Light .38 Special Load

[264swedmoor]

Does anyone shoot regularly with a light 38spcl load?

I made some 158gr (Berry's plated) using 3.0 of Bullseye per Lyman manual and it was very pleasant out of a 5" GP100. I don't have a chrono yet and am curious as to what the real-world velocity of this load is. Lyman 50th says 3.0 BE is ~790 @ 14,900 PSI. The Alliant site puts a 3.5gr BE load @ 814fps. So it looks like "about 800" would be in the ballpark. Is there a way to estimate pistol load pressures and velocities with any confidence?

I'm loading lightly because this might also be used in a S&W Victory 38 and they cannot handle +P according to S&W. I don't want to get anywhere near +P with an older standard-pressure-only pistol.

 

[fxvr5]

Does anyone shoot regularly with a light 38spcl load?

Yes.

Is there a way to estimate pistol load pressures and velocities with any confidence?

Any estimation is based on published data.

 

[1KPerDay]

I was on a quest for the lightest-recoiling .38 special load a while back. Best I found was 125 LRN over a starting charge of trailboss.

 

[Mark_Mark]

I was on a quest for the lightest-recoiling .38 special load a while back. Best I found was 125 LRN over a starting charge of trailboss.

how light was it? recoil and noise wise?

 

[Riomouse911]

You are good right there, I wouldn’t go any lower. The biggest risk when searching for a sparrow-sneeze load is sticking a bullet in the barrel and then firing additional shots after it.

For training starting-out shooters on a centerfire revolver, I’ll load an Eggleston 148 gr coated RN bullet over 3.0 bullseye. The RN profile makes inserting cartridges a breeze compared to wadcutters (especially when learning how to use a speed loader) and the recoil and accuracy is nearly the same.

The Victory .38 Spl. revolver isn’t a cupcake so as long as you’re not chasing +P and above pressures any standard pressure .38’s will be just fine.

Stay safe.

 

[hdbiker]

My go to everyday .38 SPL load is 3.5 grains of Bullseye under a Lee Tumble Lube 158 grain semi wadcutter. Accurate with little or no leading. hdbiker

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

148gr. hollow-base wadcutter over 2.8gr. of Bullseye. That's a time-tested and proven recipe for about the lightest target load you'd care to shoot.

 

[ThomasT]

I was on a quest for the lightest-recoiling .38 special load a while back. Best I found was 125 LRN over a starting charge of trailboss.

I do that too. I have a Lee 124gr 9mm bullet mold that drops bullets at .357 so no sizing needed and they are like shooting a 22 mag from and airweight snub 38 using 3grs of BE powder.

My go to everyday .38 SPL load is 3.5 grains of Bullseye under a Lee Tumble Lube 158 grain semi wadcutter. Accurate with little or no leading. hdbiker

Same for me. IIRC 3.5grs BE was the standard 38 Special load in the early part of the last century. I just bought a Lee TL 140gr truncated cone bullet mold and have loaded a few but haven't shot them yet. I can also load those in 9mm cases for a subsonic load.

I think the 38 special is my favorite handgun to shoot. Easy and cheap to load. Good enough for SD and can be used by anyone.

 

[.38 Special]

Light .38 loads are extremely popular, or at least were back when .38 revolvers were extremely popular!

As @GeoDudeFlorida notes, 2.8 (or 2.7, depending on who you ask) grains of Bullseye with a 148 wadcutter is the absolute classic .38 target load - and may be the absolute classic handgun load out of all of them. I know I have burned many, many thousands of them. Three grains with a 158 plated bullet should also be a fine light load.

As for "estimating" pressure and velocity, I agree with @fxvr5 that the best - and perhaps only reasonable - guess is going to come from the manual.

 

[rperyam]

I've used the 2.8 grains Bullseye load forever and just started using 2.3 grains Trail Boss when I found a couple of bottles at a garage sale for $10 each. My grandkids can't tell the difference between the two. I like 3.0 grains of Trail Boss for some Summers 130 grain RNFP bullets or 3.5 grains Bullseye with the same bullet. Very accurate and mild to shoot.

 

[NeroM]

For light loads, prefer 140 TCFP gr bullet with approx 5.5 gr Silhouette.
Easy on gun, shoots pretty close to Victory sights.

 

[ThomasT]

Here is a really good spot to read on loading and shooting 38special. There are seven articles on the 38 so I just posted the link.

https://www.hensleygibbs.com/edharris/backcreekdiary.htm

This is the best one.

https://www.hensleygibbs.com/edharris/articles/38wadcutterQA.htm

 

[mcb]

4.2 gr of Trail-Boss under you favorite ~158 gr RN lead bullet is pleasant to shoot.

Using IBEJIHeads 160gr coated lead I am getting about 700 fps from a 4-inch Model 10.

 

[Monac]

I don't handload. 25 or so years ago, I bought some 38 Special ammo that was being sold at a gun show by a commercial reloader. They were one hundred grain bullets loaded to 32 S&W Long factory muzzle velocity, which is about 800 feet per second, if I recall correctly (and I often don't). That means they duplicated the felt recoil of 32 Long, which is well known for being very mild.

They were the lightest recoiling 38 Special loads I ever had, and also the most accurate, at least from an S&W Model 15. I was never able to find them again after that reloader stopped showing up at that gun show. From what I have been told here, loading information for these is out there, and I think you can get molds for 100 grain 38 Special bullets, but I don't know about factory bullets.

 

[Pat Riot]

Here is a really good spot to read on loading and shooting 38special. There are seven articles on the 38 so I just posted the link.

https://www.hensleygibbs.com/edharris/backcreekdiary.htm

This is the best one.

https://www.hensleygibbs.com/edharris/articles/38wadcutterQA.htm

Definitely print worthy articles. These are going in a binder. Thank you @ThomasT

 

[cfullgraf]

Does anyone shoot regularly with a light 38spcl load?

I made some 158gr (Berry's plated) using 3.0 of Bullseye per Lyman manual and it was very pleasant out of a 5" GP100. I don't have a chrono yet and am curious as to what the real-world velocity of this load is. Lyman 50th says 3.0 BE is ~790 @ 14,900 PSI. The Alliant site puts a 3.5gr BE load @ 814fps. So it looks like "about 800" would be in the ballpark. Is there a way to estimate pistol load pressures and velocities with any confidence?

I'm loading lightly because this might also be used in a S&W Victory 38 and they cannot handle +P according to S&W. I don't want to get anywhere near +P with an older standard-pressure-only pistol.

You should be fine but keep an eye out for a squib that might have a bullet not exit the barrel.

You need to keep squib loads in mind anyway. You can be sure something may be a bit "OFF".

 

[Seedy Character]

I was on a quest for the lightest-recoiling .38 special load a while back. Best I found was 125 LRN over a starting charge of trailboss.

I load 95gr LRN Powder Coated bullets over 2.0 Trail Boss. Shoots like .22LR.

Loaded down to 1.7gr, but inconsistent and squib loads led me back to 2.0, which has worked perfectly.

 

[Palladan44]

I've used WIN 231 in the 3 grain range under 135gr swaged wadcutters (really soft lead) They were about the recoil and sound of a .22. Accuracy was good, it's fun watching the bullet fly to the target. At 25 yds, you can see a slight arch to the flight. 650fps if I recall. Good mouse fart load.

 

[tactikel]

Bullseye under 148 gr and 158 gr cast bullets. Laddered 2.5 gr to 3.5 gr. 148 gr liked 3 gr. 158 gr liked 3.4.
There are many alternatives, I’ve always used Hercules/Alliant powders.

 

[Rodfac]

With 145 gr solid wadcutters (Lyman's 35891 mold) & 3.5 grains of Bullseye, I get a chrono'd 807 fps from my 4" bbl'd Smith Model 66. 4.0 grains give me 845 fps, both loads in R-P .38 Special brass. Accuracy is better than I can hold...sub=2" at 25 yds from a rest and 75 yo eyes doing the steering.

With 160 grain LSWC's (Lyman's 359156 gc), 3.5 grains of Bullseye gets 750 fps from the same gun, chrono'd., while 4.0 grains gets 862. Accuracy is just about as good as with the previously mentioned wadcutter.

As always, check a good manual to verify these loads before using. HTH's Rod

 

[ThomasT]

If any of you read the Back Creek Diary links I posted earlier C.E. Harris mentioned that BE powder doesn't seem to have the same energy as older lots of BE. He recommended upping the load just a little over older load data that recommended 2.7grs of BE for a WC load to closer to 3grs of powder.

He also talks about 38 cases and if using WC bullets he recommended using cases that were made from the start for WC bullets. He added a not so clear picture of WC cases so you can tell them apart. I need to sort through my 38 cases and separate the WC cases. At least I know now why some cases had a bulge and some didn't. Real WC cases are deeper in the bullet area so the base of the bullet doesn't bulge the case.

 

[d'zaster]

Years ago, I acquired a big pile of 158gr lead semi wadcutters and went w 3.4 gr bullseye. These light loads are accurate and have minor recoil.

 

[dickydalton]

With Bullseye hard to get at times I have loaded 148 DEWCs with 4 grains of Unique and they are great. I use the Missouri Bullet Co coated 148s.

 

[Bazoo]

Thanks for this conversation.

I'm fixing to explore just this. Light recoiling 38s with bullseye. I'm going to be working them out with a gp100. I have a lee 358-140-SWC mould that will likely be in the mix, as will the RCBS 38-150-SWC.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Thanks for this conversation.

I'm fixing to explore just this. Light recoiling 38s with bullseye. I'm going to be working them out with a gp100. I have a lee 358-140-SWC mould that will likely be in the mix, as will the RCBS 38-150-SWC.

For reference, Accurate No.2 (2.8gr.), Ramshot Zip (3.2gr.), W231/HP38 (3.5gr.) and WST (2.6gr.) make fair-to-good substitutes for Bullseye in light .38Spl loads and "seem" to be more nearly available, even at decent prices, even these days. The Western loading guide and Hodgdon's site can offer up some good starting loads. HTH.