Chasing 357 velocities

[guns are dumb]

So, ever since I got my chronograph problems ironed out, Ive been pushing the velocites on my 357 loads a little at a time. Not really looking for specific loads here, but do any of you load up to 1700 fps with a 125 gr hollow point? It appears that the energy differences are negligible between a full house 158 gr cartridge and a full house 125 gr cartridge due to the speed variance and I'm wanting to put together a pretty flat shooting catridge.

What powder are you using? I'm at the limits of case capacity with N110 without a compressed charge and almost at the bottom of Vihtavouri's starting load data, which is still more than both Hornady and Lyman's info. Are you guys using compressed loads?

 

[Rod Snell]

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357 Magnum
Cartridge Load Data
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bullet Weight (Gr.) Powder Bullet Diam. C.O.L. Grs. Vel. (ft/s) Pressure Grs. Vel. (ft/s) Pressure
125 GR. HDY XTP H110 .357" 1.590" 21.0 1881 38,400 CUP 22.0 1966 41,400 CUP


NOTE: These data are for a 10" barrel.
My experience is an 8" S&W gives good velocities with this load; short barrels not so much.

If you run the ballistics programs for 100yd +, the poor ballistic coefficient of the 125gr causes it to shed velocity rapidly, and the heavier bullets hold up better at long range.

 

[guns are dumb]

I had been using the N110 primarily because that's what I chose to load 44 mag with and it could do double duty in both. I might have to give the H110 a try, Lyman shows the 21.5 gr Max charge as 1500 fps from a 4" barrel.

The reason I'm not pursuing the heavier bullets is because I have the 44 mag that I'm working up "longer range" loads for, hoping to put together a good, accurate smallish game load for the 357 inside 50-100 yards.

My 357 velocities have been agreeable with the Lyman data but not Vihtavouri's, whereas my 44mag velocities have been higher than both.

 

[Rod Snell]

Up to the 40 yds I can actually hit small game with a iron-sighted 4" revolver, the trajectory of a max load of HP38 under a 125gr JHP does me fine--with a whole lot less blast and recoil than the H110, which seems to be burning 1/2 outside the barrel. I was loading this short barrel load before Speer made it popular.