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+/- .003 is not going to matter much in most applications.

The variation could be because of a couple of things, not just the seating die. Bullet and neck tension variation, press tolerances, and compressed loads can affect seating consistency.

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More testing shows that neck tension definitely helps. I’m currently at 2.260 OAL and 24 grains of TAC. Next I am going to try 24.5 grains.

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Yes, it is on my batch as well. I’m currently working on load dev and will be shooting them tomorrow.

My last test groups were 1.5″ and .21″ They seem to be sensitive to neck tension. The .21 group was with more tension.

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If they plunk test then you are fine. The throat on the Wilson gauge is probably shorter or tighter than your barrel, and interfering with the different “ogive” on the truncated bullet.

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Kenneth-

What are you using for dies and are you crimping?

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Is this for 9mm Major?

What is the power factor value that you are trying to achieve?

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I don’t recall the exact numbers but I know that the 124/WSF load made 125+ PF

The 135/CD load I use in a 3-gun match where power factor is not considered. It just needs to be able to knock down some steel targets.

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What was your Titegroup load?

I’m only running 3.1 grains of Clay Dot behind a 135 polycoated and it is definitely softer than my target load of 5.0 WSF behind a 124HP.

Be careful with the faster powders that you don’t double charge 🙂

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I am not sure of the science behind it so I copied this from tigershark ballistics

“An established fact is that at a given PF a heavier bullet going relatively slowly will produce less recoil (and muzzle rise) than a light bullet going faster. This is because the lighter bullet requires more powder and more powder produces more gas which adds to the weight of matter ejected from the barrel (bullet + gas) which means more recoil. Additionally, the lighter bullet will spend less time in the barrel which means a faster recoil impulse and thus a bit more muzzle rise. There are other factors at play such as weight of the firearm, grip as well as OAL and crimp with both having an impact on velocity and consequently recoil/PF. ”

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I would lean toward a heavier bullet with a light powder charge, say 147 grain with Titegroup, WST, Clays, etc.

There are a couple of female competitors that run a similar load.

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Head over to the Hodgdon reloading data center. I selected 357, then checked the boxes for Ramshot and Enforcer in the selections. I left the bullet selection blank.

They don’t show a 147 grain load with Enforcer but they do show a 140 and 158 grain load.

140 grain- Starting load is 14.4 grains Enforcer, 16.0 Max

I would start a little less, say 14.0 grains and work up from there.

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Are you asking about 357 Sig or 357 Magnum?

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As long as it within SAAMI spec, why worry about it?

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Hodgdon has data for Winchester 231 and a 71 grain bullet. 2.1 to 2.3 grains. Since you are using a lighter bullet, that should give a good starting point.

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I have not had a chance to try the 75 3GH but Hornady uses a .395 G1 BC for their 75 BTHP. That’s where I would start.

Remember that posted BCs are an average because velocity affects BC. A lower velocity will yield a lower BC.

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