Powderpuff 38 Special loads

[JBD]

I would like to take my wife shooting and would like to go as low of recoil as I can without having a squib load.

I have 158 Grain Lead bullets and tightgroup and clays for powder. Has anyone gone below the recommendations in the reloading manuals.

 

[ruffbird]

any cartridge needs enough pressure to get the bullet out of the barrel.
the loading manuals state a START & a MAX point for very good reasons.

if you go below the starting point you could lodge a bullet in the bore & not notice it. next shot, & you could blow-up the gun, & worse get hurt or die.

we as reloaders & shooters need to keep our sport safe, so please follow those loading manuals, we don't want to see or hear of someone getting hurt.

have fun, but be safe about it!

 

[Ice-Pick]

Soft loads

Myself and a couple of friends shoot PPC loads some times, doesn't get much softer, you could stop em with a baseball mitt from 25M.(probably not a good idea)
They are only needed to break the paper for scoring purposes.
Usually 2.8 gr. of Bullseye but 3gr. of clays would probably work ok too.
I use Clays for my .45acp and my 12 ga. for skeet and trap. Very clean in the shot gun.
Pay attention and make sure all bullets leave barrell keep rod with you. If too slow go up by a grain. Suggest heavier gun i.e. 686 instead of snub for wifes learning.

 

[python357]

Myself and a couple of friends shoot PPC loads some times, doesn't get much softer, you could stop em with a baseball mitt from 25M.(probably not a good idea)
They are only needed to break the paper for scoring purposes.
Usually 2.8 gr. of Bullseye but 3gr. of clays would probably work ok too.
I use Clays for my .45acp and my 12 ga. for skeet and trap. Very clean in the shot gun.
Pay attention and make sure all bullets leave barrell keep rod with you. If too slow go up by a grain. Suggest heavier gun i.e. 686 instead of snub for wifes learning.

I load some 158Gr. CAST LEAD SWC over 2.7 Grs of Bulleye or 3.0 Grs of WW 231. Doesn't get much softer than that out of a 6" Python.

If you're using jacketed bullets, these loads probably would cause some problems cause they're pretty "soft"

Work up a load from the minimal charge listed in whatever reloading manual you're using..as mentioned in another response, CHECK your barrel for bullet exit when experimenting with "squib" loads.

 

[Smitty]

Bit more punch with my indoor loads for 38 Spl., being 162Gr SWC while using 3.4Gr of Winchester 231 plus Federal primers as I shoot DA only.

By accident THOUGH NOT RECOMMENDED I was experimenting with 150Gr SWC & using Green Dot. Had it down to 2.8gr or so I thought while in fact it was 1.8 gr. Sounded like a .22 & at the indoor target area all of us could hear the bullt tip hitting the metal AFTER the shot was fired. One told me he could sort of see the bullet travelling so shot my gun with my screwball loads & after a few loads I could actually see some sort of mass going towards the target.

Obviously I hiked up the loads to something more sensible & fortunately no bullet tip was lodged in he 6" PPC bbl.

Lastly nothing against Green Dot for I can ease that down to 4.8 gr for the 185Gr SWC for my 45ACP & it shoots a tight group.