My favorite 38spl load for many years was 5.0 grs of Unique w/158gr cast bullet . It was what Skeeter Skelton called a " good working mans load " . If I wanted a bit more power , 5.4grs / Unique did the trick . Before Unique I used Bullseye , even in 357 as it was the only powder I had / could afford at the time . I didn't get magnum performance but the accuracy was great and a bit more power too .