38spl plated bullet weight?

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Axis II

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I am getting ready to start loading for my S&W 642. I would like to load extreme plated with win 231/hp38 as i have a lot of that powder for 9mm. so do you guys recommend extreme plated for this caliber and firearm and what weight for that combo. I'm not looking for any super accurate rounds out of something so small just something to practice with.

any other tips loading for this is appreciated.
 
I like MBC's 125 gr RNFP hi tek coated in mine (Cowboy #17). Recoil is not too bad, but with that featherweight revolver, I've not found anything I can just bang away with all day long. I normally use CFE-Pistol, but Hodgdon has 231 starting at 3.8 grains, so I would start there. If you could get your hands on some Trailboss, that will give the lightest recoil in that revolver that I've found, but 231 ain't bad. I load 5.6 grains CFE-P under that exact bullet and get good accuracy, but a little unburned powder as CFE-P performs better at higher pressures, but I'm loading for a very light gun, so I just deal with a little unburned powder.
 
I've loaded a good bit of Xtreme 158 RNFP plated in both .38 "+P" and light .357 Mag loads. For the .357, IMR 4227 is what I've been using lately. For the .38, HP-38 is great for an economy target load. I load 4.7gr with the 158 Xtreme and see around 850fps. I would start lower though, around 4gr and work up. The load I use is plenty accurate for typical snub type shooting. I don't use a 2" barrel to shoot beer cans at 50 yards, when I shoot them in typically inside 7-10yds max doing defensive shooting drills. For that this load is perfect and cheap to make a ton of and just keep shooting.
 
On a side note, I have used 500 rounds of Xtremes 125 gr plated also loaded with HP-38. My loads ranged from 4.6-6gr, with my favorite coming out around 5.3gr and 960fps. While acceptably accurate, I prefer the POI and feel of the 158, so I personally have gravitated towards that now as my sole weight to load in .38/357 mag. I just wanted to make sure it was know this is more of a preference, as the 125gr were indeed decent performers as well, I just prefer the heavier load.
 
i pretty much just carry it for ccw and just want to practice some defensive drills with it. I've owned this gun since 2010 and fired maybe 50rds through it because everyone wants $23-50rds. I wasn't sure if being a snub nose if a certain bullet design or weight would be best. My 9mm service gun shoots 124-147 way better than 115 so figured that might be the norm with handguns.
 
Your biggest concern with this revolver is its weight. I've found lighter bullets have less recoil and are much more enjoyable to shoot. When I was shooting 158 grain bullets out of my 642, even loaded light with 231 I would get pain in the palm of my hand after 20-30 rounds, but with the lighter 125 grain bullets, I can shoot much more without pain. Another advantage of the 125's is the savings in cost. If you order a thousand at a time, your cost per box of 50 is much lower than $23.
 
If you want to have some fun down the road try loading some wad cutters. While I agree the Airweight revolvers can sting a little and more so with heavier bullets the 148 grain wad cutter is fun to shoot and they make the nicest little round holes in targets. :) Here is an example and note the PPC #1 and PPC #2 bullets. Using Win 231 I would load around 2.5 to 2.8 grains which should be mild, even in the light airweight revolver.

Ron
 
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