Nice Load for a .357

[rbwillnj]

I was so happy, I had to tell someone.  I worked up a load for my 6" barrel 686 that shoots a one hole 3/4" group at 25 yards from a Ransom Rest.  Here are the details;

Lyman 358156 4 Cavity Mold
Roll Crimp in Top Crimp groove
Hornaday Gas Check
Sized to .358 in Star Sizer
Magma Hard wax Lube In bottom lube groove only
Winchester Small Magnum Primers
14.1 Grains Hodgdon's 4227
#2 Alloy...or close to it

Sorry, I don't have a Crono yet, but the Hodgdon's bottle says the maximum load for a jacketed 156 grain bullet is 16 grains with a velocity of ~1500 fps

[Graybeard]

If 16 grains is max with a jacketed bullet your load is pretty light. That bullet is one of if not the best cast bullet I've ever shot in .38 and .357 Mag guns. Long years ago when I was still shooting competition I had an S&W 686 with 8-3/8" barrel and the four position adjustable front sight. Using my load with a max charge of H2400 me and it had no trouble shooting one inch groups freehand at 25 yards with a cylinder full. Oh to be able to see well enough to still shoot like that. Sadly the tired old eyes don't focus on that front sight like they did then and the old body shakes more than back then.

But the bullet is my all time favorite for these guns.

[LAH]

This is the Skeeter  favorite in either solid or HP form. We do only the solid. John Taffin will agree it's the best all round 357 mag. bullet. You picked a good one and it appears a great load to go along with it. Plus a great sixgun to boot. Congrats.

[Mikey]

Hay rb - if your 686 shoots those loads that well (or rather, if you shoot that revolver that well) you may want to try a 200 gn cast swc over 12.4 of WW296 - should get you to about 1335'/sec from your longer barrel and is nice and accurate.  Used to shoot silhouette with that load.

Now, you might be saying - that load has got to be a high pressure load and should kick like a handmule - nope...Winchester lists the pressures on that load at 35K psi - which is the lowest pressure of all their factory 357 loads with the 158 gn bullet or heavier.  Most of those pressures run at 42K psi.

I used to shoot these loads from a K-frame Model 19 without any problems.  Give it a shot, you might like it.  Mikey.