My first shot at AA#9 in .357 Mag worked much better than Enforcer. I had to do some figuring on a good starting load since the wide flat nose, small lube grooves, and small cannelure translates to a relatively short bullet (0.625” long, and 1.585” COAL.). I calculated that the Lyman 358429 (170 grains) and Lyman 358477 (150 grains) both had a 77% case fill, so I used that to get a starting point of 13.9 grains. The max charges for four lead bullets in this weight range in Lyman’s 49th have max charges that range from 13.0 grains to 14.5 grains and max velocities from 1,221 to 1,350 fps (4” barrel on a universal receiver.). Western Powder’s #1 shows a max charge of 12.4 grains under a 158 grain SWC yielding 1,255 fps from a 6” barrel. I decided to load up 6 rounds @13.7 grains, 6 rounds @13.8 grains, and 6 rounds @13.9 grains and shoot them out of a 3” DAO revolver. My chrono gave me this:
13.7 grains -> 1,217 fps average; 26 SD
13.8 grains -> 1,252 fps average; 24 SD
13.9 grains -> 1,241 fps average; 26 SD
Primers all look good and cases all ejected easily. No leading.
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I’m thinking 1,200 fps with 94-4-2 alloy will take care of an Appalachian black bear if the next one I see in the wild isn’t as friendly as the previous and the recoil is plenty for a challenge at the range.
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I don’t plan to go hotter with this combo, but I am curious about everyone’s thoughts on what might be a safe limit here for a modern .357Mag (not a Ruger). Should I target 1,100 fps for this 3” barrel?