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Tom at Masterblaster Bullets has recommended I try VV powders for .357 mag. with his bullets Has anyone used N-320 or N-330 in .357 with lead, moly-coated, or copper plated bullets? The moly bullets I have are 147 and 150 gr. The lead and plated are 158 gr. Looking for 170 pf. in a 6" barrel revolver. I have used N-340 but the minimum load with 158 gr. lead gave a 178 pf. I plan to use Federal Small Pistol Primer. Thanks for any and all tips. Chris

You can convert your GP-100 to moonclips. See www.moonclips.com for more information. Tom Kilhoffer will sell you the clips, holders, and tools and will provide instructions for cutting the cylinder that any good machinist can follow. The machining cost me $40 in Denver. If you shoot lead, bring a bore brush and some aerosol brake cleaner to clean the cylinder every two or three stages. My GP-100's cylinder gets quite hot shooting long stages w/.357 mag. You may want to put some tape on the fingertips of your left hand if you hold the gun in your left hand and reload with your right hand. And then you'll search for the right 170 pf .357 load. But it's all fun so welcome to the Revolver Division. Chris

Although I consider the Yankees the baseball equivalent of the evil empire, I respect the team and believe the organization and manager Joe Torre exude class. The Irish Tenor and God Bless America are part of the aura. In times past, I think they had Met Opera singers and/or cantors (Sherill Milne (sp?)) sing the National Anthem. The Irish Tenor still holds his own. While NL baseball is clearly superior for the thinking fan, I was born and raised in CT. Red Sox in seven. Chris

Here is what works for me in my GP-100 6" barrel: 1. 158 gr. Laser Cast Round nose flat point, Winchester cases, Winchester small pistol magmum primers: 5.7 gr. Hodgdon Universal, 1.560" OAL High: 1089 fps Low: 1061 fps Average: 1076 fps = 168.39 power factor Second String same load: High: 1098 fps Low: 1035 fps Average: 1081 fps = 169.2 power factor OR 158 gr. Laser Cast RN Flat Point, 1.555" OAL 5.4 gr. Titegroup High: 1141 fps Low: 1108 fps Av. 1122 fps 175.93 power factor. Knocks down poppers without hesitation. However, Titegroup is a faster powder than Universal and gives a sharper recoil. OR 158 gr. Rainer Copper Jacketed Flat Point 5.9 gr. Titegroup, 1.590" OAL High: 1094 fps Low: 1072 fps Av: 1081 fps 170 Power Factor. A clean load if your revo likes copper plated bullets. Also seemed a little sofer than the Titegroup lead load described above. 158 gr. Laser Cast RNFP 6.5 gr. VithaVouri N340, 1.555" OAL High 1153 fps Low 1117 fps Av: 1142 fps Power factor 178 FWIW: My preferred load now is a 140 gr. lead flat point that has a little less muzzle rise than the 158 gr. 140 Laser Cast or Mid-Kansas flat point. Winchester or Starline cases, Winchester Small Pistol Magnum Primers 6.2 gr. Hodgdon's Universal, 1.577" OAL String 1: High: 1264 fps Low: 1211 fps Ave: 1230 fps. String 2: High: 1254 Low: 1200 Av: 1220 Use round nose or round nose flat point bullets for faster reloads than with semi wadcutters. I'm glad to see someone besides me is using a .357. Good luck and stay safe. Chris

Shot my first super classsifier today with my GP-100 using moonclips and .357 mag. After the third reload, the cylinder was nearly too hot to touch and slowed down my reloads because it was hard to keep the cylinder in one place. (Loads were 140 gr. Laser Cast over 6.2 Universal - 1220 fps.) Any suggestions? Tape of fingers 3 and 4 of the left hand, gloves, etc? Or be a man and build up some callouses? Thanks, Chris

Way to go, Noah! Good luck in grad school. We will miss you at Aurora Gun Club and I'm sure you'll miss those cold Saturday and Sunday mornings from Nov. through March setting up the stages. We hope you can continue your shooting in the future and don't forget to stop by AGC when you return. BTW, did you let your fellow students at Metro know of your interest in the shooting sports? How did they react? How did the professors react? Chris "CZ 85" in Denver.

I'm a newbie revolver shooter (GP-100, 6" heavy barrel) and am looking for a competition holster to replace my leather Bianchi. The Model 003 was advertised as a closeout at Holsters.com. There was no picture on their site. The site says that it has the same body as the Model 002 and the same mounting system as the Model 012. I emailed them about it but no one replied. Has anyone used this one? I want a holster that rides fairly low because I have long arms. I'd like one that allows the muzzle to tilt forward a bit; that helps me get a better grip. Does it require a gunbelt? Any info would be appreciated along with suggestions for other entry level holsters for USPSA revolver. Thanks, Chris

If you want to make major PF in revolver, try about 5.6 to 5.8 gr Universal under a lead 158 gr. 6.2 gr. Universal under 158 gr. lead round nose gave me 1180fps using a small pistol primer. These loads were accurate and had manageable recoil with a 6" barrel GP100. Hodgdon has a number of medium .357 loads in their Annual Manual. I've shot over 2,000 .38s in my Ruger and have never had a problem loading or extracting .357 brass. I have a .40 brass brush with a long stem that I put in an old variable speed electric drill. I wet the brush and chamber with solvent, run the brush back and forth for 5 - 10 seconds at slow speed in the chamber, finish with a dry patch, and it's good to go. I'm going to try Laser Cast 140 gr. lead bullets in my GP100 for major and minor. Has anyone tried these?