300 MP

[donhuff]

I've loaded a few rounds with this powder, mostly 357 mag, and they all seemed to work pretty good. Mostly used 158 grain "spit" jacketed bullets. Seems to be a little slower (?) than 110/296 since it takes a little more of it to do the same speeds, they say. I got to get a chronograph! I know it makes a big fireball out the end of my 16" barrel R92, and kicks pretty hard. I don't know if 110 does that or not since I'm out and cant find anymore close by home. But then I tried some bullets that I had loaded with cast lyman 358429 168 gr. SWC with a plain base gas check on them over 16.0 grains of 300mp. These sounded funny like I was shooting in a tunnel, and had no recoil. Hulls covered in soot, and I saw smoke come out from the bolt area. They went all over the target too. So I tried a cylinder full in my Blackhawk. Shots 1 2 3 were weak, you could tell by the sound that there was no pressure to speak of. Then #4 went "poop". OH SHIP now I bet I stuck one in the bore. Nope, no bullet, but about half of the powder charge was in there. Guess it's back to 800X since that's all I have right now. I like flake powder better anyway. Wanting to try some sr4759 since it's right there with 110 on the burn rate charts. Anyone have experience with this powder?

[donhuff]

I couldn't let it rest with my last outing using 300mp what with it being so disappointing. It "ought" to do better that it did, at least that's what I thought. So I loaded up a few more rounds with it and the 170 Kieth bullet, and boy was I surprised! As stated before, I tried 16.0 grns and it was terribly weak. So I jumped right up to 17.0 and BAMB, it hit my little 8x8 steel target with lots of vigor. Everything looked good so I loaded up the 18.0 grain rounds and got back even more "vigor". NOW IT'S A PARTY. I like this. The bullets are splattering a LOT harder than my normal load of 8.6 800X. And the primers look just a tiny bit flatter than the 16.0 grain load. I'll have to push this load a little further up the ladder to see where it goes. Wish I had a crono so I could tell yall what it was really doing, but judging by the "SPLAT" factor, it's looking really good. And they did just as well in my Ruger pistol. It's getting a little hard to hold onto though.

[MT Gianni]

I have looked for this to try in a 357 max for a couple of years and never found it locally. Are you using a mag primer or standard? DO you have a uniform heavy crimp? These are my needs for slow powders in pistols.

[donhuff]

Hi MT,
I usually don't use a mag primer in anything, and honestly do not remember what I was using in those loads, I usually just get whatever primers that the store has. (I'm gonna find out one day if "magnum primers" really are different since I got a chrono for Christmas).

But I DO use a heavy crimp, for a couple of reasons. #1 is to get good/full ignition, and #2 is cause I'm using them in a lever gun and do not want any bullet setback. Don't really know how "uniform" the crimp is, but I roll crimp the snot out of em. I mostly use a Keith type lead SWC with a big crimp groove.

[mr surveyor]

Don

sounds like we're running along at about the same speed. I finally broke down and ordered a Chrony F1 on Friday with part of the proceeds from an unwanted XDs I sold last week. (also ordered a new RCBS 750 digital scale so I can finally return a borrowed PACT ... same as the 750 ... I've had for a year, or two)

I have a feeling that if I don't "put it's eye out" first, I'll wear out the chrony pretty quick. Like you, I too have a lot of pet loads I want to evaluate a little more than "splat"

JD

[donhuff]

Sometimes a chrono will break your heart. The pet 44mag load you have been using for years, and is soooo accurate you can hit a crow at 200 yards, aint going but 900+ fps not so magnum. I still use that load more than any other 44 load thou.

Years ago I had a chrono and I got hooked on speed. I would pull slugs from 22 magnum bullets, and load them into 22-250 cases with a lot of powder. I remember I got 4442fps, but some of the bullets would not make it to the 100y target. You could see a puff of bluish smoke about half way there where they would come apart from the rpm (so I was told).

[donhuff]

"put it's eye out" first,

Haha, I got the one with the remote readout for that very reason. Less to replace afterwards.