.38 Special with Lead

[Scooter72]

Ok guys, I've been reloading now for a couple months and I am loving it.
Everything I have hand loaded thus far has been FMJ. When I first started I told myself I would never mess with lead bullets. Mainly because I knew very little about them and I was "afraid" to mess up my nice Smith & Wesson 686PP. Recently I have been pondering the idea of trying some lead .38's. I have read to keep lead bullets under 1000fps. to keep the barrel from leading. Is this true? What are some quality lead bullets out there? Any other tips for loading with lead? The powders I have on hand currently are: Alliant Bullseye and Power Pistol. Hodgdon Titegroup and H110. My guess is Bullseye or Titegroup cause they seem to shoot softer in my .40S&W. Any help or comments would be appreciated.

 

[bouis]

Max velocity really depends on the hardness and the base of the bullets. 1000 FPS is definitely pushing the limit for hollow-base, swagged bullets for example. Hard cast can go hotter for sure, and in fact might lead more at lower velocities. Generally, to minize leading, you go faster with harder bullets and slower with softer ones.

You can have a lot of fun with target loads and cheap swagged HBWCs. 2.7 grains of bullseye under a 148 gr. remington wadcutter is a classic load and very accurate in my guns. Leading is a non-issue.

I couldn't imagine only shooting jacketed bullets. Even if it wasn't cheaper I'd still shoot a lot of lead.

 

[griz]

The 38 special was around when all handgun bullets were made of lead. My 38 loading consists of about 95% lead bullets and leading is not really a problem. I worry more about the little bit of extra smoke (from the bullet lube) than I do the leading, and that is only a concern indoors.

I use Titegroup mostly, Bullseye is also well suited. Power Pistol would work if you really want max velocity, but the 110 is just not practical for the low 38 speeds. You might want to check into Trail Boss if the tiny charges of Titegroup and Bullseye bother you.

The price of lead bullets has gone up a bit lately, but they are still way cheaper than jacketed. I usually get plinking bullets at gun shows to save on shipping, but there are many mail order outfits that make good bullets.

 

[jonhluk]

Heck... If you move on to lead bullets.. Then you can go real overboard and start casting your own !! You know when times are hard, when you find yourself digging out range butts for the lead to recycle.. I have approx 150lbs of recovered lead to smelt into ingots this afternoon.. should impress the neighbors..
Seriously though.. it's all about practicality for me.. I live on an Island where importing any sort of bullet for reloading is expensive.. plus I can cast and size precisely for the load I want.. We have an IPSC training course in a couple of weeks and I need 500x45cal RN heads for my USP to make the course. Thats about two and a bit hours casting time.. plus a while sizing.. I try to make more than I need and I can sell them to other shooters here.. kind of pays for the molds..and gets favors in return.
Its a whole new branch to the shooting hobby waiting for you to hop on..

Good Luck and Good Shooting

 

[mc223]

Lasercast and Mid - Kansas cast are good hard bullets. I have pushed 147 grainers to 1300 out of a 38 super. Should not be a leading problem at 38 velocities.

 

[loadedround]

Scooter: As a long time reloader, I would suggest you get a good reloading manual and read up on cast/swaged bullets. I would like to suggest "Lymans's Loading For Pistols and Revolvers." BTW, You can easily cut your reloading expenses by 2/3 and still have accurate loads. I load regularly for 8 pistol and revolver cartridges and use 20 lead for every jacketed bullet. Another good powder for lead bullets is W-W 231. Enjoy your hobby!

 

[fecmech]

Scooter--The .38 special and lead bullets is much like bread and butter in how they go together. Leading should not be a problem given a good barrel and properly sized bullets. I shoot a round nose 158 grn bullet at approx 900 fps. that I cast myself(H&G #39). It is extreamly accurate (slightly better than factory wadcutter ammo) and zero leading. Lead bullets have a little more smoke than jacketed due to the bullet lube but I don't see that as a big problem. Try them I think you will like them. Nick

 

[HiWayMan]

Of your powders I would concentrate on Titegroup and Bullseye. Visit MidwayUSA for all the differnet lead bullet types and manufactures. If you have a club near you, ask around as someone probably casts and could cut you a better deal, although it can be hard to find better deals than mass producing companies offer.

I shoot lead almost exclusively now since I got my casting equipment setup. I get the lead for free or at most about $.10 a pound. Figuring in my time it costs me about twice as much to produce 500 bullets as it would cost to buy them. However, I consider my time free since I enjoy the hobby, and as said above it is just one more aspect in the process I get to control.


And remember, buying ammo and components is your patriotic duty. With all the scrap, and much raw material, going oversees to China you are preventing them from receiving valuable war materials.

 

[bakert]

I don't load anything but lead most of the time in any handgun caliber. Works just fine in the .38 sp. The powders I find that give me best results are 231, HS6 and AA5. Yes, you'll get smoke from the lube but it's not a big deal for me. As far as pushing a .38 sp. to 1000FPS(or more), you've got to load them a helluva lot hotter than I'm willing to do with most bullets.

 

[fineredmist]

Lasercast are great and Berry's Plated are a good alternative if you are concerned with leading. I use the Berry's in my Glock 22 and have had no lead problems.

 

[ball3006]

All of my 38 reloads are....

for practice only so they are lead bullets. Loaded up mild so they are fun to shoot. If I need fast bullets, I use jacketed bullets. I hate to clean lead out of a barrel. The only reason for me to have fast loads is HD and I only use factory ammo for that. In the 38, I use Bullseye, 231, Unique, Red dot or whatever is on the shelf that is in the loading chart because these are practice/plinking rounds anyway.......chris3

 

[Steve 48]

Mid-Kansas went out of business 2 years ago when Leadheads came on the scene. There are a lot of good loads out there for a 38. I use 3.0 grains of Clays with a 158gr SWC. Steve 48

 

[Scooter72]

Thank you for all the replys guys!! Lots of good info.