Favorite .357 Loads?

by Bob Hatfield , Wednesday, March 04, 2026, 16:00 (2 hours, 17 minutes ago) @ Slow Hand

Once upon a time I put on a shooting demonstration at the end of a muzzleloading match with my New Model Blackhawk using my favorite load of 14.5 grains of 2400 under a 158 XTP. I was shooting gongs at 100 yards offhand. Then moved to the 200-yard gongs and after a few shots I was hitting it several times out of a cylinder full. Then we moved to the 300-yard gong which was about 18 inches in diameter. I was lucky enough to have brown dirt to see the impacts so I could adjust accordingly and started hitting a shot or two out of the six with most of the others close enough to scare a person if I was shooting at them. All shooting was offhand.

Little did I know at the time there was a state policeman watching (off duty). He asked who I was and that he had never seen anyone shoot a revolver that good that far. I had good eyes still then. But that Blackhawk has always shot 14.5 grains of 2400 and that 158 XTP very well.