Looking for Trail Boss powder .357 Magnum load with 140 grain lead please

[Tallbald]

I don't see a load in my Lee manual or on the IMR site I checked, but I hope there's one for : .357 magnum cases, 140 grain hard cast round nose lead using Trail Boss powder. Maybe another manual has a load range listed. If so, maybe someone could share a link. Thank you. Don.

[bangerjim]

Buy the annual Hodgdon Reloading magazine $8.99. It has tons of loads besides what are in the standard old books.

TB is NOT a magnum powder. Closest it a 158gn LSWC cast at 4.5 to 5 grains.

You will have to work it from there. Not many loads for 357 mag for TB. In fact that is the ONLY one! Get some TiteGroup. Loads abound for that for just about every pistol cal and weight! Or 700X.

Good luck.


bangerjim

[Bzcraig]

http://www.imrpowder.com/PDF/Trail-Boss-data.pdf

I couldn't copy the text but the link will take you to IMR's website where it tells you how to work up a load but like Jim said its not magnum powder by any stretch of the imagination.

[NC_JEFF]

I don't think the OP is looking for a "magnum" load but rather a load he can use his Trail Boss powder in combination with his components on hand. I most certainly agree that Trail Boss is a bad choice for any magnum load but may serve quite nicely as a .357 target load. If I had some sitting around collecting dust, I'd look for a way to use it up as well. Happy shooting.

[tsubaki]

Do like the instructions in the link that Bzcraig gave you.
Here is some of the reference material from Hodgdon.
http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/pistol
The format stinks so here are quotes.
90gr LRNFP
3.5gr - 969fps
5.0gr - 1121fps

125gr LRNFP
3.5gr - 874fps
5.3gr - 1035fps

158gr LSWC
3.2gr - 754fps
4.2gr - 865fps

Until you do the case volume max and no less than the %70 rule (for the 140gr boolit), no less than 3.5gr and no more than 4.2gr should be safe.

[Tallbald]

Everyone I appreciate the posts. Yes, it's a matter of using what I have on hand. Lots of both .38 Special and .357 Mag cases. And a lot of desire for light range loads me and my wife can use comfortably and inexpensively in a Ruger carbine and several revolvers. 35 plus years ago as a reloading teenager, before I learned better I knew nothing about empty case volume concerns. I understand now that powders can be unforgiving if they are given too much room to do their thing, and am of course concerned. Odd to me though that an even lighter 125 grain slug, and thus more empty case room, has a range of Trail Boss load weights from which to select. I know from experimentation with a 125 grain slug that my guns shoot more accurately with the higher grain loads, but I never do max loads.Don.

[tja6435]

I run 3.0 and 4.0 grains of TB in 38spl brass under 158gr boolits. The lighter loads are usually shot up by my buddy's 9 and 12 yr old kids in my 4" Security Six and 3" GP100. They love shooting those loads in my revolvers, it's nice and easy but a bit smokey. The 4.0gr loads are a little too much recoil for the kids, but still nothing when considering 357 mag full house loads.
I meant to run both TB loads through my 77/357 last weekend but forgot about it--had way too much fun dialing in the scope for 125gr and 158gr bullets over i4227 and 2400

[Tallbald]

Upper range TB loads with 125 gr RNFP in both .38 and .357 give me 3/4 inch groups with my 77/357 at 50 measured yards. Fun stuff. Don

[scottfire1957]

You could always make phone call, actually talk to somebody. There might be a reason there are no loads for that bullet weight. Hogdon/IMR would be the ones to ask.

[Tallbald]

Good point. Don

[Bzcraig]

I use 3.5gr in 38spl loads for my wife and daughter and 9gr in 30-30 with 93 & 150gr boolits

[BCB]

I’ve used anywhere from 3.5 grains to 5.0 grains with 150 to 173 grain cast boolits…

Velocities range from 624 fps to 778 fps from a 6” Security-Six…

Use the 70% rule and you will do fine…

A powder that you can’t accidentally double-charge…

But, I have gotten better accuracy with the faster burners—Bullseye comes to mind and it meters better. Although I have had no real problem metering Trail Boss…

Good-luck…BCB

[gundownunder]

Trailboss is a real easy and forgiving powder.
ADI (the company that developed trailboss) advise starting with a load equal to 70% of the space under the bullet and then work up. They used to state that you must not compress the powder but I've recently heard that this has been revised (check this for yourself).
My 357 rifle likes a full case behind a 175gr bullet. That's 5.0gr to the base of the bullet. My start load would have been 3.5gr.
I use thousands of these for cowboy silhouette and plinking and they are just a lot of fun to shoot.
I don't bother trying to meter my powders, I find a dipper is accurate enough.