The Big Guns Today

[alfsauve]

Decide to pull out the big guys today.   

My 8"  629 and 686 as well as my T/C in .357Max.

But to start I took my S&W 60 3", around-the-yard-gun, out for a spin with real .357Magnum loads.   And here's what happened at 25yds.   My 5 "head" shots and then a bunch of body shots.   These were 158gr handloads using Power Pistol from back when powder was scarce.  Not the highest velocity .357s.  PF of 120 as opposed to a PF of closer to 160 in the 8" smith.




Not much to tell with the 8"  686, but here's the 50Yds target with the .44 Magnum running a 260PF. 240gr plated bullets.  Again with Power Pistol.   All of this was done standing, no rests.  5 shot to the head then the rest to the body.




NOW let's talk about the BIG BOY.   T/C 10" in .357Maximum.   These were old handloads using H110.  The nature of H110 is it will give you the absolutely top velocity for any given pressure.  You can really push bullets with this one.    I'm using 158gr soft nose bullets and they average 1,924fps out the pipe.  For those slow of math, that's a PF of 304.   Yeah baby.  In fact, in order to measure those on the Lab Radar, I had to set it to RIFLE mode.     But you ask how does it shoot?   Again standing, iron sights at 50yds.




Want to see what it looks like to shoot?    When I competed in IHMSA I'd shoot 80 rounds through this sucker in a morning match.  And 40 of that was one handed.  Prone of course with one hand resting against the leg.   It's not something that's "fun" to shoot, like a .22lr, but it isn't going to smack you in the head.  I think it's great training because you have to really bear down and concentrate to keep from flinching.    This isn't a heavy gun.   

Yes I did do some one handed shots.  Not much different.

[Big Frank]

I have a .357 Max. barrel for my Contender too. I don't shoot it (or anything else for that matter) very well but I do like shooting it. When a friend got a new motorcycle helmet we used his old one as a target. 158 grain JSPs went through it like it was butter. It would be interesting to know how much they slowed down as they went through. When I switch to .38 Special ammo it feels like a .22 in comparison.

[tombogan03884]

Ruger had to modify the revolvers they chambered for it.
It was flame cutting the frames.

[alfsauve]

Too much hot gas for the small diameter .357.   Even a small increase to .375 works better in a revolver.  My TC being a single shot has no problems of course.   Well unless you're standing close by and even with my muzzle.

[Majer]

Tom, They couldn't fix the gas cutting problem so they stopped making them.I have heard if you need parts for one they won't repair it.

[Sponsor]

[Big Frank]

I read that the flame cutting on the .357 maximum was because of people using lightweight 110 and 125 grain bullets at a higher velocity than what the guns were designed for.

[tombogan03884]

http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-3622.html

According toTHR Dan Wesson was still making a revolver in 2003

[alfsauve]

Since I was shooting silhouette, the 158gr was a balance between momentum and trajectory.  At the time 10" was the limit on barrel length for IHMSA.  I didn't always hit the rams, but when I did they always tended to fall.   

I always wanted a DW.  I shot the revolver class with an 8" S&W in .357mag.  Not every ram hit would fall.

But that was another time, another era.   I've moved on to other things and the T/C will be for sale soon.

[les snyder]

Alf, since you mentioned silhouette... a friend and I were shooting cast bullets (couldn't afford real bullets) in a 7 TCU and wanted more powder capacity, so we necked down a 30-30 to 7mm, blew out the case, and added a 45 degree shoulder... called it the 7x51 RMS... (rimmed Mickewicz, Snyder)... Clymer made the reamer, Redding the dies... 3 14" barrels were chambered... Mick shot a couple of 40s with one... by that time I was shooting a Merrill in 30-30 and later .357Mag, both with cast bullets... got one leg into International Standing big bore and .22 before we were introduced to IPSC before it was USPSA... one of the cartridges ended up on the wall display at the development center at Eglin AFB... we beat the 7 Rimmed International by a couple of months... screw EG!

[alfsauve]

Very cool, snyder.

Elgin provided an environment that prompted a lot of development and tinkering.