Trailboss question

[Wing Rider]

I am looking to make some light loads for wife to shoot in 357mag and 44mag. Looking thru the online hodgdon loading chart, it looks like trailboss produces almost half of the amount of pressure that the other powders make (like 2400). I am looking to use 158gr and 240gr coated bullets. (I have never tried coated bullets yet). What is your experience with using trailboss? Any issues with powder measuring, unburned powder, or anything else?
Thanks in advance.
Ray

 

[mcb]

I have used it for moderate 38 Special, bunny fart 45 ACP loads and subsonic 450 BM loads and I really like it. My dad is using it in 45/70 for a low recoil load. It meters fairly well despite the large grain size. It seems to burn pretty clean for me. It is a very fast burning powder but its low bulk density fills up the case unlike most fast burning powders. I like it.

 

[Olon]

In my experience, the lightest loads burn clean and give you impressive case fill. I've made really light 38s and light 44s with trailboss. Starting loads are actually pretty accurate. TB is probably the easiest powder I've used.

I wanted a little more power without going full magnum and went to 7.4 gr. Under a 240 in my super blackhawk and it's great shooting. It's a light magnum/hot rodded 44 spl.

 

[rsrocket1]

Trail Boss is a very bulky fast burning powder designed for "cowboy action shooting" That means it will get the pressure up quickly but to a level closer to black powder rather than smokeless powder (greater than 10,000 psi but way below 35,000). In reality, you can use a fast burning shotshell powder like Red Dot, Clays, Titewad and get the same performance but Trail Boss is so bulky that you also don't risk a double charge in a big case.

2400 is on the opposite end of the spectrum. It is a slow burning powder meant to drive the bullet as fast as possible within the pressure limits of the cartridge. It often does not get 100% consumed before the bullet leaves a pistol barrel while Trail Boss typically is 100% consumed by the time a bullet is about 1" after it leaves the cartridge. The doughnut shaped flakes do not measure perfectly but they are so fluffy, a few +/- dozen don't add up to very much weight difference and even less pressure/velocity difference.

I wouldn't waste 357 magnum or 44 magnum cases with a Trail Boss load if you have 38 special and 44 special cases laying around. The only reason to use the bigger cases is prevention of the "crud ring" when using the shorter cases if you are out shooting both lengths of brass in the same session.

Inexperienced or forgetful loaders (no offense) prefer Trail Boss over a fast shotgun powder because you can easily see a double charge but grain for grain, Trail Boss costs more than the other powders. It may not matter to you but Trail Boss smoke also has a "strange" odor to it too.

Powder coated bullets work fine with Trail Boss or any other powder. You'll see less smoke compared to traditional lubed or tumble lubed bullets

 

[Jack B.]

I don't know how Trail Boss recoil would be with lighter bullets. Usually lighter bullets will give you less felt recoil. 125gr. for 357magnum and 180gr. for 44 magnum work well.

 

[mcb]

Vihtavouri also make a competitive powder called N32C Tin Star. It has a higher bulk density than Trail Boss but still pretty "fluffy". It is a typical Vihtavouri powder and meter really well (grains are perforated stick rather than perforated flake) and burns super clean.

 

[Wing Rider]

Thanks for the info. So if trailboss is really for cowboy action then does anyone have another powder that would result in a reduced recoil load? I only have 357mag and 44mag cases.

 

[mcb]

Thanks for the info. So if trailboss is really for cowboy action then does anyone have another powder that would result in a reduced recoil load? I only have 357mag and 44mag cases.

It won't hurt one bit to use it in you 357 Mag and 44 Mag. Yes it was created with the Cowboy Action Shooters in mind but its just a powder. I use it for IPDA competition.

That said go over to Hodgdon's online reloading data base and look at all the data and pick a powder that produce the velocity you want for both cartridges. Pick your cartridge and bullet weight and click [GET DATA] it will list every powder that Hodgdon has used for that cartridge and bullet weight combination. Pick out a load that makes the velocity you want. You can open multiple tabs in the app so you might look for one powder that does both cartridges with mild velocities.

https://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/pistol

 

[Olon]

Trail Boss is a very bulky fast burning powder designed for "cowboy action shooting" That means it will get the pressure up quickly but to a level closer to black powder rather than smokeless powder (greater than 10,000 psi but way below 35,000). In reality, you can use a fast burning shotshell powder like Red Dot, Clays, Titewad and get the same performance but Trail Boss is so bulky that you also don't risk a double charge in a big case.

2400 is on the opposite end of the spectrum. It is a slow burning powder meant to drive the bullet as fast as possible within the pressure limits of the cartridge. It often does not get 100% consumed before the bullet leaves a pistol barrel while Trail Boss typically is 100% consumed by the time a bullet is about 1" after it leaves the cartridge. The doughnut shaped flakes do not measure perfectly but they are so fluffy, a few +/- dozen don't add up to very much weight difference and even less pressure/velocity difference.

I wouldn't waste 357 magnum or 44 magnum cases with a Trail Boss load if you have 38 special and 44 special cases laying around. The only reason to use the bigger cases is prevention of the "crud ring" when using the shorter cases if you are out shooting both lengths of brass in the same session.

Inexperienced or forgetful loaders (no offense) prefer Trail Boss over a fast shotgun powder because you can easily see a double charge but grain for grain, Trail Boss costs more than the other powders. It may not matter to you but Trail Boss smoke also has a "strange" odor to it too.

Powder coated bullets work fine with Trail Boss or any other powder. You'll see less smoke compared to traditional lubed or tumble lubed bullets

Where I buy my powder trailboss is the same price per oz. as all the other common pistol powders, and the charge weight used is comparable to other fast burning powders so I don't think it can cost that much more per loaded round.

 

[Toprudder]

Thanks for the info. So if trailboss is really for cowboy action then does anyone have another powder that would result in a reduced recoil load? I only have 357mag and 44mag cases.

I have not tried it in 357, but Clays works well in 38spl for reduced loads.

 

[Toprudder]

Where I buy my powder trailboss is the same price per oz. as all the other common pistol powders, and the charge weight used is comparable to other fast burning powders so I don't think it can cost that much more per loaded round.

The small container of TB is only 9 oz. It is always more expensive per pound than most pistol powders, at least that has been my experience.

 

[Olon]

The small container of TB is only 9 oz. It is always more expensive per pound than most pistol powders, at least that has been my experience.

Yeah so when I get it at 17.99/9 oz. that's 1.99 per oz. That's pretty close to 23.99/12.

Maybe where you guys live it's more expensive but not here.

 

[Toprudder]

Yeah so when I get it at 17.99/9 oz. that's 1.99 per oz. That's pretty close to 23.99/12.

Maybe where you guys live it's more expensive but not here.

There are 16oz in a pound, at least where I live.

 

[Olon]

There are 16oz in a pound, at least where I live.

lol foot inside mouth. ya got me

Where I live I guess I try not to think about the cost of shooting. It's easier that way

 

[JohnB-40]

I find it a great powder for reduced loads in 357 cases. A 158gr LRN over 4 gr is accurate and nice to shoot in my Vaquero and carbine. W231/HP-38 makes nice mild loads too,but you have to be careful about double loads. No problem with TB as it is really obvious because it really fills the case.

 

[JO JO]

I have experimented with trail boss in 357 handgun and 308 rifle it produced clean accurate soft recoiling loads ,

 

[Toprudder]

Where I live I guess I try not to think about the cost of shooting. It's easier that way

Amen to that!

 

[mdi]

Thanks for the info. So if trailboss is really for cowboy action then does anyone have another powder that would result in a reduced recoil load? I only have 357mag and 44mag cases.

A powder is advertised as "Cowboy Action" for advertising purposes as a semi-accurate, quick description and probably not intended solely for Cowboy competition. I have used it in 44 Magnum handloads under a Ranch Dog 240 RNFP and an RD 265 gr RNFP. Easy to load and the instructions I first saw several years ago was fill the case to just below the bullet base. Later when I saw published loads by weight I tried it in my 44s. Very soft shooting (there was a bit of disappointment as part of my Magnum shooting is recoil. When I first started shooting 44 Mag. I had a raging case of "Magnumitis" and enjoyed the muzzle blast and recoil of heavy 44 Magnum loads. I have since grown out of that disease, but still have a few symptoms left). I shot some TB reloads in my 20" lever gun and it was just a bit more than a 22 lr....

 

[Toprudder]

When I first started shooting 44 Mag. I had a raging case of "Magnumitis" and enjoyed the muzzle blast and recoil of heavy 44 Magnum loads. I have since grown out of that disease, but still have a few symptoms left).

I am currently suffering from that disease. I understand there is no real cure, the disease just has to run its course. It can still have flare-ups later, too.

 

[Typetwelve]

I can't speak about TB in 357, but I have been playing around with it in 44 magnum cases under 240g HiTek lead projectiles.

With a 7.3g charge, the 240g shoot like a dream. There's something about it vs Unique and I can't put my finger on it. Hodgdon lists the max with a lead 240g as 7.3g, probably in the 800 fps range and a pressure of 21.6K. 7g of Unique is just about the same in a magnum case but it shoots much differently. Again, it's hard to put my finger on.

If TB wasn't so much $$ and so hard to meter, it would probably be my light mag load go-to. Rough math, that 7.3 TB comes to about 4.5 cents/load (at $18/9oz)...Unique at 7g is 3.35 cents (at $23/1lb). Maybe a buck more per 50?

The main part is metering it...I still haven't found a good way to do that yet.

I am currently suffering from that disease. I understand there is no real cure, the disease just has to run its course. It can still have flare-ups later, too.

At this point, I mostly load two 44 magnum types. The 8g UNQ under 240g HiTek lead, and the 25g 2400 under Hornady 180g XTP. I could shoot the 8g loads all day...those 2400 boomers are no joke, but really accurate. I'll take some out when I want my hand to sting a bit.

 

[walterelm]

Vihtavouri also make a competitive powder called N32C Tin Star. ....

While Hodgon just says "fill up (the free space of) the case" Vihtavouri insistes on load data. So it is not the same ...

 

[Bill M.]

One thing to note about Trail boss it that it not for jacketed bullets in handguns,

To the OP, I load coated and plated bullets in .357 and coated in ,41 Mag with Trail boss and love the loads. The only minor problem is that the cases get really dirty, I think the pressure is too low to seal. I like the 125 grain loads in .357 for the low recoil. For me .357 cases cost the same as .38 special cases and I hate to clean the crud ring,

 

[Toprudder]

At this point, I mostly load two 44 magnum types. The 8g UNQ under 240g HiTek lead, and the 25g 2400 under Hornady 180g XTP. I could shoot the 8g loads all day...those 2400 boomers are no joke, but really accurate. I'll take some out when I want my hand to sting a bit.

I shot my 44mag loads one day, right after I got through shooting my 460 mag. Felt like 38 spl.

 

[Blue68f100]

I've been using 4.8 gr of WST behind a MB 158gr for decades. This load will give you a velocity around 700 fps. Softer than a 38 sp in a 357 Mag revolver. aka mouse fart load. A lot cheaper than using TB.

 

[Wing Rider]

Thanks again for all the responses. So what I gather is TB works great but.. it cost a little more, it does not meter well, and may be too low to seal the case. Lots of great info here. I have not looked at WST. Something else to look at.