CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond or not covered by currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The Firing Line, nor the staff of TFL assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.
JayCee (and others that assemble light loads).
My gun shoots my 55 gr bullets OK regardless, but it would probably shoot better if I find a way to reduce velocity variations.
I new that the long skinny case would result in very low powder density for my target loads. When I got around to the long drive out to where I could use my Chrony, I went looking for the dreaded "excessive velocity variations" associated with powder forward vs. powder to the rear. I found just what I was looking for
. Back when I worried about this issue in 38 Sp, I had switched over to TightGroup as it is marketed with claims to be better. From the Hodgdon web site:
- Unlike pistol powders of the past, powder position in large cases (45 Colt, 357 Magnum and others) has virtually no effect on velocity and performance
My actual results are
Charge.......Avg Vel
3.1............636............Barrel Tipped Down
3.1............926............Barrel Tipped Up
3.7............745............Barrel Tipped Down
3.7............1164...........Barrel Tipped Up
5.0............1040...........Barrel Tipped Down
5.0............1406...........Barrel Tipped Up
5.5............1345...........Barrel Tipped Down
5.5............1543...........Barrel Tipped Up
Note that the 3.7 gr charge is clearly subsonic one way and supersonic the other.
Caution, both the 5.0 & 5.5 gr tipped up were hard to extract.