38/357?'s

[gman82001]

Ok I have a j frame that a carry alot but really only shoot 38spcl through even being a big guy it is no fun at all to shoot 357 out of. I want to start reloading to be able to shoot more out of just to practice and to also allow my wife lots of practice so we can get her permit and just so she feels comfortable with a smaller gun. My question is
1... am I better off to down load 357 brass or load 38spcl brass a little warmer to kinda replicate the +p ammo i carry with?
2.... what powder works best for loading these calibers?
3..... I need a bullet that wont break the bank to shoot a fair amt. of practice rounds with?
4..... Would you trust your reloads as ccw rounds and legal wise is it smart to reload your rounds that could be used to defend my family and myself if it ever came to that?

 

[CoastieShep]

If you carry .38's, load some .38's with the same bullet weight to +P specs and practice away.

 

[PO2Hammer]

I like to load magnum brass in magnum guns, but that's not written in stone, special brass would be fine. Just make sure you use .38 data in .38 brass and .357 data in .357 brass. There is plenty of data for reduced loads in magnum brass.

Clays or Unique would be a good powder for mild .357 or .38 loads. (and many others)

I would look at swaged lead bullets like Hornady's 140 grain flat point or 158 grain SWC.
They're affordable, accurate, and won't lead at speeds below 1,000 fps.

I would stick with factory ammo for carry, although Handloader magazine claims there is no liability in using hand loads.

 

[Minnesota Wild]

1. It really doesn't matter. If you're loading to .38 specs either work the same. The only reason .357 is longer is so that, when it was first developed, it wouldn't fit in .38 guns and blow them up.

2. It depends on what you want the powder to do. Bullseye, Unique and BlueDot have good reputations in these guns, but it depends on what you are looking to accomplish.

3. With a revolver I would always recomend lead for practice bullets. Missouri Bullet Company (MBC), Cheyenne Bullet and Precision Delta have good prices on lead bullets. If you want jacketed I would look to Montana Gold. If you want to practice with the same bullets you carry, I have found Hornady XTPs to be about the best value.

4. I would shoot a crapload of handloads and decide for yourself. I have handloads for protection ammo, but I've loaded a lot of ammo in my life and have confidence that my handloads will do what I need them to do. I've never seen a compelling arguement against using handloads based on legal consequences.

 

[Hondo 60]

1. you're best off with whatever you are going to practice more with (kinda sounds like 38 spl)

2. I use Titegroup for several reasons - one of which is low recoil. I can shoot 357s in my Ruger 2" all day, the same can NOT be said of factory ammo. (that stuff HURTS in a small snubby)

3. Missouri Bullet Company - great people, way decent prices!

4. ABSOTIVELY, POSILUTELY I trust my reloads! my reloads are tailored to my gun!

 

[gamestalker]

I load soe 38s for my .357s and the difference in recoil is a significant reduction. even with +P data. I'm currently using Longshot behind either a 110 gr. XTP, or a 125 gr. XTP with very good velocities.
I don't have the data in front of my ut it is listed on Hogdon's web site. The 110 gr. XTPs are delivering almost 1200 fps, and the 125 s are almost 1100 fps.
Cost is economical to hand load in my opinion, with the 110 gr. XTP around $9 per 50 round box, and the 125 gr. XTP slightly more, $9.50 per 50 round box.
Reliability is a hands down for reloaded ammunition for me. In the near 30 yrs. I've been reloading I have honestly never had one single fail to fire round. And in every pther regard, I've never had an unexpected or undesirable result from a reload, not one! This is not so with the factory I shot for the short time prior to taking up reloading. I experienced more fail to fire rounds than I can fairly guess, and numerous other unexpected results that were more than just an inconvienence, and better referred to as potentially critical events.
But in this respect, I am convinced that hand loaded ammunition is only as reliable to the extent of attention to proper procedure and detail is invested.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

There are so many good powders on the market now it's hard to tell you which are the best, most are very good. My favorite handgun powders are W231, HS-6 and W296 from faster to slower. For loading .38 Special target ammo I use W231. For loading .38 Special +P ammo I use HS-6 and for .357 Magnum ammo I use HS-6 or W296 depending on how "hot" I want to make them. Longshot is also a good choice for .38 Special +P and medium to medium hot .357 Magnum ammo especially with jacketed bullets.I use more lead bullets than anything else because they are cheaper to load.

Which J frame do you own? Is it an Airlite or a Steel revolver? If you own an Airlite at only 12oz I really recommend you don't have your wife shoot full power Magnum ammo in it. She probably won't want to shoot the gun again. It's not a pleasant experiance for anyone IMO. If you own a 23oz J frame you can shoot .38 Special +P ammo through it all day long. It's also a good choice for carry ammo IMO.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I shoot a pile of .38/.357........In a nutshell, if I use cast bullets my powder choice is Unique. If I use jacket bullets, my powder choice is Power Pistol.

I buy my bullets in bulk of no less than 1k at a time. I use a lot of 125 grain JHP Zero brand from Powder Valley. I've used several different brands of cast over the years with no complaints about any of them. Currently, I'm using MBC.

 

[mbopp]

Others have pretty much covered it.....
I'm shooting a M-19 K-frame that's been mostly retired from all-up 357 loads. In 38 Spl or 357 cases I've been having good luck with W231 / HP38 but any powder with a burn rate between Bullseye and Unique will work. My last batch of reloads were with some old Red Dot I was using up.
I just ordered 2K of bullets from Missouri for practice. For hotter loads I've used Berrys plated and Hornady XTP's.
Yes I'd trust my reloads. I know I can give them 100% QC checks, feel a primer that seated unusually hard or easy, and verify the powder charge that goes in them. As far as "legal" issues - I'd rather be tried by 12 than carried by 6.

 

[MickKennedy29]

I am an attorney in Texas, so the laws may be different in your state. Also, I am only stating my opinion, not legal counsel. I have worked in two different DA's offices, and I have never seen or read about the issue of handloads coming up in a trial. That being said, I can imagine that it might come up in a CIVIL case for wrongful death or personal injury. In my opinion, it is more likely than in a criminal case. Personally, I carry with factory ammo even though I trust my own handloads. If something were to happen I don't want the other attorney muddying the water with me making "killer" ammunition designed to maim and kill. I handload my own practice ammo to plink with only, not for SD.

 

[gacajun]

I shoot mostly 38s...lead. MBC is a great place to buy bullets in bulk, great prices and great customer service. I use 3.0 grains of Clays with a 125gr TC and also 158 RNFP.