heavy weight 38 special

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Mikeyman

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Hi all I have an accurate mold that produces a SWC that weighs 177gr flat point or about 165gr hollow point. Up until this point I have used them for 357 mag out of a rifle. I want to load some up for a snub nose model 10 that's coming in the mail. Anyone have a recipe for heavier projectiles? I have a couple manuals that only show up to 158gr for lead projectiles. I have titegroup on hand and some trailboss but I am happy to buy some other types of powder. Thanks.

Mike
 
Here is some data. If you are making plinking loads, just use the 158 SWC Start loads with any powder you have on hand.

If you want to make max velocity loads, I would use something like Unique, Blue Dot, Power Pistol, 231 or Universal.

If you use HS6 or HS7, they work better with a magnum primer, as does 800X.

TkGCr1O.jpg
 
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In a 4" model 10 a 148gr HBWC loaded upside down over 3gr of Unique expands to over 70 caliber @ 100 yards in a steel drum penetrating one side and welting the other.Skeeter Skelton used to use these when he worked border patrol in Texas in his 2' ankle hideout gun.
 
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Like the old .455 "flying ashtray" that relaxed the hostiles in British colonies of days gone by.
 
That campro backwards does look like a winner only problem i'm too cheap to buy them when I can make them nearly free with wheel weights. Maybe I should look at buying another mold...
 
Ganderite said:
Yes, the upside down 148 wad cutter is a huge hollowpoint.

This is the Campro plated bullet, shot into water. It appears to be very soft lead.

AZInt4H.jpg
Click to expand...

Wow! SWCs punch a nice hole; I remember when the local cops in Stratford and our OPP carried +P SWCs in their revolvers.
 
Mikeyman said:
That campro backwards does look like a winner only problem i'm too cheap to buy them when I can make them nearly free with wheel weights. Maybe I should look at buying another mold...
Click to expand...

I have experimented with different brands of HBWC loaded backwards. Unless the lead is very soft, it does not expand. The Campro is plated, but expands better that the un-plated Speer bullet. That came as a surprise.

At 357 velocities, the Speer does ok. But I load the campros to only 900 fps in a 4" 38Spl.
 
Staying a little OT but re expanding bullets for .38 Spec., this is the 150 gr RN HP that Jet Bullets sells:

Jet Bullets 150 gr.JPG

Haven't shot them into anything yet but hope to do a test into wet newsprint/corrugated card soon. Load is 4.0 gr. W231/HP38. I'd guess around 800 fps.
 

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As the bullets get heavier the powder used is reduced to keep the peak pressure under control. So using 158gn data isn't a good idea.

You say you have Titegroup. Well Hodgdon makes Titegroup and Hodgdon has an online reloading data center

http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/

And if you navigate to the 38Spl loads you'll find that there is data for a 170 gn option. And if you compare the loads for Titegroup between 158 and the 170 you'll see that the max for 158 is 3.8 and the max for 170 is 3.6. And even that slight difference causes the pressure for the 170 to be higher than for the 158. If you're loading 177's I'd tend to go even lighter than 3.6 as a max. Based on the .2 grain difference seen in this change for 177's I'd be inclined to consider 3.4gns of Titegroup as a maximum. And even with that I'd want to sneak up on the 3.4gns inspecting the primers closely for any signs of pressure forming in the pockets of the casings. It's one thing for .357's to square up the edges of the primers but we really do not want to see that in a .38 Special. Particularly if it's a snub nose that is specifically chambered for .38Spl and not really rated even for +P.
 
FWIW, here's the data from my Lyman handbook, 49th. ed. for one of their 170 gr. bullets:

Lyman .38 Spec. load data.JPG
 

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And based on the weight increase to 177 I'd be inclineded to drop it to 3.0 to avoid going over that pressure... which it would with the extra 7 gns.
 
BCRider said:
As the bullets get heavier the powder used is reduced to keep the peak pressure under control. So using 158gn data isn't a good idea.

You say you have Titegroup. Well Hodgdon makes Titegroup and Hodgdon has an online reloading data center

http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/

And if you navigate to the 38Spl loads you'll find that there is data for a 170 gn option. And if you compare the loads for Titegroup between 158 and the 170 you'll see that the max for 158 is 3.8 and the max for 170 is 3.6. And even that slight difference causes the pressure for the 170 to be higher than for the 158. If you're loading 177's I'd tend to go even lighter than 3.6 as a max. Based on the .2 grain difference seen in this change for 177's I'd be inclined to consider 3.4gns of Titegroup as a maximum. And even with that I'd want to sneak up on the 3.4gns inspecting the primers closely for any signs of pressure forming in the pockets of the casings. It's one thing for .357's to square up the edges of the primers but we really do not want to see that in a .38 Special. Particularly if it's a snub nose that is specifically chambered for .38Spl and not really rated even for +P.
Click to expand...

You say slight difference; not that slight: it is actually just over a 5% reduction from 3.8 vs. 3.6.
 
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