NOE 360-180 for the 360 Dan Wesson

[ethang]

I predict you'll love the 296 loads. I hope so anyway.

I thought when I bought this rifle I would enjoy shooting 38 specials out of it and be just fine. ...

Nope. I want some nice fire breathing, good shooting, hard hitting 357's out of her. Hoping to hunt with the ones I am getting from you, and have some grand fun with the JSP's I have back ordered this summer.

Now, get off the computer and get to casting...

[GasGuzzler]

I had to BUY scrap to keep up with y'all. 62 more pounds ready to dose. Yes, I still have ready to use as well....

[ethang]

and you still havn't shot any of your own bullets yet have you...

[GasGuzzler]

Haven't loaded any.

[donhuff]

GG, I think they are plenty hard and with the GC they ought to do fine with full rabbit loads.

Ethan, 38s only do so much for me in the rossi. Shooting paper or tin cans is ok with them. But like you, I like to hear and feel the full 357s. They sure make a bigger "splash" on the 100 yard berm too.

[donhuff]

I got to shoot some of the 180 today. They did very good I think. I only had a few loaded up with them as most of my brass was being use with the 158JSP load. That wont be a problem again cause when I got home, there was a box here from starline, and it had 500 new 360 cases in it. I wanted to see hot high I could load the 158 grain bullets cause last time I shot it, I quit at 22.5 grains and everything still looked fine. I figured that I might get to load them up a good bit more and maybe see 2100fps before I quit. Aint gonna happen cause 23.0 is all I can get in the case and still seat the bullet. It's full! I had 5 of them loaded at that level but damit, I did not get a reading on them. I was shooting at my dot up in the corner of the target, and I guess that was to far over for the chrono "eyes" to see it. I'll try again next time.
But it looks like I'm going to have to go to another powder to ever find out what the thing will ultimately do as far as FPS go. I thought for sure I would have seen a flattened primer by now, but they show nothing at all. Guess I'll have to try some LilGun or 296 loads next time.

I guesstamated at the load based on what I had done with the 158g bullets, and got pretty close. It could stand to be increased some more, but I'll give that a try next time.
I loaded 19.0 grains of 300mp in the 360 cases, and GasGuzzler's NOE 360-180 grain cast, coated, and gas checked bullets that weigh 187 grains fully dressed. Velocity was 1760fps.

I did also load a few in 357 cases too so I could see how they might do in an unmodded gun, and so I could try them in my blackhawk revolver. That load was 17.0 of the 300MP, 180 grain bullet @ 1.600". 1680 fps in the R92, and 1244fps in the pistol, and YES the kick like a mule. I had to get a second hold on the ruger after shooting the first round! I don't know if I want to up the powder charge for the pistol as those were over my level of FUN, for revolver shooting.

Accuracy at 50 was good so then I tried them at 100. I only had a few rounds left at this point so I only got to make a four and 3 shot group. I had plenty of the 158JSPs loaded, so I did a 10 shot group with that one.

Also, I have to "whine" a little. I forgot my shooting stand/pad and sand bags. So I was chasing the gun all over the bench after every shot. I had one borrowed sand bag and had it atop a cartridge box, and the butt atop another box. Still was not high enough so I was holding it all weird. I was surprised to get as good a grouping as I did. And on the 100 yard group. I had already been shooting for maybe 125 rounds as these were the last ones I did, so I was getting tired and nervous.

Most of the data is in the pictures so I wont repeat it.

[donhuff]

the 100 yard targets

[Okie44]

Good looking groups! Missed the quarter!

[GasGuzzler]

296 296 296 296

[GasGuzzler]

...or 2400