Target loads for .38 special
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29aholic
Member
Welcome to the forum
You will most standard 38spl loads fairly mild in recoil, although it will depend on the size of gun as to how mild.
Of recent I have loaded a 158gr LSWC over 4.5grs of AA#5 with great results.
With 38spl I find the loads in the midrange of book data are a good blend of accuracy and pleasantness (my new word of the day
)
You will most standard 38spl loads fairly mild in recoil, although it will depend on the size of gun as to how mild.
Of recent I have loaded a 158gr LSWC over 4.5grs of AA#5 with great results.
With 38spl I find the loads in the midrange of book data are a good blend of accuracy and pleasantness (my new word of the day
john traveler
Member
You could always try to reinvent the wheel, but why argue with sucess? Go with the loads that have fed hundreds of thousands of competition shooters for several generations in this caliber:
2.7 or 2.8 grains Bullseye or a comparable amount of WW 231 under the 148 grain HBWC.
148 grain DEWC practice should cost even less.
2.7 or 2.8 grains Bullseye or a comparable amount of WW 231 under the 148 grain HBWC.
148 grain DEWC practice should cost even less.
socal s&w
Member
+1 on the traveler reply.
Skip Sackett
US Veteran
OK, Gonna have to try some of those loads. Only with a H&G #50 though!
retro,
Welcome to the forum. This is the best place to be on it!
What I shoot most of is a 158-165gr LSWC over 3.5gr of Bullseye. I shoot this out of all of my M586/M686 and a M14 all with good results. I have won some PPC competitions with it as well.
What will you be shooting your loads out of?
retro,
Welcome to the forum. This is the best place to be on it!
What I shoot most of is a 158-165gr LSWC over 3.5gr of Bullseye. I shoot this out of all of my M586/M686 and a M14 all with good results. I have won some PPC competitions with it as well.
What will you be shooting your loads out of?
Originally posted by smith crazy:
OK, Gonna have to try some of those loads. Only with a H&G #50 though!
retro,
Welcome to the forum. This is the best place to be on it!
What I shoot most of is a 158-165gr LSWC over 3.5gr of Bullseye. I shoot this out of all of my M586/M686 and a M14 all with good results. I have won some PPC competitions with it as well.
What will you be shooting your loads out of?
I have a new S&W Pro Series Model 60 w/ 3" barrel on it's way and currently shooting a S&W Model 10-5 w/ 4" barrel also. I was more of a rimfire benchrest shooter until the past year or so. Still currently shooting a 1956 BRNO #3 Stecher RF on the bags.
Thanks,
Retrogun
rburg
Member
I standardized long ago on wadcutters and 3.0 gr of Bullseye. I know, its souped up just a tad from the often seen 2.7 grain load. That one just wouldn't make my then new M52-2 cycle consistently. But the 3.0 load would. Its not really souped up, it just gave a little more push than the lighter one.
I didn't have the stomach to load 2 different nearly identical rounds for .38 Specials, so I compromised. I still have ammo cans full of them, and I apparently gave my oldest son a .30 cal can of it long ago. Someplace I even have some with the hollow base upward.
No, not mistakes, but they don't group well. At the longer distances, like 25 yards, if you look your clean round holes just aren't clean and round. At close ranges, like 7 yards, they are.
I didn't have the stomach to load 2 different nearly identical rounds for .38 Specials, so I compromised. I still have ammo cans full of them, and I apparently gave my oldest son a .30 cal can of it long ago. Someplace I even have some with the hollow base upward.
straightshooter1
US Veteran
john traveler's recommendation is a good one. As is rburg's.
I started out shooting competition Bullseye with a 38 and those loads were, IMO, the most accurate.
For grins, try either at 50 yards from the best rested position you can take. You will be amazed at how well they group.
In the old days, we had to qualify at 50 yards, and I always used those loads so I would be at the top of the heap.
We didn't know, back in those days, that we should have qualified with our carry ammo. That came much later, and they dropped the 50 back to 25 yards. Now, they've dropped the 25!
Good luck,
Bob
I started out shooting competition Bullseye with a 38 and those loads were, IMO, the most accurate.
For grins, try either at 50 yards from the best rested position you can take. You will be amazed at how well they group.
In the old days, we had to qualify at 50 yards, and I always used those loads so I would be at the top of the heap.
We didn't know, back in those days, that we should have qualified with our carry ammo. That came much later, and they dropped the 50 back to 25 yards. Now, they've dropped the 25!
Good luck,
Bob
Years ago when I first started to reload, an old guy recomended a load to me that worked really well in my used M-14 38spl. it was:
3grs. of Red Dot powder with a 148gr. Lyman full wadcutter bullet which was seated and crimped in the bullets crimp groove. A std CCI primer was used to light it up and it shot better than I could. This is a light recoiling highly accurate load that is cheap to produce. Good luck with your new pistol.
3grs. of Red Dot powder with a 148gr. Lyman full wadcutter bullet which was seated and crimped in the bullets crimp groove. A std CCI primer was used to light it up and it shot better than I could. This is a light recoiling highly accurate load that is cheap to produce. Good luck with your new pistol.
I'm having a bit of a problem in the current ammo scarce atmosphere finding .358 HBWC 148 Gr. bullets for my reloading venture.....Closest so far is 158 Gr. Hornady Simi Wad Cutters available locally for $25 per 300. Decent looking bullets, pre-lubed and would probably be easier to load in this configration. What say ye? Bullseye Powder is scarce too but found some Red dot.
Retrogun
Retrogun
Littledragon777
Member
I use 5.5 grains of AA#5 under a Winchester 158 grain JHP with CCI 500 primers. Excellent accuracy from my model 28-2.
ChuckS1
US Veteran
2.7 grains of Bullseye and a cast 148 grain wadcutter in my pre-14. I also like 3.5 grains of Bullseye and a 158 grain SWC.
For a mild load that is exceptionally clean burning, I use 3 grains of Clays +/- .2, with a 158 gr LRNFN. Very accurate and soft recoiling in a variety of revolvers.
Lead Round Nose Flat Nose. It's from a Lee mold. They didn't have a 158 SWC without gas check, so I picked this one. It's sort of a cross between a RN and SWC.
