Big bore handgun powders

Skeeter190

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What do you like to use?
I am primarily looking to load 357 mag, 44mag and 45 colt.
I will primarily be loading coated or lead bullets for plinking.
 
I like power pistol for bunny fart 44 loads, H110/296 for real ones.
 
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For 357 and 44, and the bullets you mentioned, I would suggest BE86. It will give you good mid-range loads. For full magnum loads, I prefer jacketed Zero bullets and H110, 2400, or N110. For longer barrels, I use 300MP.

If you like a lot of noise and flash - H110. If not, then N110 or 2400.
 
Thanks for the suggestions, looks like I need to order some powder and start working up some loads.
 
I have always used 2400 in both the 357 mag and the 44 mag . Elmer keith's load was a 240 grain cast bullet over 22 grains of 2400 powder. Can't remember the exact load for the 357 but seems like 158 gr cast bullet over 15 or 16 gr of 2400. I would check to loading data on the 357
 
Plinking to me suggests that you do not want loads that will break your wrist, create fireballs seen from space, and scare small children two miles away but rather loads that you can shoot comfortably and enjoyably during long shooting sessions. I have used quite a few powders for handgun rounds because there are many that are very suitable. For the three chamberings you mentioned, I am very comfortable using Trail Boss for the powder puff loads, Unique for the stronger loads that I shoot most of the time, and 2400 for the full power cartridges. If I only wanted to use one powder for those three chamberings, Unique would be my choice.
 
As I have said before Unique, 2400, and Bullseye are all I use. Some of my folks have used Little Gun for helping develop our .357 Max loads to good success. My "plinking load" for the S&W 500 requires 45 grains of 2400.
 
HS 6 will get as magnum as you need in a pistol in 357, 44 and 45 with powder coated cast bullets. Same burn range as Unique but meters better. Great for low light use too. Very little flash.
For rifle loads Iā€™m looking at 300mp, h110 and Lil Gun. Only one I ever ran into pressure problems was lil gun in 357 and bulged cases with lil gun in 45 colt. Too flashy for pistol use IMO.
 
357 is almost always H110. 41 and 44 get Unique when I just want to play around and H110 when I want to actually do something.
 
HS 6 will get as magnum as you need in a pistol in 357, 44 and 45 with powder coated cast bullets. Same burn range as Unique but meters better. Great for low light use too. Very little flash.
For rifle loads Iā€™m looking at 300mp, h110 and Lil Gun. Only one I ever ran into pressure problems was lil gun in 357 and bulged cases with lil gun in 45 colt. Too flashy for pistol use IMO.
Lil gun has been reported to erode forcing cones in revolvers. Best kept in single shots and rifles.
 
Only one I ever ran into pressure problems was lil gun in 357 and bulged cases with lil gun in 45 colt. Too flashy for pistol use IMO.

Using book max loads of 300mp makes the 357 equal the 360DW, and brings the 480 to full Linebaugh velocity without exceeding SAAMI pressure limits.

My experience with 300MP is that you will get more velocity with less pressure, compared to something like H110. But, you get more benefit from longer barrels, I did not see any velocity increase in a 5" 357mag. In fact, working from min to max loads, I reached a velocity plateau where the velocity did not increase any as I increased the charge. In a 16" rifle barrel, however, I saw a linear increase in velocity all the way up to max charge. Regardless, even at max charge, the primers were not flattened at all, in fact, if it had not been for the dimple from the firing pin, you would not be able to tell it had been fired, and that was with a softer non-magnum primer.
 
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300mp doesn't surpass h110 velocity wise until you have a 7.5" barrel usually, but even in shorter barrel, it will match velocities down to 4" usually. Just at a lower peak pressure. In a 10" barrel the 357 has the same velocity as the 360 does. But when the 360 is loaded with 300mp it surpasses my 357 maximum. The max doesn't like 300mp at all, so I haven't really messed with it much.
 
300mp doesn't surpass h110 velocity wise until you have a 7.5" barrel usually, but even in shorter barrel, it will match velocities down to 4" usually. Just at a lower peak pressure. In a 10" barrel the 357 has the same velocity as the 360 does. But when the 360 is loaded with 300mp it surpasses my 357 maximum. The max doesn't like 300mp at all, so I haven't really messed with it much.
I wasn't sure just how long the barrel needed to be to see the most benefit, but I figured it was around 8" or so. I know with the 5" barrel, I reached max velocity at a mid-range charge.

You say the 357 Max doesn't like 300MP, what were you seeing that you didn't like?
 
I load H110/WW296 exclusively in .357, .41, .44mag, and .454. All of my loads are pushing the upper end; this is a great powder. Magnum primers across the board. Consistency and accuracy cannot be beat.

Disclaimer - I do have a bunch of practice rounds for 'vintage' guns in .357 that I loaded up with WW231 and/or Unique but these are closer to .38+P+
 
For 38 special I use titegroup. For 357 I typically use H110.

For subsonic, cast lead 44 I use trail boss most of the time. I'll use titegroup if its all I have, but I get a lot of blowby around the cases.

For full power 44 mag I use H110 or W296.
 
The bullet on the right started as a plain base 280 grain WFN from a 44 magnum rifle behind 22.8 grains of H110. 1.5 moa at 100 yards regularly. In my experience, you donā€™t really need gas checks until you go over 1900 FPS if you have good powder coated bullets. So all powders listed above should work with cast.
 

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Both my Ruger and the Contender fired groups that look like shot gun patterns with bullets they usually like.

Good to know. I've only used 4227 under a 200gr LWFNGC in my 10.5" Max & like it, though I do have some 1680 to try in it at some point.

Haven't loaded any .357 Mag yet (ran outta factory ammo & too busy playing with my .41s & the Max), but definitely want to try some 300MP in it, as well as my .41s. I love 2400 in the .41s & had planned to use it in the .357 Mag, but I'm all about a better mousetrap.

I didn't pick up much velocity over my pistols with my Henry carbine & was thinking it might be too fast to really take advantage of the barrel length, though I had just clipped a screen support rod on my chrony & not sure of the accuracy of any readings past that point. Kinda thinking I'll stick with 2400 in my 5.5" & 6.5" .41s & play with 300MP in the SBH Hunter & Henry carbine for "serious" loads (as if 240gr at 1300fps from the Hunter isn't serious enough šŸ˜Ž).
 
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Good to know. I've only used 4227 under a 200gr LWFNGC in my 10.5" Max & like it, though I do have some 1680 to try in it at some point.

Haven't loaded any .357 Mag yet (ran outta factory ammo & too busy playing with my .41s & the Max), but definitely want to try some 300MP in it, as well as my .41s. I love 2400 in the .41s & had planned to use it in the .357 Mag, but I'm all about a better mousetrap.

I didn't pick up much velocity over my pistols with my Henry carbine & was thinking it might be too fast to really take advantage of the barrel length, though I had just clipped a screen support rod on my chrony & not sure of the accuracy of any readings past that point. Kinda thinking I'll stick with 2400 in my 5.5" & 6.5" .41s & play with 300MP in the SBH Hunter & Henry carbine for "serious" loads (as if 240gr at 1300fps from the Hunter isn't serious enough šŸ˜Ž).
Is that h4227 or imr4227? I used h4227 for years in the max but haven't found a replacement yet. I still have a little H4227 but will need a replacement soon.
 
Is that h4227 or imr4227? I used h4227 for years in the max but haven't found a replacement yet. I still have a little H4227 but will need a replacement soon.

IMR. 19.2gr under that 200gr gas check was giving me a hair over 1500fps from my 10.5" & just starting to flatten the primers a bit. Didn't shoot for groups, but it was hell on the steel swingers at a buddy's place.
 
This thread had some of the most discussion on 300MP, so Iā€™m dragging it back up. Anyone care to share what weights they worked up to in 357, preferably with 158 gr jacketed.

300mp doesn't surpass h110 velocity wise until you have a 7.5" barrel usually, but even in shorter barrel, it will match velocities down to 4" usually. Just at a lower peak pressure. In a 10" barrel the 357 has the same velocity as the 360 does. But when the 360 is loaded with 300mp it surpasses my 357 maximum. The max doesn't like 300mp at all, so I haven't really messed with it much.

I have worked up to 18.8 gr 300MP, 158 gr JHP and still seeing velocity gains in a 6.5ā€ barrel. Pressure signs there seemed still less than 15 gr 2400 with same bullet. Considering going a little higher. Anyone tried?
 
Universal/Unique - Mid-Range (Universal is almost identical to Unique, but meters better and burns cleaner.) (Standard primers.)

H110/296/MP300 - Full power (H110 and 296 are the same. MP300 is just a tiny bit slower. Nothing beats these for velocity, but H110 has a narrow range of use.) (Mag primers.)


ETA - Just realized this was a dredged up old thread. 18.8 shows over max in my books. 17-18 seems to be the official limits. Haven't used it in .357 yet.
 
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This thread had some of the most discussion on 300MP, so Iā€™m dragging it back up. Anyone care to share what weights they worked up to in 357, preferably with 158 gr jacketed.



I have worked up to 18.8 gr 300MP, 158 gr JHP and still seeing velocity gains in a 6.5ā€ barrel. Pressure signs there seemed still less than 15 gr 2400 with same bullet. Considering going a little higher. Anyone tried?
I went up to 18.5gn with a XTP 158gn bullet, but that was in a 16" barrel. In my 5" GP100, I did not see any velocity increases above 16.1gn. I save the 300MP for my longer barrel guns (10" 44mag, and 357/44mag rifles).
 
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