My favorite 38 Special load

[gregintenn]

I just finished loading 100 of them. A 148 grain hollow base wadcutter over 2.7 grains of Bullseye, seated just below flush under a visible crimp. These things make my model 10 feel like a big bb gun. Very accurate too.

 

[SW CQB 45]

What slug (brand) you using?

 

[gregintenn]

These are Hornady, but I've also used Tennessee vally bullets in the past. Remington bullets work well, but the lube on them is some nasty stuff! Graphite perhaps?

 

[G.A.Sea53]

I prefer those messy lubes such as 50/50 alox to those hard
blue crayon wax type lubes. I would rather spend my time
shooting than scrubing a badly leaded bore from hard lubes
and bevel based bullets.

 

[papajohn428]

I don't bother with lead bullets anymore, I'd rather shoot than clean. My standard 38 practice load is a Rainier 158-grain plated bullet over 4.1 grains of WST, good for about 850 fps from four-inch guns. No lead, no lube, and it burns so clean I can shoot a thousand rounds or more before the gun actually needs to be cleaned. It doesn't obscure the target with smoke in rapid-fire drills, and it's accurate in every 38 I own. They cost more than lead loads, but I figure I'm worth it.

 

[Duffy]

Greg....That's a good standard load, I found that a light crimp is best. That's the load I used for years...The bullet I used was 148 gr. HBWC made by a guy named Gene Smith in NY state near West Point...A very fine bullet...the load equals match factory ammo..I still have six thousand bullets left.......

 

[snubbiefan]

110 grain cast (wheel weight) SWC well alox lubricated over 3-grains of Bullseye. I load for around 7 to 8 cents a round.....my neighbor is a bullet casting nut and I just walk over and get a few hundred slugs ever so often. You did not specify target, or man-killer, so this is my plinking load.

 

[brucev]

Excellent load. A HBWC over a good accurate charge of quick burning powder is excellent for many purposes to which one would put a handgun. Additionally, such a load used in any decent condition .38 Special S&W revolver will allow that handgun to be used just about indefinitely. With any kind of proper care, it would take more than a lifetime to wear it out. JMHO. Sincerely. bruce.

 

[gregintenn]

110 grain cast (wheel weight) SWC well alox lubricated over 3-grains of Bullseye. I load for around 7 to 8 cents a round.....my neighbor is a bullet casting nut and I just walk over and get a few hundred slugs ever so often. You did not specify target, or man-killer, so this is my plinking load.

As I don't do a lot of man killing, this is a target load. It also works well for shooting squirrels.

 

[snubbiefan]

Oh yes...it is my target/plinking load, but the little sucker shoots wonderfully out of my light-weight and that 110 grain slug waste no time in getting to the target either. I also agree that it will not put a heck-of-a-lot of stress on the guts of the gun. You will find me with a pill-bottle full of a good full-strength factory loads in my pocket and in my vehicles....just in case.

Heck....the bullets are free and my neighbor doesn't seem to mind if I help him shoot them up. He is an avid range shooter and he cast often....I don't think he even knows how many hundreds/thousands of these slugs he has stuck around. Good neighbors are hard to find and I have one.

 

[ChuckS1]

I like the Zero HBWC and 2.7 grains of Bullseye, too, but like the RCBS 38-150 and 3.5 grains of Bullseye more.

 

[Steve in Vermont]

I use the same (Hornady) HBWC with either 2.7gr Bullseye or 2.9/3.0 Win. 231. I've also found the Remington 125 gr SJHP with either 4.5 gr. Bullseye or 4.8 of 231 is as accurate a load as I've ever shot. I also like the 148 gr DEWC and SWC from Rim Rock Bullets using 231 in the low 3+ grain range.