.38 spl loads.

[Rifletom]

Well, we all seem to like shooting .357, .41 mag, .44spl &.44 mag, .45 Colt etc. You get the idea. So, out wanting to do something today, I'd like to discuss the old .38 spl loads. I'll start with what I load and what they're shot out of. First up:
The Ruger Blackhawk with 6.5" barrel( circa about '74-'75.) My one load for that BH is a 158gr swc, 5.0gr Unique, I know; considered a +P load nowadays, but the Ruger handles it nicely. CCI spp, mixed cases. OAL is 1.450".
Pretty much the same load for the Henry .357 rifle. Except, Sometimes I use the Missouri coated 158 rnfp. Everything else being the same. Performance has been very good, in both revolver and rifle. .357 loads, as we know, are a whole different matter.
So, let me know; what do you shooters/ handloaders do for .38 spl loads? Thanks folks for reading. Been a looong week.

[runnin n gunnin]

Hey RT, I also load 38 spl. and one of the revolvers I use is a 3 screw blackhawk with a 7.5 inch barrel circa 1971. I am an old wheel gun guy. I carried a 1911 for 37 years, but true to heart I am a wheel gun guy. To me, different skill sets, more precision. I was trained to count each round when sending it down range to track what I had left. Being fast and putting a lot of rounds down range was not important, being accurate and getting the round on target was.

So having said all than nostalgia, 158 grain is my favorite 38 round. I get consistent performance with the Hornady XTP which is my favorite round for the 38, although I also load 110 gr as well. I drop 4.5 grains of Bullseye for the 158s.

[JEBar]

I'm in the process of trying to come up with an ultralight 38 special load for my wife's S&W J-frame .... for her, arthritis in her hands requires a round with minimal recoil .... my hope is to prefect the load this summer while in South Dakota .... it will be built using around 3 gr of Unique or Bullseye pushing a 110 gr Zero Turn JHP

[Rifletom]

Jim, that 3.0gr Unique may be light. Bullseye looks good tho. I'll look around for you and your wife. We'll make this as comfortable as possible. That, is a nice revolver. Take care.

[runnin n gunnin]

Hey JBar - I agree with RR, I load the 110 grn for my daughter in law who is small ind grip and stature and loves to shoot. I run Bullseye for her on the light loads and it works well for her.

[JEBar]

this J-frame is her concealed carry .... about all I'm interested in is for the bullet to get out of the barrel and out to 10 yards be able to hit hard enough to discourage most any critter

[runnin n gunnin]

woodpeckers or peckerwoods, should work for both.

[JEBar]

I load the 110 grn for my daughter in law who is small ind grip and stature and loves to shoot. I run Bullseye for her on the light loads and it works well for her.

I've experimented a bit with both but haven't been able to spend the time necessary to come up with a set load .... I have experimented with using both standard and magnum primers .... didn't find any difference in performance

[clovishound]

The Pup's and my favorite is a coated 148 wadcutter over 2.2 grains of Trail Boss. It is very accurate, and ridiculously low recoil out of the 4" Model 10. The first time the Pup shot one, she had me check the barrel to make sure the bullet hadn't stuck in the barrel. Should be in the mid 600s fps. Haven't chronographed it yet. I've loaded many thousands of them.

[JEBar]

info appreciated .... I've never tried loading any Trail Boss powder .... does it meter smoothly

[CT_Shooter]

For a long while, ZERO's JSP/JHP machine was off-line, so the only 38 caliber bullets I could get from them were 130 grain FMJs. I only use them in my .38 special revolver at the range. I use standard primers and either 5 grains of HP-38 or 4.7 grains of Unique.

[fortyshooter]

I recently loaded some .38 Specials for my Cimarron "Evil Roy" six shooter using the MB 158 gr. RNFP bullet with 5.5 gr. of Power Pistol.
You can get a bit more speed out of it within same pressure levels as Unique. Seem to shoot well out of the revolver and will get more range test done
using my .357 Henry BB too.
For light shooting loads in revolvers Red Dot works well too.

[Rifletom]

Jim, what other powders do you have for handgun use? In my #50 Lyman book, I've found some powder/loads that look promising. Enjoy the day.

[BigAl52]

Ive always used about 4.5 grains of 231. I have some of those factory Hornady 110 gr FTX loads for my carry ammo. There not that bad to shoot really. I have a Ruger LCRX that I carry in my cycling shirt when Im out on the trail.

[JEBar]

Jim, what other powders do you have for handgun use? In my #50 Lyman book, I've found some powder/loads that look promising. Enjoy the day.

historically we have loaded mostly 357's with a comparatively small number of 38's along the way .... for 357, we us W296 or H110 .... for 38's W231 .... I did a good bit of reading/research a short time ago when I started working on a low power 38 load .... several powders would most certainly work but I went with Unique and Bullseye, largely because Cabela's had them in stock .... using 3 or tad bit more grains per bullet, a pound of powder will turn out a bunch of them ..

[clovishound]

info appreciated .... I've never tried loading any Trail Boss powder .... does it meter smoothly

In my Lee Auto Drum it meters very well, It is a low density powder. That means that the same difference in volume for a denser powder will result in a smaller weight difference in Trail Boss. It has fairly large "flakes". These "flakes" look more like small, flattened Cheerios.

That's Trail Boss on the left and Bullseye on the right.

[JEBar]

fascinating .... picture appreciated

[dancote]

Anyone compare the ACME bullets with MBC and have noticed any difference? I am thinking about trying an order from ACME since they are close to me as I am in the U.P. Michigan. I'd like to get a good light target load and have Titegroup on hand. I have shot 158 gr in the past but always copper jacket xtp or speer. I like the idea of saving some cash with a coated lead bullet! I also have a 45-70 to feed and a couple 10mm at this point, so....

Thanks!

[clovishound]

My go to coated bullet is now Brazos Bullet Company. They make an excellent 148 grain wadcutter. Put those on top of Trailboss and you will have a very accurate, extremely soft shooting load. The Pup and I love them. They should work well with other powders, just not quite as soft shooting. The first WC/Trailboss combo the Pup shot out of our 4" model 10 had her checking the barrel to make sure it wasn't a squib. Even I was surprised at the slight recoil, and I knew they were going to be soft.

[Travlin]

I have been casting my own .38 wadcutters for quite a while. The standard bullseye target load for those was using Bullseye powder.