Know a good load for RMR 125 HPs in .38 or .357?

[Buck13]

Anyone have a favorite target load for RMR plated HP 125 grain bullets in .38 brass (preferred, since I have more brass) or .357? I found pushing their 240 grain plated bullets too hard in my .43 Magnum gave poor accuracy relative to real JHPs or lead GC bullets, so I'm guessing I need to stick a moderate load in the smaller caliber, too.

OTOH, shooting these from a Rossi 92, so don't want REALLY light loads, I think.

 

[Dudedog]

Just started playing with them so nothing final yet but had decent results with 5.5 and 6gr of HP38 in .357 cases.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

In .38 Special brass using W231/HP-38 start with 4.0gr and work up to 4.8gr looking for an accurate .38 Special round. You will find one fairly quickly.

I like a 158gr bullet better but load what you have.

 

[IMtheNRA]

Are these bullets without the crimping cannelure? If so, you may not find a really accurate load because the bullets will back out under recoil. You'll end up with several different pressure / different velocity loads in the same cylinder. At least that was my experience with many test loads using non-cannelure bullets in .357 mag. No way to crimp them in, and some of the bullets slide out regardless of brass brand used - even if I did not expand the case mouth prior to seating the bullet. You'll be better off using a bullet that is appropriate for the cartridge you want to load.

 

[Bullseye]

I've loaded 1000 of RMR's 158 gr copper coated HP. I load them between cast and closer to the jacketed bullets by manual data.
I have recently ordered 500 of the round nose flat point copper coated .357 158 gr bullets. More than half are loaded up.
The design of the hollow point in RMR and other copper coated cast bullets do not really expand like the popular jacketed HP bullets do. ( They just look neat I guess )
That is why I decided to give the round nose flat points a whirl.

From RMR's site on the 158 gr bullet page:

Product Description
This is our own brand of .357 / .38 Caliber bullets! While these are hollow point bullets, they are not designed for expansion. They may mushroom a bit, but do not expect large expansion.

These bullets have a cannelure and thicker plating than most plated bullets. We do not recommend exceeding 1,400 FPS.

 

[PO2Hammer]

disregard

 

[Buck13]

I like a 158gr bullet better but load what you have.

I would tend to use a 158 by default, but my 24" Rossi has the stock front sight and a Skinner aperture rear. The 125 will shoot close to POA but the 158 recoils too high. I've been procrastinating horribly WRT buying a taller front sight.

This is just a plinker so the details of the ammo are unimportant, so long as it meets my fairly modest standards for accuracy and precision.

 

[Buck13]

Are these bullets without the crimping cannelure?

Unlike a lot of plated bullets that have a "cannelure" that consists of a ring of little hash marks but doesn't really reduce the diameter of the bullet between the marks, these have a cannelure that has a genuine reduction in diameter. I picked up one of each, and a Nosler 158 JHP measured about 0.003" smaller in the groove, the RMR was about 0.002" smaller, and the Xtreme 158 SWC I grabbed from its box was 0.357" regardless of where I measured it.

I will give these a light-to-moderate crimp near the top of the cannelure. I'm shooting them in a rifle with a tubular mag, not a revolver, so bullet setback is the concern, not bullet pull. With these light loads and a fairly heavy rifle (it's the 24" octagonal barrel; I'd have preferred the lighter 20" round barrel, but those were harder to find), recoil is minimal and I doubt setback would be a problem in any case, as long as neck tension is not completely pitiful.

I did shoot their similar 240 grain .44 with near-max charges of either Longshot or 4227 in my Redhawk. The Longshot load was terrible (while a similar charge with Noslers shot fine), but the 4227 shot nearly as well as XTPs or Noslers. I assumed the faster powder simply caused some sort of bullet failure, while the 4227 was just barely gentle enough to work OK. A Redhawk has a pretty long cylinder, so it would take a lot of bullet pull to tie it up. I never stopped after a few shots to check for crimp jump, but I'm pretty sure the scatter in those patterns (I won't call them groups) was way too great to be caused by the velocity difference from a change in seating depth.

I don't see the 125 on their site now, but the bullets I have look just like a shorter version of their 158 "hardcore match" HP. Not sure if they used that term on the website at the time, but the email for the order confirmation just describes them as ".357 (.38) 125 Gr. RMR Round Nose Plated HP." I ordered these and the .44 240 grain last April, and simply haven't got around to loading for the rifle much since then. I hope the 125 hasn't been dropped permanently from their catalog, in case these work out well! I only bought 500. I might run out in a few years!