Ferdinand
Single-Sixer
This isn't a comprehensive set of data for the SP101, but just info on a few loads, that I gathered in my quest for a manageable round for carry use - a balance of energy and felt recoil. I wanted more power than .38 Special, including +P loadings, could offer, but true full-power .357 rounds are hard to tolerate in any volume, in the 3-inch compact revolver.
First load was my old standby for .357 Mag. It's a 158gr JSP, over a charge of H110 that's a tenth of a grain under max. It shoots very well in my GP100, and 77/357, and I'd describe it as a classic loading for the cartridge. It averages 1725-1750 fps from my rifle. From the SP101, with its 3 inch barrel, this round averaged 1194 fps. I wouldn't describe myself as being feeble, or afraid of recoil. This round is comfortable to shoot in my six inch GP100, but becomes uncomfortable to shoot after just 5-10 rounds, in the SP101.
The second and third loads both used a 125 grain XTP, over two different charges of 231. The Hodgdon website shows a range of 7.3 to 8.5 grains for this combination, in .357 Mag. With the lightest charge, the 125 XTPs averaged 1116 fps, very consistently. This yields energy of 346 ft/lbs.
The third and final load tested included 8 grains of 231 under the 125 XTP. This is well below the max, as I knew based on the H110 full-power load, that I didn't want the cartridge's full capability for pressure and recoil. This load averaged 1308 fps, for 473 ft/lbs of energy. The recoil wasn't bad, even shooting one-handed, strong or weak side. Accuracy was good, and I plan to do some additional work to evaluate that. This is a round that I can tolerate shooting enough to effectively train with.
Anyway – just a bit of information and observations for anyone with a similar revolver, and urge to have more power than .38 Special, but less than full-power .357 Mag. Perhaps I'll call the final round tested "the .357 –P."
First load was my old standby for .357 Mag. It's a 158gr JSP, over a charge of H110 that's a tenth of a grain under max. It shoots very well in my GP100, and 77/357, and I'd describe it as a classic loading for the cartridge. It averages 1725-1750 fps from my rifle. From the SP101, with its 3 inch barrel, this round averaged 1194 fps. I wouldn't describe myself as being feeble, or afraid of recoil. This round is comfortable to shoot in my six inch GP100, but becomes uncomfortable to shoot after just 5-10 rounds, in the SP101.
The second and third loads both used a 125 grain XTP, over two different charges of 231. The Hodgdon website shows a range of 7.3 to 8.5 grains for this combination, in .357 Mag. With the lightest charge, the 125 XTPs averaged 1116 fps, very consistently. This yields energy of 346 ft/lbs.
The third and final load tested included 8 grains of 231 under the 125 XTP. This is well below the max, as I knew based on the H110 full-power load, that I didn't want the cartridge's full capability for pressure and recoil. This load averaged 1308 fps, for 473 ft/lbs of energy. The recoil wasn't bad, even shooting one-handed, strong or weak side. Accuracy was good, and I plan to do some additional work to evaluate that. This is a round that I can tolerate shooting enough to effectively train with.
Anyway – just a bit of information and observations for anyone with a similar revolver, and urge to have more power than .38 Special, but less than full-power .357 Mag. Perhaps I'll call the final round tested "the .357 –P."