38 Smith and Wesson Loads

[old enfields]

Okay I have truely lived up to my name and have bought a nice Enfield No.2 MkI.

I have dies and brass.

Now I am looking for a good load for it.

 

[old enfields]

Wow the sound of crickets is overwhelming

 

[tiriaq]

I used to load .38S&W for a Colt Police Positive in that caliber using 148gr hollow based wadcutters. Modest powder charge. Shot well. The Enfields were intended to use a 178gr fmjrn bullet. You may have elevation issues.

 

[glycerin]

I use 200 grain cast RN, sized .360, with light powder charge and hardest primer available. The hammer spring is very strong and primers can easily be perforated. good luck

 

[Rob 22]

My flame suit is on


SO


I load 158g LRN over 2g Bullseye in my Enfield. Accuracy is decent recoil is negligable and cheap also. I know that the bulk DRG are a little small but they work fine for me

 

[Talquin]

I use a 158 gr 358 dia. Semi wadcutter with 2.1 grains of greendot.

Good recoil and good group placement

 

[saskgunowner101]

Okay I have truely lived up to my name and have bought a nice Enfield No.2 MkI.

I have dies and brass.

Now I am looking for a good load for it.

What do you have for powder on hand? I've got a few loads that were pulled out of my rear and some book data as well.

 

[old enfields]

What do you have for powder on hand? I've got a few loads that were pulled out of my rear and some book data as well.

I have bullseye and reddot. I have Loads from the lee moderen reloader and the lyman cast bullet book.

 

[old enfields]

My flame suit is on


SO


I load 158g LRN over 2g Bullseye in my Enfield. Accuracy is decent recoil is negligable and cheap also. I know that the bulk DRG are a little small but they work fine for me

That is where I was headed on my own. I tried 2.0gr of red dot with a 148 wad cutter as well.

Mainly looking to see what other guys were up trying.

 

[saskgunowner101]

I have bullseye and reddot. I have Loads from the lee moderen reloader and the lyman cast bullet book.

I can't really help you much then those two are the same manuals I have. I do know that Unique works well with 124/148/158 grain bullets, and I use anywhere from 2.7-3.2 grains with any of the above mentioned bullets.

Edit to add: These loads mentioned I've only shot in S&W 4th model, not in an Enfield tanker, so tread lightly if you go there.

 

[stevebc]

Load for my Victory model .38 S&W: 160gr .38 Super LRN, 2.2gr W231. I tried 2.0 gr even, but found it to be a soft pop rather than a bang. It's still a mild load, and very accurate at 25 yds.

 

[bearhunter]

38 s&w

I'm wondering, is the revolver marked "38 S&W"?

The original load for those revolvers used a 200 grain hollow based "lead" bullet. Because of the Geneva Convention or some other convention, lead bullets were banned on the battlefields. The best they could come up with was a 174 grain copper jacketed conical?RN bullet.

With the 200 grain lead bullet,loaded to about 700 fps. The round was very effective for its intended purposes. Lightening the bullet, lessened its abilities. The Brits called the round the 38/200.

I have a mould #358430 that casts very close to 200 grain bullets but alas isn't hollow based. I will admit though it shoots the heavier lead bullet much better than it does jacketed bullets and lighter lead bullets.

The load I use is 1.8 grains of Unique for about 600fps. Quite a stout load by the way. Not as stout as the original UK load though.

 

[old enfields]

It is stamped .38and nothing else. The revolver was ftr in 1952 so likely the sights are regulated for the 178gr bullet.

 

[(((Echo)))]

I use 2.0gr of W231 under a 160gr lead SWC bullet.
Also, I use CCI primers. That's one strong hammer spring .

(E)

 

[NAA]

Loading for the .38 S&W....

I have bullseye and reddot. I have Loads from the lee moderen reloader and the lyman cast bullet book.

I just started reloading .38 S&W to feed a WWII vintage 5" S&W Victory model I picked up last year.

Last nite I loaded up 50 rounds using 2.5 gr of 700X powder behind a 158 gr bevel base LSWC for ~ 775 fps velocity. Using data from the Lyman 48 manual.

They list loads for 160 gr cast LRN [sized to .360"] for Bullseye and Reddot powder:

Bullseye: Starting load 1.8 gr for ~ 545 fps to max load 2.6 gr for 730 fps.

Red Dot: Starting load 2.1 gr for ~ 605 fps to max load 2.8 for for 770 fps.

700X: Starting load 2.1 gr for 665 fps to max load of 2.6 gr for 785 fps.

Unique: Starting load 3.2 gr for 715 fps to max load of 3.7 gr for 805 fps.

Win 231: Starting load of 1.5 gr for 486 fps to max load of 2.5 gr for 727 fps.

Their caveat is the loads are for solid frame revolvers only & don't recomment them for the older top breaks. I'm sure they mean the old Iver Johnson, Harrington & Richardsons etc though. And not the Enfields. Their test gun shows as a S&W Model 33 with 4" barrel for the velocities. I'm sure using a 5" barrel would yield chrono'd velocitites slightly higher as shown.

If my loads using the 700X are satisfactory then I will stick with it for the time being.

I found loading for the stubby .38 S&W cases finicky though. Maybe it's because I had just recently loaded up 150 target loads for the .44 Magnum. Way easier to handle those big boys....

NAA.

 

[Shootshellz]

IMHO I would consider any Enfield or Webley revolver an 'older top break'.

 

[smellie]

I have a small raft of these things:
Webley Mark IV "War Finish"
Smith & Wesson "pre-Victory" Canadian contract, 5" tube
Enfield Number 2 Mark 1
Enfield Number 2 Mark 1*
Enfield Number 2 Mark 1** converted to 1*

They are all hungry and they all want to get fed, so I feed them all the same:

2.1 (two-point-one) grains of Bullseye with a lead SWC 158, seated to OAL of a Ball round.

They all shoot well, nothing has blown up in all the years I have been using them. Only thing I can't figure out is this: they ALL make 5-round 2-inch groups at 15 yards. And there's a FLYER in every single cylinder! Just one, but it's there.
.