How do rifle loonies work up handgun loads?

[Adam in WI]

I've begun playing around with dad's old Ruger SBH. Naturally, me being a cheapskate I can only afford to run it with reloads. This is a bit of a relief to me. I've in no way mastered rifle reloading, but the process gets tedious. Load test rounds, hurry out to the field at lunch, set up target... You can only run maybe a dozen rounds with the amount of time I'm limited to without feeling like you're going to torch the barrel.

The revolver on the other hand is almost pure fun. Shooting for the sake of shooting. Just get better. How far can I hit that bottle? Can I do it one handed? Running a single action wheel gun is practically stress relieving. Shooting groups behind a rifle at times gets stressful.

Which brings me to the point... How do people who typically fret over tenths of a grain or less and thousandths of an inch approach loading accurate handgun ammo? At this point I feel like I can just throw any components together and it will in all likelihood shoot better than I can hold from field positions. My first go round with the 240 grain xtp and 2400 is letting me consistently hit my 6" self sealing cube offhand at 25 yards. I'd like to take this hunting this year, and think with a steady rest and practice there should be no reason I couldn't get good results out to 35 or 40 yards. Part of that is knowing I'm the limiting factor and not the load. So how do rifle loonies load for their revolvers?

 

[Oso]

Decide whether you are reloading for target/plinking or hunting/defense. Like with rifle, the most accurate loads are not often the fastest loads.

The type of shooting will determine type and weight of bullets you may want to use as well as velocity that you may want to obtain.

Next and most important in my book is finding a powder that provides good case fill to Avoid/reduce risk of a Double Charge. Seems silly until you are standing beside a 44 when a double charge turns it into a small grenade blowing cylinders apart. I got serious about case fill after witnessing this. I don't need to use the greatest, modern powder that gives less than 20% case fill for a cartridge originally designed for large volume of black powder or older, less powerful powders.... .357 Mag, .44 Mag, 45LC, etc.

Also, with it being a revolver I try to use a cleaner burning powder to reduce blowback and soot.

As far as accuracy try shooting off a bag. Keep in mind that unless you are a bullseye, silhouette, or using a rest and scope, shooting a 2-3" group at 15 yards is solid. Shooting a 6" group at 50 yars is sufficient for 95% of all pistol shooting.

If you are loading plinking loads for 38/357, you might consider Trail Boss for great case fill, clean burning, and soft recoil impulse. Not going to win any races, but can easily shoot 200-300 rounds in a session without punishing you hand/wrist.

 

[rr2030]

The Ruger SBH in .44 mag with 10" barrel was a favorite IHMSA in production revolver class.. Typically 240gr bullets or heavier. Many went 10/10 on the Rams at 200 meters with the allowed ron sights only. I loaded 2400 and WW296, found the WW 296 to be cleaner. Just watch for pressure signs and the fired cases should extract easily. Usually seated to the cannelure. There are endless cast and jacketed bullets in .429 and as many compatible powders.

No need to load to the maximum, especially if you're not hunting or competing. That is a wonderful revolver to enjoy shooting, especially steel plates and hanging gongs.

 

[Intheshop]

Ever live in a house near a RR track?

90% of the time everything is nice and peaceful,but dang..... the dishes sure get a workout that other 10% rattling in the cupboard.

A steady diet of full house loads are like the dishes above. LOTS of dry fire practice,and mid level loads will do wonders for your accuracy.

I only shoot cast,for handguns and rifles so am biased in directions towards that end. But extremely high quality bullets which get "massaged" after casting with all manor of voodoo engineering "can" see,more effort in that way then highend BR loading excersizes.

Good luck with your SBH. They are deer killing machines!

 

[thatguyshm]

I cast my own bullets and powder coat them for my 357. I started on some 70s era 700x for case fill as Oso stated and enjoyed plinking. I tried some new powder, CFE pistol, and it sure is snappier, but I worry about a double charge. I only do it to ring steel close, and would use it last resort if I hunted in bear land for stand protection, but primarily it's just for the sheer enjoyment of using a wheel gun.

I'm honestly looking at a Ruger Wrangler just for muscle memory and more enjoyment, but right now those 700x loads with a 150gr HP cast bullet are just perfect. Until you get better with a pistol, as long as at 25 yards everything stays within 4-5 inches I'd say load development is done until you can see the fruits of your labor on target.

 

[Orr89rocz]

I do the same as a rifle basically. Except no jump to lands to worry about.

i got a ruger super redhawk in 454 casull.
i try loads from a book and load to the cannelure of the bullet im using which happens to be the overall length specified in the book for that load. I usually start around the min and work up in .5 grains or lower depending on the range of power from start to max in the book. For deer hunting i do not need full blown casull loads and do not enjoy shooting them much lol

So the start loads working up .3-.5 at a time i am looking for best accuracy. I have a red dot on my gun and shoot off a bipod mounted to the barrel. The gun is incredibly accurate with factory hornady 300 xtp mags so i am using those bullets and trying to load it down some. I do my best to shoot groups at 50 yrds first to see how it does then move to 100 my max range to see how they are. Some combos dont shoot, some do shoot good enough for me. I need to keep working at it tho as i want to move down to my speer 260 gr and xtp 240 grains to see how they do

 

[jds holler]

I'm only gonna address the "double charge" paranoia that is all to common among guys who shouldn't be worried about this.

Would you guys PLEASE do a flashlight check of your charged cases before you proceed to the bullet seating operation.

I've seen guys who double or triple check every aspect of their operation, but seem powerless when it comes to a three grain charge of Bullseye.

For God sake, charge your cases, put them in a loading block, and when the block is full, check the level with a flashlight. EVERY CASE!

This takes about 15 seconds, and three grains of Bullseye or any other powder make a double charge obvious even in a 45 case. jd

 

[Howland]

LOL!

Let me 'splain to you how this OCD soul worked up a load for the 10-1/2" .44 Magnum Super Blackhawk.

I did OCW with several bullets testing each chamber of the cylinder individually. Fortunately the two most accurate were adjacent. Those two were first up while hunting.

 

[MatthewsCarbineCo]

10ths of a grain of some pistol powders can be the difference between going to range with all natural equipment digits and leaving with less than you started with. Pistol powders are not to be taken lightly and in my opinion twice as much care should be taken when reloading with them.. Some you cannot readily visually tell difference between a normal or double charge..

 

[Evan]

I'm only gonna address the "double charge" paranoia that is all to common among guys who shouldn't be worried about this.

Would you guys PLEASE do a flashlight check of your charged cases before you proceed to the bullet seating operation.

I've seen guys who double or triple check every aspect of their operation, but seem powerless when it comes to a three grain charge of Bullseye.

For God sake, charge your cases, put them in a loading block, and when the block is full, check the level with a flashlight. EVERY CASE!

This takes about 15 seconds, and three grains of Bullseye or any other powder make a double charge obvious even in a 45 case. jd

Or, as I do, charge and then seat the bullet before moving on to the next case. Can't double charge that way either.

 

[K22]

I've reload for several revolvers for close to 50 years now.

As someone else said, deciding on the role of the pistol will dictate the load that is most appropriate.

For general target shooting or plinking nothing quite beats lead bullets loaded with fast burning powder keeping the velocity under 1,000 f/s. (I'll address the double charge issue later.) I found that the Oregon Trail Laser Cast bullets are some of the most accurate on the market today.

For serious target shooting nothing in my experience beats the swaged lead hollow base wadcutters again loaded with prescribed fast burning powders such as Bullseye and 231. My experience with these bullets are in a 38 Special S&W Model 14 target revolver. In 1985 I placed second over all in the Metropolitan Police League of Pittsburgh with an average score of 282.67 using this bullet which demonstrates the capability of this bullet in a high quality revolver.

I was a serious hand gun hunter in the 70's and 80's hunting deer, ground hogs and foxes with a S&W Model 27 357 Magnum revolver, one of the finest pistols ever made. For this application I preferred jacketed bullets loaded with slow burning powder such as 2400. In those days I used the Speer 140 grain jacket hollow point. I took one deer, many ground hogs and a few foxes. Using a handgun for hunting tests your hunting skills to the limit since you have stalk within your effective range. It takes a lot of practice to become proficient hunting with a pistol so if you're not committed to serious practical practice do the animal a favor and don't hunt with a pistol.

I found it much easier to find of an accurate load combo for a pistol than with a rifle. There are so many already established loads for pistol that you don't have to do a lot of elaborate load development. I did shoot the 44 Magnum for a while. Nothing quite beats 240 Jacket bullets and 2400 in my experience.

Double charge issue: Double charges must be avoided at all costs. Since I use a single stage press and seat each bullet individually its quite easy to avoid a double charge by placing all cases in a loading block with the open end down. As I charge with a powder measure, I turn each case over. When all are charged I visually check to verify that I don't have double charge even with the relatively fail safe procedure described above. Also I check the weight thrown by the powder measure every 10 rounds. Also make sure that the screw on the powder measure does not loosen as you charge cases.

 

[searcher]

I started reloading in 1971, when I was 14. It was for my Hawes .44 Mag revolver. Back then, it was real easy to double charge a cases and a careful scan of the filled cases was very important. It still is - but you don't have to use the powders that we used back then. Now - there are a number of powders that are designed to nearly fill the case. I'd not even consider the old stand-byes of Bullseye, Red Dot, H110, Unique, etc. In my opinion, the high-volume powders are the only ones you should consider - especially if using a multi-stage press. It virtually eliminates the possibility of a double charge. You also don't want to use non-jacketed bullets for your hunting ammo - unless for very small game. You want top velocity for a deer cartridge, not a reduced load or you won't be impressed with terminal performance. A jacketed 240-grain or better bullet will outdo a cast lead bullet in all but the best of conditions. Having shot several large mule deer with 240-grain bullets, I'd not hesitate to recommend 300-grain bullets. That Ruger is a really strong gun and will handle them without problems. Even then, shot placement is important. I'd practice in makeshift field positions and practice hitting inside a 5" circle at 50 yards. Practice mostly with the cast bullets, but use a quality bullet (I like Barnes) for actual hunting of deer-sized animals. To get a load to shoot inside a few inches at 50 yards is not much of a problem with most bullets. Just spend whatever amount of time it takes to get your crimp in just the right location of the canellure and don't over-crimp. Those two errors cause the most inaccurate ammo. Good Luck!

 

[Oso]

Sorry - the Earth is not flat, but Squibb and Double Charge are both real concerns when shooting reloads. Both are caused by inconsistent powder charges (two extremes). I was the RSO when the Master-class shooter detonated his 44Mag. He's been a competitive shooter for past 40 years... not a newbie. It happens most often to revolvers. These traditional/historic cartridges have excessive case volume as compared to what is required for today's modern powders. Its foolish to disregards or dismiss this risk, especially since a newbie reloader may be reading and learning from this thread.

For those of us who are using progressive presses, from something as simple as Dillon B-Square to full on Dillon 1050 or similar press from other manufacturers, the checking the case with a flashlight is a little more difficult. I'm loading 500 to 2k rounds at a time. My powder puff load for 38Spl that meets power factor in IDPA results in 15% - 20% case fill if I use TightGroup or Bullseye... so like 10%-15% is I were to use .357 Magnum brass. For this application I can get the same performance, actually better, using Trail Boss and also have a 65% case fill. No brainer... I can see the powder level without having to use a flashlight or borrowing someone's bifocals.

If I am making hunting rounds then loading block makes perfect sense since I'm only loading 50-100 rounds.

 

[Homerange]

Its foolish to disregards or dismiss this risk, especially since a newbie reloader may be reading and learning from this thread.

This ^^ in spades !

Where in a rifle when a high case fill % is most desirable the risk of double charges from inattention or distraction is much reduced yet in my opinion loading bench practices can eliminate all risk.

It's been discussed before in other threads and at the risk of again stirring up a hornets nest I can't understand why guys don't have procedures to eliminate risk.
Years ago after inadvertently double charging cases I put in place bench practices to eliminate it. Shotshell IIRC but it was so long ago.

As Evan said a few posts back, charge then seat. Can't be easier or safer.
I extensively use 2 loading blocks finishing a step then placing cases in the other and always neck down to where after priming it's clear the case is ready to charge and seat as the last step.

 

[Adam in WI]

It's simple for me; rifle or pistol. Charge the case, seat the bullet. I don't do loading blocks. It's just not in my DNA. I don't shoot enough to warrant loading methods that serve no other purpose than high volume efficiency. Sadly, I doubt I'll ever be able to shoot that much.

That aside...
How would one know that you're over crimping a case? I know buckling is a sure sign, and none of my loads have any. But can you over crimp without buckling?

 

[Twicepop]

This ^^ in spades !

Where in a rifle when a high case fill % is most desirable the risk of double charges from inattention or distraction is much reduced yet in my opinion loading bench practices can eliminate all risk.

It's been discussed before in other threads and at the risk of again stirring up a hornets nest I can't understand why guys don't have procedures to eliminate risk.
Years ago after inadvertently double charging cases I put in place bench practices to eliminate it. Shotshell IIRC but it was so long ago.

As Evan said a few posts back, charge then seat. Can't be easier or safer.
I extensively use 2 loading blocks finishing a step then placing cases in the other and always neck down to where after priming it's clear the case is ready to charge and seat as the last step.

The risk of double charging can be eliminated by using the slowest burning powder for any particular cartridge. Powders like Aliant 2400 and 300 MP, Accurate #9 and FS 11, Hodgdon H110/Win 296(same powder) and LilGun, because they require so much in the cartridges they were designed for it's virtually impossible to double charge any pistol case.

 

[Rsadams]

I'm only gonna address the "double charge" paranoia that is all to common among guys who shouldn't be worried about this.

Would you guys PLEASE do a flashlight check of your charged cases before you proceed to the bullet seating operation.

I've seen guys who double or triple check every aspect of their operation, but seem powerless when it comes to a three grain charge of Bullseye.

For God sake, charge your cases, put them in a loading block, and when the block is full, check the level with a flashlight. EVERY CASE!

This takes about 15 seconds, and three grains of Bullseye or any other powder make a double charge obvious even in a 45 case. jd

Damn good advice , I look in every case even on my 550 Dillon before seating , of course it has its own light system.... The only mistake I am aware I have made reloading was a double charge .38spl on a single stage press , I cought it with the flashlight trick... It scared me so bad I dumped all 50 and started over..... CHECK with the flashlight , it's important....

 

[wagonman]

I'm only gonna address the "double charge" paranoia that is all to common among guys who shouldn't be worried about this.

Would you guys PLEASE do a flashlight check of your charged cases before you proceed to the bullet seating operation.

I've seen guys who double or triple check every aspect of their operation, but seem powerless when it comes to a three grain charge of Bullseye.

For God sake, charge your cases, put them in a loading block, and when the block is full, check the level with a flashlight. EVERY CASE!

This takes about 15 seconds, and three grains of Bullseye or any other powder make a double charge obvious even in a 45 case. jd

over 40 years triple checking loading block has kept me my kids, and grand kids safe

 

[jds holler]

Another habit that I've had for years to prevent "bridging" in the powder measure and dumping two charges in a case is this --

Before I put the case on the drop spout of the measure, I double click the charge handle with short strokes at the top, THEN, place the case on the drop spout and bring the handle down hard. click click -- CLACK

If a charge has failed to drop, bridged in the measure, it will drop harmlessly on the table or floor. -- and yes, this has happened a couple of times in my life.

When I'm charging cases, that's ALL I'm doing. I don't like to go from the measure to the seater. That would be slower, and seems like it would still be less safe. -- might get distracted and double charge, or not charge at all before seating. jd