.38 Special 148 Gr. Wadcutter loadings

[max503]

2.8 grains of Bullseye shot well enough for me when I crimped as you do. Now that I am using a M52 I set them flush. Not all guns will shoot the same loading as well as another of the same make and model. Just find what shoots best in yours and load that.

I load them pretty darn long for my rifle and they shoot good like that.

 

[AJ]

I load them pretty darn long for my rifle and they shoot good like that.

To each their own............

 

[Nevada Ed]

I load both the 148 gr HB & BB style lead bullets in my 2 - 6" 38/357 revolvers.

Started way back with a M19-5 with the Speer #4618 HB seated from
1.16" out to 1.25" with powders from Bullseye up to SR4756.

FPS went from 550 fps with Trail Boss , up to 775 fps with Red Dot powder, for this soft lead HBwc bullet.

In my J frame 2" I have loaded the BBwc bullet with light loads of Trail Boss at 644 fps and Green Dot at 628 fps for my light loads and worked
a full 38 special load of Bullseye up to 757 fps and Green Dot to 740 fps.

A hotter load of Bullseye and... w231 reached the +P zone but the recoil was very heavy and there was no improvement at all in the accuracy department, so these loads will never be used again.

OAL of the BBwc bullet was at 1.25" for this style of bullet, since a seating length of 1.16" did not improve accuracy, in my snub nose test.

 

[noylj]

What is a MINIMUM load? All my manuals show are START loads. You can go lower easily, as long as bullet doesn't stick in barrel (and you need less than 1.0gn of powder to even come close to that situation).
Usually, you want loads that range from 650-725fps.

 

[AJ]

What is a MINIMUM load? All my manuals show are START loads. You can go lower easily, as long as bullet doesn't stick in barrel (and you need less than 1.0gn of powder to even come close to that situation).
Usually, you want loads that range from 650-725fps.

In Post#7, I stated these were target loads, not defensive loads. So velocity is not an issue, just accuracy.

 

[boatbum101]

3.1grs W231 is the classic W 231 HBWC load , like the 2.7grs Bullseye . Out of 3 38 special wadcutter guns they all like different loads with a148 HBWC for best accuracy @ 50yds . M52 likes 3.1 - 3.2 W231 , S&W PPC likes 2.9grs Bullseye & Colt OMM likes 2.9 WST . Std SP primer , just about any of the faster pistol powders will produce usable loads . HBWC around 700fps , cast around 800 . For autos you have to load for function & a revolver you can go softer if accuracy is there .

 

[dubshooter]

Do you weigh each time you drop some powder with a measure?

I'm fairly new to reloading compared to most of you gentleman. I usually verify with a digital and beam scale when I make any changes, make sure I get 5 consistent loads before loading anything. Then I check and verify every 5 rounds.

But I'm never very speedy. I do most of my reloading in the summer months when it's 115 outside and most of my shooting in the winter when it's 65

 

[4barrel]

I had some wad cutters several years old that didn't shoot as good as a bullseye load in my guns so I brought them to the range to burn up. They came to life in my friends 19-4 nickel 6'' on the bench. Seated flush with a very slight roll crimp. These were loaded on a 550b

 

[Nevada Ed]

I had some wad cutters several years old that didn't shoot as good as a bullseye load in my guns so I brought them to the range to burn up. They came to life in my friends 19-4 nickel 6'' on the bench. Seated flush with a very slight roll crimp. These were loaded on a 550b

It is amazing, what can happen when you.........

glue on another 4" of barrel to a weapon, then you go to the range and shoot the same ammo........

or add on one of those "Red Dot" thingy's.

 

[glenwolde]

I think I'm the odd man out here. The HBWC shoot well with the light charges of fast powder, but the commercially hard cast button nose wadcutters never did. I had to bump the load up considerably....like 4.0 gr of W231. Then they would shoot as good as anything I've ever run into but that's not a light load.

 

[4barrel]

the commercially hard cast button nose wadcutters never did. I had to bump the load up considerably....like 4.0 gr of W231. Then they would shoot as good as anything I've ever run into but that's not a light load.[/QUOTE]

A BNWC hard cast doesn't mind a little speed. That is my favorite 38 paper puncher.

 

[boatbum101]

Cast you want to push them harder . With W231 , 3.1-3.2grs with HBWC , 3.5grs with cast FBWC , DEWC or BNWC .

 

[max503]

To each their own............

(See post #21)
I load them seated out that long so that they cycle through the action of the rifle. If seated normal they don't feed through the mag. Seated long, they feed and they are accurate. That's a good thing about rolling your own. You can Taylor your loads to your gun.

 

[nbedford]

I use 2.7 of Bullseye for target loads with the 148 WC. Have done so for decades. I guess I am a creature of habit.

The NRA Handloading manual had an extensive and exhaustive article on 38 Target loads. They came down solid on 2.7 grains of Bullseye. They opined that heavier loads increased the group size. Also compared different types of wc's. Anyhow, based on that I load 2.7 grains of Bullseye with my home cast 150 grain wc's. And they are more accurate than I am, for sure!

 

[AJ]

(See post #21)
I load them seated out that long so that they cycle through the action of the rifle. If seated normal they don't feed through the mag. Seated long, they feed and they are accurate. That's a good thing about rolling your own. You can Taylor your loads to your gun.

Max,
I have two pistols that shoot wadcutters. One is a Colt M1911 platform and the other is a S&W 52. I load my rounds to fit in the S&W 52 as it is the most finicky. Those have to be seated slightly below the rim of the case to function in my mags. The Colt is like Mikey it will eat anything just like the revolvers.

Do you use only wadcutters in your rifle? Have a friend that has a rolling block, a lever rifle and a bolt action in .38/,357. He uses almost every kind of slug you can imagine.

AJ

 

[Nevada Ed]

What is a MINIMUM load? All my manuals show are START loads. You can go lower easily, as long as bullet doesn't stick in barrel (and you need less than 1.0gn of powder to even come close to that situation).
Usually, you want loads that range from 650-725fps.

In most manuals they have a starting load , up to a maximum load or even a +P load in some.
In my 686 6" a starting load of Bullseye with a 148 HBwc gets around 710 fps.
That same load out of my J frame snub nose gets 628 fps.....

but I can get the same bullet to go just 580 fps with Trail Boss.

This is a starting load but do to the low FPS, can it be called a reduced load or a minimum load ?
In the J frame, this bullet has gotten down to 545 fps and still exited the barrel, which I would call a minimum velocity load but maybe not a safe minimum load and I would never try to see if it would clear a long 6" barrel.

With revolvers, one can really put the brakes on a bullet, for light target loads below a Factory starting target load and not get a squib but when being used in a pistol, there needs to be enough energy to work the slide and eject, which is another ball game.

I call a minimum load, one that is below a starting load but is still safe and gets good accuracy from a certain weapon that it was developed for.

I have a 150 gr FMJ target load for my 30-06 @ 2465 fps and a
180 gr "Meat saver" hunting load that starts out at 2406 fps.
These to me are a Minimum load.

 

[nbedford]

The NRA load of 2.7 gr Bullseye and my home cast Lee .358" 150 grain wc's averages 734 fps out of my 4" S&W Model 67. I lightly crimp them at the crimp groove.

 

[Nevada Ed]

One final note with lead in a .357 Magnum revolver.

All my light target loads are with a 38 special case.

The only lead bullet that my long .357 cases see is the 158 gr Lwc design, or heavier, for target or hunting.

I don't think my 686 has ever seen a 148 lead bullet ?

 

[max503]

Max,
Do you use only wadcutters in your rifle? Have a friend that has a rolling block, a lever rifle and a bolt action in .38/,357. He uses almost every kind of slug you can imagine.

AJ

Tell him I'm jealous. A bolt action 357!
I limit myself to the molds I have. The Rossi doesn't care for 170 grain swc's. It likes 148 grain WC's, but those start to yaw at 100 yards, even though they still stay on target.
The rifle really likes Lee's 124 grain TCTL bullet, meant for the 9mm. I shoot them unsized, lubed with 50/50 LLA/Johnson's paste wax. With those I can hit our 200 yard gong probably 80% of the time. It could do better with better sights.
It also likes 95 grain RN and FP bullets, meant for the 380. Those also get shot unsized and tumble lubed.
All with Unique.

 

[steve1817]

I've been shooting Bear Creek 148gr button nose wadcutters over 3.0gr of Titegroup lately. They're very accurate out of my 6" Model 14, 6" 586, and 4" M-15.