effect of different loads

[Tazman1602]

Wife and I had the chance to go out today and WERE going to send some targets in to Bullshop Juniors Postal Match but didn't shoot well enough to send any -- still working on learning a revolver since I've almost always shot my .45acp and am just getting into revolvers again in the last six months since I found this forum. Nice sunshiney day about 25 degrees, warm for here.

Shot off around 300 rounds all over the target between my .357 Vaquero and her .38 S&W. I had one target I might have sent that was under six inch groups at 25 yards with a rest with the Vaquero. Off hand I was all over and so was she.

I found out something really cool though. I had loaded her some Lee .38 158gr cast FP's with Unique and she shot all those and then got out a box of round nose cast .38's I had loaded with Bullseye over a year ago.

...the difference between unique (4.1grs) and bullseye (3.2grs) in HER S&W was about 5" in group size.............consistently. I also found out that my .357 Vaquero likes Lyman 358156's pumped up full bore better than it likes the 358311 HP's I had loaded for it ---- but I'm still working to be able to shoot a blasted revolver and trying to figure what loads this Vaquero likes. 2400 was my powder of the day for that and it didn't shoot bad but I sure did.

The whole point is the postal match here got us out and shooting, by the end of the day we were doing much better but I was shaking so bad from the cold we had to quit -- but MAN did I LEARN some things about my guns/powder/bullets that I would NOT have learned had it not been for going out and shooting several hundred rounds.

I'll get to Juniors postal match, but right now I"ve got to go load some more cartridges and see if I can't get things tuned up a bit...............including MY techniques with a dog gone revolver.

If anyones got any comments about the accuracy of unique vs. Bullseye in a .38 I'm glad to listen. 2400 would appear to be the powder of choice for the .357 but I'm still working with that one.

Damn what a fun day......................even if she did outshoot me!!!!

Art

[Archer]

I don't have any 2400, but have been shooting a Lee TL LSWC 158gr.
using 6gr's of unique in my 357, and getting good accuracy at 25 yards.
These are not full blown loads, but they punch out there pretty good
just the same. I can't try any longer shooting until the dang snow melts some, 25yards is as far back as I can get right now.
Ive been using 3.5 gr's of Bullseye with the same 158gr TL SWC in my 38 with good results, I haven't tried it with unique yet, but plan to soon.

[Echo]

Wife and I had the chance to go out today and WERE going to send some targets in to Bullshop Juniors Postal Match but didn't shoot well enough to send any -- still working on learning a revolver since I've almost always shot my .45acp and am just getting into revolvers again in the last six months since I found this forum. Nice sunshiney day about 25 degrees, warm for here.

The thing to remember about ANY pistol shooting is that the Front Sight is Your Friend! Don't just focus on it, CONCENTRATE on it!

Shot off around 300 rounds all over the target between my .357 Vaquero and her .38 S&W. I had one target I might have sent that was under six inch groups at 25 yards with a rest with the Vaquero. Off hand I was all over and so was she.

I found out something really cool though. I had loaded her some Lee .38 158gr cast FP's with Unique and she shot all those and then got out a box of round nose cast .38's I had loaded with Bullseye over a year ago.

...the difference between unique (4.1grs) and bullseye (3.2grs) in HER S&W was about 5" in group size.............consistently. I also found out that my .357 Vaquero likes Lyman 358156's pumped up full bore better than it likes the 358311 HP's I had loaded for it ---- but I'm still working to be able to shoot a blasted revolver and trying to figure what loads this Vaquero likes. 2400 was my powder of the day for that and it didn't shoot bad but I sure did.

The whole point is the postal match here got us out and shooting, by the end of the day we were doing much better but I was shaking so bad from the cold we had to quit -- but MAN did I LEARN some things about my guns/powder/bullets that I would NOT have learned had it not been for going out and shooting several hundred rounds.

I'll get to Juniors postal match, but right now I"ve got to go load some more cartridges and see if I can't get things tuned up a bit...............including MY techniques with a dog gone revolver.

If anyones got any comments about the accuracy of unique vs. Bullseye in a .38 I'm glad to listen. 2400 would appear to be the powder of choice for the .357 but I'm still working with that one.

My Go To load for the .357 is the -156 GCSWC in front of 15 grains of 2400. Some would reduce that with little loss of velocity, but it has always treated me (and my BH) well.

And BE has been the go to powder for the .38 Special, and it will do yeoman work in the 38 S&W. We used to have a Police Positive in 38 S&W, and used about 3 grains, IIRC,

Damn what a fun day......................even if she did outshoot me!!!!

Right. See what you get for teaching SWMBO how to shoot?

Art

And now I am bugged to make the message longer. Carrumba.

[Tazman1602]

LOL!

She's a naturally better shooter with *pistols* than I am, rifles are different but I can't hit the broadside of a barn with a revolver yet.

I CAN'T seem to get the front site both eyes open technique down no matter what I do, still used to closing one eye to get to the sight -- now granted sights on a Vaquero aren't that great, got a Taurus .357 with much better sights and can shoot that *OK* but this Vaquero is driving me nuts...................but it's SOOOO nice. Trigger needs some work and off the bench it ain't too bad (or I ain't too bad with a rest.........)

I told her if I ever get into a "high noon shootout" over her honor the best thing she can do is..............

.............RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNNNN!

[mnzrxer]

Just a thought on the accuracy of your Vaquero. I have one in 44 mag and had some real issues with accuracy if the boolits were cast of too hard an alloy. I initially used linotype (BHN of 21) and not only couldn't hold a decent group but also had boolits going through the target sideways at 25 yards. I finally measured the throats on my cylinder and found 2 at 0.429", 2 at 0.430" and 2 at 0.431". With hard boolits sized to 0.429" it didn't shoot well at all. I switched to wheel weight alloy (BHN 13) and sized 0.430" (the largest sizer I have at the moment for the 44) and instantly got groups in the 2.5"-3" range when shooting offhand.

You didn't mention what your boolits were cast from or sized to, but it may not be just the boolit design or load you were shooting.

[Tazman1602]

Just a thought on the accuracy of your Vaquero. I have one in 44 mag and had some real issues with accuracy if the boolits were cast of too hard an alloy. I initially used linotype (BHN of 21) and not only couldn't hold a decent group but also had boolits going through the target sideways at 25 yards. I finally measured the throats on my cylinder and found 2 at 0.429", 2 at 0.430" and 2 at 0.431". With hard boolits sized to 0.429" it didn't shoot well at all. I switched to wheel weight alloy (BHN 13) and sized 0.430" (the largest sizer I have at the moment for the 44) and instantly got groups in the 2.5"-3" range when shooting offhand.

You didn't mention what your boolits were cast from or sized to, but it may not be just the boolit design or load you were shooting.

I have slugged barrel and chambers (all) and they are fine, don't remember what the exact numbers were without my notes but I size to about .001 over whatever they need to be --- NOW the too hard a bullet thing? You are on to something there as I have been adding soft lead to my mix and getting better results.

I also should have mentioned that off of a rest taking my time the gun shoots pretty well, it's just that when I shoot offhand standing up the groups, ah, well, "open up" shall we say??

It's definately ME and not the gun, just need to shoot a few more thousand rounds through it yet.

I've shot so many rounds through my Ruger P90 .45 acp and 1911's that getting to shoot a revolver properly is driving me nuts. Also I need to get rid of an aproximately nine pound trigger pull on the Vaquero.

Boy do I love that gun though.......................

[mnzrxer]

I was very surprised at the results of just switching to a softer alloy. I had not yet measured the throats on my cylinder at that point. It seems the soft boolits will slug up to 'fix' some throat to boolit size mismatch in my Vaquero.

By the way, thanks for mentioning the postal match. I had missed it as I rarely go to that section on the board. I just might have to send in a couple of targets.

[Tazman1602]

I was very surprised at the results of just switching to a softer alloy. I had not yet measured the throats on my cylinder at that point. It seems the soft boolits will slug up to 'fix' some throat to boolit size mismatch in my Vaquero.

By the way, thanks for mentioning the postal match. I had missed it as I rarely go to that section on the board. I just might have to send in a couple of targets.

Just so you know, on the softer alloy thing? Bruce at BRP molds turned me on to that one. That guy is amazing and makes THE most beautiful molds I've ever seen.

His turn around time for custom molds is only about two weeks too. Check out castpic of the month for the new mold he just made me. Easiest mold I've ever used although I'm still getting used to it's quirks.

Art