.357 Sig load similar to Gold Dot?

[Baron]

Hi all - I'm the happy owner of a P226 in .357 SIG as well as an M&P Compact also in .357. I have loaded and shot thousands of rounds of .357 using Rainier 124-gr. flat-points over 13.0 grains of AA#9. I've used this recipe because I like the idea of capitalizing on .357 Sig's potential as a performance cartridge; also, I like trying to replicate .357 Mag performance in an autoloader as .357 Sig was intended to do.

However, this load does recoil mightily; despite that, the velocities I'm getting are still far short of my carry load which is 124-gr. Gold Dot. I have been having the habitual problem of grouping my .357 Sigs one to two inches to the left at 10 yards; this does not happen with my 1911s, and I'm beginning to wonder if my mega-load is partly to blame. I thought that when I could eventually tame my load that Gold Dot would be a breeze; now I worry that I'm ingraining bad habits.

So, I would like to back off a bit on my load to get something that feels like 124-gr. Gold Dot - I don't care what the ballistics are. I would like to continue using AA#9 for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that I have 7 pounds left. Can anybody recommend a good load that feels like Gold Dot using AA#9?

Many thanks to all.

 

[Runningman]

Can anybody recommend a good load that feels like Gold Dot using AA#9?

Not really, I played with AA#9 in the 357 Sig with 124/125s for a while a number of years ago. Finely gave up on it. Just didn't seem to do anything well in the 357 Sig. Hodgdon Longshot works best for me in the 357 Sig.