Special request, Lightest .38 load

[Officers'Wife]

The worst is .32-20. My neck complains every time I load it.

Perhaps, but if the issue is recoil aversion, the lighter bullet of the 32-20 is easier to load than the 38 Special.

My ten year old daughter will shoot 32-20 out of my S&W all day long if I were willing to allow her the ammunition. One magazine out of the 38 Super and she's ready to go home. I can't help but wonder that had Dad started me with a 38 Special rather than the 32-20 if I would find pistol shooting even more distasteful than I do now.

FWIW- my brother has been giving me lessons on reloading 32-20. If not for the little tool he made to set the bullet I would agree they would be a pain. As it is, I've only had neck problems twice and that was with brass that probably should have gone into the melt bucket anyway. We'll discuss the neck pain of the .223 at a later date.

 

[TimSr]

Wrong alloy for a light load. You didn't have to settle for hotter loads if you didn't want to, you just needed a softer alloy.

Bingo!

The charge necessary to make the bullet obturate to fit is dependant upon the hardness of the alloy. Hard alloys only work clean in light loads if they are a perfect fit that does not require obturation. Sometimes you get lucky. Often you don't.

 

[Zendude]

Simple request. My 56 year old 4'8" 95 pound wife is willing to start some target shooting at an indoor range.



Given her size and likely sensitivity to recoil I want to proceed gently.

A friend wisely suggested a S&W .22 revolver but this soon after Christmas is a no go.



What I have is a Sig Sauer .380 that is very snappy and downloading it will be hard with respect to cycling the gun, plus the slide is very hard for her to pull.



Other option is loading for our .38 Special model 36 ( Chief's Special)



Question? What 's the lightest load I can make to minimize recoil and "Bang."



I don't reload lead. Have 135 & 158 FMJ as well as copper plated. Could a lighter bullet help?



Powders #5, #7, Unique, Bullseye, HP38, Bluedot, Titegroup, Universal, 231, and 2400.



Longwinded, any help would be VERY much appreciated. Like most shooters hooking their spouse into shooting is a big win. Thank You!

I do not load exposed lead bullets either. Most indoor ranges around here do no allow them. I found Universal to be useful for soft loads. Also, for low recoil, I use 125 grain plated bullets rather than 158 grain bullets.

 

[Walkalong]

Perhaps, but if the issue is recoil aversion

So true. That was just an aside to previous comment.

And yes, the .32-20 is an excellent choice for light recoil loads.