357 target load

[Kestral]

Using W/C 148/150 grn lead bullets,I would like to set up a safe med velocity target load .357 mag cases,using Unique or Bullseye.Looking up the manuals they show anything from 3.3 to 7.5grns.I will be using a S&W 19 4" & a S&W 686 .6".Has anyone worked up a good safe load using these powders at a range of 25yrd to 50 yrds average.Many thanks for any help.

[carver]

I have, but it won't do you any good! All guns are different, and what mine likes, your's may not. Build a load, shoot it, build another, and shoot it. See which one works best. Then you make a third, and fourth, and compare them to the first two, etc, untill you get something you like. That's what I did! Good luck, and happy shooting! It sometimes takes a while, but you will find the load that works best in your gun.

[Hammerslagger]

Unique can be used for many things including pistol, light rifle, and shotgun.

Typical of such products, it does few things as well as another product that you might choose for a specific application. It tends to give bigger velocity variations in many handgun cartridges as compared to other choices. However it does seem one of the best choices for "stout" 45 Colt (aka Long Colt) loads. The same is likely true of .44 WCF (aka .44-40).

If you are loading loading WC bullets in a .38 Spl. case around 2.7 to 3.0 grains of Bullseye has long been popular with the serious "paper puncher" crowd. If you are going to use magnum cases you will likely have to go to 3.0 to 3.3 grains to get the same velocities.

W231 is a little slower burning and will require a little more propellant than B-eye, to achieve the same velocity. Consult your loading manual or data.

[Kestral]

Thanks Gents for your replies,I regret I am restricted in being only able to aquire Unique or Bullseye powders.My other problem is that our range is so popular,that I am only allowed 10 mins on a Sunday morning to try out variations of powder loads.When this is occuring,the range officer clears everyone else, an average of 80 to 90 persons,waiting to shoot, out of the area for that 10 mins, ( just in case ) so on occassions I can be a rather unpopular guy.So I was hoping to find out if anyone had already tried out the variations I was looking for in order to save time,and not waste the time of my co club members.Safe places to have a range is very restricted here,hence a large volume of members who are allotted certain days that they can shoot.A few years ago,we were allowed to shoot from our boats out to sea,but as boating has become another very popular past time,that has been stopped,as it was becoming a bit on the dangerous side. Must admit,we do envy the amount of space you have over there.Thanks again for your help,eveything is very much appreciated.

[fprefect]

Originally Posted by Kestral

Thanks Gents for your replies,I regret I am restricted in being only able to aquire Unique or Bullseye powders.My other problem is that our range is so popular,that I am only allowed 10 mins on a Sunday morning to try out variations of powder loads.When this is occuring,the range officer clears everyone else, an average of 80 to 90 persons,waiting to shoot, out of the area for that 10 mins, ( just in case ) so on occassions I can be a rather unpopular guy.So I was hoping to find out if anyone had already tried out the variations I was looking for in order to save time,and not waste the time of my co club members.Safe places to have a range is very restricted here,hence a large volume of members who are allotted certain days that they can shoot.A few years ago,we were allowed to shoot from our boats out to sea,but as boating has become another very popular past time,that has been stopped,as it was becoming a bit on the dangerous side. Must admit,we do envy the amount of space you have over there.Thanks again for your help,eveything is very much appreciated.

Yes, if you're striving for perfection (as most of us are) that will take time and many different load combinations, but for the time being, when you're time at the range is limited sometimes we must make compromises. Hammerslagger made a very good point when pointing out that a powder that has been around for probably nearly 100 years is without doubt the most versatile powder on the market and can be used in almost all pistol cartridges up to the 44 magnum and although it may not be the "perfect" powder for some cartridges for the absolute maximum velocity, it will in many cases come very close and of course it can be downloaded to whatever velocity you prefer. I've shot as much as 10 grs. under a 125 gr .357 JHP, and although there were signs of excess pressure beginning to show up as I worked up to that load, it was not excessive. I didn't chronograph the load, but from a 7" barrel I expect it was close to or exceeded 1600 fps. I'm by no means suggesting that every .357 will handle 10+ grs. of Unique, but only use it as an example of the versatility of the powder.

So until you have the time to carefully work with several other powders and loads, Unique will give you excellent performance in almost all pistol cartridges and let you spend your 10 min. shooting rather than experimenting.

F. Prefect

[Oneida Steve]

3.3 grs of Bullseye and a 158 gr. SWC was my competition load for bullseye shooting back in the 1990's.

[Kestral]

Thanks everyone for your help.will make up a few batches of 10 starting with the 3.3 Bullseye,As you might already guess,many of my fellow club members are watching everything I do,in the hope it will benefit them as well.