Posted on 02/22/2005 2:46:34 PM PST by 45Auto
ping
Not to change the subject (e.g., the caliber); but a 110 grain Hornady XTP, pushed with 22 grains of Winchester 296 powder, ignited by a Federal Magnum primer, will produce accuracy you have never dreamed possible in a S&W 357 Magnum with a 4" barrel.
"This is one of my favorites"
Stick a Lanyard ring on it and call it a Trail Boss out of the custom shop and it is one of my favorites too :)
My handgun of choice is a Smith model 66,.357, snub with Crimson Trace Laser sight. What an accurate, comfortable gun to shoot.
Although I like long heavy bullets, they are generally less accurate than shorter, lighter bullets. Just the opposite of what he says.
I also like large diameter heavy bullets loaded lightly. Sometimes the rifling twist isn't fast enough for the heavy bullets tho.
Could be. I thought I read they wouldn't penetrate glass without breaking up. The same with other barriers.I've been known to misread before. It'll be interesting to see the effect on a soft target.
Thanks for the reply. I was aware of the relationship of twist rate and bullet weight (a non stabilized bullet is an ugly thing). All other things being equal, (cardtridge, bullet, COL, primer, velocity) powder type is crucial. Nothing I've used beats IMR, and when I have called Remington, Spear, Sierra, Nosler, etc to pick their brains for an accuracy load, they have never recommended anything else.
The Bench Rest folks are like racers. They leave no stone unturned in the quest for better performance. Many conversations have turned to how many fairies can dance on a pin head I'm sure.
Check out the video
http://mysite.elixirlabs.com/index.php?uid=12665&page=1982
The Ballistic Coefficient (how well a bullet travels relative to the pull of gravity) also plays a role, but is far more important in rifle shooting than in pistol; most pistol bullets, especially the heavy hard cast semiwadcutters have the BC of a flying brick.
Can't argue with results. I've found that 'accuracy' in revolver shooting often comes down to finding out exactly what combination of bullet/powder is best for a particular gun. I have a Smith and Wesson 6 inch Model 29 that does very well with 240 grain cast semiwads over 23 grains WW296. That gun does not like heavier bullet weights under any conditions, fast or slow. My Ruger Blackhawk, on the other hand, really likes 300 grain Sierra JSPs with about 18-20 grains H110, and does not like the lighter cast or jacketed bullets as much. Go figure.
Yes, I know. I have to indulge him a bit, though. Most of his writings are pretty good. He has done a lot of experimentation with some really big stuff and was one of the guys responsible for the fame of others like Hamilton Bowen, John Linebaugh, Dave Clements, and Jim Stroh. Along with Seyfried these guys really pioneered big bore revolver building/shooting.
Simply stated, the ballistic coefficient is a measure of how well a projectile behaves in air. The ballistic coefficient is an important and useful concept that relates the drag deceleration of a given projectile to the drag deceleration of a standard bullet. The concept of the standard bullet and related ballistic coefficients was a major step forward, because otherwise the drag characteristic of every type of bullet fired would have to be measured individually – an impossible undertaking
That ain't necessarily so. A high BC is great, but it often comes at the cost of a lower initial velocity. When you're talking handguns, most of us aren't shooting them at distances great enough for that higher BC to overcome the initial velocity advantage of the lighter bullet.
Whichever bullet has the shortest flight time will have the least drop. Ussually this means that light bullets with high initial velocities and low BC's will have better trajectories at near to medium range.
I know from some write in's on the performance of SS in 3 different cal. it worked wonders. All soft targets.
Short bullets have a greater stability. That is why longer ones need a faster twist. Also bullets with the most weight at the outer edge rather than the center are more stable. That is why hollowpoints are almost always the most accurate.
Well, to give the guy credit I took his work and followed it on with my own custom 454 load. 405gr bullet .458 (45/70 bullets), trimmed down to .452 and stacked on 21.5 gr H110. Spits it out at about 1200 fps. Good HEAVY load for a solid 454 Super Redhawk.
My son is in Iraq and he mentioned my buddy had one built by David Clements. It turns out the guy he always talks about guns is David's son's friend.
Mr. Clements is a true craftsman.
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