I shot some .357 mag loads this weekend - 140 xtp +14grs of 2400 - and was getting some unburnt powder left in the brass. I had shot this same load the previous weekend and did not have this problem. Is this a result of not enough crimp? weak load? Please help.
I was shooting a ruger blackhawk 6''.
Bottom line is that , unburned powder or not, if your loads are performing as expected and you're not getting signs of pressure spikes, you're fine.
I readjusted by bullet setting die last night, loaded up some more rounds, and shot them today. Only had round that had any unburnt powder in it.
Also from checking Alliant's website they have the min overall length as 1.56 and my manual says 1.59. How much of a variation can you safely have?
Maybe Herco or HS-6, I dunno.
-snip-
There are plenty of powders out there to try, some are far more stable than 2400. For .357 Mag heavy loads, try H110 or Win 231 (if you can find it.) Win 231 is especially good in powder measures since its a spherical powder, easy measuring, no clipped grains. For lighter loads, try HP-38. -snip-
I'm guessing you meant Win 296...my favorite .357 Mag powder
HS-6 is a bruiser too. No such thing as a polite powder for a decent 357 Mag load. If you want to go soft, get some HP-38.
Whats the point of having a large .357 mag if you are going to just shoot .38 special.