which of 3 powders for 38 spec

[roval]

My xtreme bullets finally arrived I ordered 148 wc and 158 swc both plated. I have bullseye, unique and 700x. Which of three would you work up the load with. Will be shot from a snubby.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Unique

 

[mugsie]

I use unique. It's well....unique! I also use Bullseye, but find unique used more often. They'll both work fine.

 

[tyeo098]

Unique
Bullseye
Black

 

[mavracer]

I'd use bullseye for the 148gr and unique for the 158. about 2.8 to 3.0 should do for the wadcutter and and start about 4.2 and work up to maybe 5.0 for the SWC.

 

[rbernie]

Unique for 148gr and 158gr, Bullseye for 125gr.

 

[Kernel]

Any of those three powders would be a good choice.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

Probably Unique. Why not test all 3 powders? Then you will be able to determine which powder works best with what bullet in your gun.
Here is a list of the owders I have loaded .38 spl. I have varying degrees of success with all.
Accurate #2
AutoComp
Bullseye
Green Dot
IMR 4227
Red Dot
SR-7625
Trail Boss
Unique
Titegroup
W231
700-X
800-X

 

[SASS#23149]

shooting from a snubby I would think the one with the fastest burn rate,but if I had all 3 on hand I'd try them all.
These days I try anything I can get my hands on.

 

[Constrictor]

unique

 

[horsemen61]

unique

 

[roval]

I am babying my bullseye and unique since I have less than a pound of each but it seems I'll use the unique .

 

[ArchAngelCD]

It depends... If you are loading only light target loads go with Bullseye. If you are doing more serious work with the 158gr SWC bullets go with Unique.

While 700x is a good powder it meters very poorly and it can be dirty with low pressure loads. I use mostly W231/HP-38 for all my .38 Special ammo...

 

[Lj1941]

Bullseye &/or Unique. I prefer BE out
of the three.

 

[TfflHndn]

I have used all three, and would save the Unique for heavier loads, using the 700-x for plinking/target loads. I did use 700-x for that, used up my one and only canister, and won't buy it again. It shoots soft, but is a pain to measure.

 

[Slamfire]

I have shot thousands upon thousands of 38 Special rounds using 3.5 grains of Bullseye with LSWC, JHP, LRN, LBBFPRN, etc. Point of aim between the bullets type is close enough that I cannot tell a difference between bullets. I truly think that my flinch causes more variation in impact than bullet configuration. Velocities are so similar it would take a statistical analysis, (perhaps Students T test?) to see if there is a velocity difference between a LSWC and a LRN of the same alloy.

I have shot that load in many revolvers, some I still own, some I do not. I have shot that load in 38 Snubbies, four inch barreled 38’s, and 357 Revolvers. It shoots very well. I have also tried a couple other powders, with 125 gr Bullets, all of which are below. And there is a few 148 LWC data in the mix along with factory rounds to give a reality check on my loads. This is real world data, not shot from pressure barrels.

The dumped charges are as similar as I can make them, given a Dillion progressive, there are variations due to which primers I used. Primer use is based on who was making the cheapest primer at the time of loading. Winchester has been the consistently low cost primer maker for a while, most loads are WSP.

I have never found a need to use the same case, so I am using brass that has been fired God Knows how many times and a rainbow of headstamps. All of which shoot fine.

I have shot other powders and other loads, but Bullseye is so constantly accurate and shoots to Point of Aim in the fixed sight revolvers, that I have standardized on that load and powder and see no reason to change. It also is close to the non +P factory ammunition I have shot in terms of velocity. So I consider this load equivalent to factory ammunition.

[SIZE="3"][B]Taurus M85 B2UL  2" Barrel  [/B]		
					
158 LSWC 3.5 grs Bullseye thrown, Mixed Brass WSP 11-Dec-04 T = 54 F

Ave Vel =	686.3		 		
Std Dev =	13.63		  
ES	58.48		 
High	718.8		 		
Low	660.3		 		
N =	30		 		
shot little high and centered	

			
158 LRN  Master Factory Ammo 30-Dec-04  T = 56 F

Ave Vel =	698.2		 		
Std Dev =	20.56  		
ES	105.8		
High	753.5		
Low	647.6		 		
N =	32
shot 6" high centered,until barrel leaded
				
158 LSWC 3.5 grs Bullseye Mixed brass Fed 100 30-Dec-04  T = 56 F

Ave Vel =	706.2		 		
Std Dev =	23.45		 		 
ES	81.94		 		 
High	748		 		 
Low	666.1		 		
N =	48		 		
[ATTACH=full]693786[/ATTACH]
					
[B]S&W M638-3 Airweight Bodyguard [/B] 		
					
148 LWC Lead 2.7 grs Bullseye thrown Mixed Brass WSP	
18-Mar-07 T = 52 °F
					
Ave Vel =	611.6		 		
Std Dev =	22.04		 		
ES	75.92		 		 
High	648.1		 		 
Low	572.2		 		
N =	25				
little high					
					
158 LSWC 3.5 grs Bullseye Mixed brass WSP		
18-Mar-07 T = 52 °F
					
Ave Vel =	611.1		 		
Std Dev =	9.64		 		
ES	28.05		 		
High	626.3		 		 
Low	598.3		 		
N =	32				
4-6" High accurate					

[ATTACH=full]693787[/ATTACH]


[B]S&W M637-2  2" barrel[/B]

158 LRN 3.5 grs Bullseye WSP Mixed cases		
6-Apr-07 T = 48 °F	
	 	 		
Ave Vel =679				
Std Dev =16.48				
ES 56.11				
High 698.2				
Low 642				
N = 18				 
					
125 Lead BBRNFP 4.0 grs Bullseye Lot BE 532 Mixed cases CCI 500 	
6-Apr-07 T = 48 °F					
Ave Vel =	763.9	 			
Std Dev =	22			 	 
ES	78			 	 
High	806.5			 	 
Low	728.5			 	 
N =	15				 
Point aim OK					

125 Lead BBRNFP 4.0 grs Bullseye Mixed cases WSP 	
9-Apr-06 T = 59 °F					
Ave Vel =	760.4	 			
Std Dev =	27.33				 
ES =	82.1				 
High  =	798.9				 
Low  =	716.8			 	 
N =	19				 
					
					
125 Lead BBRNFP 4.5 grs Bullseye Mixed cases WSP 	
9-Apr-06 T = 64 °F					
Ave Vel =	827.9				
Std Dev =	23.21				 
ES =	92.27				 
High  =	879.4			 	 
Low  =	787.1			 	 
N =	20

[ATTACH=full]693788[/ATTACH]


[B]4" S&W M10-5 	[/B]			
					
148 LWC Valiant  2.7grs Bullseye W/W cases WSP 		
19-Apr-09	T ≈  60-65 ° F				
					
Ave Vel =	696.2	 			
Std Dev =	12.04	 			
ES =	48	 			
High  =	721.3	 			
Low  =	673.3	 			
N =	32	 			
	v accurate, about 2" low, no leading, mild recoil	
					
158 LRN Valiant  3.5grs Bullseye Mixed cases WSP 		
19-Apr-09	T ≈  60-65 ° F				
					
Ave Vel =	758	 			
Std Dev =	22.86	 			
ES =	100.9	 			
High  =	810.5	 			
Low  =	709.5	 			
N =	32	 			
					
158 LRN  3.5grs Bullseye Mixed cases WSP 		
5-Aug-06	T = 100 °F				
					
Ave Vel =	796	 			
Std Dev =	13.89	 			 
ES =	55.24	 			 
High  =	813	 			 
Low  =	757.9	 			 
N =	23	 			 
					


[ATTACH=full]693789[/ATTACH][/SIZE]

 

[Walkalong]

Any of those will work.

I have shot a lot of plated 125, 140, & 148 Gr bullets in .38 Spl using 700X, as well as 125, 158, and 148 gr lead.

 

[kimbernut]

3

All three. I don't think you'll see much difference. They should all shoot well.

 

[bluetopper]

I agree with slamfire.....nothing surpasses Bullseye in 38 Special, it so very accurate, consistent, predictable, and versatile.

 

[witchhunter]

I use Bullseye for wadcutters and unique for heavier SWC.

 

[10 Spot Terminator]

One more vote for Bullseye on the 148 gr. wadcutters and Unique on the 158 gr. semi wadcutters . As you only have a pound of each and the wadcutters I assume will be your plinkers , Bullseye is very stingy and will load alot of soft shooting wadcutters per pound . Save the Unique for the more serious loads .

 

[ole farmerbuck]

All 3 here.

 

[floydster]

Bullseye for me and the 148 gr. WC, my favorite load is 3.4 gr. Bullseye pushing a 148 gr. powder coated WC.
Dead nuts accurate

 

[Blue68f100]

All will work. I would use the one that meters accurately which would eliminate Unique if on a progressive. BE would be my choice of what you listed.

 

[Glockula]

Bullseye meters a lot better than unique for me so that is my go to pwder fof .38 special cast loads