Reloaders - your most econmical good performance loads

[JayM]

I have seen a few folks respond to threads that they reload - so wanted to see what are your best preforming - 9mm, and 45 loads...

Here is my current best performer/economical loads

9MM
4.7g HP-38
Win Sm Pistol Primer
115gr bulk projectiles (these were $0.10 each Expensive suckers)

Total $0.117 per round - Box of 50 $5.89

45 ACP
5.3g HP-38
CCI 300 large pistol primer
230gn bulk ( these were 0.127 each - fair price)

Total $0.173 per round - Box of 50 $8.65

[mparker762]

I use 3.8gr bullseye and a 185gr LSWC in 45ACP. Very low pressure, very low recoil, and very accurate. Needs a light spring to cycle, i use a 10lb or 12lb depending on the season. IIRC this was a standard target load back in the day. I can believe it - 50 rds makes a ragged hole at 15 yds with my Wilson CQB if I have the right caffeine levels. I don't load .45 for velocity, I load for accuracy, so this is also my "best performing" load too.

My best performing .357 mag load is 18 gr of hodgdon lil'gun and a 158gr Remington JHP (compressed load). It will do 1750 fps out of my marlin carbine, comparable to the original 30-30 load. Pressures are surprisingly low as well, well below even the modern wimpified max (.357 mag pressures were much higher back in the day) it just has exactly the right burn rate for a carbine and 158gr bullet weight.

[JayM]

Thanks for the 357 data I have a lb of lilgun on the shelf. And a heritage arms single shot 357. I was using a standard handgun load and on the bags cold get clover leafs at 50yrds. But the round felt anemic and was only being used for plinking.

My 45 loads are meant to simulate self defense loads that is why my charge is heavy.

[Tom Krein]

I shoot a LOT of .38 Special. I really like 3.8 grains of bullseye behind a 158 grain lead bullet. Shoots fantastic in my fixed sight S&W's and is mild to shoot mid-power load.

Tom

[mparker762]

.357 loads tend to feel deceptively anemic in a carbine for a number of reasons: additional weight of the carbine, less muzzle flip, shoulder taking the recoil instead of the hands, more complete burn=less blast&flash, and what muzzle blast there is is farther away from the ears. However, the MV for .357 mag from a carbine is often 300fps or more faster than from a pistol - .38 Special carbine MV's are similar to .357 Mag pistol MV's, for example, and .357 mag in a carbine runs a bit faster than the hot depression-era loads did from those 6" revolvers.

This doesn't apply for most autoloader cartridges btw. The reason revolver cartridges work so well in carbines is their large case capacity means that even with fast-burning revolver powders used by the factories their pressure curve is fat enough that they can make effective use of the longer barrel. If you reload that case capacity means you can stuff in enough slower-burning rifle/shotgun powder to make effective use of the barrel. Autoloader cartridges are so short that they're pressure limited with fast powders, and capacity limited with slow powders.

Lil'Gun is actually a shotgun powder - it was designed for the .410 shotgun. It just turned out to also be extremely good for large pistol/small rifle cartridges (.22 hornet, .218 bee, .357 mag).