New guy learning reloading.. 38spc and 357 target loads??

[k53]

Ok, so a little update... I found some of dads notes on some stuff. The 38spec WC load was 3.0gr of BE. This load shoots real nice out of the gun. Its hot enough so you know that your not shooting a 22, but light enough that you could sit at the range a few hours and shoot off a coffee can full! so when I load WC's Ill load in that range. Still looking for his 357mag target SWC load. Its a realy nice load in this gun. Its got a good hit..you know your not shooting 38's... but still mild enough that you can shoot through 50 or so at a sitting and not be beat up.

As I said.. Im not looking for a PD round. And also im not shooting in any compations at this time. But I want it accurate enough so that I can hone my shooting skills.

 

[dhom]

If the cast you are using are SWC, try 5.0gr of Titegroup with a standard primer. [158gr] That is approx 1200 reloads per lb and it shoots great out of my S&W 686.

 

[BobB257]

K53
I recommend the Lyman book on reloading. It will have a lot of good info to help you with the process of prepping brass and making rounds with the tools you have. The Lee book is good too. So are others.
I load 357 cases, slow like your 3 grain load, (800fps) for target and can crank them right up to as fast as you want to go in a 158 gr SWC.
My target powder has been green dot since it is cleaner than the bullseye , but bullseye sure works. I like 2400 for the faster loads in 357, but others work as well. Skipping the short 38 case keeps from gunking up the chambers ahead of the forcing cone.
Pull the bullets on a few of your dads old 357 loads and weigh the powder drop. See if the powder looks like bullseye? Then find a chronograph and shoot some of his original loads. Now you know what speed you are aiming for, and can find a powder that works as well at that speed using load tables in a book or online from the Powder maker.
Shooting Chrony is cheap way to make sure you are not off the reservation with your loads and the pressure. You might get lucky and figure out what his powder was.
Very cool that you have his stuff and are interested in running his loads. Good luck.

 

[k53]

I've never thought of checking them with a Chronograph. It makes sence though. I'll have to look into that. Never thought of pulling the bullet also. Age an I'm new....dodiferent powders look a lot different?

Thanks for the tips!

 

[walnutred]

Since you mentioned Bullseye and SWC bullets I"ll say my standard 38 Special load with that combination is 3.5 gns of BE.

 

[BobB257]

The powders do look different and some, very much so. But not all.
I would not go making a loading choice by looks alone, but if you know the speed and have a book or data from a manufacturer that says you are OK with the pressure at the given charge then you can copy the load and see if it works.
Some powders have been rumored to be modified over the years. SO be careful with some older load data. But if you are on the low end of the pressure curve you should be fine.

 

[k53]

The powders do look different and some, very much so. But not all.
I would not go making a loading choice by looks alone, but if you know the speed and have a book or data from a manufacturer that says you are OK with the pressure at the given charge then you can copy the load and see if it works.
Some powders have been rumored to be modified over the years. SO be careful with some older load data. But if you are on the low end of the pressure curve you should be fine.

Yes, I was not planning on assuming. Just as you said... Checking the weight, speed, and eyeballing the powder, and seeing how what load data matches what I find. I tend to be a very carfull person, and defently will not assume anything without much reaserch.

 

[Nightowl]

There was not as many powder choices when I started reloading pistol cartridges as there are today. Back then, there was not much that could not be done with the three powders of Bullseye for target loads, Unique for moderate loads and 2400 for the heavy loads in .357 & .44 Magnum. I shot thousands of rounds of .38 using 148 grain bullets and 3.0 gr of Bullseye. The .44 magnum got 8 grains of unique and 20 grains of 2400.

I still think you can do all you need to do with these three powders, and I have several pounds on my reloading bench.

Good luck in your new found hobby.

 

[bflobill69]

+1 on Bullseye... Love the accuracy and economy, BUT it is awfully filthy stuff imho.

 

[Lance Boyle]

New to the site but I'll chime in a bit.

-Trailboss was a nice soft shooter in my Model 19 and python, BUT it meters pretty poorly for me in my RCBS Uniflow and a little better in my dillon (older style) measure. I was using 4.0 grains of TB with a 357446 sized to .358 and a WSP primer. A little dirty but not bad.

I tried some Bulleye but probably was too hot with it. I used 4.5 and 5 grains in RP magnum cases. Accuracy was not good but no leading. I should have tried 3.5 grains and someday I will. The 5.0 of bullseye was snappy and not all that accurate. That pushed me to try the pound of AA#5 I had sitting there.

I think 5 to 5.5 grains of AA#5 is just where I want to be in my .357's. It was a pleasant and accurate load in Win brass with WSP primer and the same LSWC lubed with LBT Blue.

 

[k53]

OK, so I researched, and was about set to go with bulls eye...lots of info out there, and a long time fav.. well seems no one local carry the stuff!!! I don't want to pay to mail order a pound of the stuff, so I'm going to try something else. Right now I'm looking into Unique or W231. Booth seem to have a lot of fans, and have many loads for booth 38spc, and mild/mid range 357 mag. Pros and cons of them?

 

[DWalt]

To simplify things, at least for the .38 Special, stick with BE. 2.7 grains for 148 grain Wadcutters, 3.5 grains for 158 grain SWC. Those loads should be adequate for your purposes. BE is a very versatile and most economical propellant. You can load a whale of a lot of cartridges from a pound of it. There are very few handgun calibers it cannot be used for - even though BE loads may not be optimum in all. For many years I used 7 grains of BE and a 240 grain SWC bullet in .44 Magnum for CAS (in both rifle and revolver), and it was superb in that role. But I wouldn't use that load on Grizzly bears.

Just be extra careful to avoid double charges.

By the way, you CAN use small rifle primers in place of small pistol. I don't see any ballistic performance difference, and I have tested it by measuring muzzle velocities. Again for logistics simplicity, you might use those for both mild .38 Special loads and hotter .357 loads. That's what I do.

 

[k53]

OK, so been doing some shopping... Bullseye is tough to find local. The shops that DO carry powers..[and a lot dont near me here...] get in very little of it, and its alwasys gone.. So after looking for W231, of Unique, and not finding what I want loadwise in Unique, and finding w231 hard to find also.... I settled on runing HP38 in my first 38spec loads. So, thats one step done... Now to reaserch HP38 loads, do some more book reading, and get the rest of my gear ready...

 

[TSQUARED]

OK, so starting a new thread.

I have a M19, and getting started planing to reload. What I will be loading at this time, is just normal plinking and target loads. The 38 spec Im looking for a basic load that will be good, and farly accurate for target use, and will also be used for just tossing lead. The 357 Im looking for a load, like that also... but a little hotter. Not a screamer... just something a bit hotter then the mild 38spec. Right now I have a lot of cast 158gr SWC bullets that dad casted up back in the 70's so that is what I will be using. So... ive been searching around for ideas, and reading a few manuals.. MAN its confusing getting a baseline load to work with!! So... all you guys that have been doing this for a wile... give me some good starting points.


Im thinking of just grabbing a small can of bullseye, and just starting from the beganing, and work through all the diferent powders as i progress... probably what most of you oldtimes did.

For light loads with lead bullets my favorite powder is Trail Boss in either 38 Special or 357 Magnum cases. Check the Hodgdon website. Their starting loads are real powder puffs and even their max load is fun shooting.
Another plus of Trail Boss is since it has such a low density it is virtually impossible to double charge the case without seeing it.

 

[federali]

The traditional .38 SPL target load is 2.7 grains of Bullseye behind a 148 grain wadcutter. 2.7 grains was considered max for accuracy while 3.5 grains was considered max for pressure. In the wheel gun days. this load probably exceeded all other loads combined in terms of reloading numbers.

With this load, it's easy to double or triple charge a case if you don't have your head with you at the reloading bench. Best to be extremely careful and not get distracted.

 

[waho]

It's probably been mentioned before but 231 and HP38 are the same powder.