Looking for user data or confirmed loadings for 158gr jacketed / plated and Trailboss. Have pulled start data from hodgdon but curious what other guys have found their lever guns perform best with

I've used trailboss, win231 and win 296 for my henry x model, loading for 38 special and 357 magnum. My primary use is suppressed, a wolfman can on the end.

Save the trailboss for something else. For 38 special, win 231 is really good, if not a bit dirty. Seems to run a bit cleaner if you load a little warmer. And by warmer, I don't mean .3 grains away from max.

If you don't have a manual, and if you are only interested in 38 special, grab one of those 'one book, one caliber' books. Not as nice as a hardcover from Hornady, Lyman, or Speer, but contains the same data for the appropriate caliber. In a lot of cases, more data even if you have all three.

For 38 special, I've loaded 148gr and 158gr, wadcutter and semi wad cutter over both trailboss and win231.

Personally, I find that unless you're making butterfly fart loads for use without a can, the trailboss doesn't get you anything. Not that you can get it anymore anyway. It's not officially discontinued, but it might as well be. I hear the plant that was making it can't seem to get their recipe right anymore and they're focusing on other things.

Since it's a lever action, therefor no gas system, getting a good load shouldn't be hard. Of course that depends on what you're trying to achieve. If all you want is to smack steel or punch holes accurately, then win 231 or any other appropriate powder should give you the results you want.

I have tried, and thus far failed, to make a satisfactory 38 special hollow point load. Hornady 158gr XTP HP's claim (per the box) that the recommended velocity is 700 to 1200. In my experience, that box is a liar I didn't start getting good expansion until well into the 1300 range and wasn't satisfied with the mushroom until it was around 1500. That bullet, for me, makes an excellent 357 magnum hollow point, but sucks in 38 special. Mind you I haven't gotten around to play with that more. I suspect a lighter bullet would fair better, perhaps combined with a different powder that may give me more velocity without the pressure going nuclear.

By the way, if you haven't tried it yet, subsonic 38 special out of a suppressed lever action is "stoooopid" quiet. Like no joke. The bullet plowing into the dirt is louder than the gunshot.

You say 'host'. I assume you're referring to a suppressor host. If that's the case, keep the velocity at or below 1000. Sound barrier is ~1100-ish. That sonic crack is really loud, and completely defeats the purpose of the can. At least if the goal is to shoot without ears.

Unless you have Trail Boss in your powder stash already, look for something else as Trail Boss is not being produced at this time.  
ADI is reformulating it so they can produce it.

I tried some 158 grain 38s loaded with Titegroup out in my 357 Marlin and while quietish, the groups were the size of a basket ball.  The 357 Titegroup loads with the same bullet produced great groups. My  Marlin has never liked sub 1000FPS loads though.

Hey guys sorry for the fall off, life / kids in the way. I’ll try to nail a few responses in one go. I do have a rather large supply of trail boss left over. I ran a crude 5 shot ladder test with 158gr plated HP and TB. Yes I did mean suppressor host. Rifle is Henry Big Boy X with Osprey 45 as my go to can for this rifle so far. I do own all the hard cover manuals mentioned, I was just trying to burn up some of the trail boss hoard from my subsonic 6.5 creed and 308 days.

As I said it wasn’t anything too precise to just use as a steel beater and subsonic plinker. The “notable” loadings were:

Berrys 158gr plated HP - CCI 500 SP
3.8gr of TB produced a average of 752 fps with ES of 21fps
4.2gr ( published max load via hodgdon.com) averaged 793 fps with ES of 6 fps. The 4.2gr loading was noticeably more accurate. I also chronographed against factory ammo I had on deck which was standard 38 special.
Magtech 158gr FP averaged 811fps
Fiocchi 158gr RN averaged 1016fps ( which I found a little surprising)

I never got the XTP hype.   They’re accurate but I found them to be 50/50 on expanding or just plugging up and acting as a FMJ.  I tried .357 and .45 ACP.   Granted the .357 was a long long time ago and I was shooting waterlogged phone books.  

Perhaps I just have bad luck and poor methodology.

I got them because that's what I could get. Otherwise I'm not really a fanboy of any one particular bullet brand as of yet. At some point I intend to do some HP back to back tests on a per cartridge basis.

When shot into water jugs, and being pushed fast enough, they've expanded reliably. Of course, that may not translate to a real world target like a deer or 'yote.


Back on track.

OP, i think (just my opinion) you'd be better off selling the stuff and then buying a different powder. I've got almost a full bottle I'm considering selling off, myself.