Cowboy action shooting loads

[Cornerpocket]

I recently got a Uberti 1873 Cattleman. I am thinking about getting involved in cowboy action shooting and was wondering about loads. I understand that the typical cowboy action shooting load is light. I'll be reloading 125 gr. 38 spcl. with Power Pistol (which is what I have on hand). Any suggestions as to appropriate load? Also, if there is another powder that is especially appropriate either for cowboy action shooting or revolver reloads in general, I'd be glad to hear about it. I have no complaints about Power Pistol and have been using it for some time for reloads used in my S & W 686 but I noticed on Alliant's website that Power Pistol is geared toward semi-autos. If there is a better revolver alternative I'd look at it. 

 

Thanks in advance.

[xdr]

for SASS shooting, try Trailboss...easy to load, extremely mild. I think it was designed just for cowboy action shooters. I love it in my 45 colts (rifle and pistols). 

 

thanks

zane

[bowenbuilt]

TrailBoss is the perfect Cowboy powder. Fills the case and very soft shooting.

[Cornerpocket]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll give TrailBoss a try.

[xdr]

One more advantage of Trail Boss...its cheap. But there is less powder by weight in a standard 1 lb bottle due to it being so fluffy. I think it is 3 or 4 ounces less that a LB. 

[ltdmstr]

Bullseye has been the standard .38 Special powder for as long as I can remember (and probably was before that).  Stuff is cheap, accurate, and consistent.  And probably won more revolver matches than all the others combined.

[Cornerpocket]

Much appreciated. I'll see about Bullseye also.

 

[OneEyedSam]

Trailboss is the powder of choice for Cowboy action shooting. The sport has minimum and maximum speeds. Check out sassnet.com for rule books and other information.

[Jim Watson]

There is no Official Cowboy Powder. 

If you like Power Pistol, have Power Pistol, load Power Pistol and save the money you would spend on other brands to do the same thing. 

 

Me?  I used mostly HP38, some Trail Boss, some 700X, probably others on hand at the time.  Hard to tell the difference when the objective is to ring a plate at 7 yards. 

[Bigzeke]

I have used a lot of TrailBoss in 38 special, 44 special, and 45 Colt. Meters well, shoots soft. 

[xdr]

I like the way it meters as well. But when you look at the shape of the powder (big donut shaped grains) I would never expect it to meter as well as it does. 

[perttime]

SASS requires lead-only bullets. And: "no  velocity  may  be  less  than 400  fps. The maximum velocity standard for revolvers is 1000 fps."

In my area, 158 grains is the only widely available lead bullet size for 38/357.

 

Vihtavuori has a powder specifically for Cowboy Action: N32C. It is designed to fill the cartridge more than the usual modern powders. With a 158 grain lead bullet, about 4 to 4.5 grains should work out of 38 Spl. My guesstimate for 125 grains is about 4.5 to 5 grains.

[Cornerpocket]

While I haven't done cowboy loads, I have loaded .38 spcl. A couple of you have remarked about various powders filling the case. I actually like the idea of a powder with enough volume that if you get into a double load situation, the case will overflow. Pretty good warning sign to back off and start over. The Power Pistol I've been using will overflow a 9mm case on a double load but not on a .38 spcl. It's not a bad reason to switch brands for .38. 

[xdr]

2 hours ago, Cornerpocket said:

While I haven't done cowboy loads, I have loaded .38 spcl. A couple of you have remarked about various powders filling the case. I actually like the idea of a powder with enough volume that if you get into a double load situation, the case will overflow. Pretty good warning sign to back off and start over. The Power Pistol I've been using will overflow a 9mm case on a double load but not on a .38 spcl. It's not a bad reason to switch brands for .38. 

I would highly recommend Trail Boss then. 

[cowboy85306]

On 10/16/2017 at 2:56 PM, ltdmstr said:

Bullseye has been the standard .38 Special powder for as long as I can remember (and probably was before that).  Stuff is cheap, accurate, and consistent.  And probably won more revolver matches than all the others combined.

While this is so, it does not mean that Bullseye is the BEST powder for .38 special, It is economical, due to the low charge weights for loads using it, BUT- for me, it burns dirty, and, being a flake powder, does not meter nearly as will as, say, Titegroup, which is right there with Bullseye on relative burn rate charts.

 Trail Boss powder is good at what it does, but, again, does not meter well.  I actually got better consistency  using it by strapping a vibrator ( looks like a cartoonish , large beetle, used for settling cranky infants ) to my powder measure. Now someone will observe that this may cause static build up and be an ignition hazard.

 

Edited October 29, 2017 by cowboy85306

[xdr]

20 hours ago, cowboy85306 said:

While this is so, it does not mean that Bullseye is the BEST powder for .38 special, It is economical, due to the low charge weights for loads using it, BUT- for me, it burns dirty, and, being a flake powder, does not meter nearly as will as, say, Titegroup, which is right there with Bullseye on relative burn rate charts.

 Trail Boss powder is good at what it does, but, again, does not meter well.  I actually got better consistency  using it by strapping a vibrator ( looks like a cartoonish , large beetle, used for settling cranky infants ) to my powder measure. Now someone will observe that this may cause static build up and be an ignition hazard.

 

Who knows about the static build up/ignition but the mental picture of a large cartoon beetle shaking your powder measure is hilarious?

[ltdmstr]

On 10/29/2017 at 1:03 AM, cowboy85306 said:

While this is so, it does not mean that Bullseye is the BEST powder for .38 special, It is economical, due to the low charge weights for loads using it, BUT- for me, it burns dirty, and, being a flake powder, does not meter nearly as will as, say, Titegroup, which is right there with Bullseye on relative burn rate charts.

 Trail Boss powder is good at what it does, but, again, does not meter well.  I actually got better consistency  using it by strapping a vibrator ( looks like a cartoonish , large beetle, used for settling cranky infants ) to my powder measure. Now someone will observe that this may cause static build up and be an ignition hazard.

 

 

While Bullseye is a bit messy when used with cast bullets, it's certainly not a big deal if you clean your guns regularly.  As for metering consistency, I have to disagree.  BE loads with Dillon 550 and 1050 have been the most accurate and consistent with the lowest SD of pretty much any handgun loads I've tested.  But I guess it depends on your setup.  Personally, I use N320 for pretty much everything I shoot in handguns these days.

[jrswanson1]

I switched between Trail Boss and BP when I shot SASS.  Trail Boss for low noise, low recoil loads, and BP for when I wanted a boom and smoke.  For .38 Special, FFFg powder. 

[pbcaster45]

I was shooting some plinking/cowboy loads through my Winchester 73 today and tried them in my Colt Python - they shot so well I sighted my revolver in for this load.  Really mild and fun to shoot!

 

Bullet:  Missouri Bullet Company 125 gr. TCFP (.359 with Hi-Tek coating)
Powder:  IMR Trail Boss 3.5 grs.
Primer:  Winchester Small Pistol
Case:  Federal .357 Magnum

 

And here is a load I use in my Colt Diamondback that shoots well.

 

Bullet:  Missouri Bullet Company 125 gr. TCFP (.359 with Hi-Tek coating)
Powder:  Winchester 231 4.3 grs.
Primer:  CCI-500
Case:  Federal .38 Special