Despite being well over one hundred years old, it still has perfect relevance for todays shooters, both novice and advanced. Is it considered safe to down load a cartridge that far under starting? 38 special was also my first cartridge to reload, and one of my greatest loves for reloading to this day. Left to right:148 gr. 38 Special 17,000 I always used mixed brass because it was all I had. Then duplicate with reloads for practice. I completely understand the respect for the performance of the 327 Fed, but not being a big fan of the 357 Mag (or 38 SPL plus P for that matter) I havent been drawn to the 327. Between that, some other info on other forums, Winchester's data for a lead flat point, and numbers from loaddata.com, I think I have some to start with. If you havent taken a look at what the .38 Special offers, youre selling yourself short. Haven't tried it in the Colt Officer's Model Match yet. Posted March 2, 2013. Good point Len. ammunition in the same gun enables that shooter to hunt larger game and to fend off beasts that snarl. Interesting. Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue. Most modern revolvers chambered for .38 SPL are rated to +P, so there is room for error, but care must still be taken. One cool load Im working on is two pellets of 000 Buck. Fast burning and consistent Economical and accurate Principal Purpose: Handgun loads Remarks: America's best known pistol powder. I fired 3 Remington 125 SJHP 357s from a 340 and thought i had nerve damage in my hand. I never enjoyed touching off a 357 Mag in a K frame, and I cannot imagine the discomfort of firing it in anything smaller or lighter. Don't know of any bullets like that. I am aware of the plated bullet limitations on BE accuracy and am more interested in them for their "plinkability". I use 3 gr. Nice thing about reloading is that loads can be tailored for the gun that you are shooting. If she had shot more, I would have probably bought another set of dies, to prevent the need for changing adjustments between the two. For me, the 32 H&R Mag is my 357 Mag, and the 32 S&W Long is my 38 SPL. (Note H110 & W296 are the same as of 2008 as is HP-38 & W231), (IMR 4227 is same as H-4227 if made in Australia), * Blackhorn 209 is a black powder substitute with smokeless like qualities. DISTINGUISHED LOADS SUCK - Distinguished Revolver loads that don't suck? 41 Rem Mag 35,000 Clear editor. IT'S A COMBINATION TAPER AND ROLL CRIMP. VihtaVuori Oy Company, reloading booklet (1995) Numerous magazine articles on reloading special calibers and personal loads where noted. During my first half century on this planet, my caliber of choice for defense was 45 ACP- but for everything else it was always 38 SPL. Generally, I'm looking for a load that produces accuracy from approx. Shot many thousands of my bullseye powder reloads with it. The least is usually supplied as a large cylindrical billet weighing several hundred pounds. I burned up about 300 of them before giving up. You can post now and register later. Dont know where #1 Buckshot can be found, but the Speer shot cups and UNIQUE powder currently easy enough to find. Bullet seating depth is very forgiving. This pistol uses the .38 Special with a Remington wadcutter bullet seated flush with the case mouth. This Cast Reloading Bullet feeds great in automatics and has excellent accuracy in both the 9mm and 38 Super. That's usually +P power level in .38 Special. The fast powders, W231, HP38, Bullseye would go over pressure very quickly with any slight changes, in seating depth or primer change. 594/600 at the real distances of 24 rnds at 50 yds, 24 rnds at 25 yes, and 12 rnds at 7.5 yds. I bet you can find some nice shooting loads with Bullseye. Ive been reloading and shooting for over 40 years and love revolvers but 90% of the time my carry gun is a Sig 365 with a 12 round mag and a spare. Everyone here who has tried plated bullets including myself, have had disappointing results in accuracy. JHP, 158 gr. Like almost all pistol cartridges called ".38" the .38 Special actually takes .357" diameter bullets. As you move up in loads, you at least need the gas check on the bottom of the bullet to prevent gas melting the lead and fouling the barrel. Does anyone have any luck with Jacked Bullets. So it is my gut feeling that Winchester found it to be touchy in smaller calibers like 38 special and 9mm Luger. It is less of an issue on a progressive press, but still requires attention. I checked out Alliant's website-no data for flat point with the powders I have, but data for Gold Dot HPs for Bullseye and Unique. We look at three classics: one each in .45 ACP, .38 Special, and 9mm. That's usually +P power level in .38 Special. You are spot on about Trail Boss, that stuff is magical with cast reloads. When you could leave city limits and just about every dirt mound in sight, was a plinking range. 3.7gr WST with Zero 158 SWC did the job for me. This gun now wears factory synthetic grips which are decent but could use more girth behind the trigger guard. In half a dozen different sixguns, it ranged from accurate to spectacular. Ethan Johns is a military professional with worldwide experience in specialized units. (For those who would. In my area, Bullseye is one of the first powders to disappear from shelves, lasting about a heartbeat longer than an econo bulk box of .22 Long Rifle ammunition. There is one good reason to use WST. The big medicine was delivered by a 1911, but S&W K frames (favorites were Models 12 & 64) took care of everything else. I was looking through the Lyman 49th edition reloading manual and see the bullets you are talking about. Don't worry too much about lead/coated/plated/jacketed. Nothing, they dont need any. If you, I took the vow not to buy any more AR-15s a couple of years ago. I dont mind it at all, though others do and look to similar performing powders that address these things. 110gr JHP! Only if you see more than one load, is it less than maximum. Powered by Invision Community, 125 grain plated flat point in 38 Special. I still think highly of the LCR but would shoot only 148 grain wadcutters in .38 Special or .32 H&R Magnums in the .327 Magnum model. 32 H&R Mag 21,000 He has taught and been responsible for numerous advanced skills and weapons courses within multiple organizations. That little 9 oz. Dennis, I dont reload and Im only 72, but shooting the .38Spl in my 6 S&W 586 is a sublime experience. I would say I completely disagree with you on ever even contemplating using a revolver for self defense unless you are a person that has never owned a gun and not likely ever to practice with it. 125 gr plated or 125 gr lead RN. I dont bother polishing my .38 brass because I just dont let it fall in the mud or dirt. But I think I was still loading the cases from that first box when I quit loading 18 years later! I recently bought trail boss and it runs fine out of my 14-3. When I teach other people the basics of reloading, I teach them on the .38 SPL. By I am using this load in some .38 specials. They all shot horrible at 25 yards. Magnum 44 S&W Special 45 Colt 45 Auto 45 G.A.P 9mm Luger 9x18mm Makarov 32 S&W Long (Cowboy Action) 32-20 Win. If there is only ONE load, it is MAX. If I do carry a revolver its my 642 with a laser grip in my right front pocket or my SW model 69 5 shot 44 mag. Its just two lubed balls on top of each other with the top ball roll crimped just past the hemisphere. It has been many years since I used a Lee Loader and a wooden mallet to reload 8mm Mauser. Did you cross post the bullet weight? Rules say (e) Ammunition- Any safe .38 caliber ammunition using the 158 grain round nose or Semi-Wadcutter bullet only. Great to get the Mrs out there! Would you like to react to this message? 1.) Id pay at least a dollar to see it. And for 99% of the actual real world needs of a citizen for self defense it will work just fine. I load these bullets to the edge of the shoulder and use anywhere from 3-4 grains of TB. No. I have 100% confidence in my ability to shoot quickly, accurately, and comfortably with the 32, and I also have confidence that, if needed, my 32 H&R loads from Buffalo Bore and DoubleTap are quite capable of doing the job they are asked to do. Good shootin! Shoots well in my K-38, 686, and a friend's K-38 at 50 yards in the Ransom rest. Any hotter and we get into a recoil issue. I think the 158 lrn is more accurate then the swc but that's just me. 10,870. Recoil in that gun is less than most 45 ACP 1911s I have shot, and its still got around 500-600ft lbs of energy which is more than enough for feral hogs around the ranch back home. I found the plated wadcutters to have NO accuracy. I found it to be a nice blend of accuracy, soft recoil, and sure functioning, with enough spice behind it to reliably topple steel targets. The Bullseye powder pushed five into two inches flat for another 1911 that is typically a four-inch gun. Battis, if you go to the very bottom of this page you will see Castpics. Bullseye is one of the oldest smokeless pistol powders and still one of the most popular. These are put into a large hydraulic press and extruded into a continuous coil of wire. I stopped handloading around 1985, so Im not certain how much technology has changed in that area, but in general it sounds like our experiences are similar. I have some W231 that I use for my .38 super. If youre recoil averse (and dont have a disability of some kind), its because you havent shot it enough. less to start.) Try. Any pistol competitions yet? ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. After making a healthy pile of brass with this load, I am unlikely to ever be without a few boxes of it on standby. So if you find a "lead" load it is also a plated load. For best accuracy in slow fire shooting, you may want to raise gun before every shot. Jacketed bullets create a bit more wear on the rifling, but its better than trying to wire brush out a bunch of lead build up. He loves this gun and keeps it in reach 24/7. The proof pressure MAP specified by SAAMI is 29,500 psi for both rounds. Never ransom rested it, but held 10 ring off sandbags. Were all familiar with the old adage, Never bring a knife to a gunfight. And while we should, The active shooter is a relatively new phenomenon in the grand scheme of things. The load is a great learning tool in .45 for beginner and experienced alike. I shoot almost exclusively cast lead from my handguns. Eventually somebody introduced me to tungsten carbide resizing dies, after which case life became near indefinite. I dont miss lubing casescarbide is king! It'll look funky, but it will shoot. Just got back into reloading 38 special again after a long hiatus with no revolver, and was instantly reminded of what a joy it is to reload. If you can follow simple instructions, you can safely load this cartridge. Best and most realistic article about the .38 special ive found. How does WST compare to Bullseye powder? They are true classics, and I hope you get as much use out of them! But I would only be caught dead with one in my hands if I had to use one for self defense (pun intended). I like the smell of Bullseye, dont mind wiping the handguns down after a range day, and the dark soot that accumulates on my support hand when shooting wheelguns in particular just reminds me to wash up. In a day you can make over 100,000 bullets. Ask your Dealer, or call Hodgdon), has a Cowboy Load section, (near the center fold), that lists data for about all SASS calibers. Different colors can be used to identify different loads and since bottom of each bullet is also powder coated, there is less lead dispersed in the air at the shooting range. 44 Rem Mag 36,000. June 13, 2016 in 9mm/38 Caliber. I have tested lots and lots of different bullet and found them all to be great. Going up to 3.9 Gr for +P. The Speers do occasionally and the Magnus a little more. 38 special is a great cartridge. I can not be held responsible for. Interestingly, I had pistols that would shoot one well and the other impressively, but have not yet had one pistol do magic with both. Bonus is that dont need magnum Primers for these reloads. Rated 5.00 out of 5 based on 9 customer ratings. Normal 38 spell loads for as long as I can remember were never loaded less than 800FPS and I have loaded for revolvers and autos such as my S&W mod 52 that only shoots flush wadcutters. Recoil is the good kind that reminds the shooter handguns are serious tools but without eliciting a flinch. Re: 38 special loads by GrumpyOldMan 11/10/2013, 4:23 pm IIRC, the NRA Action Pistol power floor is a "factor" of 125, which requires a full 1,000 fps for 125-gr bullets. My Reloading Manual for .38 Special has plenty of data for 125 gr JHP, and 125 gr JFP for Scot Powders/Vhitavuori, but nothing for Unique/W231/Bullseye. There have been guns Ive bought for the caliber, but the .38 wasnt one of those. Ideal load in a 2 J Frame .38. Honestly, plated bullets won't give you the level of accuracy needed for bullseye competition, even at 25 yards. Load it using wadcutter specs, and seat the bullet flush, like a wadcutter.