I haven't loaded it for a while but my favorite handgun powders used to be Unique and WW-231.  They seemed to work equally well in the .357 magnum as the .45 ACP so I just stayed with them. I also liked the fact that they both shot pretty clean for me compared to other stuff I tried.  I didn't have access to a chronograph at the time so I depended on some of the published load data and watched closely for any signs of anything amiss - either pressure spikes or erratic performance or just plain poor accuracy ( at least as far as I could determine it given my meager shooting skills  ). 

Practice, plinking and target loads were usually 148 grain lead wadcutters over about 3.5 grains of Unique.  I figure they were in the 800 fps range out of a four inch barreled model 28 S&W.  You could load them up a bit but leading became an issue at levels significantly higher than the listed  load.   I also used some 158 grain commercially cast semi-wadcutters over about 6 grains of Unique.  Those were beginning to get a little hot - I figured around 1200 fps or so - again out of the 4" model 28 . 

Self defense or hunting loads were usually factory stuff.  I carried Remington 125 grain semi-jacketed hollow points in the model 28 as well as a model 13 and a model 65.  I also carried Federal 180 grain JHP's when I was hunting or camping in bear country.  I used some 158 grain jacketed hollow points ( Speer or Hornady? ) over about 6.5 grains of WW-231 for mid-range load similar to the plinking load mentioned above.  They were definitely magnum class loads compared to the .38 Special but not super hot.  The only 180 grainers I loaded myself were some 180 grain jacketed soft points ( Speer as I recall ) over about 7 grains of Unique.  I think they were in the neighborhood of 1100 fps or so. 

I got a surprise one day.  I found a stash of bullets and cases on the clearance rack of the local gun emporium - apparently they had purchased an estate and these were part of it.  Several boxes of Remington-UMC and Winchester brass cases marked .357 Magnum but with large primer pockets.     Never saw those before but apparently when it was first loaded the .357 was loaded with large primers.    Along with them was a stash of bullets in unmarked boxes but labeled .357 diameter, 200 grain LRN.  I thought they might be rifle bullets but they actually miked .357 and weighed 200 grains.  About half a box had the tips flattened ( cut, sheared or ground off ) and weighed a bit less but I decided to take a chance on them.  I bought a couple of sleeves of large pistol primers and went to work.

About 5.5 grains of WW-231 was rated for 1000 fps - give or take a few. ( 200 grain bullets only - the clipped ones were not uniform in weight so I just used them in plinking loads)  That may have been the single most accurate load I ever fired out of the 4" model 28.  Very confidence inspiring.  I saved a few of the bullets for use in my 5" model 10 and 6" model 14, .38 Specials and was similarly rewarded.  Call me a fan of heavy for caliber loads.   

Most of the loads listed used Winchester or Federal primers and I have a marked preference for nickel plated cases so that is what most of those loads used on a day to day basis.  Reloading equipment was primarily RCBS except for a Redding powder trickler and a Lee priming tool. 

I am a BIG fan of this caliber.  It is not one I would voluntarily be without even if I were confined to wheelguns as my primary side arms.

Handload for my 8 inch Python

158 grain Speer JSP with near max charge of H110, firm crimp and mag primers. It Chronos right at 1450 for best accuracy.

That load has taken 18 deer and 6 hogs so far. I have had a few not do clean pass throughs. All non-full penetration shots were quartering OR near facing. Most shots were DRT hits OR less than 20 yard runs. I tend to shoot for bone strikes at the shoulder instead of the more traditional heart and lung. The largest hog was 360 pounds before being field dressed.

110 grain speer JHP with H110 as well, again firm crimp and mag primers. It chronos at 1750.

It has killed at least 50 coyotes and other assorted varmits. Penetration is horrible and pretty severe fragmentation is likely on any hits under about 100 yards. It will red spray prairie dogs, and it looks like an alien burst out the chest cavity on most coyote hits.

Both are horrible ideas to set off at night OR around dry vegetation. It makes a truly impressive fireball.   

  50 coyotes!?! How frequently do you hunt with a handgun?

I have a question.  I've done a little reading online.  Some people, with .357, seem to be having a hard time getting the max loads to perform.  I think it's partially because, sometimes, the test barrels used for load development in the reloading manuals are like 10" non-vented types. 

But then you have the boutique ammo makers, like Buffalo Bore and Double Tap, getting high performance (and chronograph results tend to match their claims).   Is there something special about how these companies load their rounds?  Different kinds of powder,  some secret blend of herbs and spices?  Or are they just using good components and going published max loads?  158 grains at 1400 out of a .357 is trucking.

Also, another question.  How did ammo makers even gauge velocity before modern chronographs came about?  I read something about some kind of analog optical chrono that used to be used for this purpose.

I believe the boutique ammo makers do basically assemble loads equivalent to published maximums. I know the Buffalo Bore .41 magnum loads are listed with numbers essentially identical to what Hodgdon lists.

Chronographs have been around for a long time. The word is synonymous with stopwatch, and that's all they are. A contemporary ballistic chronograph uses light sensors usually exactly two feet apart to start and stop the stopwatch.

I have an older on that belonged to my grandfather that used actual screens made with a single wire that zigzagged back and forth. The screens were 20 feet apart and were triggered by the bullet cutting the wire. The readout used incandescent lamps to signal in binary and your had to manually calculate the speed.

Even farther back I think there  were mechanical stopwatches triggered by wires under tension being snipped by the bullet.

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Powder charge does affect recoil. When calculating expected recoil the weight of the powder charge is usually multiplied  by something like 1.4 (to account for the fact that our moves significantly faster than the bullet) and added to the bullet mass.

It really sounds to me though, as though the guy quoted made some sort of mistake in setting up his chronograph.


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Anyway, some sources for "full power" factory .357 ammo:

Buffalo Bore: Buffalo Bore has a wide variety, including reduced-power short-barrel loads (which seem to perform like everyone else's .357, making me wonder if the extra cost is worth it), lead-free Barnes bullets, etc.  Many people have chronographed Buffalo Bore ammo, and it always seems to perform consistent with the listed specs.

Double Tap: They began as a boutique 10mm ammo maker, and have really branched out into a wide variety of rifle and handgun ammo.  They even load a 195 grain .357 round, that's a 125 grain JHP on top of a 70 grain hardcast lead ball.  Two projectiles.  Their webpage lists actual velocities from real guns, not long test barrels.

Underwood Ammo: Another boutique maker, though I have no personal experience with their ammo.  They do offer one load that uses the 140 grain Lehigh Defense penetrator bullet, with a claimed velocity of 1550 feet per second.  I'd be curious to test this and compare it to the usual hardcast solids.

Grizzly Cartridge: They don't offer the biggest selection of .357 ammo, but they do give you some options oriented toward critter defense.  As with Underwood, I'm not sure what  barrel length or gun they're using to get their listed velocities.

For more cost effective ammo with a little bit of ass behind it, I've read that the American Eagle 125 grain and 158 grain .357 loads usually do a little better than many of their counterparts.  I've seen chrono results for the 158 grain that give it 1300+ feet per second out of a 4" barrel, which is definitely no slouch.  Plus, it doesn't cost a buck-fifty a shot.

American eagle you say? I might have to look into that  .

I know my 38 special loads with Unique are in the same ballpark as the .357 H110 loads out of my buddies 2.5 inch Ruger.

It may be Buffalo Bore is loading a significantly slower burning powder in their magnum loads.

I know the muzzle blast and recoil are noticeably different from the 5 grains of Unique and the 21 grains of H110. The H110 has some really nasty muzzle flash from the short barrels.

It makes sense as H110 is basically a rifle powder as I understand it.

If your estimates are correct, that is impressive. Especially seeing as I carry a short barreled Smith  .

Go on their site and look at the velocities for 1-7/8", 4", and 6".  The jump in velocity between the 1-7/8 and 4" is proportionate to the jump between 4" and 6".  It stands to reason, then, that the increase should be roughly linear.  So I just picked about where 2-1/2" would be.



Kaso

I usually baby my K-Frames with what Mr. Camp used to refer as .357 mediums.

That's probably not a bad idea.  No point in battering a fine old gun.

Regarding American Eagle:

http://rugerforum.net/reloading/126543-357-chronograph-results.html

I've been impressed with the American Eagle 158gr round from my 4" GP100. It pushes the bullet to a stout 1320 fps. So I hold that as a bit of a benchmark for handloads. However, as of yet I have not been able to reach it.

http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-658685.html

Federal American Eagle .357 Magnum AE357A 158gr JSP 1382, 1305, 1336, 1332, 1331, 1283. Average 1328.16 FPS/ 618.74 LBS. Federal has their stuff together on Magnum rounds. This is one of the best 158's tested so far!

Not to derail, but this is another thing that has been on my mind.  We know a steady diet of hot .357s will mess up a Model 19. (and Model 66?)  Can the L-frames, such as the 586 and 686 handle them all day long?  Or do they still require the 10-1 rule?

To the very best of my knowledge, the L-Frame was designed specifically to overcome the shortcomings of the .357 K-Frame, which was designed a long time ago around a low-pressure .38 round.  It was designed as a .357 from the start, with a beefed-up forcing cone and top strap.

It doesn't have the additional crane lockup of a GP100, but I don't know of any reason to be hesitant to shoot a lot of .357, or hot .357, through it.

Not to derail, but this is another thing that has been on my mind.  We know a steady diet of hot .357s will mess up a Model 19. (and Model 66?)  Can the L-frames, such as the 586 and 686 handle them all day long?  Or do they still require the 10-1 rule?



Kaso

To my knowledge, the L frame is specifically made to have a steady diet of .357 magnums. A 686 should be able to handle anything you feed it as far as SAAMI spec .357 magnums go, whether you shoot magnums rarely or religiously. I have even heard that because the fluting is done between the chambers on the 686+ that it is an even stronger design.

10.5 grains of Bluedot topped with a 158 grain hard cast bullet.

I can't tell you the muzzle velocity from a 3" SP101, but I can tell you that that load in that pistol will penetrate 10 one gallon milk jugs filled with water.

NM, you have restored my faith in humanity -- such as it is, anyhoo.

This has been a rather surprisingly conversational thread, that I'd have expected to be more technical on a gun board.

So here's my completely (and resolutely so) unscientific contribution. 

When I began reloading many (I'm old -- MANY) years ago, my preferred load was 16.2 grains of IMR 4227 behind a hard-cast 158-gr SWC.  CCI primers, IIRC.  (Not in the books any more -- lawyers have got in everywhere.)  I didn't know from hardness numbers back then, and had never heard of a chrono.  Had not heard of gas checks either.  What I can say is that those SWCs dug out of a dirt (read sand and rock -- it was Southern AZ) berm showed scarring but no deformation.  Very hard-cast is my completely unscientific opinion -- can't remember the brand.  I was using a S&W 686 8-3/8 bbl with a 2X scope at the time, mostly at 100 yds.  (Don't remember the scope brand, in keeping with the thoroughly unscientific nature of my response, but it never lost zero.)  If I had excessive leading from that load I didn't know it, and never saw any loss in accuracy.  That load hit what I shot at.  Given my skills at that time, that says a lot. I was that bad.  But that load hit very well, and it continued to do so when I used up what I had left (several hundred rounds, if memory serves) in my then-new GP100.  And it was a thumper in that shooter, and still accurate.  (Again, by my unscientific standards of that day, 25-plus years past.)

Does anyone besides NM have tried-and-true loads that work?