PB&J, Buttered bread and other things

[Dave Waits]

You ever notice how some loads just work no matter what gun you use? It's like God looked and said, "Well, I'll make this work for them." Every caliber I've ever loaded had one universal sweet load that performed well no matter what. Let's look at some.

357 Magnum-Now, I'm sure everybody has a 'pet-load' for the 357 but, I'm talking about universal truths here. My vote goes for 13.5 grains of 2400 with any 158. I've owned probably 24 or 25 357s during my life and,except for a Snubbie, all have shot excellent groups with this load. Slightly warmer than factory(Most 6" guns I've had would do 1325-1350fps with this), this round works for anything( I've killed a couple deer with it myself).

38Special- I know this looks backward but, it's my thread. In the 38, unless you're loading for defense you can't beat 4.2 grains of Unique and a 158SWC. This has to be one of the most accurate loads I've ever seen in any caliber. I've had S&W shoot this load into a single, ragged hole at 25 yards with monotonous regularity. It's a mild load that gives beginners a big boost due to it's excellent accuracy.

45ACP- In this caliber my choice is 5.2 grains of WW231/HP-38 with a 230RN, either lead or jacketed at an OAL of 1.265. I have yet to see a 1911 that this round would not only feed well, but be fairly accurate in. It gives Factory-equivalent velocity, around 825fps at ten feet) and will stay within 2-1/2" at 25 yards if you do your part. Just an all-around good load.

44Magnum- Yes, I was scared by a picture of Elmer Keith at an early age. I love big-bores and the 44 in particular. My nominee for this caliber is Elmers' load, which I've used for many years to great effect. 19.5 grains of 2400 and a 240-250gr. hardcast SWC. Very accurate and capable of taking Deer at 100 yards and slightly beyond. Recoil, while there, isn't objectionable. I've used this load, among others, in about six different 44Magnums, all shot it equally well.


Rifles- other than Garands, I really don't have much in the way of load-knowledge and Garands are a different animal. With a 150, I like 47.5 grains of IMR-4895. With a 168 SMK I like 46.5 grains and with a 175 SMK I run 46 grains even. These loads have served me well at Matches(Both Service-Rifle and High-Power) for over 30 years.

I'm sure a bunch as opinionated as this group will have different loads and I look forward to reading about them. I'm always ready to try something new.