Powder suggestions

[dipper]

Hi Guys,
New guy here. I have been lurking here and reading a lot of great information.
I have been shooting and re-loading for many years, but just started getting into the world of cast bullets recently.
I shot my first cast bullets a couple of days ago and all went well.
At this time I am loading hard cast lead bullets in .357 Magnum and have used Unique and VV N110 powders so far.
Unique gave good accuracy but as probably everyone here knows, it is kind of dirty....it is real dirty compared to the VV N110 which is very clean.
The N110 is nice and worked well but gives higher velocities than Unique does when both are loaded to excepted levels.

Anyway, I was wondering what those of you that reload for the .357 Magnum prefer for powders?
Any recommendations for something that is comparable to Unique but is cleaner?
What have you found to be a accurate powder??

Thanks for any Information!

Dipper

[C A Plater]

Hodgdon's Universal Clays is very close to Unique and burns much cleaner. It can pretty much be used wherever Unique with similar, but not identical, charges. Light charges will tend to leave unburned powder in the barrel. My .357 loads with this powder tend to be medium velocity more like a warm .38 Special.

[waco]

+ 1 plater
also try 2400
w-296, or h110(the same powder btw)
titegroup has also worked well for me for mild loads

[lylejb]

hi Dipper,

what powder for a .357? that really depends on what kind of loads you want to make.

for hot/ max loads i've used alot of win 296 , both in .357 and .44 mags. most loading manuals, however, warn you NOT to reduce w296 loads. it needs to be used at full pressures. i've only used this with jacketed bullets. some can and do use cast bullets with high velocity / hot loads, but i never did.

i've also used blue dot in hot loads, it shoots well for me, but it's not a clean powder either.

most of my loads for .357 are "medium" probably 1100 to 1200 fps. this is about the most i like for target practice and general plinking. i use cast and have used alot of w231 powder and some universal as well. both are cleaner than unique for me.

for light to medium loads don't forget the fast powders, such as W231, accurate #2, and lots of others. A small charge of fast powder has been the standard for 38 special for decades, and this scales up in the .357 case nicely. you won't get top velocities, but you will get nice to shoot, very inexpensive loads. more bangs for less bucks can be a good thing!!:wink:

just make sure to watch carefully, don't double charge!!

i'm currently working on very reduced loads with AA#2. it's much cleaner than unique, but not perfectly clean. it would probably be cleaner yet if i would run these loads upto normal pressures, but that's not what i want right now.

hope this helps.

Lyle

[AlaskaMike]

For full power loads it depends on the bullet weight for me. For 150 grain and heavier bullets I like 2400 and 296/H110. For 125 grain and lighter I like Power Pistol.

For light plinkers with any bullet weight I like 231/HP38.

I used to shoot a lot of 10.2 grains of Blue Dot with 158 grain cast SWCs, but it is a little dirty as Lyle mentions. For me in my S&W Model 28 it also didn't seem to be as accurate as with other powders.

Mike

[jimkim]

It isn't exactly the same as Unique, but 10.0gr of AAC-#7 under a 158gr SWC shoots sweet.

[runfiverun]

in the 357 herco is my powder of choice these days, a 158 rnfp overr 7 grs in my lever gun is wonderfully accurate and clean.

[crabo]

in the 357 herco is my powder of choice these days, a 158 rnfp overr 7 grs in my lever gun is wonderfully accurate and clean.

What does "wonderfully accurate" mean? I am working up a midrange target load for my Marlin and wondering how small it will be when I have gotten as good as I can. I have a number of 1 1/2 inch groups at 50 yards, but I think I can do better than that.

[dougader]

For light to medium loads, WW231.

For heavy loads Blue Dot. Blue Dot at max loads is extremely clean. But when you load it down it leaves residue and some unburned flakes behind. When I say Max with BD, I am talking Speer #11 max loads... 14.5/125, 13.6/140, 12.5/158, and 10.0/165 grain hardcast.

AA9 is a good 357 mag powder, too.

For medium loads, I like Hodgdon Universal.

Even at max, WW296/H110 leaves residue and you'll never see clean brass cases again... its like the grime gets all over the outside of the case and is baked into the brass. But if I want absolutely the highest velocity in a longer barrel, WW296/H110 is the powder to choose.

[stubshaft]

296 and 2400 get the nod for me.

[AlaskaMike]

Even at max, WW296/H110 leaves residue and you'll never see clean brass cases again... its like the grime gets all over the outside of the case and is baked into the brass.

Can't say I've ever experienced that--I've burned a lot of 296 in .44 mag, .357 mag, and .45 Colt +P and my brass comes out of the tumbler just as shiny as ever.

Mike

[leadman]

Accurate Arms #2 is a very clean powder that works well in the 357 for light to medium loads.
LiL' Gun works extremely well for full power loads in the 357 and 41 mag. Slightly higher velocities than 296/H110 at lower pressure with excellent accuracy.

[JesterGrin_1]

For full power loads I tend to like H-110 and W-296 but for plinkers to mid range I like TightGroup.

From everything I have read 2400 has been around a loooooooooong time and I do not think you would go wrong with that powder as well.

Unique has also been around a long time. But it is a dirty powder to use. I used to use it in .45 ACP and my .44 Mag but have since switched to TightGroup as I have found it much cleaner to use.

[dromia]

Other Vihtavuori powders that I've used with success in the .357" magnum are: N340, 3N37 and especially N350.

Remember always refer to manfuacturers printed data when trying new powders and new loads.

[dromia]

BTW dipper.
Welcome aboard. :drinks:

[kir_kenix]

I use H110 or Lil' Gun for top end loads. 2400 is another goody. I've never had any serious problems with unique, sometimes the powder charge just needs to be increased until its burning more fully.

Jon Schram

[Slow Elk 45/70]

I have used 2400 for a loooooong time, it is old but still works just fine . When I shoot 357 loads, they are usually stout or +P 38 for general shooting. There are lots of powders out there these days, if you can find them....there are faster and probably more accurate, but for my purposes , 2400 works.

[runfiverun]

craig ...when i say accurate i mean if i could post groups here at 50 and 100 yds i would be bragging about them.
they are pretty fast [haven't chronoed them yet] but just plinking with them i have consistently been able to hit 6" rocks out to 200 yds.

[NHlever]

I've used all the powders above, and have had good luck with them. I liked 10.0 grains of Blue Dot with my 158 cast SWC boolits when I had my Ruger SP-101. Muzzle flash was down, and I found it an accurate, and controlable load. These days I've been sneaking in some HS-6 in those loads. It sure meters better, and seems to have promise so far. I need to do more work with it, and haven't tried magnum primers with it yet, but it seems cleaner so far as well.

[DLCTEX]

I have only used SR7625 for 357 and have been well satisfied with the results, pushing a 158 SWC to 1000 fps.

[DLCTEX]

I am planning to try IMR 4756 as I got three pounds for $25 in a closeout deal recently, and I see it will push that 158 SWC to 1200 fps.

[lurch]

I like these:

357446 - Unique, 2400
358156 - 2400
358495 - Bullseye, Red dot, Green Dot

I have used a bit of 110 with jacketed, but wasn't really happy with it in the 357. It works much better in the 44 for me with the 429244.

[dipper]

Thanks Guys for all the responses....appreciate it!!....and thanks for the welcome!!

[.357]

welcome! I really like unique but then again i don't mind cleaning more, also 231 is a great powder when i run out of my 25 pounds of unique i might switch over to the 231.