
Shanghai McCoy
Member
I was glad to get a couple of cans 2 years ago as it has not been available since.
I use AA 5744 for mid-range loads (.45-70ish) in .458 Win Mag, and Trail Boss for light loads. A 100% load density of Trail Boss under a 350 Gr jacketed bullet will give around 1150/1200 FPS and is a light poot from a heavy rifle, but still carries .44 Mag like power. I have just over a pound of TB left.
Gaucho Gringo
Member
I wonder how it would do taking surplus 7.62x54R, pulling the bullets and reloading using TB? I noticed they had reloading data for the 7.64x54R using TB for a low recoil round. At $.20 a round for everything but the powder makes it tempting.
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