Originally Posted by DWalt

My chrono results with factory Winchester .38 S&W 146 grain ammo are about the same, my velocities are in the range of 600 f/s, which is a very light load. I've fired many hundreds of that load and other light smokeless reloads with 125 grain bullets in two S&W .38DAs and one old H&R with no problems whatsoever. Nothing really wrong with using BP reloads, but they will gunk up your revolver in a hurry and are best avoided unless you enjoy smoke and grime.
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Returning - I checked my chrono records (from 2008) and the Winchester 146 grain factory loads mentioned went 605 f/s in my 6" .38DA. My normal reload using a 125 grain .358 lead truncated cone bullet shows an average in the high 600s, say 670-680 f/s. At my last local gun show two weeks ago, no shortage of .38 S&W factory ammo - I saw 6 boxes (all Winchester), and there may well have been more I didn't see, as I wasn't specifically looking for it. Asking price was $30/box, but I wasn't buying.