Speer 135gr GD-HP, .38 +P

[HiWayMan]

Is anyone handloading the new .38 +P Speer 135gr GD-HP??

I just picked up two boxes of factory yesterday to try, but I had to pay $12.96/20. It hurt to spend over $27 for factory ammo. I haven't had to by factory for about two years. Anyway, I see Midway has the bullets for $11.76/100, and the Speer website has loading data for it.

Just curious what others' experiences have been with it.

 

[callgood]

I have some 180gr in 10mm, but I'm going to get the Speer manual first before I reload. I understand Speer calls for a lighter charge than the generic 180gr listing in, say, my Sierra manual. It'll probably be a couple of weeks before I can post results.

 

[Bullet]

I bought some Gold Dots to try. In a 4 inch barrel they should work real good and are suppost to work good in a 2 inch barrel too. I also am going to try them in my SP101 2 inch barrel but since it's a 357 I should be able to get 1000 FPS (might be a 357 load).

 

[griz]

Is the hollow point bigger? I have seen them advertised but other than the odd weoght I didn't know what was different.

 

[zeke]

The 135 gn GD hollow point is wider and deeper, apparently being made for 38 special plus p velocity from 2 incher. Be interesting to see gelatin reports on Speer's new mild 357 loading with this bullet?

Speer 135 gn GDHP, Fed 100 primer, Win 357 nickel plated mag case, medium hard LFC, 7.5 grains V V-N350 for bout 1040 fps and excellent accuracy from 2 1/2 in S&W M66.

8.0 grains V V-N350 gave bout 1100 fps, very good accuracy.

8.5 grains V V-N350 gave about 1160 fps, accuracy dropped off substancially.

They also make a 147 grain version.

 

[ChristopherG]

They make them in 110, 135, and 147, and they all have the same cavity and meplate; just different amounts of mass behind them. They also have supplemental load (in pdf's) at their website, speer-bullets.com. I've had excellent luck with the 147's, which shoot better to POA with my 340PD than the lighter ones, but here's the data sheet for the 135:

Whoops. File too large to upload. Let's try a link instead:

http://www.speer-bullets.com/pdf/ReloadingSupplementalDATA/38s135GD.pdf