.38spl loads please!

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1shot

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Hi Folks,

I've been reloading for rifles with great success for a while now, and am just getting into handgun- so if I may, there's a few questions I need "real world" answers to.
Load will be .38spl through a .357 6" GP100

1. Is regular lead best or should I be using copper plated lead?

2. How fast can I push lead before "leading" becomes an issue?

3. Is there an ideal slowish powder to use, to avoid double-charging?

4. At the range I've seen bullets seated all the way inside a case, is this safe or common practice with .38spl?

I'd like to put together a decent, accurate/reliable load- it does not have to be super cheap.

Cheers!
1Shot
 
1shot said:
Hi Folks,
I've been reloading for rifles with great success for a while now, and am just getting into handgun- so if I may, there's a few questions I need "real world" answers to. Load will be .38spl through a .357 6" GP100
1. Is regular lead best or should I be using copper plated lead?
2. How fast can I push lead before "leading" becomes an issue?
3. Is there an ideal slowish powder to use, to avoid double-charging?
4. At the range I've seen bullets seated all the way inside a case, is this safe or common practice with .38spl?
I'd like to put together a decent, accurate/reliable load- it does not have to be super cheap. Cheers! 1Shot
Click to expand...

1. Either will work fine.
2. Leading may be an issue. Lubrication limits leading. Alloying too. Velocities in excess of about 1400fps may require a gas check.
3. Double charging can be avoided by either visualizing or dip-measuring your charged case. One ideal slowish powder is HS-6.
4. Wad Cutter bullets are intended to be seated as such. It permits a light charge (with consistent shot-to-shot results).
Availability of powder and projectiles, not to mention the demands of your particular sport, may affect what will make the most sense for you.

If you have some Win 231, try 4.0 to 4.6 grains of 231 under a 158gr lead bullet. It should be super cheap. You should make Minor with 4.6gr.
 
I really like 158gr lead and 4.0gr(max) of AA#2. Kinda snappy, yet very, very accurate out of my 586.
 
For many years the almost standard, competetive target shooting load for a 38 spl. was 3.3 grains of bullseye.
 
3.0-3.2gr 231 behind 148WC compares well to Bullseye load. Both popular in PPC shooting out to 50yd. 3.4-3.5gr behind 158SWC works well out to 50yd as well. Soft recoil & quick recovery.
 
If you want a suitable bulky powder then use IMR Trail Boss. It is specially designed as a very bulky powder to help fill cases when using light loads (cowboy action). It is also quite clean burning.

Visual inspections of fast burning powder (Bullseye) in a 38 spl case to see a double charge can be difficult.
 
Last edited:
Howdy ;A 158 grain lead bullet will ususlly be good general use bullet . I like HP 38 powder as is goes a long way ,double charges are hard to spot with the small amount used and it get dirty in cold weather .
 
My standard was a 158 gr SWC ahead of 4.5 grs of Unique. It shot to point of aim with a M-10 at 25 yards. Chances are you won't see much leading unless you use very soft bullets or if you switch to slow burning powders like H-110, or 2400. If you intend to go that route use a gas check bullet.
 
A big Thank you! to all who responded with a wide range of helpful advise. :)

Reading on here it seems the .38spl is similar to a 12gauge load in that it will work with pretty much any combination of "safe" recipe.
I've learned that slow powder, though good for avoiding doublecharging- can cause leading. And that the wadcutters I intend to use should indeed be seated down deep on faster powder..

So how about crimping- is it really necessary on a deep seated wadcutter load?
 
1shot said:
Hi Folks,

I've been reloading for rifles with great success for a while now, and am just getting into handgun- so if I may, there's a few questions I need "real world" answers to.
Load will be .38spl through a .357 6" GP100

1. Is regular lead best or should I be using copper plated lead?

2. How fast can I push lead before "leading" becomes an issue?

3. Is there an ideal slowish powder to use, to avoid double-charging?

4. At the range I've seen bullets seated all the way inside a case, is this safe or common practice with .38spl?

I'd like to put together a decent, accurate/reliable load- it does not have to be super cheap.

Cheers!
1Shot
Click to expand...

1) revolvers love lead.. just clean the thing regularly
2) Hot loads, or high pressure will cuase more leading.. Your gonna get leading with lead it just happens that way...
3) double charging a 38 special will happen.. Slow powder will be really dirty...
4) HBWC are supposed to seated all the way in.. That's what they are for.
 
And that the wadcutters I intend to use should indeed be seated down deep on faster powder..

So how about crimping- is it really necessary on a deep seated wadcutter load?


Full wadcutters should be seated flush with the top of the case or a couple thou above. Crimp just enough to get consistent feeding into the cylinder. Not enough crimp the rounds will not drop in/need to be pushed in. Too much crimp (roll crimp) can sort of bulge the leading edge of the case. Personally I use a taper crimp just because.

I load my semi-wadcutters & roundnose to 1.48" OAL. This just happens to coincide with a "crimping groove" in the particular bullets I use. The swaged bullets I have used, BDX, have no crimp grooves but I load to the same 1.48" length.
 
1. Is regular lead best or should I be using copper plated lead?
.358” hollow based lead wad cutters are great.

2. How fast can I push lead before "leading" becomes an issue?
850 fps after that I get leading. Mine average 842 fps

3. Is there an ideal slowish powder to use, to avoid double-charging?
I use W 231 due to its excellent metering capabilities. I used to use course powders 700X, WSF, WST, Unique, but they don’t meter as consistently as W231.

4. At the range I've seen bullets seated all the way inside a case, is this safe or common practice with .38spl?
I leave the bullet out approximately 1/16 of an inch to an overall length of Oal 1.210

Accuracy is all 6 in a 2” black dot at 10 yards, shot out of an S&W 686 6” barrel.
 
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