Reloading 38 Special for Accuracy

[custom79]

Howdy.

I'm looking for some tried and true recipes for .38 special.

I'll be using these in a Smith & Wesson 586 with a 6 inch barrel.

I've got lots of win231 from my cowboy loading and some boxes of Wolf 158 grain lead semi wadcutters.

Thanks in advance.

C79

 

[Rod B]

If you want the best accuracy go with a 148gr hollow base wadcutter.

I find 2.7 gr of Bullseye or 3.1gr of WW231 works very well.

 

[KyleM]

I haven't done much testing with my 586, but my model 10 custom eats X's all day with 3.7 gr 231, a 148 gr match HBWC and a Federal 100 primer.

I've been told by the previous owner of my 596 to try 3.9 gr 231, 158 gr SWC and a federal 100 primer for good results... and the ammo he provided me with when I bought the gun seemed to bear that out.

 

[Abman]

.X2

If you want the best accuracy go with a 148gr hollow base wadcutter.

I find 2.7 gr of Bullseye or 3.1gr of WW231 works very well.

 

[sunray]

2.5 to 2.8 grains of Bullseye with a 148 grain WC is the standard target load for .38 Special. You will find that using .357 cases with this load will eliminate the ring of lube gunk in the cylinders too.
"...go with a 148gr hollow base wadcutter..." Yep. It's hard to beat a swaged HBWC for accuracy.

 

[tms]

3.1 grns of 231 with 148 grn bullet has been excellent out of my 686. Good luck.

 

[JMJ]

I agree with all of the above when using a 148 gr HBWC and Bullseye; anything from 2.0 to 3.0 grains is deadly accurate. Great for PPC or bullseye shooting.

If you're interested in Cowboy loadings a couple of us have started to use 130 grain lead round nose DRG bullets and 3.2 grains of Unique. Very soft on the recoil, not much smoke, accurate out to 50 yards with the rifles and the bullets are still moving fast enough to push over the steel (unlike some cowboy shooter loads I've seen).

 

[bedrock]

Try loading the wadcutters backwards, they act like a boattail. PPC shooters used to do this.