Suggest a mild 38 special load after carpal tunnel surgery?

[Mr. Tettnanger]

I am about 8 weeks post-op for carpal tunnel surgery. I have started to shoot again, and am coming along ok. I need to get the other wrist done as soon as I am able. I am finding that shooting my S&W 642 is a little to snappy for comfort. I have never been recoil sensitive before, but am getting a bit "Gun Shy" now. I want to keep practicing, but not want to do more harm than good. I am out of lead, need to start reloading, and am open for any ideas, opinions, etc.

I have mainly been shooting:

158 gr. lswc over 3.1 gr. of Bullseye

Thanks!

 

[Sport45]

Got a .22???

If not, a 148gr HBWC over 2.7gr Bullseye isn't bad. A heavier revolver would help too.

 

[Mr. Tettnanger]

Yes, I have a 22. I can shoot that just fine. I was hoping to keep combat ready by continuing to practice with my carry firearm.

I have a Bulgy Mak, that I have been thinking of carrying. Now may be a good time to practice. The recoil in that seems much less snappy on the wrists/palms!

 

[Jim Watson]

A friend loads a 125 gr cast flatpoint and 2.9 grains of Clays for CAS. That would be pretty mild in a 642, it is almost nothing in a big SAA. Same load of Bullseye would be close to the same performance.

 

[Rolando]

2.9 gr trail boss, 158gr lead bullet. Nice'n soft.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

My light .38 Special Target load is 3.2gr W231 under a 148gr DEWC. It's a light and accurate load when shot from my revolvers. If you want to go even lighter, load 2.5gr Clays with the same bullet.

 

[ReloaderFred]

The lighter the bullet, the better off you'll be. There are .38 cast bullets available as light as 95 grains, but I would stick with 105 grain bullets and around 3.0 to 3.2 grains of Bullseye. This will keep you in practice and give you a lot of shooting for the dollar.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Fred tells you the truth, a lighter bullet will produce less felt recoil.

 

[rhinoh]

Maybe its a good time to also practice with the other hand...never know when you might need that.

 

[Mr. Tettnanger]

Thanks all for the input.

Rhinoh brings up a great point about using the other hand. I have been doing that for as long as I can remember. It really is important! I learned that very early in my self defense training.

 

[krs]

The OP said he needs the surgery for his other hand too so I doubt advising him to use it will help solve his problem..

You can go to 2.5 gr. of bullseye under a 148 gr wadcutter and still have a good defensive loading. I'm a big believer in the persuasive power of wadcutter bullets, even relatively slow ones.

 

[indiandave]

I had the operation back in March. When I felt I could shoot again. I only used heavy revolvers like the 686. The load I used and still use is HBWC's over 3.0 grains of Winchester 231.

Give it time and you will be fine.

 

[Mr. Tettnanger]

W231 seems to be rather well liked around these parts!

Thanks all for the help!

 

[Bush Pilot]

I load 3.5 grs of Bullseye under a 125 plated bullet for various snubbies, feels like shooting a .22.

 

[Joemyxplyx]

My cowboy load for .38 is 3.9 grains ZIP under a 125grain Missouri Bullet #6. I've never noticed the recoil. Ramshot recommended 3.4-4.9gr ZIP for cowboy.

Ramshot's regular load recommendations for .38 are 4.4-4.9gr so 3.4gr is a very mild load. Think of ZIP as clean burning, accurate metering Bullseye.

 

[LightningMan]

I had carpal tunnel surgery a few years ago, had both hands done at the same time. I also shoot Cowboy Action and was back shooting within two weeks with no problems handling my SAA's or my Colt Lightning rifle, but my Winchester model 87' lever action shotgun had a bit of a sting when ever I touched it off. I found that if I didn't wrap my thumb around the stock after levering it, then when firing it, it didn't hurt at all. The loads I use in my CAS pistols & rifle is a 125 gr. TC bullet using 3.2 gr. of IMR Trail Boss gives me about 700 fps out of my revolvers. Good luck, LM.

 

[Maj Dad]

Shooting Gloves

I had shooting gloves when I had my hands done, and they mitigated the force and made it possible to shoot my large calibers without hammering the incisions.

 

[Seafarer12]

I shoot a 158 over 3 grains of red dot for my 38 loads but as far as least amount of recoil like it has been said I would find the lightest bullet you could get then go from there.