Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading Your Favorite .38 Snubbie Load?

What is your favorite .38 SPL load for a snub nose?

358156 cast hollowpoint over 5.5gr Unique. If I keep my alloy 50/50 clip on to stick on wheel weights it will expand some out of a 2” gun. Carry this load a lot in my M36, 2” M10, and 2” M15.

If you plan to shoot a bunch through a J frame you might back the load down to 5gr. 5.5 is a hair over what Alliant lists for max 38+P.

7.5 grains of Blue Dot with a 140 grain Speer JHP.

Kid's load with 5.0 grs or the factory equivalent for "real" work. If I want to shoot a bit, then it's either factory 148 gr wad cutters or a similar reload.

110gr Gold Dot and 5gr Tightgroup

Corrected powder charge for my +P load

125 XTP, 7gr Longshot

Hard cast 148 grain solid base wadcutter, over 3.5 grains Bullseye. I use it in my 1. 7/8" bbl S&W 649-2 and S&W 60-4 (3" full lug bbl) .

Reference:

https://www.grantcunningham.com/2011/11/ed-harris-revisiting-the-full-charge-wadcutter/

I have author in my hands and can't handle many shots with full power loads.

I cast 158 grain semi wadcutters and load 3.0 grains of unique.

They might get to 650 or so out of my lightweight smith.

They are fun to shoot and i have no qualms about using if i have to to put holes into someone.

My favorite .38 spl. load was 4.0 231 and the Speer swaged 158 SWC. Nice and mild, and accurate enough to make you smile. Little recoil, too.

3.4g Unique. 148g HBWC. Accurate and mild.

Speer 158 grain swaged semi wadcutter hollow point and 4.7 grains of Unique.

Over the last two days, I loaded 300 rounds of 158 grain Speer LSWC over 5.5 grains of Unique

Have you used this load before? I just ask because any time I’ve used Speer swaged bullets at anything over about 850fps they’ve leaded like a bastard. Hope they don’t for you.

Power Pistol under a Speer Gold Dot 135 short barrel bullet.

TheKid, yes. I have used this load in a number of .38 Special and .357 revolvers for many years.

I use 5gr. Ram shot Zip under a Winchester 125gr. Jhp in my S&W mod. 60

3.5 grains of HP-38 and a hard cast ideal 358495 wadcutter or ideal 358431 SWC HP. I used to load 5 grains of Unique but like the milder HP-38/W231 load in short barrels.

+P load, 6.3 Power Pistol and a 135 grain Gold Dot. Expansion .63, penetration of 5 water jugs.

For a lead load +P, Rim Rock 158 grain LSWCHP, 5.8 grains of Power Pistol. 5 jugs and .70 expansion.

Both shot out of a S&W Bodyguard.

Starline brass and Federal small pistol primers for both loads.

I agree with Hawkdriver and manny, Power pistol & 135 gr. Gold Dot short barrel. It is very accurate in my revolvers, expands and penetrates well, even out of a 1.875" barreled S&W M642. It does buck and roar a bit though.

Practice load is an Oregon Trail 125 gr. flat point and bullseye.

Edited to add that the unfired bullet in the photo is a Hornady .451" 230 gr. XTP for size comparison.

Is there a special short barrel bullet. Seems like the Speer data I saw used the same item number on the Bullets used in all their loads. Hasbeen