Blackhawk .357/9mm

[mac60]

Made a purchase today. Anymore, I very seldom have any hobby money to throw around. Well, all that changed yesterday and I had a little windfall. Walked into the LGS and saw this.

88794

She wrote me up and while she was doing the NICS check I asked about Unique. She said let me go look - she came back with this.

88795

My teeth almost fell out! I'm now $712.00 poorer - but I'm a happy camper. This one has been on my want list for awhile now. Anybody else load for one? I'm curious about what it's going to take to get a load for both cartridges that'll shoot.

[MT Gianni]

Go to Castpics site at the bottom of every page. Look up load data and firearm specific or cartridges. Beagle has written up some great load data and why's in there.

[contender1]

Half the fun is experimenting to find what load/bullet combo works in YOUR gun. Read a few different manuals, and you'll get good data on starting loads. Work up from there! Accuracy is paramount!

[mac60]

Go to Castpics site at the bottom of every page. Look up load data and firearm specific or cartridges. Beagle has written up some great load data and why's in there.

Thanks! That was good reading (I've got it bookmarked). Now I've got a leg-up on where to start. I like to idea of being able to shoot .38 spl., .357mag and 9mm through the same gun.

[c1skout]

Way to go! I just brought home a 4 5/8" 45 convertible today. I'll have to wait till morning to shoot it though.
My brother-in-law has a 357 convertible but he only shoots store-bought stuff in his.

[mac60]

Way to go! I just brought home a 4 5/8" 45 convertible today. I'll have to wait till morning to shoot it though.
My brother-in-law has a 357 convertible but he only shoots store-bought stuff in his.

Now, that sounds like a plan. Morning at the range followed by thanksgiving supper then an evening at the loading bench.

[375supermag]

I have several BlackHawks in .357Mag, but only one with a 9mm cylinder.
I don't believe I have ever put the 9mm cylinder in the gun.
I have a few BlackHawks/Vaqueros in .45Colt, none of them have .45ACP cylinders.
I bought a S&W 1917 revolver in .45ACP specifically for the purpose of having a revolver that I could shoot .45ACP in. I grew tired of the moon clips pretty quickly, so I bought 500 .45AutoRim cases. I still carry two moon clips loaded with .45ACP Remington 185gr Golden Sabers on the rare occasion that I use it as a carry gun.

I never shoot .38s in any of my .357Mag revolvers, either. Just personal preference on my part.
If I want to shoot a lighter recoiling load in my .357Mags, I just load a lighter load in .357Mag cases.
Besides, I have a couple of .38Spl revolvers.
Same reason I never shoot .44Spl cases in my .44Mag revolvers. I have .44Spl revolvers for that, as well.

Just a matter of personal idiosyncrasies...have fun with your new revolver.
FWIW, I shoot most of my cast bullet loads in .357Mag with Blue Dot. Jacketed bullets generally get W296/H110. I have worked up loads with 2400 for jacketed loads as well.
Still haven't settled on a .38Spl load for my S&W Model 10 and a Cimarron Richards-Mason open-top conversion. Looking for a light accurate load that works in both with a 158gr LSWC. I may have to change bullets to make this work. I would like to settle on one load with Bullseye, HP38 or W231 and then find an equivalent load with Red Dot/Promo.
I still have a good bit of load development to do in regards to this matter.

[Larry Gibson]

Had a BH convertible just like it many years back. I shot a lot of 357 magnums, 38 SPLs and 9mms through it with complete satisfaction. I just recorded the zero (number of clicks up from bottom on rear sight) for each ammo/load and the change over was quick and sure. I was loading a lot of 356402s over 4 gr Bullseye for use in S&W M39 and M59s. I think I shot more of them in the Ruger than in the semi autos! I was sizing at .357 then and they shot every bit as accurately as the 357/38s.

I had to trade it off for something back then and it is one of those few trades I regret. I did enjoy the versatility of that revolver.

Larry Gibson

[mac60]

Thanks Larry. I've got a set of loading dies and a .357 sizer on order. I already have a .358 sizer for my Lyman 450, so I believe I've got my bases covered as far as sizing goes. I've got a brand new 8 lb. jug of BE and PLENTY of brass. I've got some moulds I'd like to try, namely the Lee .358 105gr. swc, .358 125gr. rnfp and .358 158gr swc (tl). I read Beagle's article on Castpics and based on that, none of those three are "ideal" for loading in the 9mm Blackhawk, but that's all I've got so I have to work with them. Which one of them would you start with?

[Beerd]

Your little 105 gr SWC sized .358 and loaded with either Bulls Eye or Unique will be real economical and a lot of fun to shoot in all 3.
..

[mac60]

Your little 105 gr SWC sized .358 and loaded with either Bulls Eye or Unique will be real economical and a lot of fun to shoot in all 3.
..

That was my first thought too. 158gr is too heavy, the 125gr rnfp isn't really the right profile. I don't know maybe the 105gr will work out, maybe the 125gr will work - don't know. I plan on trying both at .357 and .358 over a few different powders.

[paul h]

I've been trying to find a good load for the lee 105 in my 357's and the accuracy just isn't as good as other designs. It is economical and very low recoil.

[Larry Gibson]

As mentioned the 105 SWC should indeed be a good performer in the Ruger. I didn't have that mould when I had my Ruger but that bullet shoots just fine in 9mms. I'd certainly try it over 4 - 4.6 gr Bullseye. No reason why the 125 RN won't shoot well as well. I'd load it over 4 gr Bullseye. I used the 358477 and 358156 a bit but didn't really use them much as I just wanted to use the loads I used in the semi-autos which was most often 120 - 125 gr bullets. I used Unique powder with those but really preferred 38 SPL loads with those bullets.

That was the really nice thing with that Ruger; I could shoot 357 magnums and 38 SPLs but also the lighter weight bullets in 9mm w/o having to have different weights of bullets at different power levels in in the same cartridge. I had one 357 mag load with the 358156, one 38 SPL load with the 358477 and the 9mm load with 120 - 125 gr cast. All I had to do was adjust the sights to the known zero and change cylinders. It worked for me. Now my "convertible" is a 45 Colt with a 45 ACP cylinder......still should not have traded that Ruger off though..........

Larry Gibson

[mac60]

Larry, my dies and sizer will be here in a few days. Can't wait to get started.

[detox]

The RCBS 147gr 9mm bullet will shoot very well in all three cartidges. Roll crimp onto front band when loading for 38 or 357

[Thumbcocker]

Lee 125 rnfp over 4.8 of power pistol in 9mm has done well for me in my BH convertible.

[mac60]

Lee 125 rnfp over 4.8 of power pistol in 9mm has done well for me in my BH convertible.

Never loaded anything with power pistol. Oh well, I won't be buying anything hobby related for a while. I've got an 8 lb. jug of unique and an 8 lb. jug of bullseye, so I'm gonna have to work with either of those. Thanks for the reply though Thumbcocker. How long have you had the BH convertible, and how does it shoot?

[Thumbcocker]

Thumbcocker. How long have you had the BH convertible, and how does it shoot?

I have had it for about 20 years. It has always shot .357's well and I once made a 103 yard shot on a blackbird with it. The hardest part of that shot was nodding sagely and looking like I expected that sort of thing. That was with a 358429 Keith over 4.5 of bullseye, The gun has always been consistent if not spectacular in the accuracy department. I have been using the NOE 358rnfp over 13.5 of 2400 and it shoots it well. Also the lee 158rnfp over 4.5 of red dot.

I never had any luck with the 9mm cylinder until I read Beagle and Mt. Gun 44's posts on 9mm loading. With my crimp dies properly set up and boolits sized .358 the 9mm cylinder shoots every bit as well as the .357 cylinder economical on lead and powder and not a lot of weight for loaded ammo. I still pick up 9mm brass at the range. It says a lot about this site that I rediscovered a revolver I have had for 20 years. Barrel length is 4 5/8".

[mac60]

Mine is a 6 1/2" bbl. I hope I have the same luck with it...