Got the 750 set up for loading 38s

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Skeet 028

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But haven't really decided on the powder to use. Have about a 1000 158 gr semi wadcutters I am going to load first. I have most of the usual suspects as far as powder. Haven't loaded 38s in a long time. I don't need killer loads but do want to use those ol bullets up. What load would some of you recommend? After the cast bullets I am going to load another 1000 or so with 125 gr then 140 gr HPs. Then finish up the last of the cases with some other bullets..Haven't figured that out yet but maybe some higher end 158 gr over a stout charge of 2400...just cause I have a bunch of it. Want to not have to load 38s for another long time.... What say y'all for any favorite loads. Will have more than 4000 when I am done with 38 Soecial cases... Then I'll do the 357s
 
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I like those in the 4.0 to 5.0 grain of Unique.

Even 3.5 or a little more of Bullseye.

Lots of folks do well with 231 also

The bullet is a versatile one and should perform well in most all loads
 
As you know there are a handful of powders that have been used in the 38 Special for almost 100 year. My go to .38 Special powder is W231. I charge between 3.7gr to 4.0gr W231 under a 158gr LSWC.
 
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Well I have all of those powders. I've never really used Bullseye and I have part of a 4 pounder of Tightgroup... Used a bit of it and never loaded anything with it for some reason. May have to load a few and shoot some first. I may even go and get some of the old powders I have like Alcan 5 Winchester 230 and Hodgdon HS-5. I still have those and the data to go with them.. How about Green Dot? Have plenty of it also
 
I used Greed and Blue Dot in shotgun and handgun loads long time ago. The "Dots" are great at one temperature, but the same load isn't useful or necessarily safe in different extremes. I have gone to WW231 (almost the same as the old WW230) as my standard handgun powder. My F-I-L uses Bullseye exclusively! For target type loads, you primer will determine the powder charge. (He still uses his 100,000 Alcan primers!) But a hot primer, like Alcan, Fiocchi, or CCI small pistol mag, will require a 2/10ths reduction of Bullseye, to have target velocity (in both 38 Special and 45 ACP)

Ivan
 
You will like HS-5 but I would stay a day from W230. It is very position sensitive and unpredictable. That's why W231 was developed.
 
I bought a butt-load of Unique two or three political crises ago and it has served me well in 38's and 45's in my Dillon SDB.
 
The 158 gr. lead bullet is a great weight bullet for a 38 or a .357 Magnum, if it is set up for the weapon.

With a light J frame revolver I like to start out with a light load of Trail Boss or Bulleye powder at around 572fps for a light target load, with a full load stopping at 851fps.

In a K frame I can start this bullet out at 751fps with Bullseye
and move up to 890fps in my 6" for a light +P loading with a full load of Unique pushing the 158 lead up to 1014fps if needed.

With the .357 case the 158gr bullet can do 788fps with Traill Boss for a "Cowboy load" or 900-960fps with any fast powders for light target work.

Medium heavy loads at 1100 to 1200fps may be accurate in your Heavy frame revolvers for 50 yard shooting with the "Full loads" being best at 100 yard Metal targets, due to minimum bullet drop, if you don't have an adjustable rear sight.

Loads in the 1280fps or higher with this heavy bullet will have heavy recoil that might be uncomfortable.

Have fun.
 
Titegroup(3.8) for cast bullet burns hot;it smokes a lot.But otherwise,it is accurate,economical,flows well and gives very good velocity for the pressure involved.
I like Unique in the slightly above 5 gr area for a load that speaks with a little more authority.
Green Dot I save for my .45 Colt and low vel cast bullet loads in my 30-30
 
Qc Pistolero said:
Titegroup(3.8) for cast bullet burns hot;it smokes a lot.But otherwise,it is accurate,economical,flows well and gives very good velocity for the pressure involved.
I like Unique in the slightly above 5 gr area for a load that speaks with a little more authority.
Click to expand...

And that reminded me why I quit using the Tightgroup. A lot of smoke with cast bullets. Even shooting outside it was a lot of smoke. I have at least 25 lbs of Unique but think I want to use some of the older powder I have. I do know I am going to use up the Alcan primers. I'll bet I don't have more than 4 or 5 bucks a thousand in them. I do have a 1000 Alcan SP primers marked as S&W I will keep. I even have little tins of Alcan bullets somewhere. I even have boxes of new factory 20 ga cases marked S&W-F

I think Nevada Ed has made a life study on the use of 158 gr bullets in the 38-357. Thanks for the suggestions. I only have one K frame 357 in all my stuff and after putting it back to factory specs I've never shot it. The rest are M-27s and 28s. I know I will use up the really old 2400 in the 357s. Hopefully pictured below
 

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I used a lot of Hercules powder back in the day. I have some still unopened little cans of various powders. I used and sold 15 pound kegs of Red and Green Dot. 25 pound cans of Dupont IMR and 12 pound cans of 700X. Against the rules to have cans that size now I guess. I bought 8 25 pound kegs of Solo 1000 from a vendor at the World Skeet Shoot in the early to mid 90s. He was almost giving it away. Thanks for the suggestions
 
My Gosh..........
you have 25 lb kegs, Alcan 5 and 230 powder !!
You do like to save things, don't you?
I ran out of w540 & 571 a few years ago and thought I was a ......... :D

About Green dot with that 158 lead bullet.

J frame snubnose......... 3.5~ at 613fps max at 822fps.
( 110 JHP +P at 950fps )

K frame 158 lead........ 4.0 at 824fps max at 905fps.
( Unique full load at 968fps )

686 6" 158 Lwc OAL 1.58" LRN OAL 1.66" (target)
LRN 5.0gr Green Dot at 984fps
LWC Maximum load per chrony work...... 1281fps. Hvy crimp

Note;
a nice light J frame 2" target load with the 148gr BBwc lead bullet for me
turned out to be Green Dot at 2.8grs at 600fps at POA.
I would not trust this minimum load in a 4" barrel ?

Later.
 
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Collo Rosso said:
For plinking loads, WST is my favorite. For +P's, HS-6 was my go to, but its gotten hard to find. I use CFE-P now with good results.
Click to expand...

I happen to have some of that WST powder. Never have used it in handgun loads. And don't really load 12 ga target loads any more. May have to try it. The fellow who I loaded up with all the reloading stuff(I didn't need) for the model 34-1 gave me a lb of the CFE pistol. last month. I do want to try it in something. I was looking at the loading books and since I have about 5 or 6 pounds of HS-5 I think I will start loading the SWC lead bullets with it. I have 1250 or so of them. When I load the 158 gr XTPs I will use the 2400 I think. Want to push them a bit. Not to absolute max but a nice crisp load. That should use up about a pound of the HS-5 and most of that pound of 2400. Then I can sell the cans. I happen to have a bunch of them.
 
Nevada Ed said:
My Gosh..........
you have 25 lb kegs, Alcan 5 and 230 powder !!
You do like to save things, don't you?
I ran out of w540 & 571 a few years ago and thought I was a ......... :D

About Green dot with that 158 lead bullet.

J frame snubnose......... 3.5~ at 613fps max at 822fps.
( 110 JHP +P at 950fps )

K frame 158 lead........ 4.0 at 824fps max at 905fps.
( Unique full load at 968fps )

686 6" 158 Lwc OAL 1.58" LRN OAL 1.66" (target)
LRN 5.0gr Green Dot at 984fps
LWC Maximum load per chrony work...... 1281fps. Hvy crimp

Note;
a nice light J frame 2" target load with the 148gr BBwc lead bullet for me
turned out to be Green Dot at 2.8grs at 600fps at POA.
I would not trust this minimum load in a 4" barrel ?

Later.
Click to expand...

Powder..oh my. Using the last of a 3 lb keg of Hi Vel #2 from 1937. It is a great 30-30 powder I have useable quantities of Win 230 540MS 295 630 680 452 473 and a couple others I can't remember...Alcan AL120 AL-5 AL-7 and AL-8 Surplus Hodgdon 4831, 4676 4895 BL-C(not #2) and one called H-108...probably a couple others. I had an unopened 50 lb keg of 4831 but someone needed it a lot more than me..A LOT more. And I have HS-5 HS-6 and HS 7. I also used up the last of the surplus WC-820 I got from Jeff Bartlett. It was just about like AA-9 so I used it in the 410. It was a great powder for that but it was so fine I had to sweep up the migrated and spilled powder off the bench after every 500 or so rounds..

Unlike many others The only experimenting I ever did with the 38 sp was playing with the old Chief's Special with real light loads of Bullseye with 148 gr HB wadcutters. My wife liked shooting that little gun with loads not much more potent than 22s. She and my daughter used 'em to shoot rodents in the grainery in the barn. We raised the grain and ground our own feed for critters. The only Bullseye I ever used and still have the rest of that metal can.
 
686 6" with CFE Pistol powder cci500 primer

110 jhp 6.5~ ...... 6.8@999fps 7.0*@1080

158 LWC 4.8~ @747fps ........... 5.5*@939fps


9mm with CFE pistol powder C9 3.5" (* max)
115gr plated 5.0~ 1.12"oal @960fps 6.0*@1139fps
124gr plated 5.0~ 1.14"oal @983fps 5.5* 1.12"oal @1097fp
147 Speer TMJ 4.0gr 1.165"oal@812fps 4.5* 1.13"oal @951fps

Loads for my weapons....... maximum may be over pressure.
 
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