I'm not unhappy with W296 for the most part, I have over 6 pounds and 7k SPM primers so no problem there. I was just hoping 300-MP would equal the performance but reduce the flash but it doesn't sound like it generates less flash.
IMR 4227??
Right up there with H110 as to velocity per Hodgdon.
Per the Hodgdon MSDS, LIL GUN is double based as is H110 and many others?
Guess erosion is like shooting 125 gr bullets out of a K frame?
Perhaps after a few thousand??
I use mostly W296/H110 for full power .357 Magnum loads but I'm wanting to try a new powder.
If I would rather not use 2400 but wanted something different than W296/H110 would Alliant PP 300-MP be a good choice?
The only issue I have with 300MP is that some of the published data is too light and can result in squibs. If you use the data published by Alliant (my problem was with hornady data), you will be good.
I have had spectacular results in both .357 and .44 magnum. For .44 magnum, my most accurate load of all time is a Montana Gold 240 grain JSP with 21.5 grains of 300MP.
Why not AA#9 instead?I used Blue Dot and W296, but that was almost 40 years ago. If I was loading it today, I'd probably use AA#7.
Why not AA#9 instead?
You would probably like HS-6 for that moderate load.I like the H110 for full tilt boogy 158gr loads, so I have some of them laying around.
But typically I'm a Unique fan for anything lighter than that, and for the 125 JHP loads that I keep for defense and/or plinking.
I haven't tried the 300MP
The last batch though, I rolled up with Herco. I was pretty pleased with the velocity (50-100 FPS faster than the Unique) and the flash and boom were about the equivalent to unique. Accuracy was good too! Not very flashy, or nearly as loud as the H110.
I still like to run them full speed, but the older I get, the more I'm starting to appreciate the 3/4 throttle loads of unique, and herco.
To butt in, I think AA#9 would be a real magnum load. The next step down and what has worked well in my testing of how it feels to shoot is AA#7.Why not AA#9 instead?
Oh, probably. I may give it a shot when I start to run low on what I have on hand! In 2037 or thereaboutsYou would probably like HS-6 for that moderate load.
Most of the discussion though seems about whatever will allow satisfactory use of lead bullets, which generally limits the performance provided by 357 Magnum reloads. Perhaps the truth is that a full powered 357 Magnum round is not as loved as some might think or that sales of the guns would suggest. It might even be true that the majority of the guns are used fro 38 Special.There's something I noticed years ago when reloading for .357 in my firearms that seems to be confirmed here. Which is, that loading for most .357s is fairly simple and most of the common powders intended for use in .357, work fairly well in a variety of firearms, when used within their intended parameters. Years ago when I was more adventurous and liked to experiment, I found that powder choice took a back seat to projectile choice in my .357s. Seemed if a bullet worked well in my revolvers or carbines with H110/W296 and the velocities it produced, the same was true when I used Unique, 2400, any of the AAs, etc. When the first powder shortage came along, I experimented again with powders that were readily available when my favorites were hard to get. Again, I noticed very little difference in overall accuracy performance from proven projectiles, just the difference in velocity. I have my favorites that I now buy in bulk because they have proven themselves to me, are affordable and work well. When a new powder is introduced, I tend to stand back and wait for others to test it first. Most of the time, it seems the reports are all about the same. Great powder, but no better than what I've been using. One of the things that may have made me a tad more reluctant to try the newest and latest fad was the Lil' Gun fiasco. There for a while the interweb was ablaze with all the reports of astounding velocities while producing unbelievable low pressure. One could now shoot 300 fps faster in their revolvers with half the pressure! Nowadays since the evidence of the excessive premature forcing cone erosion it produced, you rarely hear of anyone using it in their revolvers. I still have a few rounds of .357 and .44 left to pull. I already pulled all the .460s.