.38 Spl & .357 Target loads

[Steel609]

I have to give another thumbs up to the 4.0gr W231 & 158gr lead as a very accurate round from my 4" 686 or 4" GP100.

3.5gr Bulleye is probably my second choice.

 

[m657]

Lots of experiences above; here's mine:

I've loaded all the powders mentioned and a few more.

I've come to prefer W231/HP38 near the upper end of their listing, on 125/130/148/158 in both 38 & 357 flavors.

I also like Tite Group but remain leery of the small charge volume. I rely on the Dillon 650 powder check to keep problems from arising. So far so good.

While Trail Boss serves me very well in 45LC cowboy loads, I found I don't care for it in the 38/357.

YMMV. Good shooting.

 

[Daimler1989]

I use Vihtavuori

Hi,

I load my 38's with 158 gr SWC copper plated lead bullet and 4 grains Vihtavuori N320. There's some space left in the case, but it's really really accurate in my M27-3. For 357 Magnums I use 7,5 gr N340 and a 158 gr semi-jacketed flat poínt, which is very accurate as well.

 

[mososodbob]

Crimp Location

While I have never won any national, state or even regional matches, I have competed for years and years in PPC.

Only one load, the whole time. Still, after all these years, it is my "goto" competition 38spl load.

158gr LSWC over 3.5gr of Bullseye in 38spl cases, whatever primer you want, with the bullet seated to within 1/32" of the last driving band with no crimp but the case closed back to straight on the bullet.

Not going to use Titegroup ever again. Not enough in the case to suit me.

The loads above will shoot better than you can, they do for me too!

Hi SmithCrazy,

It appears you seat your SWC bullets as deep as possible. I've used same techniques with my .45 ACP LSWC bullseye loads (160 to 200 grs). I'm workling up load for DR matches with Kieth style SWC (Lazer cast 158s)...is this similar to your loads?

 

[bmcgilvray]

I've loaded this one for many years for light duty in .357 Magnum revolvers. I "scientifically" derived this load from my favorite 158 grain SWC/4.8 grains Unique .38 Special load. After many late nights burning the midnight oil in study, reading tea leaves, stirring in chicken entrails, and just general pondering I came up with the notion that an extra 2/10ths of a grain of Unique in the slightly longer case would approximate the 4.8 grain .38 Special load. I'd never tested it for velocity before. Turns out that it goes a bit faster than the 4.8 grain Unique load in the .38 Special. Close enough for government work though.

158 grain lead SWC/ 5.0 grains of Unique.

933 MV
305 ME
48 ES
20 SD

Tested in a 6-inch Smith & Wesson Model 27.

 

[Skip Sackett]

Hi SmithCrazy,

It appears you seat your SWC bullets as deep as possible. I've used same techniques with my .45 ACP LSWC bullseye loads (160 to 200 grs). I'm workling up load for DR matches with Kieth style SWC (Lazer cast 158s)...is this similar to your loads?

I have no reason for seating deep other than to not have the crimp groove be exposed. Like I said, I am not putting any crimp on the bullet other than to straighten the case. Reason being is brass longevity, really. Hundreds of loads a week, several reloads on a case each month and your brass is going to get a real workout. Why, so you can put holes in paper @ 700 to 800fps? Not!

My sizing die reduces the case size enough that bullet pull is not a problem and the loads are light enough I don't have to worry about them jumping. Why use a firm crimp on those rounds when the first place a case wears out is the mouth?

So, no reason to seat deep. Especially in an auto round. You won't find me doing that there, that's for sure. Most of my rounds go into firearms where the feed ramp intrudes into the chamber. Deep seating with normal to upper end charges are what cause KBs in those kinds of firearms. Again, Not!

 

[colt44sp]

I have to give another thumbs up to the 4.0gr W231 & 158gr lead as a very accurate round from my 4" 686 or 4" GP100.

3.5gr Bulleye is probably my second choice.

Been with that load (the top one) for 30+ years and I aint chang'n. My Pythons love it in magnum cases.