I am going to be loading some 38 special. I have the Lyman 49th Edition loading manual for reference. I notice that it only lists the data for hollow points. Would it be reasonable to use the same amount of powder for a flat nose plated bullet of the same weight? I guess my question is, does the configuration of the bullet matter or does a 115gr round get the same charge regardless?

Different profiles can change the overall length of the bullet, which can affect the case volume and subsequently the pressure for a given powder charge.

If you can't match the bullet exactly, try to get an OAL at least as long or longer than specified in your manual(as long as its not too long for the round to chamber), and work your load up.

I haven't loaded a 115 in 38 spl so I can't help. If I were you, I would look into other sources. Most powder manufacturers have a limited set of recipes on their web sites.

That being said, the 38 special is a low pressure round so if you start low to midrange in the powder weight, you should be okay.

Use jacketed bullet data, but treat the medium load as the maximum for plated.

Three features to look for in matching bullets:

1) bullet weight (you've got that one covered)

2) bullet profile (similar to the one the data was written for)

3) Length of the bullet that is in contact with the barrel


It's best to start low and work up loads, looking for signs of trouble.

Having the manual for the particular manufacturer of the bullet is ideal. You can contact the mfgr and ask for a recommended oal & maybe even a powder amount, FOR THAT PARTICULAR BULLET if lucky. If unable try to match up bullet shapes/sizes/wt's, start low & work up the powder. Cast usually uses less powder. With a semi, make a dummy round to see what oal functions. You get more wiggle room with a revolver.

If you have a specific powder in mind (would be good to mention it as well as the bullet weight) you might find the load data on line from the powder manufacturer. Just google (eg) "Hodgdon reload data", skip the ads lol, and click on the manufacturer's reloading data site.

There are other factors, but perhaps the most important factor in your specific question is actually the seating depth. IOW, if you knew the length of both bullets you could figure out how long a plated flat nose cartridge would need to be for the bullet to be set to the same depth as the hollow point set to its COL as listed with the data you have.

But you probably don't know. So you can do as suggested above . . . set a little longer perhaps, make a dummy round to ensure it will feed in your firearm, and then work up your load from the bottom of the given powder range watching for pressure signs. Pistol cycling, felt recoil, ejection, etc can help you judge when you are in an OK range.

Generally speaking, yes the same weight bullet and profile you can used the powder charge given for a similar bullet.

However you do not have such. You have a plated bullet which the data says to use either lead data or the mid range of a jacket bullet.

Seating depth or COL will vary a lot depending on the type of bullet. FN, RN, JHP etc.

What brand of bullet and what powder do you have?

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Still Running Against the Wind

My 2011 Lyman shows 110 and 125 jacketed HP bullet data.

Plated bullets can use this data but should be kept at standard to target velocity for best results, since they do not have the DEEP cannelure like the "High Vel" heavy copper plated JHP bullets have, to prevent bullet jump with high recoil loads.

They work great for low to medium speeds......and will not lead your barrel like the lead target bullets, which is a plus. If you keep the fps down, you should get very little copper build up, also.

I have shot a 115gr 9mm through my 38's but it is not the best accuracy load and fps was also lost due to the under sized bullet............and a bummer to load also. You should pass on this idea, it is not worth the time or waste of powder.

I suspect that 115 grain weight is a typo, because every single maker I know of for plated 38 caliber bullets only offers either 110 or 125 grains. My bet is on a 125 grain bullet, because the 1 and 2 are so close together on the keyboard. Previous posts by mrwissman also reveals that he recently picked up 8 lbs. of Bullseye.

mrwissman, as previously suggested you should use loading data for a 125 grain jacketed flat point and start low and work up. For overall length, the 38 special operates at such a low pressure and with so much excess case volume that length isn't a huge concern. Just make sure you start and the suggested starting load and observe as you work up. BTW, with Bullseye excess velocity isn't really a concern so you can probably use the full range of jacketed data for your plated bullets. However do pay attention to potential pressure issues and if you see any signs of excess pressure back off the load a bit.

Yes Scooter, you are correct on both counts. I did in fact mean 125gr and I will be using Bullseye. I am thinking about trying some of these to make some plinking rounds. I bought some to load 9mm and was very satisfied with them.

38 125 gr FMJ Plated Reloading Bullets

This advice will avoid most trouble with PLATED bullets. If you use the lowest lead data, you can stick a plated bullet, and if you use high jacketed data, you can go overpressure with plated.

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Science plus Art

I would add:
4)- where the cannelure is in relation to the base, if it's a jacketed (cannelured) bullet. Two bullets that are the same weight, profile, & bearing surface can have the cannelure in different locations. The closer to the shoulder it is the deeper it'll seat in the case which can make a big difference compared to one that's closer to the base and is being used with a maximum charge of bulky powder. While this isn't likely a factor with a 38 Special, it can be in other cartridges. Just something to be aware of.

If you're using plated bullets (non-cannelure) you can set the OAL" out to the max COAL" (1.550"), if that works in your revolver, similar to what you can do when loading auto ammo.

OK, those look EXACTLY like the 125 grain flat points I get from Extreme bullets. Load the bullets to crimp them at the cannelure and don't worry about the resulting overall length, they'll work just fine. BTW, I've shot up my reloads with the Extreme bullets but my records indicate an overall length of 1.445 was used last time I loaded 38 special with these bullets. Currently I have about 10 boxes loaded with Rainier 125 grain flat points loaded to a length of 1.437 using 3N37.