Junior1942
07-22-2009, 04:29 PM
I bought an octogan 10" 357 mag Contender barrel for use as a lightweight thicket gun. Planned bullet is the group buy C358-180-RF weighing 190 grs RTL in my acww alloy. It weighs w/action only 2 lbs, 8.8 oz w/the T-C factory iron sights. As I'm putting an aluminum Marble's #30 rear sight w/green fiber optics + adding a Junior-made red fiber optic to the front, the final weight should run circa 2 lbs, 8 oz. It feels unbelieveably light!
Here's some Chrony results:
Deer load: 16.0 grs Lil'Gun + C358-180/190-RF w/gascheck = 1634 fps and ES = 26 fps.
I was hoping to seat the C358-180/190-RF out and load maybe 17 grs Lil'Gun for 1750 to 1800 fps, but this barrel has no throat at all. At an OAL of 1.54" the bullet was just off the lands. I mulled reaming the throat out with a 357 max reamer, but 190 grs @ 1634 fps in a 2 1/2 lb pistol is plenty of recoil for me--18.85 ft/lbs. That's like a hand-held 30-06. My wrist is still sore!
Target load: 13.0 grs WC820 + C358-180/190-RF w/o a gascheck = 1484 fps. This target load would work fine on deer/hogs at 50 yards max.
Maybe a dozen rounds shot, and the barrel is slick as glass.
Next comes target shooting after I install the new sights. I'm already liking this new thicket gun!
PS: those 1634 fps rounds were blowing a heck of a hole in my front yard, so I drug a log behind the Chrony before I shot the last round. It penetrated the 13 1/2" diameter log!
Here's some Chrony results:
Deer load: 16.0 grs Lil'Gun + C358-180/190-RF w/gascheck = 1634 fps and ES = 26 fps.
I was hoping to seat the C358-180/190-RF out and load maybe 17 grs Lil'Gun for 1750 to 1800 fps, but this barrel has no throat at all. At an OAL of 1.54" the bullet was just off the lands. I mulled reaming the throat out with a 357 max reamer, but 190 grs @ 1634 fps in a 2 1/2 lb pistol is plenty of recoil for me--18.85 ft/lbs. That's like a hand-held 30-06. My wrist is still sore!
Target load: 13.0 grs WC820 + C358-180/190-RF w/o a gascheck = 1484 fps. This target load would work fine on deer/hogs at 50 yards max.
Maybe a dozen rounds shot, and the barrel is slick as glass.
Next comes target shooting after I install the new sights. I'm already liking this new thicket gun!
PS: those 1634 fps rounds were blowing a heck of a hole in my front yard, so I drug a log behind the Chrony before I shot the last round. It penetrated the 13 1/2" diameter log!