Your favorite plinking loads?

[LiveLife]

I used the search for "plinking loads" and I got "45-70 Plinking Loads"!

Just about all the forums talk about the ultimate super duper accurate pet loads that make power factor. Well, I am feeling the financial pinch and quite a lot of other reloaders I talked to also.

So, how about your favorite plinking loads? Light to mild recoiling and even below starting loads apply here as long as they are "fairly" accurate and fun to shoot.

Here's my favorite:
40S&W 180 gr TCFP with 3.8-4.3 gr W231/HP38. Very light/mild recoil and extremely accurate. Even with the light recoil, the heavier bullet cycles the slide on my Gen3 G27 well. 3.8 gr load recoils less than average 9mm.

My new found favorite:
45ACP 200 gr SWC with 4.0 gr Promo. Mild and snappy recoil.

 

[floydster]

9mm 3.5 gr. bullseye, 125 gr. cast RN
38 Super 4.3 gr. 231, 147 gr. cast sub sonic
38 Spl. 3.3 gr. Trial Boss, 158 gr. cast WC
40 S&W 5.2 gr. Unique, 180 gr. cast RNFP
45 ACP 4.2 gr. Trail Boss, 230 gr. cast RN

some of my favorite soft shooting loads.

 

[jmorris]

I haven't used 231 in a long time but I loaded 45 acp 200gr swc, 38 spl 158 gr swc and 9mm 115 gr swc all with the same 4.5 grains. One powder for everything, never changing the charge saved time, lead swc's made it cheap.

 

[mbopp]

4.5gr Unique, 357 case, 148gr WC
Up to 6.0gr Unique with a 158gr SWC

6.0 to 7.5gr WW231, 44 Mag case, 240 gr swaged (6gr) or cast (7.5gr) SWC

10 gr Unique, 157gr SWC, 357 Herrett case - cheap practice

 

[zxcvbob]

These are the ones I've been shooting a lot of lately. The .45 Colt load is over SAAMI specs, but probably not over CIP. It's way less than most .45 "Ruger" loads and is comfortable to shoot. But I might not shoot it in a pre-war Colt.

.45 Colt +P: 230 grain Lee TC, 7.5 grains Promo (or Red Dot)

.357 Magnum: 148 grain hard DEWC, 7.0 grains WSF (bullet seated just to the crimp groove, not flush)

.38 Special: 148 grain soft DEWC, 3.0 grains American Select

 

[BigBob3006]

dps,

I don't believe in plinking loads. I have a working accurate load for everything I shoot. Every time I shoot, I shoot the same load and go to school every time I pull the trigger. That's the only way I know to get more proficient with any given weapon. To change loads in any manner is to reduce knowledge/skill level with that weapon. As a result, I've been able to make some shots over the years that have been called miracle or just plain bald faced luck. I'm not going to talk about them here, there are to many here who think I lie like blazes as it is. I'm also sure there may be shooters here, that at one time shot only one rifle that knows exactly what I'm talking about. My first serious hunting rifle was a '06 and I used it when I moved to Alaska. I mean every thing. About two years returning to the lower 48 I started buying other rifles. I was still a fair country shooter, but I never shot as well again as I had before when the rifle that seemed to fall out of the gun cabinet, ready to go after any thing I wanted to go after was that old '06. The dumbest thing I ever done was to sell off that '06 in a time of need. Since then I've owned a couple of hundred rifles until I went down. Since I've had some health issues I have sold or given them away. The last hunting rifle in the gun cabinet is a Rem. M-700 BDL in 30-06. There's an old saw that says "beware the man who shoots only one rifle, he'll know how to use it".

 

[_N4Z_]

357mag -
4.7gr Bullseye, standard primer, and a swaged 158gr LSWC.

This is my favorite. Super accurate in my Cimarron Model P, Ruger GP100, SP101, and not too shabby in the Marlin 1894c. Fairly inexpensive.

 

[floydster]

BigBob3006,What am I missing here, didn't the OP say plinking loads????

 

[Walkalong]

Bob seems to have missed the jist of the thread.

6.2 Grs AA #2. WLP primer. 255 Gr X-Treme TrFP. 1.560 O.A.L. Light taper crimp. (Oh yea, .45 Colt)

Light plinker. Very accurate. Very clean. Even recoil conscious folks like it. Big grins all around.

 

[Waywatcher]

My favorite .38 special plinking load is:

4.2 grains Trail Boss (Fantastic Powder!)
158 grain Lead Missouri Bullet (Cowboy #11 is my ultra-favorite!)

Trail Boss fills the case and the load shoots 2" groups at 25 yards in my GP100. Not counting brass these cost about $5/50. I haven't chronographed them but I would guess they are very close to factory specs, around 755fps or so.

 

[LiveLife]

I have spent the better part of past 15 years of match shooting focusing on accurate loads that meet power factor. I can pop out smiley faces on 8x11 copy paper and fast tight double-taps on 1/2 sheet all day long with them.

What I found at matches and ranges are wives, girlfriends, and teenagers who also have the desire to handle firearms and enjoy the sport of shooting. Many are afraid of the loud noise and hard recoil of the pistol shooting experience. For them, light recoiling plinking loads are perfect to introduce them into the wonderful world that is our hobby and passion. With light target loads, they quickly overcome the fear factor and move right into enjoying the experience.

Many shooters talk of being alienated by their family when it comes to shooting and reloading. If you involve the family, trips to the range becomes a happier experience (and the quality of lunch improves too ). Another bonus, you won't need to pickup spent brass with them around.

Believe me, many women have secret desires to shoot for recreation and for self defense. I have taught quite a few female co-workers at work to shoot over the years and some have become formidable match shooters too.

A lot of us started out with 22LR - Remember?

For us reloaders, plinking loads are another tool we have to introduce the next generation of reloaders to the sport. And who can argue that some of these plinking loads are just plain fun to shoot!

 

[jamesicus]

I used the search for "plinking loads" and I got "45-70 Plinking Loads"! ..........

Try this Google search: Reduced Pistol and Rifle Loads

James

 

[kludge]

.22 LR
.38 SPL 125gr LSWC 4.3gr Bullseye
.38 SPL 158gr LSWC 3.4gr Bullseye

 

[LiveLife]

jamesicus, I used the THR Handloading and Reloading search.

I thought it was funny to see the "45-70 Plinking Load" thread show up though.

 

[RidgwayCO]

Nobody's mentioned the .380 Auto yet, so here's mine:

2.7gr of either AA #2 or Hodgdon Titegroup. Either gives around 800 fps with a 95gr LRN bullet (COL = .950"), excellent accuracy, and the ejected cases make a small pile just to your right.

 

[J.R.W.]

I thought it was funny to see the "45-70 Plinking Load" thread show up though.

What's wrong with a .45-70 plinking load? It is quite a beast of a round but can be really fun to shoot out to 100 yards with a nice light load. My favorite so far is:

.457 Hornady Muzzle Loader Ball, 10gr Unique, CCI Primer

To assemble, I use a full length sized case, slightly flared with a Lee universal flaring die. I open the mouth ever so slightly. Seat the ball about half way in where the largest area of its radius is even with the case mouth. The recoil is equivalent to a 22LR and they are pie plate accurate out to 100 yards. I haven't been able to chrono it yet, but I'm not concerned about velocity so much. The only downside is there is no way to crimp them, so they have to be loaded individually.

 

[zxcvbob]

Nobody's mentioned the .380 Auto yet

Mine is 3.0 grains of International Clays with a 95 grain cast bullet. But that's still too snappy to be fun shooting in a P3AT.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

.38 Special
3.4gr W231 under a 148gr DEWC
4.0gr W231 under a 158gr LSWC

9mm
4.0gr W231 under a 124/125gr LRN bullet
4.4gr W231 under a 124gr FMJ bullet

.45 Auto
5.5gr W231 under both LRN and FMJ bullets

.45 Colt
7.2gr W231 under a 250gr LRN or 255gr LSWC bullet