[Skinnedknuckles]

I'm beginning to experiment with loads for my .357 Mag Rossi M92 carbine with 20" barrel. These will be for target and silhouette shooting, not hunting or HD. If I decide to try hunting, and definitely for HD, I'm going to go with either Buffalo Bore or Hornady's LeveRevolution, but that is another story for another day.

Given the tubular magazine, I'm looking at flat point bullets, including hollow points, and will be working with plated bullets, not lead or jacketed, for personal and cost reasons alone. I plan to use X-treme plated bullets with cannelure, using a moderate roll crimp at the cannelure, over HP-38 loaded below 1500 fps. I might also experiment with Berry's loaded below 1200 fps.

Given the choices of hollow point, flat point, semi-wadcutter, and round nose flat point, which is likely to be most accurate and have the least drop at longer ranges (100+ yds)? I understand there might be more than one good answer and appreciate learning from other's experience.

 

[jimb1972]

Generally faster is flatter, I only shoot .357 in handguns and not at the ranges you are talking about. The Berrys at lower velocity will drop more over 100 yards, I doubt if you will see a significant difference in the bullets you mentioned at similar velocities. Finding out which ones your gun likes is the fun part.

 

[kruizer]

You will get best accuracy out either semi wadcutters or full wadcutters. You will find these mostly in 148 grain weights and relatively cheap.

 

[jimb1972]

You will get best accuracy out either semi wadcutters or full wadcutters. You will find these mostly in 148 grain weights and relatively cheap.

I would agree out to 25 yards, but wadcutters might not remain stable out to 100, they start to keyhole out of my 6" revolver at 50 yds
EDIT: I am referring to full wadcutters, semi-wadcuttiers should be good for longer ranges I have never seen them key hole.

 

[Divebum]

Not a re-loader, but a quick comment. I have the LeveRevolution rounds for my Marlin 30/30. In comparison with a Remington Core Loct flat nose at similar ranges and similar bullet weights, groupings at 100 yards are better by about 20% with the LeveRevolution rounds, in my experience. With the 160gr LeveRevolution at 100 yards, my groups were consistently 2.25 inch max. With the 170gr Core Loct, the best I could do was around 2.75 inches at the same range on the same day in the same weather conditions from the same bench and rest. Now, be advised, I'm not an expert marksman by any stretch of the imagination. This is strictly anecdotal data based upon my experience. But considering that the 30/30 is the most popular hunting rifle ever developed (between the Winchester 94 and the Marlin 336-my choice), and that most gun writers pooh pooh the lever action hunting rifle, and considering that Hornady is the first ammo manufacturer to make a significant improvement in the 30/30 round, I'd say they have a winner. I'll use the CorLoct in heavy brush, but for most hunting situation, I'm sold on the Hornady. (My sincere apologies if I in any way hijacked your post).

 

[Skinnedknuckles]

You will get best accuracy out either semi wadcutters or full wadcutters. You will find these mostly in 148 grain weights and relatively cheap.

Wadcutters don't work in my tube magazine Rossi. The cartridge feed stop depends on a tapered bullet nose to drop down and stop the next cartridge from feeding. Wadcutters double feed almost every time (sometime catch the rim but can't be counted on.

 

[Skinnedknuckles]

Generally faster is flatter, I only shoot .357 in handguns and not at the ranges you are talking about. The Berrys at lower velocity will drop more over 100 yards, I doubt if you will see a significant difference in the bullets you mentioned at similar velocities. Finding out which ones your gun likes is the fun part.

Do you mean I have to reload and shoot more?

 

[olfarhors]

Given the choices of hollow point, flat point, semi-wadcutter, and round nose flat point, which is likely to be most accurate and have the least drop at longer ranges (100+ yds)? I understand there might be more than one good answer and appreciate learning from other's experience.

while none are going to be great , and all other things being equal (powder rate,most accurate load, etc) then the projectile with the best coefficent (least drag) should be the best performer.
Just a wild guess but I would think the round nose.
and honestly with a plated projectile that could differ from batch to batch depending on how smooth the plating was.

 

[snaketail]

If you are shooting silhouette you need a bullet that will take down the 100 and 200 yard rams. The shooters at my club use a 180gr bullet for 200 yards, but stick to 158 LRN for everything else. You don't need to drive them fast - just fast enough to avoid the rainbow arch and still not lead the barrel. Once you barrel starts to lead up your accuracy will be lost for the day - and you'll discover the joys of scrubbing a bore. The rules say you have to use either a round or flat point bullet - so hollow-points are out.

I experimented will bullet type and powder loads in my M92 .454. My best (for the moment) is a .45 Colt case and lead semi-wadcutter moving about 1000fps. If the load moves the lead bullet over 1200fps you'll lead the bore - and there goes accuracy and you get the scrub it.

And, consider changing the sights - the semi-buckhorn is not going to win you many matches. I see both tang and receiver sights on most lever guns shooting silhouette.

 

[jimb1972]

Do you mean I have to reload and shoot more?

Yep it does!

 

[ULII02]

Gravity (drop) does not care about the shape of a bullet's front end. If each shape was shot perfectly parallel to the ground, each would hit the ground in the same amount of of time. Of coarse, the faster bullet will hit the ground a little further away, but still at the same time as a slower bullet. (I am assuming all bullet shapes are the same weight/mass). Now the shape of a bullet's front end, (and rear) does affect the amount of velocity the bullet will loose once it leaves the muzzle. But gravity is the same on a bullet traveling at 2800 feet per second and at 0 feet per second.

 

[olfarhors]

AHH , right but, we aren't dropping projectiles off a building!
and the front of a projectile, as does the body contour,and actually the jacket material, smoothness of the outer skin all play a part in resistance to the air, or Ballistic Coeficient.
the less the drag the more velocity that is retained (energy), so a better projectile has better effective range, its not about how fast it hits the ground but how fast it drops over an extended range.( effective range), rifle bullets are never really fired parallell to to the ground as the rifle is sighted in normally for 100 yards plus, so a raanbow is built in so to say, the curve of that rainbow is dependent on the projectile power that you are shooting.
so if you take 2 compariable weight projectiles of the same weight then the best coeficient wiill travel farther , faster in the same amount of time.(as you said)
and a heavier projectile will also retain its original muzzle energy over a longer distance, although drop will usually be more as velocity is decreased.
all pistol bullets basically have the drag of a brick, because of the short body and large front end, you can make one in a boat tail and all it will be is a Boat tailed brick.

 

[Skinnedknuckles]

Not a re-loader, but a quick comment. I have the LeveRevolution rounds for my Marlin 30/30. In comparison with a Remington Core Loct flat nose at similar ranges and similar bullet weights, groupings at 100 yards are better by about 20% with the LeveRevolution rounds, in my experience. With the 160gr LeveRevolution at 100 yards, my groups were consistently 2.25 inch max. With the 170gr Core Loct, the best I could do was around 2.75 inches at the same range on the same day in the same weather conditions from the same bench and rest. Now, be advised, I'm not an expert marksman by any stretch of the imagination. This is strictly anecdotal data based upon my experience. But considering that the 30/30 is the most popular hunting rifle ever developed (between the Winchester 94 and the Marlin 336-my choice), and that most gun writers pooh pooh the lever action hunting rifle, and considering that Hornady is the first ammo manufacturer to make a significant improvement in the 30/30 round, I'd say they have a winner. I'll use the CorLoct in heavy brush, but for most hunting situation, I'm sold on the Hornady. (My sincere apologies if I in any way hijacked your post).

Not a hijack at all - thanks for the information. I'm glad to know your experience with the LeveRevolution yielded improved accuracy. Did you keep your sights/hold point the same for both loads? If so, was the center of one group significantly higher than the other and by how much. I know the Core Loct was slightly heavier and thus probably a little slower, but wondered if the different nose configurations showed more difference as well.

 

[AOCM.RET]

I'm beginning to experiment with loads for my .357 Mag Rossi M92 carbine with 20" barrel. These will be for target and silhouette shooting, not hunting or HD. If I decide to try hunting, and definitely for HD, I'm going to go with either Buffalo Bore or Hornady's LeveRevolution, but that is another story for another day.

Given the tubular magazine, I'm looking at flat point bullets, including hollow points, and will be working with plated bullets, not lead or jacketed, for personal and cost reasons alone. I plan to use X-treme plated bullets with cannelure, using a moderate roll crimp at the cannelure, over HP-38 loaded below 1500 fps. I might also experiment with Berry's loaded below 1200 fps.

Given the choices of hollow point, flat point, semi-wadcutter, and round nose flat point, which is likely to be most accurate and have the least drop at longer ranges (100+ yds)? I understand there might be more than one good answer and appreciate learning from other's experience.

With the bullet profiles you have listed, my choice would be round nose flat point or semi-wadcutter. I am of the opinion, from my own experience, the RNFP may be more stable at 100+ yards than the semi-wadcutter and provide better groupings at that range, however with that said; stability is going to be dependent on bullet weight, profile, and velocity. Hopefully you have a chronograph to aid in working up your loads to the desired velocity. Using just the velocity data that is in the loading charts will not get you to where you want to be. In the charts using HP-38 the velocity ranges are: 150gr. lead bullet, (most charts do not provide data for plated bullets, therefore it is recommended to use data for lead bullets, unless the bullet manufacturer provides data) with 6.5gr. HP-38 produces 1233FPS: with 6.9grs produces 1305FPS: Using a 158gr. with 6.2gr. HP-38 produces 1192FPS: with 6.7gr. produces 1275. These velocities are based on using a barrel length of 5 inches in most cases and will be greater with a longer barrel.

Be safe