Originally Posted by
Bimmer
Like the question says...
Back story: I'm used to loading .40S&W for my Glocks, and I'm used to seeing ESs in the 30-60fps range, and SDs in the teens or twenties, if not single-digits (with both factory and reloads).
So, to me, an ES over 100 or an SD over 30 looks like something ain't right.
You may have seen my ongoing thread about Trail Boss in .38Spl... I'm seeing ESs 100-150fps, and SDs in the 30-60fps range, which I figured was a problem.
(NB: This isn't just my problematic reloads, but also Speer's 125gr +P Gold Dot.)
Then, last night, I was reading the September issue of Shooting Illustrated (best gun mag out there, IMO), and looked closely at the velocities from the revolvers they tested...
The review of the S&W 610 in 10mm (I want one, badly) looks good/normal to me: Of fifteen loads tested, the highest SD is 22, and only three loads had ESs in the low 40s (everything else was under 40).
The review of the King Cobra: Of nine loads, the middle (#5) has an ES of 48, and the two highest were 63 and 71. No SDs were listed... That seems OK, too, if not as good.
Then, the (glowing!) review of the 4" Ruger SP101 in .327 Fed Magnum blew my mind: Of a dozen factory loads tested, four had SDs in the 50s. Six had ESs over 160... Two over 200!
(I now feel a bit better about my own inconsistent handloads!)
There's no mention at all in the article about this inconsistency, which makes me wonder if this is "normal" or acceptable for long skinny revolver cases like .327 or .357 (or .38Spl).
So, what's an acceptable threshhold or tolerance?