lilgun powder in 357 mag

[1$Chuck]

Any of you use lilgun for 357 mag rifle loads? Im finding a lot of contradicting opinions out there for this usage. Hodgdon does not have the load data on their website at this time, but apparently some manuals had data for it. Id like to use it with the hornady 140 ftx

 

[Six Shooter Steve]

No loads listed in the lyman manuals for lil gun. I personally use H4227 for my 357 rifle loads.

 

[snapping turtle]

High vel. low pressure, sounds like a great combo in the 357. I have used it in 44 mag and it does well. I have used it in the 222 and it has been great in some 22 hornet. Meters well easy to use.

I also know a few who lil gun is the go to powder for the 357. I am sure it is on the data sheets and loads from the maker.

 

[1$Chuck]

I also know a few who lil gun is the go to powder for the 357. I am sure it is on the data sheets and loads from the maker.

If it is, I can't locate it

 

[Colt]

Lil'Gun loads are listed for 357 under pistol loads on the Hodgdon website. I use those for rifle and they work great.

 

[1$Chuck]

Lil'Gun loads are listed for 357 under pistol loads on the Hodgdon website. I use those for rifle and they work great.

Thanks, I could have sworn that I checked that already but apparently I didn't. I see the data now. They start at 158gr and higher, so im not sure how well that will work for me with the 140gr ftx in the shortened case, but at least I've got some creditable data to start with.

 

[Encore460Mag]

I use 18.0g lilgun in my handi rifle in .357 mag with 158g xtp,chrono this load at 2000fps plus,dont use in my pistols just rifle,is the max load in hodgen reloading magazine.

 

[Broom_jm]

That's interesting...I would think Li'l Gun would be a nearly ideal powder in this combination, but there isn't any data listed for the 140gr FTX. I wonder if it was included in the FTX Load Notes that Hornady had online for a while?

 

[Skip]

I use it in my wife's Marlin 1894 CS loads. I hurls a 158gr XTP @ 2100fps using Brian Pearce's data from Rifle Magazine. It is a bit over the book load from Hodgdon but there are no pressure signs from my firearm. YMMV

This puts that load at the bottom end of 35Rem performance and ought to do just about any task that can be thought of here in Indiana.

Now, that being said, I do not use Lil' Gun in revolvers. There have been some serious reports of premature firearm failures when doing so. I AM NOT saying that they are true, I just don't want to find out if it is on any of my firearms!

 

[1$Chuck]

That's interesting...I would think Li'l Gun would be a nearly ideal powder in this combination, but there isn't any data listed for the 140gr FTX. I wonder if it was included in the FTX Load Notes that Hornady had online for a while?

I've got a copy of that data saved, and its not mentioned in there. I started looking at lilgun because none of the data that hornady shared was as fast as their factory produced leverevolution rounds.

 

[1$Chuck]

I shot some of my first reloads using Lilgun powder today. I started light at 16gr, but even at that charge my point of impact was back where it was with the factory Leverevolution rounds (my point of impact was lower using a max charge of AA#9), and has noticeably more oomph. I'm using my empty Hornady cases (so i didn't have to shorten any) so I didn't have a lot of rounds to play with, but I worked up to 16.8gr with no problems thus far. Time for more powder!

Other spec's Federal SMP Primer and shot from a Henry rifle

 

[Broom_jm]

1 Buck Chuck,

Any chance you know how fast the LE rounds were shootin' and you can compare that with what your Li'l Gun loads are coming out at? If the POI is back up, you might be in the sweet spot already?

 

[1$Chuck]

Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Ammunition :: Handgun :: Choose by Caliber :: 357 Mag :: 357 Mag 140 gr FTX® LEVERevolution®

Hornady claims 1850fps at the muzzle from an 18" rifle barrel. Yeah, you might be right, that charge would seam light compaired to the little bit of data that is out there, but you got to remember the case is shortened so? ???

Im going to do some more testing for sure. I need to ask Santa for a chronograph

 

[wolfman]

Now, that being said, I do not use Lil' Gun in revolvers. There have been some serious reports of premature firearm failures when doing so. I AM NOT saying that they are true, I just don't want to find out if it is on any of my firearms!

My SRH chambered in .480, has close to 1,000 rounds of 400gr LFP loaded over 20gr of Lil-gun through it with no problems.

 

[Skip]

Well, all I can say is the folks at Freedom Arms are warning against it. They build some really tough firearms in some huge calibers. That is all I know and that was enough for me not to use it in mine.

 

[randy68]

I use it in my Marlin 1894 and so far it works great. I have used 4227, h110 and Lilgun and right now LG is my go to powder. It meters better than 110 and at 17 gr with 158 jsp is very accurate. I did go up to 18 but it looked like i was getting pressure signs with the primer flowing around the firing pin so I backed off. It is also more accurate at 17 gr. I also shot some of these through my S&W 686 5" and at 25 yards with three shots all holes were touching. Never had a chance to use it in the field on game though.

 

[1$Chuck]

Last night, just for giggles, I pulled apart one of the factory Hornady Leverevolution rounds. They put 15.5gr of mystery powder in there for what that is worth. It looked a lot more like AA#9 than anything else I've got but its probably something proprietary.

 

[1$Chuck]

I shot some more reloads today, and tried out my new cronograph. Factory leverevolution rounds were 1560 to 1640 out of my Henry today. I started with. 16.8gr of lilgun and they were coming out around 1650 or so. I worked all the way up to 17.4 grains without a much change in velocity, and there was quit a bit of variation, they all were with 1640 to 1680. Then I got to 17.5, and velocity went up quit a bit. I only had 3 rounds loaded at that charge, but they measured 1780, 1784, and 1783. Ill have to try some more at that charge and check accuracy

 

[hammer24]

So, 17.4 was at 1,640 -1,680 and 17.5 jumped 100 fps? Any pressure signs?

 

[1$Chuck]

Yeah, I thought it was weird too. Full disclosure, that was my first time using a chrony. There's some flow around the fireing pin, but it had that at 16gr, and its not gotten any worse. For what its worth, the factory rounds have primer flow too.