cowboy action reloading (cross post)

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shootinironlen

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I purchased a Lee Bench single stage reloading press. I have the carbide 4-die set in 38 special.

I am loading for two Ruger New Vaquero in 357/38 and a Rossi Model 92 in the same caliber.

Firstly, I am a greenhorn at reloading. I have taken a class on reloading, and I feel comfortable enough to get started.

I would like to know firstly what powder you would prefer to purchase (brand) and secondly which primer folks are favored to.

Lastly, could anyone recommend a solid reseller that delivers? I live so far out of town I have to drive into town to go hunting. Online really works for me.
 
Trailboss is your powder, although any of the powder's listed in your reloading manuals will work.

Primer is up to you. I like Cci or s&b brand, but Winchester and Dominion primers are good too. Federal is great if you've put a reduced power spring in your guns. They have softer primer cups and thus ignite better.
 
Cowboy action for powders other than Trail Boss is marked by miniscule amounts that sit in the bottom of the cases like an afterthought. It takes a few special powders to do this and burn consistently.

Options that I know from my own shooting that work well are Alliant Bullseye and Hodgdon Tightgroup. I know you'll be happy if you can source some of either of these.

Due to the local issue on powder availability I recently picked up two pounds of IMR SR4756. But from reading around although it's listed and shows cowboy action like starting loads for .38Spl reports are that it tends to be a trifle inconsistent for pressure and thus muzzle velocity when loaded at the minimums. So I'll likely save it for loading where I'm filling more of the case and pressures are higher like 9mm.
 
I started making some calls. At the end I was begging for ANY pistol powder. No one has any at all. Like ....none. I tried Higginson powders...they are flat sold out of just about everything. Why?
 
shootinironlen said:
I started making some calls. At the end I was begging for ANY pistol powder. No one has any at all. Like ....none. I tried Higginson powders...they are flat sold out of just about everything. Why?
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all current shortages are from the sandy hook shooting. they (powder companies) focused on rifle powders at first, and hopefully they have changed back to pistol powders. budget shooter supply had trail boss the last time i looked. (9 oz can FTW, not a pound)
 
BCRider said:
Due to the local issue on powder availability I recently picked up two pounds of IMR SR4756. But from reading around although it's listed and shows cowboy action like starting loads for .38Spl reports are that it tends to be a trifle inconsistent for pressure and thus muzzle velocity when loaded at the minimums. So I'll likely save it for loading where I'm filling more of the case and pressures are higher like 9mm.
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Great powder, but it really has to fill the case. It's really clean in 9 mm.

Tightgroup is what the local cowboys use, more for commonality with their other shooting probably. It's versatile but I avoid it.
 
Thanks figure11. That jives with all the rest of the stuff I've read about it. Odd that the Hodgdon reloading web site and the Lyman book list it as good for smaller charges in big casings if it's going to produce inconsistent muzzle velocity. Oh well.....

Tightgroup is my main powder as well. The nice thing is that it's not temperamental in lower temperatures. That and it's good with the light charges even in large casings. If you run across some I'd recommend buying it instead of running away.... :d

Shootinironlen, the handgun powders are still filtering in. The issue is that it's not much and it's a big surprise when it does arrive at the stores. So folks that need it are just constantly checking with the stores. But living that far out isn't helping you in this. Not sure what to suggest other than contacting the stores that are around you and being very humble and asking them to hold a couple of pounds for you out of the next batch.
 
BCRider said:
Tightgroup is my main powder as well. The nice thing is that it's not temperamental in lower temperatures. That and it's good with the light charges even in large casings. If you run across some I'd recommend buying it instead of running away.... :d
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This is another point for TG. Those big 38 cases (or 357 if you need it to get your rifle to feed) and small charges are bad for position sensitive powder. When drawing from a holster, there's a good chance it will be all the way forward against the bullet, which is the worst case. TG don't care. Your cases will look like they were roasted with a blowtorch on the outside though, but that cleans off.

I have seen TG on the shelves a couple times. It seems to me that they're concentrating on the more popular powders (and the new ones they're pushing) for now and we'll have to wait for oddball stuff. This could be good news for a new reloader. When you do find something, it's less likely to be strange.
 
Shootinironlen: On an aside issue, if you are using .38spl cartridges in your '92, try them at match speed shooting. Some have found the shorter case length made for feeding problems and they had to use .357 case to get good feeding.
As for powder, I like Trail Boss because of its bulk. It has less chance of giving you position sensitivity issues.
 
Start by referring to a relative burn rate chart. Going by the one in the Lyman manual, just about anything from Unique or Universal Clays and faster will work. In a pinch, you could go as slow as SR-4756 if you could find nothing else.

If you are really hard up, you could use one of the black powder substitutes, like Pyrodex or Triple 7. Just make sure to clean up afterwards with a water-based solution (eg. soapy water) for both guns and fired brass.

As for primers, whatever you can get will work. I am using the Dominion primers from Canada Ammo because they are cheap.

Also, I think you will soon tire of reloading on a single stage press. I use a Dillon 550, but Hornady, RCBS, and Dillon all make good progressive presses.
 
CAS loads are just target loads. Bullseye has been used with 148 grain WC's for eons in .38 Special. Don't think they'd feed well in a lever action though. It is better to load .357 cases to .38 velocities, but that will not help a WC feed. A 158 SWC will do though.
 
I just found this PDF reloading manual that includes the old Hodgdon Cowboy Action data in a special section. For reduced power loads using their powders this is the bible to use. I'd suggest that it be downloaded and saved to your computers.

http://www.wwpowder.com/PDF/Hodgdon Basic Manual.pdf

Not all powders respond well to running small charges below the listed starting loads. Hell, some powders I've got are not even good for burn consistency AT the starting loads. So the key seems to be if you're stuck using a powder that isn't listed as good for lower loads that you want to start at the listed starting load. If results are good and consistent then work down in 10% steps until you reach your goal or until the rounds start firing with inconsistent recoil. Have a range rod ready to check for stuck bullets in cases where the recoil or sound feels or sounds odd. Even at cowboy action velocities two bullets meeting in the bore WILL bulge the barrel. If you feel or hear inconsistencies then you went much too far.

In the end it's much easier to just stick to powders that are known for working well with small charges in big spaces.
 
sunray said:
CAS loads are just target loads. Bullseye has been used with 148 grain WC's for eons in .38 Special. Don't think they'd feed well in a lever action though. It is better to load .357 cases to .38 velocities, but that will not help a WC feed. A 158 SWC will do though.
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Don't even THINK about trying flat ended wadcutters in a lever rifle. It'll let the rounds slip past the interrupter finger and jam up the gun requiring the front plug be removed to get the rounds out....... or so I fou..... er.... so I've heard.....:redface:
 
I bought up two 9 oz cans I actually found in town today. $68 total, taxes in. I am using a lead 158 grain bullet, as they were also in stock in town literally beside the trail boss powder. I picked those up for $50, taxes in for 500. I bought 400 federal brand small primers. Referenced the load data and the grain range is 2.7 grains all the way up to 4.2. This generates a ft/s of 661 to 804. I think I will start out with batches of 30 and load 2.9, 3.2, 3.6 and 4.0 and see if there is a sweet spot with my fixed sight Vaqueros.
 
I wish I could say yes. I bought it all. It was a bit of a lucky fluke. It was returned unopened, and I happened to get it first. Just weird. I had even called them the day before. I was going in to see what I could get as a work around and ended up with exactly what I wanted!
 
shootinironlen said:
I wish I could say yes. I bought it all. It was a bit of a lucky fluke. It was returned unopened, and I happened to get it first. Just weird. I had even called them the day before. I was going in to see what I could get as a work around and ended up with exactly what I wanted!
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awesome , good for you. I'll have to make do with the CFE until , whenever.
 
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