HS6 in 38/357 with 158 Grain Cast

[DMW1116]

I have a surplus of 158 grain MBC SWC bullets and some extra HS6 powder. I’ll run out of Alliant 2400 well before I run out of bullets. I’d like another 357 Magnum load but 2400 is hard to beat for accuracy. Any suggestions?

Failing that, an accurate 38 Special load wouldn’t hurt either. For 38 Special I also have W231, Silhouette, & CFE Pistol. The latter two could also be possibly pressed into service for 357 Mag loads too.

These bullets are the harder cast variety from MBC meant for magnum, though is super they’d shoot well from 38 cases as well.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

I have a surplus of 158 grain MBC SWC bullets and some extra HS6 powder. I’ll run out of Alliant 2400 well before I run out of bullets. I’d like another 357 Magnum load but 2400 is hard to beat for accuracy. Any suggestions?

Failing that, an accurate 38 Special load wouldn’t hurt either. For 38 Special I also have W231, Silhouette, & CFE Pistol. The latter two could also be possibly pressed into service for 357 Mag loads too.

These bullets are the harder cast variety from MBC meant for magnum, though is super they’d shoot well from 38 cases as well.

Any lead bullet in the 150-160gr range over 4.0-4.3gr of W231 in a .38Spl is going to be an accurate, easy shooter in a S&W K-frame, Colt I-frame, Ruger Service-frame, etc sized revolver; but, at 750-900fps, it’s not a softy on the receiving end. Velocities depending on the barrel length and cylinder gap, of course.

 

[DMW1116]

Lyman Cast Bullet Manual has W231 listed as potentially the most accurate for a 158 grain 38 Special so that’s probably what I’ll try first. I have brass prepped for 3.6, 3.8, & 4.0 grains. 4.0 is their max charge. Hornady goes up to 4.4, but those are fairly different bullets from the coated MBC bullets. I’m not too worried since I’m shooting from a 357 Mag, but I want to stay within standard 38 Special pressure. One day I intend to get a dedicated 38 revolver and a mix up wouldn’t be good.

 

[Random 8]

Run the H-6 in both. .357 mid and .38 +p. I was very happy with it in those applications with 158 cast. I recently switched to LS in deference to my shotgun applications, and like it even better. Got fine accuracy with both H6 and LS. LS gets me a bit more velocity with less powder and burns cleaner.

 

[DMW1116]

Just double checked and the max for the 155 grain bullet and 160 grain bullets are up around 4.7 or so. What’s with the 158 grain bullet?

 

[hunt127588]

For reference, I'm shooting Missouri 158 SWCs (18 BHN) w/ Hi-Tek coating out of a Taurus 66 4" in .357 Mag. With 8.5 gr of HS-6, I get 1,108 fps. With 9.4 gr, I get 1,241 fps. Both of those loads were my accuracy nodes.

 

[AJC1]

Just double checked and the max for the 155 grain bullet and 160 grain bullets are up around 4.7 or so. What’s with the 158 grain bullet?

I've seen that as well and I use the 155 data for my 154 noe. The only thing I can think of was a diffrent lead mix.

 

[DMW1116]

It pays to write down your failed tests as well as the good ones. I tested HS6 with these bullets from 9.2 to 10.1 grains. Evidently I didn’t find anything noteworthy. I think a retest is in order from maybe 8 to 9 grains. The accuracy load with the Berrys DEWC was 8.5 grains.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Just double checked and the max for the 155 grain bullet and 160 grain bullets are up around 4.7 or so. What’s with the 158 grain bullet?

The mold #358665 Flat Nose is designed specifically for Cowboy Action Games. If you look up the mold numbers for Lyman’s loading data it tells you which constraints the designer placed on the loading data and why. In the case of the #358665, the velocities are held down to meet SASS requirements.

Also (ETA) keep in mind the alloy they tested vs what you are using. Linotype has a nominal hardness of 22 vs your MBC at 18. That’s not a huge difference. If you were using straight CoWW at 10/12, it would be a game changer.

Start low, work up, pay attention to how your guns are shooting.

 

[AJC1]

It pays to write down your failed tests as well as the good ones. I tested HS6 with these bullets from 9.2 to 10.1 grains. Evidently I didn’t find anything noteworthy. I think a retest is in order from maybe 8 to 9 grains. The accuracy load with the Berrys DEWC was 8.5 grains.

My Silhouette accuracy load is 8.4 so I think you 8.5 load will be in the right ballpark. My true blue load is 8.8 so 8-9 will likely produce something you like.

 

[DMW1116]

What is your velocity with Silhouette. I have some of that too but don’t have any data for it. It’s not anywhere in the Lyman Cast manual or on Hodgdens site.

 

[AJC1]

What is your velocity with Silhouette. I have some of that too but don’t have any data for it. It’s not anywhere in the Lyman Cast manual or on Hodgdens site.

There is no load data but I'll check the velosity in my notes. You looking for 4" or 16" speeds.

 

[DMW1116]

4” is closer. My Blackhawk has a 6.5” barrel.

 

[AJC1]

What is your velocity with Silhouette. I have some of that too but don’t have any data for it. It’s not anywhere in the Lyman Cast manual or on Hodgdens site.

There is no load data but I'll check the velosity in my notes. You looking for 4" or 16" speeds.

 

[BJung]

HS6 has a burn rate close to AA5 and AA5 works good for a HD 38 load and a decent target load for .357. Citing powders I've tried, Blue Dot has worked well for .357 loads for me. That's close to AA7. For hot .357 loads, 2400 and AA9 are what you want. My accuracy load for .357-158gr lead bullets is 8.4gr AA5. For .357-158, it's 8.7gr BD.

 

[ballman6711]

Any lead bullet in the 150-160gr range over 4.0-4.3gr of W231 in a .38Spl is going to be an accurate, easy shooter

This ^^^

3.9gr W231 gives me a very accurate and soft shooting load with a 158gr bullet, lead or jacketed. I use W231 for .357mag loads as well, not quite full power like some of the slower powders, but still accurate and enjoyable to shoot.

chris

 

[DMW1116]

I don’t plan to buy any more 2400 unless I can find it locally. If it shows up that would work out fine but I haven’t see any for a long time. I have enough to load most of my remaining 158 grain bullets. I’m basically looking for a substitute if I can find any more.

 

[hunt127588]

I don’t plan to buy any more 2400 unless I can find it locally. If it shows up that would work out fine but I haven’t see any for a long time. I have enough to load most of my remaining 158 grain bullets. I’m basically looking for a substitute if I can find any more.

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[DMW1116]

Not a bad price for a lifetime supply or motivation to use it in 30-30.

 

[AJC1]

Not a bad price for a lifetime supply or motivation to use it in 30-30.

I can't sacrifice 2400 for 30-30, the 6.5x55 NEEDS it . There are a few powders I can use in loadings across the board. 2400 and blue dot I can use by the 5 gallon bucket.

 

[DMW1116]

I’ll run some HS6 from 8.3 to 9.1 grains. The Cast Bullet Manual is all over for this weight range. 155 gr bullets go from 8.7 to 9.6 or so. 158s, which I tested before, go from 9.2 to 10.1 or so. Then 160s go from 8.5 to 9.7.

I think I over shot the accurate loads running 9.2 to 10.1, but that was listed as the potentially most accurate powder for that bullet weight. I used the range of 8.5 to 9.4 when I tested the Berrys DEWC. 8.5 and 8.7 were about the same with 8.5 shooting about 7/8” at 25 yards firing testing.

 

[AJC1]

I’ll run some HS6 from 8.3 to 9.1 grains. The Cast Bullet Manual is all over for this weight range. 155 gr bullets go from 8.7 to 9.6 or so. 158s, which I tested before, go from 9.2 to 10.1 or so. Then 160s go from 8.5 to 9.7.

I think I over shot the accurate loads running 9.2 to 10.1, but that was listed as the potentially most accurate powder for that bullet weight. I used the range of 8.5 to 9.4 when I tested the Berrys DEWC. 8.5 and 8.7 were about the same with 8.5 shooting about 7/8” at 25 yards firing testing.

I can't find the Silhouette data it was pre move. Memory says fps was 1148 with the 154 noe out of my 4" and 8.8 true blue was right at 1200, but I can verify if you like.... no idea what it was running in the carbine....

 

[DMW1116]

I did some more digging and I think I probably overshot the accuracy peak with my previous attempts with the 158 grain MBC bullets. I’ll drop down to 8.4 and work up to 9 grains and if that helps. If not, I’ll just try them in 38 Special. Alternatively, I’ll check the LGS for more 2400.

 

[AJC1]

I did some more digging and I think I probably overshot the accuracy peak with my previous attempts with the 158 grain MBC bullets. I’ll drop down to 8.4 and work up to 9 grains and if that helps. If not, I’ll just try them in 38 Special. Alternatively, I’ll check the LGS for more 2400.

8.4 is silhouettes sweet spot and they seem to be very similar