Light & Fast or Heavy & Slow Same PF?

[justicentyme]

Scott Craig has a free Recoil Calculations program that is available here: http://www.craigcentral.com/shootsw.asp

It will return both Recoil Energy and Recoil Velocity after inputting Gun Weight, Bullet Weight, Powder Charge Weight and Bullet Velocity.

James

[Cherryriver]

I've long been satisfied that the heavy bullet/fast powder thing works best in 1911s. In revolvers, I wasn't so sure, and for .38 and .357, the excess case volume makes faster powders sometimes troublesome.

I stumbled across a 300 box of old National Bullet 200gr conical-nosed cast bullets I had gotten for a Webley and never used. I put them up in .38 Special cases with a little Unique, just for my old Official Police, just for a retro sort of time.

Interestingly, they shot excellent, rammed steel down like a piledriver, and managed just about 125pf. Just like that.

And they were so mild to shoot I plowed through them in less than two sessions, cackling at cleaning plate racks with six at 45 yards with the old clunker.

A year later, I ran across a couple of boxes of Speer 200gr conical-nosed FMJs that they used to make for silhouette shooters. They're discontinued, now, and all they have is a 180.

I tossed these into .357 cases with just enough VV340 to make about 170pf and wow, they were sweet. Speers are always going to be accurate, and the load combo was (of course) subsonic. It was practically pleasant in a .357 Model, and even nicer in a Python. Not blasty, not snappy, a nice, pleasant push.

Usually shooting major with a .357 is close to work, but these 200s made it almost a nothing thing. And the conical nose helps them hop right out of the Comp IIs and right into the chambers like they had eyes.

Now, if only I could dredge up a bunch of the old Speers...

Bill

[ffl]

Thank you all for your info.

I have decided for several reasons to go with the light and fast for both the 38 spl Bianchi loads as well as the 38 Short Colt Icore Loads.

3.9 gr VVN320 under a 125 gr. 9mm LRN as cast (.358) gets me a 1040 FPS with a standard Deviation of 3.24. This is in Short Colt Starline brass.

my 38 spl load will be a 125 gr Sierra JFP bullet at 1000 Fps.

Both will be shot from a 686+ 6" barrel.

If any body has any questions about the Short colt Load let me know.

David