What powders for reloading 38 special (not +p) with 125gr Hornady's in my 642?

Universal Clays, the shotshell powder, works really well for me. It is available at any large Trap/Skeet Range. Burns clean and meters very accurately. IMHO, it is a great straight wall, short barrel pistol powder. ............... Big Cholla

Almost any fast or medium powder will work well in 38 special. Bullseye and Unique are the classic choices, but if you don't have these now good luck finding them.

Looking at the Hodgdon website, they list load data for 125gr XTPs in all of the following powders:

SR4756
HS-6
CFE Pistol
Autocomp
Universal
231/HP38
SR7625
PB
Titegroup
700X
Clays

Among the above, CFE Pistol reports the highest velocities. It also is probably the most available of the above in my experience. I've seen Titegroup, 700X, PB, AutoComp, and CFE Pistol in the past month.

I'm away from my loading manuals at the moment so can't list other powders from the books. Offhand, Vihtavouhri N310 or N320 would also work well, as would Red Dot and probably Green Dot.

That should at least give you a starting point. These days, powder choice is probably more about what you can find than necessarily finding the best powder for the job.

Depends on your barrel length......

I can get away with a lot slower loads in my 1 7/8" snub nose than I can with my 6" barrel, to prevent a "Squib".

You will also notice that your weapon may do better at a certain low and high velocity, through out your testing.

With the Jacketed 125 I would select a medium powder if you are just starting out and see what 900 to 945 fps in a 6" will do or if you have a snub nose this will drop to around 860 fps.....since you stated medium loads.

Good luck getting some powder.

Anything your reloading manuals list, the powder companies' manuals list, or even anything you find online again from the powder company.

It depends upon what kind of velocities you're looking for. You can find an accurate load with most powders suitable for the .38 Special so it all comes down to what you want to do.

I like W231/HP-38 for most handgun loading but I also have other powders I like too. I load HS-6 in the .38 Special when I'm looking for higher velocities and especially for +P pressures. You can also use Universal, AutoComp, CFE Pistol and SR 4756.

My 2 main powders for the .38 Special are W231 and HS-6... I reserve Longshot for +P pressures only.

__________________
Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

The ones you can find in stock that are compatible :-)
I love trail boss

I load the 125 grain plated bullets for 38 special using Vihtavouri 3N37 and it produces extremely accurate loads. However it is a somewhat slow burner so I'm getting nearly 1000 fps out of my 4 inch 620 and over 1000 fps out of my 4 inch model 67. It is also a bit "flashy" but not enough to be called extreme.

For 125 grain Hornady XTP's in 357 Magnum I use Accurate #5 and I am so impressed with the performance of the Accurate #5 and #9 I've used for 357 Magnum loads that if I ever spot some Accurate #2 for sale I plan on picking some up to try in 38 special. As a relatively "fast" powder I would expect #2 to be a good choice for relatively low flash loads at velocities in the 750-800 fps range, making it a good choice for a reduced recoil training load.

Finally, I've tested IMR SR7625 in the 38 special and have to WARN anyone reading this that SR7625 is extremely position sensitive in the 38 special. It's so bad that Hornady never should have published data for this combination. The velocity swing between powder at the bullet versus powder at the primer was 300 fps and the lower velocity shots only produced 400 fps.

Finally, the traditional fallback for almost any handgun load, good old Unique does work well in 38 special. The only issues with Unique are that it can be flashy in higher energy loads, it burns dirty in low pressure calibers, and it meters miserably in most powder measures. However, good old Flaming Dirt is probably the most versatile powder that's ever been made so I keep some on hand just in case I run out of one of my preferred powders.

Unique is fine for the 38 Special. Check with the makers for loading info on non +P.

re: " good old Flaming Dirt is probably the most versatile powder that's ever been made so I keep some on hand just in case I run out of one of my preferred powders."

HAR!!! yes, although I ~don't~ care for Unique, I do keep some on hand.....primarily because I forgot I didn't care for it & somehow bought a 4# jug by mistake. At the rate I use it, that's virtually a lifetime supply.

besides "The only issues with Unique are that it can be flashy in higher energy loads, it burns dirty in low pressure calibers, and it meters miserably in most powder measures" it smells funny to me as well.

__________________
Dum vivimus Vivamas

Unique smells like a powder should smell

Probably the only powder I've ever found to have a really objectionable smell is Trailboss. When I shoot it very much at the indoor range, I get an almost overpowering smell of ammonia(I think that surplus Russian ammo smells the same way).

Hornady Handbook 8th Edition, 125 gr. XTP, 38 special, list powders as:
700-X
Bullseye
Clays Univ.
Win 231
Unique
Power Pistol
800-X
Viht. 3N37
Accurate No. 5
HS-6
The question is, what powder can you get ?
So many that are suitable, so few available!
Good luck and load safe.
Gary

IMR 4227 will work if you just want non +p loads, but....
it is not the best powder per loads per pound of powder.

Bullseye to HS-6 will work............just a matter of finding powder.