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38 S&W Loads for Webley Mark IV or Solid Frame Revolvers

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Plutonius

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I have been tinkering with a load for 38 S&W that I use for the more beefier 38 S&W revolvers out there floating around. Based on some of the information I read regarding loads proper for the stronger revolvers out there, I use 3gr of HP-38/W231 under a 145gr lead bullet from Missouri Bullet Company. Recoil is very mild and it hits the metal dueling tree target with about as much authority as a 38 Special, maybe just a touch less. I see no signs of overpressure whether that be sticky extraction or flattened primers and the brass looks real nice.

The MAX loading for HP-38 for a 38 S&W is 2.5gr based on bullet weight per the Hodgon data and with that amount the recoil and power is comically low. You can almost not even wear hearing protection. Obviously such loading is to protect the bottom of the barrel Iver Johnson/etc. revolvers still floating around.

Anyone else try an loading like that.
 
I just picked up an Enfield top break in 38 SW. I used what was handy and that was 130 LRN over 2.5 Bullseye. It's on the light end of the scale and the lead is .357; kind of slim. The only .359 I have are 75g, light weights and I found your post looking for gallery loads. I'd like some 200g to try like the gun was designed to use..

Check the link below. Its a 1937 reloading manual and it covers a wider range than newer books.

http://www.castpics.net/subsite2/ClassicWorks/complete_guide_to_handloading - sharpe - 1937.pdf
 
For awhile, I was loading 125 grain .357 lead bullets and 4 grains of Unique in several old top break revolvers. It was very accurate, no problems, but the recoil was more than was comfortable in those lightweight revolvers with small skinny grips. I dropped it back to 3.5 grains, then 3. I think I'll stay at 3.

Try using .357-.358 lead bullets. They seem to work fine for me. Don't get hung up on believing that .360-.361 bullets are needed. See for yourself what happens in your gun with .357 bullets. Note that the minimum SAAMI bullet diameter specification for the .38 S&W is 0.355".

"Check the link below. Its a 1937 reloading manual and it covers a wider range than newer books. "

Over the years I have amassed a dozen or so reloading manuals and booklets from the 1950s and 1960s from the various powder and bullet manufacturers including, and perhaps the best, Lyman. They cover many cartridges which are now obsolete. They usually don't show loads using the more modern propellants, but most information given is for Hercules and duPont powders which are still available in some form. The first few editions of the Handloader's Digest from the 1960s also contain a large number of useful reloading recipes. Sharpe's book (which I already have) is one of the very earliest reloading manuals which also provides loads for those cartridges which are no longer very common. I once had a copy of a Herter's reloading manual from the 1960s which was very complete, but I haven't seen it in many years. I'd like to find it wherever it is hiding.
 
Last edited:
Plutonius said:
I have been tinkering with a load for 38 S&W that I use for the more beefier 38 S&W revolvers out there floating around. Based on some of the information I read regarding loads proper for the stronger revolvers out there, I use 3gr of HP-38/W231 under a 145gr lead bullet from Missouri Bullet Company. Recoil is very mild and it hits the metal dueling tree target with about as much authority as a 38 Special, maybe just a touch less. I see no signs of overpressure whether that be sticky extraction or flattened primers and the brass looks real nice..
Click to expand...

You're not going to see high pressure indications at the very
low pressures common revolver rounds operate at whether
the load is above industry pressure levels or not. But Speer
shows 2.6 grs of 231 with their 158 gr lead bullet. It's hard
to imagine how your load could be a problem.
 
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