125 Gr .357 S&W mag. which powder?

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wogpotter

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Basic choices are between N110, 2400, or H110, so preferences & pitfalls please for 125Gr JHP's at 1350 FPS in a 6" bbl revolver. My research seems to be indicating 15.0 Gr N110, 16.0 Gr 2400, or 18.5 Gr H110 & I'll be using CCI 550 magnum primers.

Which is your favorite & why, or which is the dog & why?
 
357 mag. 125 gr. @ 1350 FPS

You should have no problem reaching 1350 FPS with any of the above loads.
I have experience with 2400 and with the mag. primers 16.0 gr. should get you there. To make the loads work well you will have to have a heavy crimp.

It's been a while since I've loaded them, but as I remember everything went just fine. I was working with a 4" barrel, so you should be in good shape with a 6" barrel.

I have used Vitavuori powder in the 30:06 ( N-160 ) and am very impressed. It would likely be a good choice with your project.

I have used Blue Dot and Unique, but theyr'e not the best for top velocity. So after all of my babel, yes 16.0 gr. of 2400 is a good safe load.

Maybe others will chime in and give you more information.
 
I used 2400 when moving magnum loads to max velocity and it always served me quite well. One school of thought is that you no longer need to use magnum primers, but to each his own. It's an excellent powder.

I have used Blue Dot and Unique, but theyr'e not the best for top velocity
Click to expand...

They're relatively fast burning (compared to 2400) and peak quickly. You want a slower burning powder for the velocity you're after. Just make sure you put a heavy crimp on the bullet so the powder has time to build up.
 
1350 is not all that fast from a 6", you will have trouble keeping that slow. So I would use a faster powder to get 100% burn before the bullet leaves the barrel. Herco or Unique will do it, or even 231.
 
Actually Unique was the first choice, but when I get a real 1350 FPS I get the ol' 2X4 ejection issue.:o, 8.5Gr of Unique gave me 1370 FPS @ 10 feet but I only get one cylinder than I have to beat on the ejector rod so I'm looking for something a little lower in pressure for the same velocity.
If I get a little extra then I'm not going to complain as long as I'm not beating up the crane.:D
 
Unique

9.5g with a 125 HPXTP got me 1342 avg on 6 shots through a 6" GP-100

:o *sorry, missed your last post*

20.8 0F H-110 got me 1500 fps
16.0 of 2400 ran about 1260 avg
 
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I show the start load of H-110 to be 21gr for 1880fps (10" barrel). H-110 isn't a powder I'd try to reduce for lower velocities.

I don't have any expeirience with the other two powders you mention, but HP-38 (W231) or Universal will each put you in the velocity range you seek.
 
Same here, I'd try Unique first. H110 is tricky stuff and not recommended for reduced loads. Titegroup is another good possibility for moderate velocities, check out the Hodgdon web site reloading data center.
 
Use full loads of Unique and standard caps with that light bullet, ignore the light ash it leaves, it's harmless. H-110 and 2400 will do better with heavier bullets.
 
Blue dot with 125gr bullets

The power manufacturer says 125gr with blue dot is a big no no! There was a sticky at the top of the page. Very erratic pressures and vel.
 
I use HP-38 for my "mid-range" loads in my GP-100, 6". It's a good bit cleaner than H110 as well. 8gr over a 125gr Zero JHP. That's going to be right at 1350.
 
To all those who recommended Unique, please note: I tried this & it gave me ejection problems as stated earlier. What I’m looking for is a load that will give me 1350FPS (or better, that’s fine, lets call 1350 my suggested minimum/optimum) using one of the three powders mentioned, namely “N110, 2400, or H110 “. I’m not adverse to a different powder being suggested simply have no intention to use Unique as it proved unsuitable for the purpose.
“8.5Gr of Unique gave me 1370 FPS @ 10 feet but I only get one cylinder than I have to beat on the ejector rod so I'm looking for something a little lower in pressure for the same velocity.”

“I show the start load of H-110 to be 21gr for 1880fps (10" barrel). H-110 isn't a powder I'd try to reduce for lower velocities.”
That is a lot different from the data I found from several sources, I'm also using a 6" Bbl, not a 10" so some velocity loss is highly likely, Guessing 50 fps/inch I'm guessing close to 1650, that would be fine. Im certainly not going to reduce below a suggested minimum, that would be an unsafe practice & not one I'll try. I will take a little extra velocity instead if that helps clarify.:D

Hornady says 18.4Gr for 1350, with a min/max load of 13.3/16.1 for N-110, 13.9/16.9 for 2400, & 17.4/19.9 for H 110.

Nosler says 18.6 for the same with a min/max of 16.0/17.0 for 2400, 18.6/19.6 for H 110 (they don’t list V-110.

Sierra says 18.4 for 1350, 13.1/16.4 for V-110, 16.2/19.0 for 2400 & 17.6/19.8 for N-110.

Speer says 16.8/17.8 for N-110, 16.5/17.5 for 2400, & 18.0/20.0 for H 110, they don’t give stepped velocities. Min max are 1335/1443 though.

Hodgdon says 21.0 for a minimum of 1881, min/max are 21.0/22.0

Now let me be clear I do NOT want any unsafe load, but I am having some concerns about some of the loads her being suggested as they seem to be out in the weeds one way & another. Or maybe I just missed something?
 
Mostly I shoot 158 grain lead bullets in .357 (that would be 8.0 grains of either Herco or WSF for an economical "magnum" load)

I've used 9.5 grains of WSF with Remington 125 grain JHP's. I didn't chronograph them. It was a step down from factory 125 JHP's in recoil, but not a big step down. I still have half a box of 'em somewhere, might need to dust off the chronograph and see if it still works...

WSF is a slower powder than Unique, but faster than HS-6. It's outstanding in 9mm.
 
Thanks for all the input. I found some H-110 locally today, and as it's the only powder listed that I found locally I went for it & bought a pound to try out.
Averaging the data from several listed manuals I tried a starting load of 18.5 Gr with the 550 mag primer & 125 Gr XTP.

I'm going to keep the Unique for plated lead 158 Gr plinking loads with 7.0 Gr as that has worked in the past & fine tune the jacketed loads with H-110 for best results.

Off to the range to-morrow with the test batch & we'll see how it goes.:)
 
13.9 Grains of 2400 behind a 158 gr. hornady hollow point bullet has worked great for me. I have put a hundred or more rounds through my ruger 357 and they pattern very nicely with tight groupings.
 
I have a GP-100 with a 4" barrel. So far 2400 with a Hornady 125 gr XTP and AA-9 with the Montana Gold 125 gr JHP have been the best performers. I tried 296 and got sprayed on the arms and face with burning powder. From what people say it works fine in longer barrels.
 
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