What can I shoot out of my 38 special for lighter kick?

[berettaprofessor]

My airweight 638 kicks a bit more than I'd like for target practice and I don't reload. Two questions: 1) what is the lightest power commercial 38 special widely available? I've tried wadcutters and don't like them. 2) are there any other loads that can be safely shot from a 38 special? 38 long colt? 38 S&W? others?

Thanks.

 

[greener]

Try Cowboy loads.

 

[Jim Watson]

The 130 grain WWB or UMC .38 Special is pretty mild. Anything labeled "Cowboy" will be a light load, particularly if a 125 grain bullet.

A .38 Special will shoot .38 Short or Long Colt, but will NOT shoot .38 S&W.

What was it you didn't like about wadcutters?

 

[bannockburn]

berettaprofessor

I was going to suggest 148 gr. wadcutters but you say you've tried them and don't like them? What don't you like about them? I have found wadcutters, either factory or my own handloads, to be the lightest, most accurate load I have ever put through any lightweight snubbie. Currently I'm using S&B wadcutters and have been very pleased with the results.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Or start reloading your own...

 

[armoredman]

I load my own light loads, fun to do with cheap cast bullets.

 

[berettaprofessor]

Okay, now a really dumb question....where are loads labeled "Cowboy"? Never saw that on a box of any 38 special I've looked at.

Bannockboy; I couldn't appreciate the kick difference in wadcutters (although I admit I didn't shoot them alternating with FMJ's) and thought they were dirtier.

All this bothers me because I'm usually not particularly recoil sensitive; Mosins, for instance, don't bother me at all.

 

[jdomin]

reload your own lighter grain bullets

 

[swampshooter]

.38 spec.

i don't know what brand of wadcutter you have been shooting. as a past ppc competition shooter i have shot a 100,000 or so and ww wadcutters or a load of 3 grs. bullseye burns cleaner than any other .38 ammo. i only found it necessary to clean rvery 1,000 rds. or so.

 

[Iggy]

Have you tried different grips?

 

[Jim Watson]

The lightest factory load I could Google is the Magtech .38 Special Short round.
This is not an industry standard designation, it pretty much amounts to a .38 Short Colt with inside lubricated bullet for use in modern guns. If a 125 grain bullet at 686 fps has too much recoil, I can only suggest getting a .22.

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/34819-5.html

 

[wnycollector]

38 Spl 100 Gr DEWC from mastercast http://www.mastercast.net/amo.htm are pretty light! They are what my wife started out on with our 638...now she shoots my .357 Ruger Security Six with full bore .357's!

 

[greyling22]

reloads. try a primer and a wax bullet for zero recoil.

 

[Shade00]

You don't like wadcutters? Yeesh. That's the lightest commercial stuff I can find.

Old Fuff once told me to look for .38 Short Colt rounds. It's basically just a shorter .38 special - and recoil should go down accordingly.

 

[1KPerDay]

Wadcutters are much more pleasant to shoot out of my model 37 airweight than the serious stuff. I can actually enjoy shooting it with the wadcutters.

 

[rcmodel]

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...&parentType=index&indexId=cat20837&hasJS=true

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...&parentType=index&indexId=cat20837&hasJS=true

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...&parentType=index&indexId=cat20837&hasJS=true

rcmodel

 

[berettaprofessor]

Thanks for the links to the cowboy loads; I'll try them. And to whoever suggested going to a 22, thanks, but I'm just fine with 45's in a 1911 or 9mm's in any number of guns....I think it's the light weight of the snubby that throws me off with the 38 specials. Maybe, alas, I just need more practice.

 

[rcmodel]

Or bigger rubber Pachmayr Decelerator grips for range work!

http://www.lymanproducts.com/pachmayr/revolver.htm#Decelerator®

rcmodel

 

[Pumpkinheaver]

I'll second the cowboy loads.

The 130 FMJ stuff is pretty light as well, winchesters version is a little lighter than the remington.

 

[foghornl]

A couple of companies make some 130-gr or so FMJ rounds. Federal is one that pops to mind. Pretty easy on the hands.

 

[Coyote3855]

A clarification on "Cowboy" ammunition. These are loaded to minimum pressure and recoil specifically for Cowboy Action Shooting competition. Scores are based on elapsed time in each shooting stage, minus penalties for misses and procedural errors. It is an advantage to have a low recoil round. This makes recovery and transition to the next target easier and faster. I understand that not everyone is into reloading, but it's not that difficult or expensive to start and it allows you fine tune ammunition to your specific needs. Not to mention saving a bundle of money, or being able to shoot a lot more for the same cost.

 

[1KPerDay]

Or buy wadcutters for a third of the price.

 

[wjh2657]

Wally World. Winchester White Box 130 gr FMJs. I use them in all of my snubbies for practice. I also have installed Pachmyer COMPAC grips on all of them. I didn't lose that much concealibility versus a whole lot better recoil absorber. I went to WWB 130s because they have same poa/poi as my carry 125 gr loads and are a lot cheaper.

 

[onebigelf]

I forget who make them but there is a plastic practice round. You hand press a primer into the plastic case and hand press the plastic bullet into the case. The bullets are reuseable and the load is suitable for indoor practice.

John

 

[jaydubya]

wny said: 38 Spl 100 Gr DEWC from mastercast http://www.mastercast.net/amo.htm are pretty light!

+1 I tried 500 of them, and found them almost in the .22 category, both in sound and recoil. Mastercast is an excellent reloading service. I've now fired more than 5,000 of their reloads with no problems. Prompt, reliable and inexpensive. They are particularly inexpensive if you send them your spent brass in exchange. If you choose to do that, send it USPS Priority Mail. I send a thousand cases that way for nine bucks and change. Any other way I know of costs more than twenty.

One point on the 100 gr DEWCs. They lope along at about 600 fps. I have found that if I shoot them from a snubby (which probably knocks off up to 100 fps) they tend to tear inch-long strips from some targets. This did not happen with my 4" revolver. Nonetheless, I'm shooting Mastercast's 148gr DEWCs now. I'm also shooting their 9x19 lead truncated cone reloads in my Browning High Power, and am very satisfied with this load.

Cordially, Jack