Hodgdon Universal and .357 magnum

[sniper]

Do any forum members have recommendations for plinking/training loads for my granddaughter using Universal somewhere between .38 Spl. and starting .357 loads shown in the Hodgdon manual?
I've shot some 5.2 gr. loads and think they may be a bit warm for a beginner. 586 4".
Thanx;
C

[Stonecrusher]

I use that load for my general .357 shooting using Lyman 358477 SWC, because that is the charge my Auto-Disk drops. I get right at 940fps out of 4" revolver. I don't find it warm at all, just enough pop to know you aren't shooting a .22. I have used about a grain less when loading .38 brass and that bullet and it is milder but I have never chrono'd it.
My wife enjoys the .357 load in her 4" M66 S&W.

[sniper]

Stonecrusher;
Thanks for the info.
The 5.2gr Universal load feels a bit stiffer than my 5.5gr Unique load with 150-158 gr SWC boolits, that chrono ~ 860 fps. I may just drop to 4.5-5.0gr Unique and 125 gr plated boolits for fun/training/plinking purposes.

[Indybear]

I'd score some LEE 105 SWCs and throw your favorite fast powder (BE, TG, clays, 231, RD...) under them. Punches a hole like a WC, is very accurate and the recoil is just a little more than a 22. The wife and I burns thousands of them.

I like Universal for the 125s and heavier but like you they seem snappier in the recoil than a similar Unique load. I gave up on it in 9mm but it does great with higher end 200 RNFP and in 44 mag.

[Hammerhead]

Grain for grain Universal does deliver more velocity than Unique in .357 so it's not surprising it has more recoil. I use 5.5 Universal under 158 plated. Anything less than 5.0 Universal leaves a lot of unburned powder. Unique or B'EYE would probably be a better choice for powder puff loads.

[nanuk]

I thought Universal and Unique had identical properties regarding velocity.

the only thing I've heard is Univ is position sensitive.

[Rhou45]

I recently compared another powder with the 2013 Hodgdon Annual Loading update loads for Universal. It had 38 SPC rounds between 4.0 and 4.8 gr for Jwords ranging between 125 and 158. The same update had 357 mag loads starting at 4.8gr with 125 lead bullets.

[JWFilips]

I thought Universal and Unique had identical properties regarding velocity.

the only thing I've heard is Univ is position sensitive.

Universal is a bit hotter ...not sure about the position sensitivity ....It is a bit cleaner in it's burn. It just seems that unique is alway a bit more accurate. IMHO

[Hammerhead]

I thought Universal and Unique had identical properties regarding velocity.

the only thing I've heard is Univ is position sensitive.

I have some direct data as a test between the two, and it shows that it takes about a half grain more of Unique to equal the velocity of Universal in .357 with 158 JHP's or LSWC's.
At low end Universal will leave unburned flakes and little soot, Unique will burn completely, but leaves a lot of greasy soot behind. At 5.5 grains Universal burns very, very clean and no unburned flakes. Unique will still leave soot until you get near top end.
Haven't noticed any position sensitivity with Universal and 158s.

[rintinglen]

If I understand the OP's purpose--to make a comfortable load for a beginner Grand-daughter--Neither Universal nor Unique would be my choices.
I'd look for a 125 grain boolit at 700 FPS with 3.0 grains of Bullseye, Red Dot, or Titegroup in 38 Special cases, or a half grain more in 357 cases. Now, if Granddaughter is 6' tall and 185 lbs--hush my mouth. But my grandaughter is 60 pounds and about 4 feet tall. Once she got comfortable shooting those, I'd look at jacking the loads up, but it'd be a thousand rounds before she got up to the +P range that most of the previous posters have mentioned. If you have to use Universal, then I'd try 4.0 grains with the 125 grain boolit, but that might be too low pressure for consistent results.