First off, I am a Reloading Newbie trying to accumulate my Reloading stash in the midst of shortages everywhere. On backorder, I have
2K of BERRY'S CAST BULLETS 38CAL 158GR SWC (for both .357 mag/.38 spl)
1K of Federal Magnum Small Pistol Primers (for .357 mag)
1K of Federal Small Pistol Primers (for .38 spl)

In searching the wastelands of the internet to find Power, I found some that I could actually order ... and it's called Clays from Hodgdon.

In doing some research, I found out that this is one of the faster burn-rate powders on the market and therefore not forgiving to the reloading newcomer.

I have heard that for newbies, better to start with 231, No. 5 or Power Pistol.

I have also heard that some bullet/powder/caliber combinations work better than others. I've got the bullet (158GR SWC) and the caliber (.38 spl/.357 mag). What would be recommendations for mid/slow burning powder for a newbie?

I'm New(Ish) To Loading Handgun Ammo. 231 Has Been Very Good For Me With Hard Cast 125 Grain Bullets. I Would Recommend it. Sorry, Dont Have Any Experience With Clays. I've Loaded Tons Of 5.56 And 7Mm/08. As For Slower Powders, I Use 296 But With Jacketed Bullets, Works Great. I THINK 2400 Is Better Suited To What You're Looking For. Other Will Chime In.

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Still got the shovel

Hodgdon says you can go from 28 to 3.5 grains in .38 specials. Velocity from 812fps. to 911 fps. I have used several pounds of this powder. It is not position sensitive and give a lot of rounds per pound. You will not be loading the .357 with it. Don't be afraid to get started with that powder. You can pick up some Unique or Universal Clays later for the faster loads.

The Clays should be okay for both, but not my first choice depending on what length barrel your shooting it in. For my 357 w/6" bbl I prefer 2400. I load most 38 Spl with Bullseye. All my 38's are 2" to 4" bbl's. A lot of reloaders like Unique, but I personally don't like it. My Lyman 49 manual shows 2.6 to 2.9 gns of Clays for 158 gr SWC, but no listing for the 357. Generally, the shorter the barrel the faster burning the power. That's a very general approach. Just be sure to start low and work up with your loads. Hope this helps, but with the scarcity of powder these days, you can't be to fussy.

My favorite .38 Special powder is W231/HP-38.

There are plenty of good powders for loading the .38 Special but I'm not a fan of super fast powders like Clays. (not that they won't work well, it's just me) Bullseye is a classic .38 Special target powder and it's just as fast. W231 is an accurate and clean powder that's easy to meter.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

You may be able to find Trail Boss powder more easily than others. It's not "tacticool". Very nice for soft target loads because it fills up the case instead of disappearing like a light load in Win 231 (which works fine - just can't find any more).

I use 3.1 grains of Clays with 158 lead and 3.5 with 125 lead..all Missouri bullets. Works just fine and I happen to have 12 pounds leftovers from my shotgunning days.

I've been using Unique to load 158gr LSWC in 38 Special since 1973.

Works great in 38 and works just fine in most other pistol and revolver calibers.

There are so many good powders for 38 special I have not been able to settle on my own favorite.

231/HP38 are great, and I like Titegroup too. Clays has never really satisfied me enough in my own loads but others do seem to like it.

While Trail Boss is my favorite for 45LC, and the recoil is mild, I don't seem to get the accuracy out of the 38 loads that the other powders give me.

Keep good notes for yourself and after a few hundred thousand rounds you will notice some interesting findings.

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Dum vivimus Vivamas

Nothing wrong with Clays, it is a shotgun powder that can work in pistol loads. It might not meter as well as the small grains of Bullseye or w231 but it will still work with the lead target loads and is a pretty clean powder, which is nice.

Hope all you stuff arrives so you can start loading.......
Stay safe and tight groups.

Unique to load 158gr LSWC, I also have used Berry's and found that their 38/357 LSWC are undersized for a S&W barrel. They measure out at .355 DIA. Makes for lots of leading and shotgun accuracy.

Clays is too limiting for my taste. Dusting the bottom of a case ain't for me.

Unique fell out of favor with me sometime during the 20th century.

W231/HP38 ain't a bad choice. I've used a lot in the past.

Universal is my "go to" powder for everyday non magnum apps. Better load density and usually a bit wider range of velocities.

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GOA
USA Shooting Supporter

I would NOT RECOMMEND Unique for .38 Special. It is filthy! I have used it and it gives good accuracy but you look like you have been shooting black powder guns all day after using it. I am looking for some 231 to use with my .38 loads. Just gotta find it. Now Unique works good in my 9mm loads and light .41 Mag loads. I have been told Unique is good with +P .38 loads but not the light ones.

Of my 2 .357 handguns, I have a 6" barrel S&W Model 27-9. The other is a 8" barrel 1980 Colt Trooper MKIII. So many variables (barrel length, bullet weight, caliber, powder), methinks I will start out with light loads of .38 spl and work my way up. Then start light on .357 mag. Would like to get a general purpose powder that I can use for both and that I can find but if need be, I'll settle for getting powder for .38 spl and continue looking for .357 powder.

Thanks to all for your comments/suggestions! Keep 'em coming!!!

Clays and the 158 LSWC will work just fine in the 38 special. I shoot 2.9 grains behind either a cast 158 or the Remington or Magnus swaged 158 grain bullet with exceptional accuracy in every 38 / 357 that I have tried the load in. One added benefit is that I have not been able to detect any significant difference in this load when loaded over a Small Pistol Magnum primer instead of a Standard Small pistol primer. For +P 38 special loads I up the charge to 3.2 behind a Magnus swaged 158 LSWCHP. Please note however that all of these loads are in 38 Special cases. Since I have several thousand 38 special cases that is pretty much all I shoot to punch paper. I save my Magnum cases for real magnum loads and jacketed bullets.
Chip King
Maybe when I run out of Clays I will go back to my old standby 5.0 of Unique behind the 158.

Try some vv n320

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The American dream is alive

Just a few comments. Everyone has their favorite powders and loads. The best advice I can give you is to read the comments and then be sure to check a couple of reloading manuals to find your chosen powder/bullet combination. You probably do not need to use magnum pistol primers. The reloading tables will usually specify the type of primer you need for a particular powder. Look for information on the powder manufacturer's web site.

That being said, for .38 Special, I like either Bullseye or HP-38/W-231 with a small pistol primer. I like the 2400 with a small pistol primer for the .357 Magnum. The loads will vary with the weight and style of bullet.

Check the tables and start off with a load below the maximum listed and work up to what your pistol likes best.

For .38 special target loads I have used 2.8 grains of Bullseye behind a 158 grain SWC.

For the .357 my pet load is 13.5 grains of 2400 behind a 170 grain cast SWC with a small pistol primer.

+ 1 on universal but i have used hp 38 with nice success. asking about powder you will get so many different opinions form people. i guess the best powder would be what you can find at this point. enjoy your new hobby and be safe

Totally agree about being safe. From all the info from all of the forums, I have a 4lb jug of Winchester .231 on backorder. This appears to be used quite a bit on .38 spl loads but has a somewhat smaller application for .357 mag. I will (safely!!) get my feet wet on the starting loads as dictated by my newly bought Lyman's 49th edition and work up from there.

Thanks again for all of the assistance. Once the ammo/reload buying spree/hoarding is over, I'll start up with some of the other powder suggestions received from this thread.

I've used Trail Boss for several years and really like it. It's very low density (fluffy), so it's literally impossible to double-charge a case. It's also clean burning, so it's not a chore to clean your weapon when you are through using it. Just my $0.02.

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"Liberty or Death"

I went with 3.5 grs of Winchester WST and it is a great little load behind the 158gr LSWC. Very accurate out of my 10-6 and a pleasure to shoot.

W231 is also one of my favorite powders.

For a full power load I find 231 at the max in the Lyman manual, (listed as most accurate loading), is the most accurate load in my guns. Just over 900 fps, and not considered +P.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

My 2 Cents.

You have several choices:
231
AA #5
Unique
Power Pistol
Trail Boss

I do load a small amount of Clays in my pop gun loads for my airweight J Frame. I also use 2.5 under a speer shot capsule.

My most used powder would be Unique, dirty or not. 158/5.0
Why Unique??? It will work fairly well in almost any handgun case. A very good powder if you load several calibers, and want to stock up with one powder that will work in them all.

Accurate #5 is very good also. Cleaner than Unique, has a Flash Retarder. Accurate #5 is a very good 38 Special powder. Possibly the best. I use #5 to load my replica/practice 125 and 135 grain Speer Short Barrel loads.

Winchester 231 is a good powder for the 38 Special also.

Power Pistol will produce more velocity than most other 38 Special powders. It also has a loud, sharp report.

What do all of the above powders have in common?? They work in quantities around 5 grains. You will notice a double charge. Also if you like to check your case for powder before advancing it, you can normally see 5 grains in the case.
I am not a fan of 2 - 3 grains of powder in a 38 case either.

Bob

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ICORE MO2908

Silly me, when I started reloading 20+ years ago I only had reloading manuals to read, I didn't have all the geniuses on the internet to advise me.

So, I started using "too fast" powders such as Bullseye and Clays for my .38spl and .45ACP target loads. Guess what? Those powders work great in these calibers. Also, while the exposure is there, I've never double-charged a case with a light charge of fast-burning powder because I'm CAREFUL when I'm reloading, as we all should be!

Clays is a clean-burning powder and an excellent choice for target loads.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using medium-burning powders such as Unique, Universal, 231, etc. But don't think that you'll have any problems using a fast-burning powder in 38 spl. SWC reloads.

Good luck,
Lou

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NRA Certified Instructor & RSO

A 2.9gr load of Clays behind a 158gr LSWC in the .38 spl makes for a good standard velocity load that clocked at 754 fps from my Ruger BH w/ 4-5/8" barrel. The powder works and is relatively economical even though the bottle that I have is labeled at 14 OZ and not a full pound. Hodgdon and IMR has a tendency to sneak sub 1 lb amounts in the same size bottles and at the same price that are mostly a full pound of powder with other types so read the description. Throws off your per shot cost if you miss the difference in amount. It should also be fine for under 1K fps loads in the .357 mag.

You will find that hard cast will often give you leading at the forcing cone end of the barrel with .38 spl pressures so you may want to get some softer bullets to use for the .38 and light .357 mag loads. Hard cast are good for no leading in magnum loads driven at magnum pressures and velocity but lead badly with low pressure loads.

For medium to full power magnum loads you need a slower powder from Unique to 2400. I like AA9 for 1,200 fps + magnum cast loads and Unique for those 1,100 to 1,150 fps loads in the .357 mag.

Good choice. I've loaded 4 gr. of 231 in 38 spec. for years with good results. Low recoil and accurate. Fun to shoot

If you have Clays , no reason to not use it for .38spl.

My usuals for .38 are 231 and Unique, but there are more powders that work in .38 than can be counted.

For my recomendation for two powders for all revolers accross the board are 231 and 4227 . Both very forgiving and versatile.

I don't obsess over "clean" vs "dirty" .

I've used IMR 700X and PB since they were made by DuPont back in the early '70's.

There are a lot of powders that will work fine in 38 special. That said, for target velocity loads wit cast 158gr lead, Clays is my favorite. Clean, low recoil and shoots point of aim. What's not to like.

p.s. Since you are new, I'll caution that no one powder will reload every caliber to every power range. Clays especially is very fast burning so you should never exceed max loads in order to get more power. It is great for medium/target loads though.

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Dave