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View Full Version : red dot loads for .38 spl-.357 magnum



JJB2
04-08-2009, 01:26 AM
anyone have any good loads for these carts. using red dot powder? i use bullseye usually but i aquired a full new pound of red dot so i'm looking to use it up............... thanks... JJB

LIFE IS SHORT.....

kg42
04-08-2009, 09:11 PM
It is very close to Bullseye. Have you looked at Alliant's Cowboy loads?

http://www.alliantpowder.com/

kg

JJB2
04-09-2009, 01:15 AM
i've seen that recipe kg ...... i have alliant on my favorites on here ..... i was hoping for a .357 mag load with first hand experience........ i use 150 gr homecast swcs from a great old lyman mould...............


thanks....
JJB

swamp
04-09-2009, 01:14 PM
Red Dot isn't a handgun powder; no doubt that's why you cant find a load recipe.

You will get far superior load results using Power Pistol or at least Unique for the 38 loads and 2400 for your magnum loads.

Go to the Alliant site and study the different powders to see what they are making that is specially designed for your particular load.

http://www.alliantpowder.com/products/default.aspx

kg42
04-09-2009, 04:23 PM
This is what Alliant gave 10 years ago or so (I would stay away from maximum loads with such a fast powder) :

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z76/kg427-2/Alliant96-9832-38.jpg

swamp
04-09-2009, 04:39 PM
I see Power Pistol isn't even recommended for 38 loads; not having wheel guns anymore, I'm not up on the powders, but I used to use Unique a lot for 38 loads. It performed very well accuracy wise and made for a faster bullet than hotter powders. A buddy of mine shoots a S&W 38/357 and his 38's land in one hole with Unique. Bullseye in a 38 is way to fast a burner (the fastest Alliant makes) and therefore any variation in load will show up on the target. If you want an accurate load with Bullseye in a 38, you ought to hand measure on an accurate scale, each load.

I obviously load very differently than many people here; I select the powder designed for the particular cartridge I'm loading. I select based on the design/characteristic of the power with accuracy being the first results criteria and speed of the bullet second.

runfiverun
04-09-2009, 09:03 PM
bullseye got it's name from being designed for use in the 38 special for bullseye shooting.
2.7 grs and a 148 wadcutter in the 38 has cut more x-rings than you and i put together will ever see.

swamp
04-09-2009, 09:22 PM
bullseye got it's name from being designed for use in the 38 special for bullseye shooting.

Bullseye®
Smokeless pistol powder
Billions of rounds have been loaded with Bullseye since it was introduced in 1913.
Fast burning and consistent
Economical and accurate
Principal Purpose: Handgun loads

Remarks:
America's best known pistol powder. Unsurpassed for .45 ACP target loads.

I suspect you better tell the folks at Alliant that they are mistaken.



2.7 grs and a 148 wadcutter in the 38 has cut more x-rings than you and i put together will ever see.

Are you sure about that? I was NRA Tri-State champion when I was 14 years old; that was 42 years ago and I've been practicing ever since.

JJB2
04-10-2009, 12:28 AM
i have used 2400 for .357 mag handloads with a 158 gr bullet before.... i get more consistant SD with bullseye loads...... i'm thinkin i'll go with 6.2 grs of red dot for a magnum load........... i use 3.2 grs of bullseye in my .38 spl loads and they are very consistant and accurare too....

LIFE IS SHORT.....

swamp
04-10-2009, 12:53 AM
i have used 2400 for .357 mag handloads with a 158 gr bullet before.... i get more consistant SD with bullseye loads......



You're doing something wrong if you cant find a good magnum load with 2400 and I'll add; 2400 and Bullseye are as opposite a powder characteristic as there can be; you're doing something very wrong.

What is the process you go through to determine what load is best? And what is "SD"?

versifier
04-10-2009, 01:12 AM
Swamp,
Bullseye was designed and introduced for the .38 special specifically for the wadcutter loads bullseye shooters preferred. Hence the name. In 1913, handgun shooters used wheelguns in competition, and .38specs were extremely popular. In fact, they are still one of the biggest selling revolver cartridges today. You aren't old enough to remember it, but 45ACP shooters only later (35 years later) began to discover that Bullseye worked well for them also. It wasn't until after WWII that large numbers began to have much of any interest in .45's (their accuracy in GI versions was abysmal), and pistolsmiths had had a chance to find out what it took to make 1911's really perform on targets. The folks at Alliant have it right as far as what they said, today it is recognized as a great powder for .45ACP, but you have to keep in mind that Bullseye itself has been around quite a bit longer than Alliant has, and certainly much longer than anyone working today in their marketing department.

"2.7 grs and a 148 wadcutter in the 38 has cut more x-rings than you and I put together will ever see."

I agree 100% with that statement, even though mine likes 3.0. ;) It was THE standard for the .38spec, and there aren't many newer powders that are as good in that application.

swamp
04-10-2009, 01:28 AM
Everybody has their story; when you want to put it to a target, let me know.

Bullseye still doesn't belong in a magnum load under any circumstances if you're looking for anything more than a bang.

runfiverun
04-10-2009, 07:04 PM
bullseye is definately not a " magnum" powder.
reddot has it's place too.
but i think if you want magnum performance you need the slower powders, it's just the right thing to do.
IMO.
2400 has worked pretty well with the mid-range loads i have tried it in.
the only cartridge it ever gave me any difficulty in was a 44 mag. [strange i know]
but a hotter primer fixed the issue.

JJB2
04-11-2009, 02:14 AM
You're doing something wrong if you cant find a good magnum load with 2400 and I'll add; 2400 and Bullseye are as opposite a powder characteristic as there can be; you're doing something very wrong.

What is the process you go through to determine what load is best? And what is "SD"?


if i'm doing it wrong i like how the results are............... i hit what i'm trying to with a 6"s&w model 27 and lyman 150 gr. homecast swcs... SD is STANDARD DEVIATION..... the difference in velocity from shot to shot...... my reloads are around 12 fps........ federal factory loads are twice that at least..... these were compared by shooting over a chonograph........ i can get 1230 fps consistantly with bullseye powder and that's what a .357 magnum should have for velocity with that weight of bullet....................i use 6.2 grs of bullseye where i would use about 15 grs. 2400 for the same results...................

LIFE IS SHORT.....

swamp
04-11-2009, 02:38 AM
i use 6.2 grs of bullseye where i would use about 15 grs. 2400 for the same results...................

That statement makes it painfully clear you don't even understand the concept of what I'm trying to tell you. Enjoy your loads.:coffee:

runfiverun
04-11-2009, 05:15 AM
part of what swamp is saying is, that if 15 grs will fit in there 15 grs of bullseye will fit in there too,....well..once anyways.
i wonder what the pressure is on 6,grs of bullseye in a 38 special case.
it,s what close to 40 in a 357 case?

swamp
04-11-2009, 12:32 PM
part of what swamp is saying is, that if 15 grs will fit in there 15 grs of bullseye will fit in there too,....well..once anyways.

NO, not at all what I'm saying.

JJB2
04-12-2009, 08:11 AM
i know swamp..... i'm not as think as you dumb i am........................:):) happy easter!!

JJB2
04-12-2009, 08:18 AM
part of what swamp is saying is, that if 15 grs will fit in there 15 grs of bullseye will fit in there too,....well..once anyways.
i wonder what the pressure is on 6,grs of bullseye in a 38 special case.
it,s what close to 40 in a 357 case?


when using bullseye powder you have to be very careful how many grs. you put in the case.... 6-6.2 is all you want to use with a .357 magnum case... always look into the full shell loading tray to compare levels of podwer and check loads with a scale after each loading tray full of ammo loaded................. anywhere near 15 grs. of bullseye would be a disaster in a .357 magnum case................ i've never had any signs of too much pressure on my .357 magnum cases........

swamp
04-12-2009, 12:17 PM
i know swamp..... i'm not as think as you dumb i am........................:):) happy easter!!

Well lets say that downloading the Google Toolbar and using spell checker would improve your image a lot just not your reloading finesse.:coffee: But then apparently some people strive for excellence and some for cheap; you are a master of cheap, you have beat the system.[smilie=w:

versifier
04-12-2009, 09:12 PM
My friends,
I am sorry that you all had to put up with this abuse. No more will be forthcoming. I feel you all deserve an explanation.

When warned, tactfully but honestly, swamp blamed all of us for his unacceptable behavior, refused to accept any responsibility for it, and then insulted us all again on top of it. If I won't stand for that kind of behavior, certainly not from a (supposedly) grown man and see no reason why you should either. An adult admits mistakes and attempts to make things right, but he could not and would not. He seems to be the kind of man who knows everything and is always right. He must be a very lonely man and I do feel sorry for him, but not so sorry that I could ever condone such behavior at the expense of us all or allow it to continue unchecked. This is the first time I have ever had to take action of this sort and I feel I gave him more than a chance to to make things right, but when it came down to it, all of you come first with me and the right choice was clear. Thank you all for your patience and for your admirable restraint in dealing with him.

Most folks when they are new here pick up the rules that have evolved here by tacit agreement through reading posts and by noting and accepting the example of our members. On other forums, rudeness and flaming is the norm, but never here. Usually a discrete word is enough on very rare occasions to get the point across to someone who doesn't realize it, and all proceeds happily from there. This is the first time it has not worked.

kg42
04-12-2009, 10:02 PM
Thank you, versifier.

JJB2
04-13-2009, 12:52 AM
oh ya i go to some forums that the members are completely uncivilized toward each other.... it's childish....... i will try to be respectful and helpful when i can......... makes a much nicer reloading forum experiance..........

LIFE IS SHORT.... JJB

runfiverun
04-13-2009, 06:18 AM
i had to look.....
i was just plain through with this thread.
glad you picked up on it too.

Newtire
06-19-2012, 12:50 PM
My friends,
I am sorry that you all had to put up with this abuse. No more will be forthcoming. I feel you all deserve an explanation.

When warned, tactfully but honestly, swamp blamed all of us for his unacceptable behavior, refused to accept any responsibility for it, and then insulted us all again on top of it. If I won't stand for that kind of behavior, certainly not from a (supposedly) grown man and see no reason why you should either. An adult admits mistakes and attempts to make things right, but he could not and would not. He seems to be the kind of man who knows everything and is always right. He must be a very lonely man and I do feel sorry for him, but not so sorry that I could ever condone such behavior at the expense of us all or allow it to continue unchecked. This is the first time I have ever had to take action of this sort and I feel I gave him more than a chance to to make things right, but when it came down to it, all of you come first with me and the right choice was clear. Thank you all for your patience and for your admirable restraint in dealing with him.

Most folks when they are new here pick up the rules that have evolved here by tacit agreement through reading posts and by noting and accepting the example of our members. On other forums, rudeness and flaming is the norm, but never here. Usually a discrete word is enough on very rare occasions to get the point across to someone who doesn't realize it, and all proceeds happily from there. This is the first time it has not worked.

Thanks Versifier. I have found RedDot to be a real performer in my little .380 Bersa. I am using a 90 grain XTP over 3.0 grains. It functioned the pistol perfectly and gave very low recoil. A good plinker load. Now, to work on that with the cast Ranch Dog 100 grain and a skosh less powder.

I also tried it out in my .357 the other day and it seemed to like to shoot 125 grain J-words with 4.6 grains. Not close to minimum really in some books. I also used this same charge with a Speer shot capsule full of #9's (100 grains approx). It punches thru the heavy cardboard backing and sticks into the wood target frame.

Paul B
06-19-2012, 05:21 PM
I have to laugh my butt off. This thread just got ressurected after dying three years, two months and several days after dying. Definite proof of life after death. I'm kind of sorry I missed out on the donnybrook as I think I could have put Swamp in his place. The sad thing it in some parts of what he said, he was right. He certainly was wrong elsewhere though. Belive it or not, I actually joined this site on 3/23/05. I lost it due to a computer crash ond only found it recently when someone mentioned it in another site. It was funny when I tried to sign in and it said there was someone already on the site with the exact same name and password. I went there and found out it was me. Guess there's more than one form of ressurection after all.
For the record, I always try to be polite and respectful when replying to threads. Note that I said, "Try." When it comes to someone like Swamp who refuses to accept another's POV, then I have been known to not so politely tell him he's full of prunes. Still, reading all that stuff did give me more than one chuckle.
Paul B.

runfiverun
06-20-2012, 04:44 PM
i went and reread the whole thing again as i had forgotten about this.
i can't believe i was being this nice.
there is only so many angles to look at things from and every one of them was wrong.
ehhhh [shrug] versifier fixed it.