Hi guys, I am an old bench rest shooter and have gotten into pistols. Where can I find out how to go about working up a load like I did in rifles. I know they are different but can't seem to find any reading on this. It's not a secret is it. I got a Colt 38sp and just got a S&W 40 auto and looking to loading these with cast bullets. Thanks in advance.

Handgun loads are not as hard to develop as rifle loads. There are less variables and much smaller charge weights to play with.

It's easy, start at the low end and work up just like with rifles. The accurate load will quickly show itself. With revolver ammo you ignore the OAL in the load data and roll crimp into the manufacturers supplied crimp groove. With semi-autos I usually load to the longest OAL within specs that will reliably feed and fit in the magazine. That is just my way with semi-auto ammo. A taper crimp us used there.

I like W231 for the .38 Special and either Longshot or AA#7 for the 40 S&W. With cast bullets in the 40 S&W W231/HP-38 will work fine in both.

__________________
Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

I agree with the above for the most part, but there are some variables that come into play with handguns that are not present in most rifles.

Some semi-auto pistols can be picky about the recoil generated by the load, the bullet profile and the OAL length of the round as all three can have a significant effect on feeding.

Some rounds are also more prone to problems with set back when being chambered, and similarly, some revolver loads can have the OAL grow under recoil to the point it can jam a revolver. Neck tension and crimp consequently become much more important for feeding and reliability.

Neck tension and crimp also have effects on accuracy and consistency, particularly, with slower burning pistol powders - some of which require a fairly firm crimp for reliable, consistent ignition.

On the plus side, case capacity is generally a non issue so sorting cases isn't usually needed (with a few possible exceptions like the .32 ACP/7.65 Browning where bullet diameters and brass thicknesses vary enough to cause problems or require post sizing in some firearms). Straight wall cases also don't grown much so trimming is also rarely required.

Other than that however, it's all pretty simple compared to precision rifle reloading and the same basic principles apply.

If you already reload for benchrest, then reloading for handguns should be easy. The main difference you may notice is that reloading 20 - 50 rounds won't last very long at the range in your handguns.

A good place to start is the Hornady Reloading Manual. I believe they just released or are about to release the 50th edition. It gives a good starting point for each caliber, minimum and maximum loads, several different bullet profiles (lead and jacketed) and powders.

Everyone has their own special pet loads which have been developed over the years. I happened to start with Bullseye powder (now sold by Alliant), CCI primers and primarily jacketed bullets. Most of the people now seem to prefer Federal primers because they are "softer" and therefore, have a more reliable ignition. I also use HP-38 / W231 (same thing, different distributer) and TightGroup (some people criticize the fact that it doesn't fill up the case and therefore is more prone to double-charges). Can't go wrong with Bullseye, especially as a starting powder for punching paper. If you are looking for warmer loads, Unique is a good starting point. If you do not already have one, get a good adjustable powder measure because you do not need to or want to individually weigh each handgun load with a powder trickler.

You might want to check out buying the projectiles online because it is generally less expensive. Missouri Bullet Company, Extreme Bullets and Bayou Bullets are competitive. I also like Berrys Bullets, but they are a little more expensive.

Some say to start in the middle of the recommended load range or perhaps 5% lower then middle and work your way up by 0.1 - 0.2 grs at a time. There are reasons not to start at the minimum range with some types of projectiles and you certainly don't want to start at the maximum load. The major powder manufacturers each have websites which give some parameters. Some say to load plated bullets like lead and others say you can load them like jacketed. You might want to check the load ranges for both and pick one that falls within acceptable loads for both, at least as a starting point.

Some on this forum and others have said that they do not exercise the same detailed case preparation which bench shooters probably employ (i.e.: don't clean primer pockets, measure or weigh cases, seldom trim, deburr or chamfer case mouths and some may not tumble). I don't know if it makes that much difference, but these extra steps are up to you.

If you already have brass, then use it. There have been several recent posts concerning the use of small pistol primers in factory ammo which previously came with large pistol primers. Just know that most .38s come with small pistol primers. I don't know about .40s. The .45s that I have all use large pistol primers, but recently, some .45 factory ammo comes with small pistol primers.

If you have a single stage press, which I presume for your benchshooting, you can anticipate comfortably loading 50 handgun rounds in 45 - 75 minutes, not counting the "extra steps" listed above. If you have a progressive or turrent, you can crank them out much faster. Good luck and hope this was helpful.

You already know how to do this. It works the same as when you were working up loads for your triple duce, or whatever.

1. Pick your caliber
2. Look it up in one or more good reloading manuals/talk to you shooting friends that reload that caliber. See what they like to shoot. Compare their favorite load to what the books recommend
3. Pick a load-- based on what bullet/powder you want to shoot/can find in your area.

38 spl is one of the calibers that have been loaded for over a hundred years. You could, literally, fill a box car with loading data for that caliber.
40 s&w will be a little more limited but there is plenty of info available.

After you have picked your load, load up, say 18 or 24 rounds (assuming your Colt is a 6 shot). Head to the range and bench shoot the load at your preferred distance. If you like your results, you are good to go. If not make a load adjustment and repeat as necessary.

When loading for an auto pistol there are a few more considerations. Crimp, bullet seating depth. A good manual will cover those things as well.


You will get all the load recommendations you can handle from the web, just make sure you check them with a good manual as a backup before you get carried away. Also, just like your BR loads, keep good records so that when you change something (bullet, powder) you don't have to reinvent the wheel every time.

Several of the other guys beat me to the enter button/ I don' think that I added any thing to what they said but I will send it on anyway. Good luck!

HTH

They really aren't different, but many of the steps we go through for benchrest precision are unnecessary or wasted in pistols.

- Case prep: Most straight-wall calibers don't grow when resized. Cases are belled during reloading if necessary to accept a bullet and the bell is removed at the crimping stage.

- COL: Published COLs are merely tested lengths using the publisher's firearm; but YOUR pistol decides what COL is required to feed your chosen bullets. So use (eg 3) dummy rounds and manually test feeding before making test groups.

- Pressure: Harder to read in pistol, so most use recoil, ejection distance/direction, or a chronograph as surrogates. Factory ammo fired as a test group also can provide a performance baseline.

- Hand-weighing Powder: Despite much smaller charge weight ranges, does anyone actually hand-weigh pistol powder on an ongoing basis lol? HOWEVER, I do recommend it for load development only.

Other than that, I personally think it's the same as (gas) rifle. I personally make 5 round test groups plus a 5-round baseline group (factory or previous batch of handloads).

These are fired from a rest, minimum 10 yards (longer if you typically shoot longer), Groups are evaluated for feeding, cycling, recoil, ejection distance, (velocity), and accuracy.

The group that best meets my goals becomes the standard load for that batch of powder.

There is lots of data out there for all the powders used for the 38 special.

For the "Starting loader" on the 38 special I would try the 148gr lead and the standard 158gr LRN or the SWC design for your first attempts in loading, with target load fps.

148's should be flush or "almost" with the end of the case.........
158's should have a "Cannelure" on the bullet for its OAL.
If not........the maximum for the LRN is 1.55" down to the swc of 1.48" +/-.

1,000 wsp or fed100 or cci500 will work and will last a long time. You can buy a 100 pack of each but you are now adding more variables into your learning that may bog your brain down.
The standard primers are so close to one another it causes no problems when reloading...... just use them and don't worry.

Fast powders burn cleaner than the slower powder in the low fps loadings for plinking and target work but the medium slow can get you up to around 900 fps if needed.

My 6" likes 710-740 with the little 148gr bullet and around 755 with the 158gr lead bullet.
If you have a J frame snub nose..........
the 148gr at 580-694fps is a standard loading but 775fps is possible.
the 158gr lead in the 2" can start out at 527fps up to 648 for a Federal factory loading and can reach 851fps in a all steel frame for a top +P loading......... (Hvy recoil )

the 40........ (don't own one)
However the OAL of the bullet is one of the main things that keeps pistol pressures in check.
It can also have an effect on your accuracy in your pistols.

There are maximum and the minimum OAL length for the 40mm.
Every pistol owner has to find our which will work in his weapons.
Good loading.

The .38 special is one of the easiest and most forgiving rounds to reload for.

Other than that, what's already been said.

It can be a search to find the most accurate load for your pistols, but that's the fun in working up.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

It's real hard to get away from the bench rest loading. I waste a lot of time on pistols. Not a problem, I have a lot of time to waste. Got plenty loaded and seated long with no crimp and will start testing them as soon as it dries up around here. The last few years have been the worst drought I have ever seen sense we moved out here in the sticks. Hard to find a pond or well that hasn't gone dry. Now it's hard to find a dry spot. It will take years for the ponds to restock themselves. They are all flushed out now and it is a good time to stock one if you got it.

Don't over work pistol reloading. You don't need to worry about rate of twist, chamber measurements, head space, etc. Do as others have mentioned, use a good reloading manual, pick the bullets of choice, select a couple powders (231 is proves accurate across many calibers), and I did a side by side comparison with primers, loading Win, CCI, Rem,& Fed. Ran identical loads across the chronograph and shot for groups, and could literally not tell the difference by chrono data or group size. If you are using a highly tuned handgun with a very light trigger, Fed are the most sensitive. Shoot off a rest to determine which loads your particular gun likes the best.

__________________
H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244