38 Spl+P Load

Went out today and tried two new loads in this thing. (Smith 642 Airweight 1-7/8" Brl) Both were 110gr JHP one with 8.2 gr Blue Dot and one with 5.1 Gr Bullseye. They were both just sad:(. Both were at about 675FPS :barf: Anybody got a decent load for 38SPL+P

Sure. Lyman 358429 170gr SWC in front of 5.0gr of Unique. Great Load.

Don

For a 110 grain XTP 5.0 grain Titegroup for around 1090 FPS in my 2 inch barrel S&W. But beware recoil is sharp.:eek: Published Max is 5.2 grains BTW.

For the pressure limitation of the .38 spl +P you will find maximum velocity will be achieved with a medium burn rate powder. You skipped over these going from a very fast Bullseye to a very slow (for .38's) Blue Dot. Best velocity will be achieved with Unique, Power Pistol, AA5, Universal, and W231/HP38. Fast powder reaches max pressure too soon to optimize the velocity as they reach peak pressure before the bullet reaches max velocity while slow powders never reach optimum pressure before the bullet has left the barrel.

Thanks all, I now have a new direction to go. :D

I DO NOT like 110gr bullets in the .38 Special. I do like 158gr bullets but will go lighter to use Speer Gold Dot 135gr bullets. Like said above, you will get better results using a medium burn powder, I use HS-6 in my .38 Special +P ammo but AA#5 or Longshot will also work well.