.357 True Blue Loads

[mdi]

Interesting shooting today. I have a Taurus 4" .357 Mag. in excellent shape. I loaded some 160 gr. LSWC over 8.8 gr. of True Blue, R-P brass with CCI small pistol primers. 8.8 gr. is a minimum load for 158 gr. LSWC according to the on line load data site for Ramshot powders. First shot was stiff, but I haven't shot any magnum loads for a while, just .38 specials, so it felt ok, not excessive. Shot 6 rounds, boolits went where I wanted them to go, and opened the cylinder. Two primers dropped out. Oh, s*!t, what did I do? Brass would not eject, had to pound them out individually, pretty tight. Looked the gun over carefully and shot some .38 wadcutters, functioned fine, good accuracy as usual. So, I've got some minimum loads, according to the book, that show obvious over pressure signs! It was hot at the range but I kept the ammo under cover/shade and it was cool to the touch. I had some magnum loads of Bluedot (and no, I didn'r get the powders/charges mixed up) and 158 gr. LSWC and they shot fine. So, I'm going to pull the rest of the rounds, about 6, and weigh the powder charges, and the boolits. I'm sure I got the data right, maybe my weighing was off? I'll report as soon as I find a prob....

[noylj]

My look at the on-line manual shows .357 Magnum 158gn bullets at 8.8gn Start and 9.8gn Max. The 180gn bullet has a 7.8gn start and a 8.4gn Max.gh7

[mdi]

Well, I blew it! I pulled and weighed 8 more of my .357 Mag. Trueblue loads. The powder is exactly 4 grains heavier than I tried for. The only thing I can think of is I mis-adjusted the thimble poise (the round thingy with 1/10 graduations on it) on my RCBS scale. I reweighed the charges on my old Lyman/Ohaus, all 4 grains over the 8.8, putting them 3 gr. over max. Sure am glad no damage to me or my gun! I'm gonna get out my RCBS scale an attempt to duplicate the faux pax. I'm normally anal about checking charges, double checking and triple checking everything, I guess I just double checked and okayed the mistake...

[GH1]

That's scary for sure I'm glad you didn't hurt yourself or the gun. Also, thanks for posting your mistake, it's a good reminder/wakeup call for all of us reloaders. It shows just how easy it is to make a mistake and have a tragedy.
GH1

[mdi]

I got my RCBS scale out and tried different "mistakes". I tried one complete revolution of the thimble to see what would happen; 1 grain difference only. Tried the 5 gr. poise in the wrong place; 5 gr. difference. So, beats me how I got the 4 gr. mis-adjustment. I think I'll clean up the bearings and beam and triple check, against known weights before I use it again. Just shows to go ya, ya can't be too careful with gunpowder...

[Graybeard]

I went to a digital scale a whole lotta years ago not long after they came out in fact. It's kinda hard to misread them as you can a balance beam.

Hopefully this will be a learning experience for you as you sure came close this time. I expect most of us who've been loading long enough have had one of those "teach able moments" and hopefully have made changes to our loading routine as a result. I know I sure have.

[williamlayton]

Golly---Sure glad you lived to learn.
I weigh mine each time until i become confident that it is dispersing correctly, two or three rounds.
The lord looks after us doesn't he.
Blessings

[noylj]

I got rid of my beam sometime in early '80s. Got an ainsworth when they came out for about $200. I was sick of the beam. I have to mount it so it couldn't move, otherwise I would lose zero. Also, I have seen beams exposed to aerosols and dust that are coated and the loader still swears that his beam is perfect.
It is a good idea to buy a set of check weights (though the ones available for a reasonable price are no more accurate than the beam) and plot every combination of check weights with the beam's reading This will give you a "calibration" chart. The beam is only as good as the bearing and "knife" edge, the poise weights being the correct weight (and without tarnish), and the poise grooves having been cut correctly and the spacing correctly.Very trouble-free if cared for.
The beam should be stored off the base and the two parts in a box out of the dust and oils of a work room.
One rule, that most of us feel we don't need is, double check. Whether it's your beam or your dial calipers, it is still easy to misread. i know, lots of folks can't understand how any one could make a mistake reading a dial. Trust me, it happens.