Here are some of my load notes I thought were special:
3) Hodgdon max load for LIL'GUN 158 gr. XTP
357 mag, 1.58" OAL, 15 gr.
a) Colt Police Positive 38 Special, 158 gr. LSWC
26 gr. [case full], CCI450 small rifle mag primers, fired hundreds,
kicks like a 44 mag
Then I repeated the work up with a chronograph in 2004
C) Colt Police Positive 38 Special 4" barrel:
1) cheap reloads mixed brand brass 158 gr. JHP, 830 fps
2) 18 gr. LIL'GUN 158 gr. XTP 1.59", WSPM, 1173 fps
3) 23.5 gr. LIL'GUN 158 gr. XTP 1.59", WSPM, 1155 fps
The more LIL'GUN I put in a 38 special, the harder it kicked, and the more noise it made... that did not mean the bullet was going faster.
That was embarrassing. My extra powder was going into extra muzzle fireball.
I wrote to Hodgdon and asked why they had no 158 gr cast loads for LIL'GUN and the 357 mag.
They wrote back that they tried it, but it was melting the bullet base.
