Let's talk about loading for J-Frames...

[ArchAngelCD]

Shooter,
For practice why not use different grips? I have done so in the past when I wanted to do a lot of shooting with my Airweight. Buy yourself a set of Pachmayr Decelerator Grips. They are softer than other rubber grips, absorb the recoil well and cover the backstrap to protect your hand. They are also longer than the Boot grips that come on the revolver so you can get a better hold on the revolver. You will be able to do the practice you need to become proficient with your carry gun. Then before you leave the range you can put the boot grips back on the revolver or buy a set of Pachmayr Compac grips or Hogue Monogrips.

I bought a set of Rosewood grips from Badger Custom for my Airweight. They are designed well enough to aid in recoil control. (IMO of course) Not a bad price either...

 

[Cyrano]

I have a S&W Model 638 that I have fitted with Spegel grips. I shoot it for practice quite a lot. I do everything from quick draw on silhouette targets at 7 - 15 yds on the practice range to playing 'kick the can' out in the desert.

My favorite load has been the 148 gr SAECO wadcutter in front of 3.2 grs of W 231. I use a pretty soft alloy in the bullet; pretty much anything I can lay hands on. I only lube one or at most two grooves (cuts down on smoke and cleaning, and still doesn't lead). My RCBS Little Dandy #3 rotor throws that 3.2 gr charge, as measured by scale.

Lately I have been changing to the 150 gr SAECO #382 bullet, a Keith-type SWC design, and the same powder charge. The round looks a good deal sexier and is somewhat easier to get into the chambers (I still can't get myself to say 'charge hole'). Accuracy is the same.

This is pretty mild load. I don't carry it for defense; for that I prefer the Speer +P for Short Barrel round. Nevertheless, it does produce some recoil in the light pistol, and if I were to encounter a rabid coyote or a pack of feral dogs out in the desert, I wouldn't hesitate to take them on with this load. I am a happy camper.

 

[Alk8944]

One of the biggest falacies is that loading for any gun is barrel length specific, it isn't. Just use the loads listed in the reloading manuals.

An airweight J-Frame that is uncomfortable (painful!!) to shoot, imagine that. About the only thing you can shoot in these that isn't uncomfortable to varying degrees is wax bullets. If you want a gun to shoot, buy one with a steel frame. The Airweight J-Frames are intended to be carried for use if needed in extreme situations, not to be a regular/recreational shooter.

For some reason there seems to be a general mis-conception that a smaller/lighter gun will be easier/more comfortable to shoot than a heavier/larger one. This defies basic laws of physics.

Short of this, load either hollow-base or double-ended wadcutter bullets at minimum charge weights of Bullseye, Red Dot, 231, or similar propellents. This is the best you are going to do with one of these guns.

 

[walnutred]

For my 3" M37 I like a 124gn SWC over 3.5 of Bullseye. For either the 4" 31-1 or 2" 30-1 I use 2.7 of BE and either a 100 gn SWC or 90 gn SWC.

 

[shooter686]

For the OP, it depends on what you want to do. Are you seeking full house SD loads, plinking practice loads or what?

Up on the top of this section under notable thread is a long one about duplicating the FBI LOAD.

Bottom line, any +P 38 special out of a lightweight J frame is going to have some snap to it.
Carried a lot and shot a little.

Very Good Question. Answer - My primary interest is in airweight loads that are shootable all day without damage to the shooter or firearm. I'm not overly interested in loading SD ammo and would probably use commercial fodder for that purpose. But I want to shoot, enjoy, and be profficient with this little airweight - so the light loads are of interest to me. I feel bad for the newb who walks into the local shop looking for a CCW arm, walks out with an lightweight j-fame and a box of .357 and then shoots one round! I read about it all the time....

Thanks to everyone who has posted - All good info and if I had all of the components on hand I'd try them all.

Shooter686

 

[EricInAZ]

36-1 3", Target sights. I bought it because it's the only 3" m36 with target sights I've ever seen with the round butt.
Either:
3.8 Gr. Titegroup pushing a Berry's 158 Gr. FP
or
2.7 Gr. 231 with a 148 Gr. HBWC

Both are great for punching paper, but for actual defensive carry, I have too many better choices, so the m36 isn't a consideration.

 

[plainshunter]

I've been using 4.3 gr Unique with either a 158 gr LSWC or LRN in both my 637 and my M10-8 4". A little snappy in the 637 and certainly wouldn't want to shoot it all day, (that's what the M10 is for!) but I put 20 rounds or so through it the other day and it didn't seem to bad.

 

[Chubbo]

Reloads for a S&W Mod.38 airweight

I have three j frame snubbys that I would like to work up a good light defensive load for.
I have been shooting .38 special ammo since 1952, and have never bought a box of store bought ammo. 99% of it has been shot in 4" to 83/8" bbl. revolvers, and single shot TC Contenders. None of my many loading manuals have much to say about loading for snubbies, light weight or otherwise. My snubbies are a mod. 38 airweight, a mod. 40 built in 1968, and a mod.60 built in 1970. I am not wanting ammo that would injure any of them especially the mod.38. Most of the loads mentioned in this discussion have leaned toward heavier bullets and higher velocity. Any ideas on a lighter defesnive load?
Chubbo

 

[enfield]

A light .38 Special load that will penetrate at least 12 inches of bad guy when fired out of a 2" barrel in a 13 oz handgun.

I don't know of any, but I'd buy some!

 

[gregintenn]

Three grs of Bullseye over 148 gr hbwc works nice in this 36.

That's how I roll!

 

[340six]

The wife likes her 642 and the self cast 148 Wad Cutters

 

[sps282]

For my 642 & 638 I use 4.5 gr. Unique and hard cast 158 gr. SWC for target loads....not too hard on the hand or gun. For social work I bump up the charge of Unique to 5.4 gr. and use "Rim Rock" soft lead 158 gr. swchp w/gas check....this load is a little hard on these old hands and I only shoot it enough to stay confident with it.

 

[Kavinsky]

Jeff Cooper (the Guru) said:

"The .38 Spl. I consider this cartridge to be a two-inch-barrel-only proposition. In a snubby I like a 160-grain lead SWC and either five grains of Red Dot or 8.5 grains of SR4756, to break 1000 fps. Such a load is hard on the gun, but you don't get something for nothing. For a policeman who is forced to use a .38 Spl. but can go to a six-inch barrel on his duty gun, I suggest the Speer 146-grain JHP and 10 grains of SR4756, for 1300 fps. This is an overlooked combination that gets the tired old .38 up into low-end .357 performance."

Important disclaimer: I take NO responsibility for advocating or suggesting these loads, but I will tell you that I have loaded up his Red Dot load and it was really harsh in a Model 60. I only shot a few of them, and the rest have been sitting in my closet since the 1980s. As always, YOU are responsible for what you load. Just sayin'.

John

Jeff Cooper may have come up with one of my favorite guns of all time (the Bren Ten) but that's crazy and I know for a fact that +P's do damage old steel guns

so I would just make a point to do what the FBI did and not use anything under 140 gr in them with standard pressure loads and with anything under a 140 gr loads use hollowpoints or semi wadcutters like Keith advocated use for to make the most out of them.

after all a heavier bullet at low velocity does the job and its all about the area of impact, not the speed of the projectile that does the damage.

and todays standard loadings are probably a hell of alot more accurate and closer to the actual performance than the old stuff was, negating need for +p usage even more

 

[125JHP]

Out of my 642....
5.1g N-320 pushes a 125 JHP at around 900 fps while 7.0 g of AA-5 pushes the same 125g at 860fps.
These are at the upper end of the load tables I am using.

 

[Treeman]

Actual J frame is a 3 inch M&P Airweight .357 but I have 2 Rossi 68/88 5 shooters and a Charter Undercover all in .38 spl. ad a Ruger LCR .357. Standard load is a 158gr Speer HP or a 160 gr.cast FP over 5.0 0f Unique. 2nd standard for the snubbies that prefer it is a 115 gr cast WC over 4.2 grains of Red Dot. 3rd "standard" load is the 4.2 of Red dot and a 125FP cast. For the .357s 8.2 gr of 800X under a 125 is controllable but significantly hotter than a .38 spl.