Bullseye ?

bamabiker

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I went to get some Unique the other day and the store did not have any. Decided I would try some Bullseye. Loaded up some .38s with 3.5 grs. under a 158 gr. LRN. One of my daughters wanted to go shooting while home from school so I loaded up 100 of these for her. This powder seems really dirty. My 686 was covered with residue. Is this the norm for Bullseye? Will it do better in another charge/caliber?
 
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I went to get some Unique the other day and the store did not have any. Decided I would try some Bullseye. Loaded up some .38s with 3.5 grs. under a 158 gr. LRN. One of my daughters wanted to go shooting while home from school so I loaded up 100 of these for her. This powder seems really dirty. My 686 was covered with residue. Is this the norm for Bullseye? Will it do better in another charge/caliber?
 
Most powders burn cleaner the hotter the load is. 3.5 shoud've felt like a rather light load.

I'm suprized you feel Bullseye is dirtier than Unique. Find some loads that are a little stouter and you'll be much happier.
 
bullseye is one of the dirtest powders you can use. WE switched to winchester 231 .
 
It was a light load for my daughter. She likes shooting, mostly .22s but has been asking about getting a gun for protection when she gets a little older and I wanted her to try some .38s. Is there a cleaner powder for these light loads? I want her to practice as much as possible with at least a 38.
 
Originally posted by musicmanbass:
Some good choices for cleaner light loads... titegroup, HP38/W231, and clays (though be careful with clays in light loads as it is relatively bulky and in smaller charges in some dispensers may not meter well)
Thank you, I have some HP38 so I'll give it a try.
 
Most powders burn cleaner the hotter the load is. 3.5 shoud've felt like a rather light load.

In most manuals, 3.5gr of Bullseye and a 158gr bullet is a MAXIMUM load nowadays!


I have used this load for years and years in competition. It is an exceptionally accurate load from my M686 and M586 6" barreled guns.

Dirty? If you think Bullseye is dirty try an exceptionally light load with Unique! Talk about dirty!

Lead bullets and any powder is going to leave residue. The one exception may be Trail Boss.

I don't worry about dirt because I clean my firearms. If you are concerned about it, throw an old towel in your range bag along with a bore snake. You will be able to shoot all day long.
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HP-38/w231 Is no cleaner. It will give you more velocity. That's just because it is a slower powder though.

That load that you used clocks right at 800fps out of that 6" barrel. Stout for target type ammo.

At any rate, have fun and be safe. My only other suggestion is to load ammo that your daughter will shoot. Getting her to shoot is the thing.
 
I find using cast bullets, no matter what powder is used, causes more residue than using jacketed bullets.

Wonder what type of bullets the original poster was using? I don't think it was mentioned.
 
I've switched from Bullseye to using Clays in all my 38 shooting with my model 52 as well as the revolvers. You can't beat the cleanliness as well as the accuracy.
 
Bama,

While I agree that Bullseye appears more dirty than Unique at that load (I like 4.5 grains in Unique by the way), it cleans easily, is very accurate and is more economical.

I really like that load of 3.5 gr. Bullseye and see no reason to change.
 
I like 4.5 grains in Unique by the way
cush,

You will like this. I was shooting plate against a guy with a M627PC. I have never shot one and went to talk to him about his gun. We talked a while about it and then the subject went to reloading. He asked my load and I asked his. Guess what his load was? Right, 4.5gr Unique under a 158gr LSWC! I asked him: "Isn't that real dirty?" He said: "At anything less I get unburnt powder. At 4.5gr it all goes away."

Great minds, same frequency!
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Skip, that guy was right. Unique starts to burn clean at 4.5 grs with a 158 gr. cast bullet in 38 spl.
 
Originally posted by parisite:
I've switched from Bullseye to using Clays in all my 38 shooting with my model 52 as well as the revolvers. You can't beat the cleanliness as well as the accuracy.

Parisite:

What load of Clays are you using for your Model 52?
 
As noted above, Bullseye is about the most accurate and economical powder you can find for lighter loads. You gotta clean the gun anyway. A little dirtier doesn't negate the accuracy/economy factor in my opinion.
 
I believe Bullseye along with Unique and W-231 are amongst the most universal of handgun powders. I use a lot of Bullseye and W-231 and somewhat less of Unique. However, if you are interested in more clean burning powders then you should explore WST, American Select, or the VV N310 and N-320. Personally I prefer American Select with the 158 gr. lead bullets in 38 pecial.
Originally posted by bamabiker:
I went to get some Unique the other day and the store did not have any. Decided I would try some Bullseye. Loaded up some .38s with 3.5 grs. under a 158 gr. LRN. One of my daughters wanted to go shooting while home from school so I loaded up 100 of these for her. This powder seems really dirty. My 686 was covered with residue. Is this the norm for Bullseye? Will it do better in another charge/caliber?
 
OK guys, thanks for all the replies. The gun did clean up just fine. It was just my first time using Bullseye. I have been reloading a good while but I do it to keep ammo prices down and just enjoy it. I don't try many different powders. Just keep using the same ones, Unique, W231, HP38 and have used Blue Dot. I only reload 38s, 357s and 45ACPs because that's what I shoot the most. I don't post in here much but do read a lot of the other post for the info. Again, thanks and Merry Christmas.
 
Parisite:

What load of Clays are you using for your Model 52?[/QUOTE]

2.5gr.......In my cheap Lee auto disc setup I had some trouble metering with this small of a charge of Clays so I cut the baffles out of the hopper so the powder would fall directly into the disc. It works fine now.
 
Bama, Back in the late '70s, I got interested in shooting 38s for accuracy. In spite of the manuals of the day allowing for a little more powder, every old hand I talked to, recommended 3.2 grains of Bullseye behind a 158 grain bullet.

It shot great then and still does when I get the time to load up a few for my S&W Model 14.

It's the powder charge I use when I seat a 158 grain RNFP bullet out to 1.51" OAL in .38 Special brass to assure smooth functioning in my wife's .357 Marlin cowboy rifle loads. No doubt, owing to her skill and speed rather than my loading abilities, they've helped her win a couple of purty prestigious titles in that game.

If my records are to be believed, 2.8 grains of Bullseye with the Star 148 grain HBWC recorded, by FAR, the smallest groups I managed to log with the 52 Smith I owned 30 years ago.

Concerning the Model 52 and the 148 grain HBWC, the 1979 Speer manual (mine is tattered but still readable), on page 360, stated:

"These loads are intended for use in target autoloading pistols. Velocities were measured with a S & W Model 52. The second loads for each powder were the lightest charge giving reliable functioning and excellent accuracy. The higher charges should be considered maximum for best accuracy. These bullets must be seated flush with the case mouth to function in the Model 52." It continues by listing:

231-max of 3.3 for a velocity of 805 with a "second" or beginning load of 3.0 chronoing at 747.

HP38-max of 3.2 for 804 fps, with the beginning load of 2.9 booking along at 756.

Bullseye- 3.0 for 790 fps, 2.7 for 729.

Red Dot- 3.0 screaming along at 826 fps, with 2.7 getting 763.

700X-2.8 for 782, 2.5 for 731.

PLEASE NOTE THIS DATA IS OLD. Powders may have changed or lawyers may just be lurking behind more trees but these numbers always worked for me.
 

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