Pistol Caliber Carbine load data

[petemi]

I'm new to reloading and am having trouble finding load data on some of my pistol caliber carbines.  (Handi Rifles) The ones I'm having difficulty with are .357 Maximum,.445 Super Mag., .45LC, and .454  Most of the information I find is for hand guns and Contender 10 and 14 inch barrels.  I've got the Lyman 49th edition and Lee's Modern Reloading, second edition.  The Speer manual should be here today or tomorrow.

Any help you guys could give me will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Pete

[Doublebass73]

Pete,

I'm at work right now but I have some rifle data for the .45 Colt. I'll PM it to you next time I'm online at home.

[Tommyt]

I'm pretty sure the TC numbers are for rifles
I know NEVER Never use a TC recipe in a regular handgun
Unless is specifies TC or Plus P rounds OK
 some Rugers can some can not
Take what the TC can 

Tommyt

[Land_Owner]

I tote 45 LC and 357 Mag. pistols along with their complementary rifles.  I find that SAFETY FIRST it is expedient to load for the pistol and shoot those pistol loads through the rifle.  In this way I NEVER create an opportunity to shoot a bullet intended for the RIFLE ONLY through the pistol.  That could be bad, REAL BAD.

[petemi]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the info.

Land_Owner, Thanks for the warning.  I do have a .357 Blackhawk that I hunt small game with and use to put a "now I'm sure you're dead" bullet behind a deer's ear.  All I shoot in it are .38's and +Ps.  All the .357s go in my two Handi Maxis.

Pete

[Land_Owner]

petemi...PM sent.

[helotaxi]

If you look in all the load manuals the only difference between the rifle and pistol data is the velocity.  I haven't found load data yet that actually takes advantage of slower powder in the longer barrel to up velocity more.

[LaOtto222]

Pete - I have found that when you can't find specific rifle data for a pistol cartridge, you use the regular pistol data, it always works and is safe. What it gets you is increased velocity over what a pistol gives with the same data.

[R.W.Dale]

If you look in all the load manuals the only difference between the rifle and pistol data is the velocity.  I haven't found load data yet that actually takes advantage of slower powder in the longer barrel to up velocity more.

That's because the "slower powder for a longer bbl" mantra is a myth.

It doesn't matter what bbl length you shoot (excluding sub 2" oddities) the optimum propellant for a given cartridge bullet combo remains the same.

H335 is slower than WW296 but you know what? it won't get me higher velocities than the latter in my 357 carbines.

just the opposite holds true for rifle caliber handguns. The best powder for a 24" rifle is still 9 times in 10 gonna be top dawg in a 15" hand cannon

Hodgdon.com has a plethora of data for handgun and long guns and just as you note the only real difference is the velocity

it always works and is safe. What it gets you is increased velocity over what a pistol gives with the same data.

Not always!!!!!!!
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=513183
this link goes to a thread I started showing where a 38 handgun load was sticking bullets in one of my rifle's

[Hodr]

I have a 38 special conceled carry snub airweight and a .357 mag winchester trapper with the 16" barrell.  I use 158 round nose flat point slugs over a 950 fps load of Trail Boss when I reload for plinking.  I use factory loaded 125+P  HP in the 38 for conceled carry.  When I am out in the big woods and carrying both I carry my reloads in both.  When I go down to try for Texas Hog I take along 357 mag Buffalo Bore.  Each round is distinct to touch.  One set of dies to reload for both, only a couple boxes of factory 357 and 38, a couple thousand  of my reloads. Reloads are light recoil and fairly quiet, works for me.

blindhari

[dpe.ahoy]

Pete, the Handi's would handle any load you find in the manuals.  You will pick up a lot of velocity in the longer tubes than from a revolver and a bit more than a 10 or 14" T/C barrel.  Just use the best powder for that cartridge and it will get the most out of the rifle as well.  Gonna mail you a packet Monday for the 357 Max. data.  You can access the Powder Co. info on line and also the bullet makers recommendations as well.  Take yer time and ask questions, most of all be safe.  DP

[petemi]

Thanks DP,  I've got new Speer, Lee and Lyman manuals, and I study them at night in bed before I sleep and in the morning while Patty's checking her email etc.  I'm learning....something new every day. The weather has been crappy cold and blowing like the hammers of Hell.  I wish I had my wind generator in.  Every time I go out the door I feel nickles, dimes, quarters and dollars flying past my ears.  The concrete barn floor is still like ice, and it is still to cold down there to try to work without gloves.  Ya can't reload in gloves...Lesson one.  This weekend it's supposed to moderate, and Patty'll be gone to a spinning and weaving seminar, so I should have plenty of time to work down there.

I've got a RCBS scale that I used for years with black powder.  I got a new Lee scale with the Anniversary Kit, and I much prefer the RCBS.  It is a heck of a lot easier to set and read with old eyes.

My Lyman manual lists data for .357 Magnum RIFLE and PISTOL, and they're not the same.  I believe, if you're shooting factory pistol ammo out of a rifle you probably won't gain much, cause the load is meant to burn within 6 to 10 inches or so.  A load meant to burn in a much longer rifle barrel is another story. 

Pete

[LaOtto222]

Pete. If you have rifle data, then by all means go ahead and use it. In a pinch, when you can not get rifle data, use pistol data for your loads, You can not go too wrong. It may not give the best performance, but should be perfectly safe to do, unless you are at an extreme low end of the data scale using heavy jacketed bullets or over sized bullets. For instance if you use a .458" 300+  grain jacketed slug in a 45 Colt (.452") at normal 45 Colt pressure levels, you may stick it in the barrel. 

[stimpylu32]

Pete

Krochus made a valid point when he said that " Not Always " will pistol data work in rifles , that could use a tad of explaining though .

When using , say a starting Pistol Target load in a long barreled rifle there is a chance to stick a bullet in the barrel , when even using the proper Dia. bullet .

This can and does happen from time to time , so in most cases its best to start in the mid-point of the data scale and work either up or down depending on your needs for the round in question .

stimpy 

[Sweetwater]

AS POSTED: Not always!! I have a Marlin 1894S 41Mag and it absolutely will give me a problem with my top "book" loads in my Blackhawks. Basically guarantees me a case head seperation to the point where I take a can of computer aerasol cleaner to the range. A shot of that cools the brass tremendously and a brass brush on a rod scoots out the offending brass with no fuss. I do have some pretty healthy loads for the rifle, BUT they are all less than max in the pistol section of the books. Each weapon is an entity unto itself. Revolvers have a cylinder gap; read that "pressure bleed" - as soon as the bullet clears the cylinder there is an immediate pressure drop. Of course, the rifle does not have this and the pressures just rise.

And I for sure do not subscribe to the belief that the optimum powder is always the optimum powder regardless of barrel length. Doesn't work for me. I've loaded for too many short barrelled carbines and been able to duplicate standard rifle performance with shifts in powder burning rates. I've read the "it's a myth" but have never seen any hard data to support it. Someone once eluded to IMR 4350 being the best powder for the 8x57mm. Not in my carbine.. can't get enough in the case to get it out of 2nd gear in that short barrel as it burns too slow. In the sniper rifles it does really well. BallC2 gets the heavies up and H335 does real well - but I digress......