38 Special +P

[brutus51]

So Friday I purchased a new Colt Cobra 2" 38 Special, always wanted a DS.
Went to get some +P self defense rounds for it but all they had was Winchester's at $33.00 for a box of 20. Already have some 125gr. Hornady XTP's for my .357's so I told the guy I'd be going home to do some reloading.
So now I'm looking for a good +P handload for it.
Suitable powders on hand are HP-38, Titegroup, Universal, AA#5, AA#7, Bullseye and power pistol.
Don't want anything to hot but comfortable in a 2" revolver.
Also have a lot of lead 158gr. SWC's so I will be making some light target loads with Bullseye.

 

[buba68]

So Friday I purchased a new Colt Cobra 2" 38 Special, always wanted a DS.
Went to get some +P self defense rounds for it but all they had was Winchester's at $33.00 for a box of 20. Already have some 125gr. Hornady XTP's for my .357's so I told the guy I'd be going home to do some reloading.
So now I'm looking for a good +P handload for it.
Suitable powders on hand are HP-38, Titegroup, Universal, AA#5, AA#7, Bullseye and power pistol.
Don't want anything to hot but comfortable in a 2" revolver.
Also have a lot of lead 158gr. SWC's so I will be making some light target loads with Bullseye.

Hodgdon has some load data for 38 spl +P

https://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/pistol

 

[Mr_Flintstone]

I can’t speak to Universal,AA#5, or AA#7, but HP38, Titegroup, and Bullseye are all appropriate powders for both applications. HP38 is a little dirty, but at .38 Spl+P levels, probably not so much. I would probably go with Titegroup or Bullseye, but that’s just me.

Bullseye has the fastest burn rate, so theoretically it might be better for a short barrel, but I doubt that it will make much difference.

 

[gunlaw]

4.2g of Bullseye is about as far as I’ll go with the 158g SWC. Should suit your application just fine.

 

[Mr_Flintstone]

4.2g of Bullseye is about as far as I’ll go with the 158g SWC. Should suit your application just fine.

I do about 3.8 gr Bullseye for this bullet. It seems a little more accurate in my gun, but all are a little different.

 

[Mike L.]

5.0 Bullseye behind that 125 gr bullet will make a nice +P load. Bear in mind that this is book max. Work up.

 

[Thomasss]

The old recipe for .38 Special self defense rounds was to reverse a hollow base wad cutter and load the powder to the max.

 

[Reeferman]

#7 or if you can HS6 works very well for plus P

 

[brutus51]

After thinking about it AA#7 is out because I use it mostly for 38 Super and 10MM. Who knows when I'll be able to find some more these days.
What the heck I'm thinking I may need to develope handgun rounds using HP-4350 in the near future.

 

[BBarn]

Among those powders, I'd try Accurate #5 or Power Pistol first.

 

[Walkalong]

The old recipe for .38 Special self defense rounds was to reverse a hollow base wad cutter and load the powder to the max.

Was this ever really a thing? I doubt it would be very effective.

 

[Walkalong]

So now I'm looking for a good +P handload for it.
Suitable powders on hand are HP-38, Titegroup, Universal, AA#5, AA#7, Bullseye and power pistol.

AA#7 and Power Pistol are probably your best bet for +P loads in .38 Spl with 125 Gr XTPs. The old AA #5 did pretty well. AA#7 should be even better.

 

[fxvr5]

Was this ever really a thing? I doubt it would be very effective.

It was, but the lead HBWCs tumbled terribly that way. I saw some of them hitting the target sideways at a distance of maybe 7-10 yards. When they hit the target correctly, they expanded wonderfully and made big holes, but the tumbling made it a (pun alert!) hit-or-miss proposition.

 

[kidneyboy]

I've been using Power Pistol for 38+P loads. Made up a load that mimics the recoil and POA of the 38sp +P 130gr HST. Shoots great in 2, 3 and 4" barrels.

 

[AJC1]

That tiny barrel would have me loading a faster powder. The slower stuff just going to throw flames unless you're trying to burn them also I loaded 3.0 grains of tightgroup with a 158 and they are very nice target rounds. Very clean and easy shooting out of a 2" smith. 3.5 would be more toward the levels your looking for.

 

[joneb]

For my short barreled 38 spls with fixed sights they seem to do best with a 135-158gr bullets to better match the POA with the POI. If I remember correctly the 125gr bullets shot a bit low for my liking.
For 125gr XTP I would choose AA#5 or Power pistol, for 158gr LSWC I use W-231(HP-38) and Bullseye in my 38 spl snub nose revolvers.

 

[Walkalong]

It was, but the lead HBWCs tumbled terribly that way. I saw some of them hitting the target sideways at a distance of maybe 7-10 yards. When they hit the target correctly, they expanded wonderfully and made big holes, but the tumbling made it a (pun alert!) hit-or-miss proposition.

Interesting, but I would think penetration would be shallow when they expanded and made big holes? Or did they penetrate enough to do the job? Either way, doesn't sound like something to bet one's life on. I guess that's why the 158 Gr lead hollow point was chosen by many.

 

[fxvr5]

Interesting, but I would think penetration would be shallow when they expanded and made big holes? Or did they penetrate enough to do the job? Either way, doesn't sound like something to bet one's life on. I guess that's why the 158 Gr lead hollow point was chosen by many.

Yes, penetration was shallow. That was part of the appeal at the time, since even back then when I was playing with them (1970s), overpenetration was a big topic. I don't know how far they would go in gel, but someone has probably done that. Glaser Safety Slugs were all the rage at that time too, for the same reason - low penetration. Yeah, with their tendency to tumble, they were a poor choice for defense. But they made shooting water jugs fun - when they didn't tumble.

 

[Bfh_auto]

Yes, penetration was shallow. That was part of the appeal at the time, since even back then when I was playing with them (1970s), overpenetration was a big topic. I don't know how far they would go in gel, but someone has probably done that. Glaser Safety Slugs were all the rage at that time too, for the same reason - low penetration. Yeah, with their tendency to tumble, they were a poor choice for defense. But they made shooting water jugs fun - when they didn't tumble.

My grandfather had a snubnose loaded with them in his sock drawer.
His carry gun had 158s because he shot coyotes off his tractor. He was a phenomenal shot with a revolver.

 

[Bfh_auto]

So Friday I purchased a new Colt Cobra 2" 38 Special, always wanted a DS.
Went to get some +P self defense rounds for it but all they had was Winchester's at $33.00 for a box of 20. Already have some 125gr. Hornady XTP's for my .357's so I told the guy I'd be going home to do some reloading.
So now I'm looking for a good +P handload for it.
Suitable powders on hand are HP-38, Titegroup, Universal, AA#5, AA#7, Bullseye and power pistol.
Don't want anything to hot but comfortable in a 2" revolver.
Also have a lot of lead 158gr. SWC's so I will be making some light target loads with Bullseye.

I personally like swaged 158 lead with 38 plus p.
I don't have much input on powder. I just use whatever fast shotgun powder I'm running at the moment.

 

[Mr. Zorg]

Speer has some 38 Special +P load data specifically for short barrels, with 110 grain JSP bullet #4007 and particular Gold Dot Short Barrel bullets 110 grain #4009 and 135 grain #4014 for short barrels. The figures specifically reference a 2" barreled S&W Model 15.

https://www.speer.com/reloading/handgun-data.html